The world is a big place and sometimes we – both kids and grown-ups – can feel sad or scared. One of the best ways to fix that is to talk to someone nice. That’s why a 5th grade class in Indiana started a happiness hotline. Call them up and press a number to hear a pep talk, an inspiring quote, a fun fact, a kind saying, or a joke, in English or Spanish. As their teacher Mrs. Van Laeken reminds us, when life gives you lemons, call a 5th grader!
Wee ones: To choose a recording on the happiness hotline, you press a button for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. If you kept counting, what number would do you say after 6?
Little kids: Which digits from 0-9 are *not* in the phone number 574-832-4965? Bonus: If a phone number has 10 digits, can those digits ever add up to 100? Why or why not?
Big kids: The first 3 digits in a phone number are called the ‘area code.’ How much more would you have to add to this area code to make it an 800 number? Bonus: If instead you add the 3 digits of the area code 574, how many other sets of 3 digits from 0-9 can make that same sum? (Don’t worry about the digits’ order!)
Answers:
Wee ones: 7!
Little kids: 0 and 1. Bonus: They cannot, because the largest possible digit is a 9, and 10 x 9 is 90, which is less than 100.
Big kids: 226. Bonus: 5+7+4=16 and there are 14 other different sets that also add to 16: 970, 961, 952, 943, 880, 871, 862, 853, 844, 772, 763, 754, 664, and 556.
