Late for school, but not really very concerned about that, as long as we were there to drink each other's company without too many distractions, my daughter and I stood at a busy corner , counting cars, waiting to cross. She has had some rough tumbles with her math textbook lately. I saw a teachable moment.
"Hey, kiddo, how many of these cars have just one person in them?"
"All of them do, Dad."
"How many people can fit into one car?"
"At least four."
"So,
if these people got together and shared rides, how many fewer cars
would we have just counted, and how much easier would it be for us to
get across the road?"
I'm brilliant. Brilliant! Eco-mathematics. Quantitative urban planning for grade 4 math.
My daughter tilted her head up at me with a crooked smile. She fixed me with dark pools of eyes, little dimples of amusement forming.
"Dad. I know what you're trying to do. But we're studying 'area' in math. Not cars."
"Oh, ok. So how big is your room? How many meters across?"
"About as big as this road. 20 meters."
"Really? How tall am I?"
"10 meters."
The traffic cleared. We crossed the road. I had to duck underneath the telephone wires.
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