Now I see numbers and mathematics everywhere. Of course there are well-known days of the year such as Pi Day (a widely popular day filled with calculator fun, measuring tape chanllenges, circles, and pie) and the link between shell construction and flower petals in nature with the Fibonacci numbers. But there are so many moments throughout each day that jump out at me as unique presentations of numbers.
Take today: it is the eighth month of the year, the ninth day of the month, and the year ends in "ten". Ahhh, now for some geeky reason, this knowledge gives me great pleasure and brings a huge grin to my face!
Now if classes were in session for the elementary, I would task small groups of children to look during their lifetime of years (for me sixth grade is generally eleven or twelve years), and come up with how many more times this mathematical phenomenon has popped up. No, it's not on a standard, but this exercise does do something that I believe is more valuable than just "hit a standard for the test". It excites children about numbers and the world around them, has them noticing details in their surroundings, and teaches them organization as well as group skills.
