Before we had standardized units of measurement like inches, feet, yards or metric units, people from ancient times used parts of their bodies to measure things. We always have our bodies with us as a ready reference, but people come in different sizes, so it wasn’t a very accurate system!
Here is what our units were based on:
- The measurement we use today called “foot” is 12 inches long and was actually the length of King Henry I’s foot.
- The inch was the length of 3 grains of barley end-to-end or the width of a man’s thumb.
- The length between someone’s outstretched arms was called a fathom
- A cubit was the distance between your elbow and the tip of your middle finger.
- A yard today is 36 inches. Long ago, it was the distance between your nose and your thumb when your arm is stretched out.
Teacher Catherine Pray-Bollmann asked her 1st-3rd grade students to measure items around the house using their body parts to estimate the number of inches, feet, yards, cubit or fathoms. Click HERE to see her video.
How many…
- fathoms wide is your front yard?
- feet long is your couch?
- cubits long is the dinner table?
- inches long is your pet?