Area and Perimeter with Cheezits!

One thing I know about myself is that I enjoy food! I also know that my students love food too! (LOL) Sometimes the greatest instructional lessons require us to incorporate something edible and fun in order for students to make connections. With that being said, my principal made this comment during a staff meeting one day on how she knew third grade will begin learning about perimeter and area and most likely incorporating Cheezits to learn about the concept. I was shocked when she mentioned it because I'd never used Cheezits before to teach area and perimeter. Have you? One of the most simplest and edible thing students would enjoy became a part of an activity I was eager to implement.

So of course I went out and bought some boxes of this popular snack and my students were excited when they saw them. Initially they thought the snacks would be for their snack time and I told them basically it is, but that we'll also use them as a learning tool. One the best things is to purchase the different kinds of Cheezits. I wouldn't suggest anymore than three different kinds because students can be quite picky. In addition to that, it depends on how many students are in your class.

To use this amazing tool in your classroom, you could simply just do the following:

1. Present area and perimeter problems for students to solve - This is best during whole group and small group activities. This allows you to show students how to use them and for them to then try on their own at their seats.

2. Allow students to work in pairs and give each other simple equations - One of the best ways to see if students grasps a concept and when they are able to teach others or show for themselves.

3. Workbook/sheets equations - If for some reason you can't come up with problems, I guarantee the students' textbooks have plenty to choose from.

4. Distributive Property - I still think it's amazing that I didn't learn distributive property until 7th grade, yet I'm teaching 3rd graders how to use the concept in order to multiply. Using Cheezits is another great visual for students to see how to decompose larger problems into smaller ones.

5. Allow students to build their own shapes and figures -  Have students explore using their Cheezits to make any shape or figure and determine its units. One great project could be creating buildings or their own shopping center or something! Students have a great opportunity to be creative using their snacks.

Now using Cheezits to solve problems with half units will probably be a bit difficult for students. Can it be done? Yes. Students will just have to split them in half diagonally.

If you've never considered using Cheezits, maybe you should. As I mentioned before, my students definitely loved it and I know your little ones will as well! Happy Teaching!