Area & Perimeter Park

What your child will figure out

• Count square units to determine the area of a shape on a grid.
• Build a rectangle with a target area and explain area as rows multiplied by squares per row.
• Count boundary units and use 2 × (length + width) to determine rectangle perimeter.
• Compare rectangles and compound shapes to distinguish area from perimeter in a new context.

The levels

1. Count the grass

   Predict the area of a 3 by 2 pen, observe six filled square units, and explain that every inside square counts once.

2. Build for a capybara

   Act by resizing a rectangle to area 12, observe the tiles fill and fence snap, then explain rows × squares per row.

3. Snap the fence

   Measure the perimeter of a 4 by 3 pen by tracing all outer unit edges without counting its area.

4. Twin habitats

   Transfer the distinction by comparing two rectangles with equal area and choosing the one with less perimeter.