Measurements in the garden

Activity

Use the school garden and grounds to develop practical measurement skills and scaling with Key Stage 2 and Second Level pupils.

  • Estimated time: 30 minutes
  • Location: Outdoors & Indoors
  • School term: All year round
  • Level of experience: No experience needed
  • Subject(s): Maths

Learning objectives

  • Use common units of measure
  • Measure the perimeter of 2D shapes in a garden setting
  • Identify angles
  • Investigate percentages in everyday situations
  • Solve simple problems with measuring and scaling contexts

Preparation

Discuss the units of measure needed to calculate perimeter.

Decide on the maths needed to calculate area.

Have a look around the school grounds beforehand for suitable defined areas to measure.

Equipment

  • Outdoor space
  • Measuring tapes
  • Rope
  • String
  • Squared paper, pencils and rulers
  • Weighing scales
  • Grass seed

Alternative scaling

Set the scene: After over use the caretaker has decided the field needs re-sowing. How much seed will need to be used?

  • Use string and sticks to mark out a metre square.
  • Looking at the grass seed packaging work out the amount of seed needed for one metre squared.
  • Scale this figure up to calculate the amount needed for the whole field.

Step by step


  1. Ask your group to decide how they will measure the garden. Choices could include a measuring wheel or tape, a piece of rope or their own stride (pre-measured).
  2. Decide whether part measurements will be rounded up or down, to simplify.
  3. Measure particular parts of the school garden. This could be a vegetable patch, raised beds, a paved area etc. Remember to measure any boundaries or perimeter fences. 
  4. Once measurments have been recorded ask pupils to transfer this data onto cm squared paper. 
  5. Label the areas of the garden plan to show usage/purpose.
  6. Work out the percentage of the total garden area used for each purpose.
  7. Ask additional questions to extend -  if we added three raised beds, each with a perimeter of 'x' what area would we then have for growing?

Hints & tips

  • Only select a section of the school grounds to measure.
  • Decide on a scale (10cm:1cm ) and demonstrate scaling measurements to squared paper.
  • Work in groups and share out the measuring, then collate the results.
  • Take the opportunity to identify angles in the school garden
  • Follow up by creating a mini garden or sow grass in shoe boxes or trays of compost using scaling to calculate amount of seed needed.