Measurement is a very basic concept, and young children should be able to understand it. It assists them in estimating the size and volume of objects in their environment. However, the process of teaching measurement can be quite uninteresting and theoretical at times. This is where the children’s book “Filled to Capacity,” written by Maryann Graziani, comes in. This splendid book employs an entertaining narrative to teach children about various capacity units, including gallons, quarts, pints, cups, and ounces.

A Story About Measurement Units

The story’s main characters are the units of capacity present in an organization. There is Gallon, the largest and the strongest of all the five characters in the story: Quart, Pint, Cup, and the smallest Ounce. They plan to have a party, and when all the guests are invited, they find Gallon’s house too small to accommodate them.

Through this game, children are introduced to comparing the size of various units of capacity. They learn how many Quarts are in a Gallon, how many Pints are in a Quart, and so on. The story continues to the next step, where the characters come up with a solution to the problem they are facing, which is in line with the measurement concepts.

Engaging Activities

The book “Filled to Capacity” is a story and a narration of real-life events. It also has a recipe at the end, a practical way for children to use what they have learned about measurement. While preparing the meals, they can use cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons to measure the ingredients, thus reinforcing their understanding of these units.

Teaching Capacity Through Hands-on Activities

However, there are many fun and creative ways to teach children about capacity other than the “Filled to Capacity” game. The website called The Curriculum Corner is a website for educators, and it has a list of ideas for hands-on activities.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Give children cups, spoons, and bowls of different sizes for them to use in measuring the ingredients. Allow them to play by pouring water or any safe substance into these containers and then pouring it out.
• Collect different household containers, such as bottles, jugs, and cups. Ask the children to guess how much water each item can hold. Then, pour water into each container to see if the children’s estimations were correct.
• Prepare a set of cards where one side of the card has pictures of objects, and the other side has the capacity of the objects. This can be followed by a game called “I Have, Who Has?” where children must find the object with the capacity on the previous card.

Turning Measurement into a Party with “Filled to Capacity”

In my opinion, “Filled to Capacity” is a cute and effective way to teach young children the concept of capacity. When used with the following activities and the book “Filled to Capacity,” you can make learning fun for your child. It is possible to turn measurement into an exciting game that will make children happy to learn. Therefore, get your copy of “Filled to Capacity” and some measuring cups, and let the learning with your child begin!