The best thing for my second graders lately has been to see what measurements look like. It's great to use unifix cubes and the like to measure something, but doesn't really relate to real-life application. We talk about units of measurement (inches, feet, yards) and then use things that they'll always have with them to express those measurements. Knowing that their thumb is about 2 inches, and their wrist to shoulder is a foot helps them to estimate distances. It's been great to see them apply that knowledge and get a better grasp of units of measurement.
The best thing for my second graders lately has been to see what measurements look like. It's great to use unifix cubes and the like to measure something, but doesn't really relate to real-life application. We talk about units of measurement (inches, feet, yards) and then use things that they'll always have with them to express those measurements. Knowing that their thumb is about 2 inches, and their wrist to shoulder is a foot helps them to estimate distances. It's been great to see them apply that knowledge and get a better grasp of units of measurement.