Racing Around

Mike loves riding his bicycle. This year he wants to ride in the annual 15-kilometer race around Perimeter Park, just like Justin and Marissa and all the other big kids. His practice ride around the athletic field was only 6 km, while the ride around the zoo was just 9 km. It's going to be a tough race. Good thing Bingo the dog is there to cheer him on. 

Perimeter—the distance around a shape—is an important measurement concept for children to understand. 

Activities!

• As you are reading the story, trace the perimeter around the athletic field, the zoo, and Perimeter Path using your fingers. Have your child (or class) figure out the perimeter by adding up the lengths of the sides.
• Using a ruler, help your child (or students) find the distance around familiar objects in the home or classroom such as picture frames, tabletops, or computer screens. Make a drawing of each object and write the length of each side on the drawing. Then calculate the perimeter.
• Use one of your child's (or students') favorite pictures and measure its perimeter. Using construction paper, make a frame for the picture and then measure the perimeter of the frame.