Item of the Week! (IOW)

Our first on-hand, go-to, must-have item of the day...
Measuring Tape (or Tape Measure)

This item works wonders for younger children interested in gadgets. The idea of it being retractable is often fascinating to them, and then everything becomes an assignment, project, or activity. They definitely practice their MATH skills by measuring things around the house. But to pinpoint it more, I would send my children on scavenger hunts to find something "crimson" or "oblong" or "spherical" and watch them scatter with giddy excitement! They also enjoy having their height measured day after day with grave anticipation of being as tall as daddy soon. :)

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For older kids, they'd create various MATH and SCIENCE projects themselves using tape measures. They'd measure & calculate distances between neighborhood backyard fences, or course geometric shapes around the neighborhood, create unique graphs of their favorite vehicles, and more.

Other cool measuring tape activities (something for all ages) that we enjoyed:

• measure the distance between your two favorite rooms
• measure the door to your favorite room
• measure how high up your little ones can reach
• measure the length of your car or bicycle
• measure the width of our favorite tree at the park
• "guestimate" then measure various items (fun guessing game) such as dad's arm or leg, the toy box or the teen's sock drawer, and more!

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Tape measures are great, inexpensive, fun items to have on-hand and in the car because you never know what creative activities you'll discover at any moment.