2nd grade mathematicians returned from winter break eager to reunite with classmates and also demonstrated they were ready to get back to work. In math, students are working on activities and learning games that help them apply place value concepts and measuring skills. We read the fun book, How Big is a Foot that kicked off whole class discussions and activities regarding "standard" and "non-standard" units of measure. In this story, a king wants to give the queen the best birthday present ever - a bed. However, beds had yet to be invented. Her bed needed to be designed and built. How can they figure out what size the bed should be? The students came to understand the need for a standard measurement tool. We used rulers to explore objects around the classroom and at home. The 2nd graders practiced measuring in feet, inches and centimeters.