Elephant Foot

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Using a real-size sketch of a baby elephant's footprint, learners estimate, measure and record the width (diameter) and outside edge length (perimeter or circumference) of the footprint. Then learners estimate and measure the footprint's total area by answering the question of how many quarters or pennies will fit inside the footprint.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 4 - 11
Resource Type:
Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • printer
  • pen or pencil
  • printout of data table or other paper to record data
  • elephant footprint printout
  • ruler or measuring tape
  • piece of string
  • quarters
  • pennies

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Diversity of Life
      • Animals
    • Ecology
      • Biodiversity
    • Human Body
      • Skeleton
  • Mathematics
    • Measurement
      • Units of Measurement
      • Size and Scale
      • Circles
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Communicating Results

Informal Categories

  • Animals

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • read
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Uses STEM to solve real-world problems
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, The Regents of the University of California, 2007