Today we were exploring capacity and mass using lots of hands-on activities.

What is MASS?

• Mass is the amount of matter in an object. We can measure using g or Kg

What is CAPACITY?

• the maximum amount a container can hold. We can measure using mL or L.

We first measured capacity of various sized containers using nonstandard units. In our case, linking cubes. We estimated first, then counted carefully. We were surprised by how much some of our containers could hold!

Next, we sat in a circle and passed around a 1000g weight and a 1 g weight to feel the difference. We know that 1000g is equal to 1 kg. We used pan balances to measure (in grams) the mass of some math tiles. 

What are the capacities of some items in your fridge?

What is the mass of items in your pantry?