Pre-school

The data you need to collect with your class is described on the Core Activities page.

 

Lead-up ideas

Use language associated with size, height and length (e.g. big, small, tall, long, short, longer than, shorter, the same length as, as long as, not as tall as...)

Make some comparisons (e.g. Who is taller, Sophie or Sarah? Are Alex's feet bigger or smaller than mine? Does anyone have feet which are the same size as mine?)

Make some predictions (and talk about how you might test them):

  • Who do we think might be the tallest? Who has the shortest feet? What can we do to find out?
  • How many of your footprints do you think you would need to line up together to match your height? How many of your teacher's footprints do you think would be needed to match his or her height?

Make and decorate:

  • a cutout or paper tape streamer which is the same height as you are;
  • a cutout of your footprint (shoes off) or a paper tape the same length as your foot.

Play some games to help children distinguish their right foot from their left

  • do the 'Hokey Pokey'
  • invent a circle dance which goes to the left and then to the right etc.
  • Simon says "stand on your right foot" etc.

Collecting and recording the data

Invite parents, older students or other special guests to join in. They could help with measuring and recording data - and be measured as well (submission of staff and/or parent data is encouraged!).

Class data record sheets are available (as printable sheets or as an Excel workbook).
"Foot Size" groupings:

Make direct comparisons, for example by:

  • Making and using boxes - so that if your right foot fits inside the "C" box but not the "B" box then your foot is "Size C" etc.
    (Here is a series of templates which could be used for Foot Sizes A to J).
Heights:
  • If children made paper cutouts or streamers, measure the height of each of these (in centimetres) and write the figure on it.
  • Take turns to stand next to a ruler or tape on the wall.
Recording and displaying your data:
  • Each child could have their data recorded on their own cutouts/streamers and/or the downloadable footprint template (which has space to record the child's name, boy/girl, Foot Size and height).
  • If you made cutouts or streamers, create a record with these along the wall or corridor (perhaps by putting the height record on the wall and the matching foot record on the floor at right angles to it).
  • Create a large bar graph on a display board or wall: each child could put a name tag or drawing of themselves in the appropriate Foot Size column.
  • Printable record sheets or an Excel workbook are available to help you record and summarise the data ready to give to your Reach for the Stars coordinator or submit yourself via the website.

Talk about the information you will share using the Internet with the other pre-schools and schools participating around Australia (number of girls and number of boys whose right foot is a particular size, total of their heights added together). Show students how the measurements are being made and what your record looks like.

Investigating

Did your activities allow you to test your predictions?

Line up in groups of people who have the same Reach for the Stars Foot Size (this is a bar graph!). Count and make comparisons (How many people are in this group? Are there more people or fewer people in that group? Which is the most common foot size? Which is the least common?).

Make multiple copies of your "foot" cutout or streamer - how many of these do you need to line up (end-to-end, with no gaps or overlaps) to match your height?

Make gold streamers or cutouts which are the same height as the national averages (for an appropriate selection of foot sizes). You could add them to the classroom display if you made one.

Who is the same height as (the 'average' streamer for a particular Foot Size)? Who is taller or shorter? How many in each group?

Did anyone in your class have a Size A foot? Do you think anyone you know might? Who?

More pre-school activity ideas