Perimeter

Okay kiddo, have you ever walked around the edge of a swimming pool? Or followed the path around a park? Well, that's kind of what we're talking about when we say "perimeter."

Perimeter is a word we use to describe the distance around the outside of a shape. It's like an invisible line that follows the shape's outline. Think of it like a fence around a yard that helps keep everything inside. The perimeter helps us measure how much area an object or shape takes up.

Let's say we have a square. A square is a shape that has four equal sides and four corners. If we want to find the perimeter of a square, all we have to do is add up the length of each of its sides. So, if each side of the square is 2 feet long, then the perimeter of the square would be 2+2+2+2 = 8 feet.

Now, let's try a rectangle. A rectangle is a shape with four sides and four corners, but two sides are longer than the other two. To find the perimeter of a rectangle, we add up the length of all four sides. So, if a rectangle is 3 feet wide and 5 feet tall, then the perimeter would be (3+5) x 2 = 16 feet.

The perimeter helps us figure out how much space we need to build or cover an object. For example, if we want to put a fence around a garden, we need to know the perimeter so we can buy enough fencing to go all the way around.

So that's what perimeter means - it's just the distance around the outside of a shape, like following a path or a fence.