…and by “measure” up, I mean help reinforce measurement skills this summer. It’s so easy, and the kids won’t even know they’re doing math!

In my latest CHEX Daily segment (just days before my first anniversary as a guest on the show) I chat with hosts Teresa Kaszuba and Mike Judson about all of the ways we use measurement in our daily lives…all you need to do is bring the kids in on the conversation!

A few additional points:

  • The biggest issue kids have reading non-digital thermometers is the scale. If the mercury goes one notch above the 20, they assume it’s 21…even though the notches may be going up by 2s or even 5s. Remind them to figure out the scale before coming up with the temperature.
  • Many parents ask if it’s okay for kids to start with digital watches and clocks. My personal/professional answer is…absolutely. It gives them a great introduction to what times “look” like, they see the pattern of minutes starting over after 59 and hours starting over after 12, they start to “read” times properly, and get a sense for what activities happen at what point in the day. (On a parenting note, digital clocks have earned me many extra zzzzzs. My girls were very young when I set them up and taught them that they could not leave their rooms in the morning until the time started with a “7”!) That said, it’s still essential that they learn analog clock skills when the time is right.
  • Finally: when it comes to measurement, estimating is a very important skill that we work on a lot at school, and kids need to realize that it’s OKAY if their estimates are incorrect…even by a long shot. They don’t need to erase or backtrack on answers to prove themselves smart. Good mathematicians learn from their errors and use that information to do better next time. Never mind mathematicians, that principle applies to people in general.
Now for some fashion fun (note that the beautiful apple necklace and gold chain were given to me by a student at the end of the year):

If you can’t see the photo, click on the Instagram caption to bring it up.

1 comment on “Help Your Kids “Measure” Up This Summer”

  1. Great segment Kate!

    Creative BNL shout out! Oh — and lovely dress and necklace.

    I agree — thermometers are tricky…

    With both my kids I taught them analogue time when they were around 6ish. The deal was when you were "great" at analogue time you received your first watch (an analogue watch!).

    Then when we were out somewhere I would say "Could you please tell me the time?". I even stopped wearing my own watch for a while to make it all the more important that he/she had a watch and could tell time to help out the family. That way it reinforced their skills and I could give them extra help (ie: with 40 minutes and beyond which are tricky!).

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