Measurement (area & perimeter): Rock Nests
Challenge Level ⭐⭐
(designed for children with prior knowledge of the Year 3 and Year 4 programme of study)
Learning Objective
We are learning how to solve a natural world problem by using and applying our skills and knowledge of area.
Useful prior knowledge:
- To find the area of a rectilinear shape by counting squares
- To be familiar with the terms ‘length’, ‘width’ and ‘diameter’
Clip Description
In the Mississippi River, USA, the river chub is a remarkable fish. The male gathers stones with his mouth, carefully arranging them into a rock-pile nest to attract a female and provide a safe place for her eggs. Some nests are more than a metre in diameter.
In this fascinating clip, we see a river chub in action, building his nest with thousands of different size and shaped rocks. Why does wildlife enthusiast Casper Cox choose to spend so much time with the river chub? Watch the clip to find out.
Word Challenge
If a circular rock-pile nest has a diameter of 1 metre, how many nests could fit on the riverbed of a stretch of river that is 30 m long and 5 m wide?
How many more rock piles could fit on the riverbed of a stretch of river that has the same width but is 40 m long?