Cheese-its + Toothpicks = Area/Perimeter

Recently my third grade superheroes and I were working on Area and Perimeter- particularly that a figure can have the same area, but different perimeter and that a figure can have the same perimeter, but different area. Cue the food!

Even though we aren't technically supposed to have food in class...Well some rules are made to be broken. My heroes were given a certain number of toothpicks (perimeter) and had to build figures that used all their toothpicks. Therefore-the same perimeter, but different area. 

Then the yummy part! Students were given a set number of cheese-its (square units) and had to construct figures using all the cheese-its that had a different perimeter. 

Here are some pictures of my third graders creating and documenting what they found when investigating same area and different perimeter. 

A piece of green construction paper worked
well for a workmat. Students could easily see
their manipulative. 

Using graph paper to
document the figures they
created

Differentiating was easy by providing students
with different numbers of cheese-its/toothpicks

This concrete activity really helps to drive home the concept. Though I am sure that, if asked, my students would say that their favorite part was when I told them to "make their manipulative" disappear-the cheese-its mostly! 

See you later! 
You Buddy!