Banana Day

Objective:
The students will measure the curved length of bananas.

Materials

• Cloth measuring tapes (or pieces of string and hard rulers)

• Bananas (or cutout shapes of bananas) numbered 1-12 (or with the numbers you need so each pair of students has a banana)

• Banana Measurement Worksheets for results.

Procedure

1. Show the students a banana and brainstorm how to measure it.  Discuss how a hard ruler would not be able to account for the curve in the banana.  You may demonstrate this by holding up your index finger and asking if you curve your finger whether the length is changed.  Show how to measure a curved banana either using a measuring tape or a piece of  string marked off and held up to a hard ruler.
   

2. Put the students in pairs.  Give each pair a banana (or banana cutout), a measuring tape (or a piece of string and a hard ruler), and a worksheet.
   

3. Have the students measure their banana and record their results.  They will then want to exchange their banana with at least 2 other pairs, so they measure a total of 3 bananas. 
   

4. Have the students measure at least 3 other items in the classroom, either straight or curved, of their choice.

Wrap Up:
Have the students think of other larger items that are curved which people may measure, i.e. roads, a race track, playground slides, a monkey's tail.

Other Lesson Ideas

1. Weigh bananas on a scale.

2. Make up lists of items in the classroom that are bigger or smaller than bananas.

3. Using the basis of the "5 a Day for Better Health" slogan, practice counting by 5's to see how many servings of fruits and vegetables should be eaten for any given number of days.

4. Add the number of bananas in different bunches to get a total.