Mr. Mouse's House-2nd Grade Perimeter

       Perimeter is simply adding all of the sides together for an object, but it's even more exciting when you can have a group of seven and eight year olds apply this knowledge by designing a house for Mr. Mouse.

         To begin I made different furniture pieces that were certain inch or centimeter lengths. I gave the pieces to each student and told them they could design the layout of Mr. Mouse's house in any way they wanted. They were allowed to use as many of the furniture pieces they wanted, or they could design their own in addition to what I gave them. They had to cut and glue the furniture on another piece of paper, measure it in inches and centimeters, and find the perimeter for each furniture piece.

       This project allowed students to practice measuring with units and work on the basic perimeter formula. Students even began adding in their own design elements like lamps, curtains, and rugs. I have some mathematicians in my room, and maybe some interior designers too!