Stick Line-Up
What you need
- sticks found on the ground, from hand-length to arm-length
How to do it
- On a walk in the park or woods, look for fallen sticks together and carry back four or five.
- Find a flat patch of path or grass and lay them down side by side.
- Ask which one is the longest, and move it to one end.
- Keep going until the sticks go from longest to shortest, then walk your fingers along the row.
Why it matters
Sticks of every length lying about on the ground make comparing sizes a real job with real things.
What they're learning
- Ordering by size
- Putting sticks from longest to shortest is comparing along a row, one pair at a time.
- Size words
- Long, longer, longest come with something to hold.
- Looking closely
- Choosing which stick goes next means checking two side by side.
What to look for
Watch for them holding two sticks next to each other to check before they place one.
A tip
Choose sticks shorter than their arm with no sharp ends, and walk rather than run while carrying them. Leave the sticks where you found them at the end.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: just two sticks: which is long and which is short?
Harder: find a stick that fits in the middle of the row, or one that is exactly as long as their arm
