Welcome to the Capacity Lab!

Put on your lab coat and step into the Capacity Lab! It’s your job to run the experiments by comparing, measuring, and filling the beakers with colourful liquid. This game is a fun, hands-on way for children to explore the concepts of capacity and volume.

You’ll face a range of challenges from the head scientist. Sometimes you’ll need to figure out which beaker holds the most or least. Other times, you’ll be asked to fill a beaker until it is half full or read the measurement on the side. It’s a brilliant way to become a measurement master!

Why is This Game Great for Learning?

“Capacity Lab” is an interactive way to make the abstract concept of volume easy to understand. By pouring and comparing, children can build a strong foundation in measurement. This game helps them to:

• Compare Capacity and Volume: Children learn to visually compare different containers to see which holds more or less, and to order them by volume.
• Understand Key Vocabulary: The game actively uses and reinforces essential measurement words like full, half-full, empty, most, least, more than, and less than.
• Practise Reading a Scale: The “read the scale” challenge gives children direct practice in reading measurements in millilitres (ml), a crucial scientific skill.
• Develop Estimation Skills: The “fill the beaker” tasks encourage children to estimate amounts like “half full,” improving their spatial awareness and understanding of volume.

For Teachers and Parents: Meeting Key Stage 1 National Curriculum Objectives

This game is perfectly aligned with the UK’s National Curriculum for maths, making it an ideal resource for children in Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2).

• Year 1 Maths: The curriculum requires pupils to “measure and begin to record… capacity and volume” and “compare, describe and solve practical problems for… capacity and volume [for example, full/empty, more than/less than, half, half full, quarter].”
  • How this game helps: “Capacity Lab” provides direct, interactive practice of every one of these objectives in a fun, game-based context.
• Year 2 Maths: Pupils must learn to “choose and use appropriate standard units to estimate and measure… capacity (litres/ml) to the nearest appropriate unit, using… measuring vessels.”
  • How this game helps: The “read the scale” challenge is a perfect introduction to reading standard units (ml) on a measuring vessel, preparing them for practical classroom activities.

How to Use This Game

For Teachers:

• Interactive Whiteboard Introduction: Use the game to introduce a lesson on capacity. Work through the different problem types as a class, discussing the meaning of the vocabulary.
• Tablet Station: An excellent activity for children to work on independently or in pairs to consolidate their understanding of volume and comparison.
• Assessment for Learning: Quickly see which children are confident with the vocabulary and which can accurately estimate or read the scales.

For Parents:

• Fun Homework: A great alternative to worksheets that makes practising measurement an enjoyable challenge.
• Real-World Connection: After playing, connect the game to real life! When you’re cooking or baking, let your child help with the measuring jug. Ask, “Can you help me pour until the water is half full? Which of these cups do you think holds the most?”
• Bath Time Learning: The bath is a perfect capacity lab! Use different-sized plastic cups and bottles to explore which holds more and what “full” and “empty” look like.