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Measure Me String Art - from Math Arts

Measuring body parts with lengths of yarn is a fascinating experience for a young child. It also broadens a young child's self-concept. The yarn is then incorporated into a collage that reveals patterns or relationships of different body part sizes.

Process:

1. Lay out the sheet of paper on the floor or tape it to the wall. The person measuring should pull out a piece of yarn and measure a part of the other person (the measured person), such as the length of an arm or leg. Snip the yarn at the measured length.

2. Tape or glue that piece of yarn to the craft paper. Stretching the yarn into a long, staight line is one way to do this.

3. Measure another part of the other person, such as around the head or a finger. Again, cut the yarn at the measured length and then tape or glue the yarn to the craft paper. One idea is to stretch the second piece of yarn next to the first, although crossing them over or joining them in a long design is artistically effective too.

4. Continue measuring with yarn until both artists are satisfied with the yarn display.

5. Trade places and now measure the other person on a fresh pice of craft paper, or use another color yarn and glue to the first person's paper.

Variations:

• Look for comparisons between the yarn lengths. Sometimes there are patterns which are readily evident in lengths and parts of the body.

• Tape the yarn to a poster board - one piece of yarn next to the other - like a graph. Label the yarn pieces with a drawing of a foot, leg, neck or another body part that was measured.

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