Materials
Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan Masking tape or chalk
Adding machine tape Tempera paint mixed for making handprints
Paper Styrofoam trays
Scissors
Instructions
1. Read the book.
2. Talk about the way frogs move. Let the children brainstorm to think of other animals that move in a similar way.
3. Ask each child to pretend to be an animal that moves by jumping. Mark a starting line with masking tape or chalk. One at a time, let each child stand on the starting line and jump once as far as he can.
4. Using the adding machine tape, measure and cut a strip of paper the length of the child's jump.
5. Allow each child to measure his own tape using painted handprints as a nonstandard unit of measure. Stress the proper way to measure. Start at one end of the tape and proceed to the other. Handprints should touch but not overlap.
6. After you have measured all the jumps, you may choose to put the strips in order from shortest to longest.More to doMore science: Encourage the children to use other non-standard units of measure such as blocks, straws, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, etc. to measure their jumps. Stress the difference in the number of units for each as well as the fact that the actual length of the tape did not change. Measure the jumps of a real frog.
