This song is available on Kathleen Carroll's Science Songs and Stories for the Big Questions.
What are some of the ways that measuring with metric is easier than the English System? How is the prefix “kilo” different from “milli”? What do grams, meters and liters measure?
Note: in everyday language we speak of grams and kilograms as weight. Scientists, though would say that grams and kilograms measure mass, not weight. For most of us, this distinction would only matter is we visited another planet!
Refrain:
Oh, metric. You’re the one.
You make measuring more fun.
Based on ten. Let’s start again
And go the metric way.
There was once a family of giants
And Kilo was their name.
They were all so huge and tall
And no two were the same.
Now, Kilogram, he weighed a lot
And Kilometer was long.
Kiloliter was big and wet.
Each one was a thousand strong.
Refrain
There also were some tiny elves
Who had the name of Milli.
One one thousandth—they’re so small
To think of them seems silly!
Refrain
Now milligrams, they don’t weigh much.
And millimeters are short.
A milliliter’s a tiny drop
Of liquid they report.
Refrain
So, grams you may have noticed
Are things you can weigh.
Length is meter, liquid’s liter.
That’s the metric way.
Refrain
This song is available on Kathleen Carroll's Science Songs and Stories for the Big Questions.
