Activity of the Week: Measure the Circumference of Trees

Is your class learning about circles, diameter, radius, and circumference? Then measuring trees can give your students some hands-on experience!  

Provide each student with a flexible sewing measuring tape. Students should also carry with them a pencil and notebook. 

Have the students choose a tree in the schoolyard to measure. Show them how to wrap the measuring tape around the tree and identify the distance. Explain that because the tree trunk is round, this distance is the circumference of the tree. 

Continue until each student has measure four or five different trees.  As a class, compare the results. 

Photo by impure_with_memory