Ribbon Cups

Materials

16 oz. plastic cottage cheese or sour cream containers, with lidsspools of ribbon in a variety of colors and widthsscissors

Instructions

1. Cut the ribbon into lengths of 2", 4", 6", 8", 10", 12", 14", 16", 18", and 20" to make sets of ribbons in different sizes.

2. Place one set of ribbons in each container and place the lid on top.

3. Have the children sit in pairs for this activity and give each child a container of ribbons.

4. Invite the children to sing the following song to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb."Take a ribbon from the cup,From the cup, from the cup.Take a ribbon from the cup.Whose is longer now?5. At the end of the song, each child pulls one ribbon from her cup and lays it on the floor.

6. Partners compare the lengths of their ribbons. The person with the longest ribbon raises her hand.

7. Continue the activity until all 10 ribbons have been drawn from the cup and their lengths compared.

8. To add to the activity, invite the children to put all 10 of their ribbons in order from shortest to longest. Or, invite them to put their ribbons end to end and compare the total lengths.