Scale drawings require students to measure area and perimeter carefully in determining the map scale to use that will accurately represent the space on paper. Challenge students to make an accurate map of their house and/or yard. Younger students can limit themselves to a one-room map. The finished product should include a sheet of equations and calculations used to find the area of the home and perimeter of the property, patio, yard or garden space.
Let students create their own fantasy house showing the shape, location and dimensions of each room. Give students a square footage limit, a lot size and a list of essential rooms to include. Students can add additional rooms but must ensure that the entire structure falls within the square footage requirements. Students should submit the design along with their sheet of calculations showing the area of each room, the total area of the house and how much fencing they would need to completely enclose the perimeter of the property.
Garden projects get children outside in the sunshine and fresh air when the weather begins to suggest planting season. Ask students to measure out a garden space in their yard and draw a scale map of the perimeter. They should price the fencing and calculate how much it would cost to purchase enough fence to enclose the garden. Students select the type of seed to plant, read the spacing requirements and calculate how many rows and seeds per row will fit in the area of their garden. With parent permission, they can turn the math project into an ongoing horticulture science project.
Tech-savvy students can create a digital slideshow to help teach others about area and perimeter. An e-book on shapes can illustrate how to find the area and perimeter of rectangles, triangles, parallelograms, circles and irregular shapes. Students can draw shapes using an image editor or scan their own drawings. Alternately, you can send them on a photo scavenger hunt to find real world examples of the shapes.