It is unwise to permit students to study place-value concepts without encouraging them to see numbers in the world around them. Neither do we need a prescribed activity to bring real numbers into the classroom. As children get a bit more skilled, the interest in numbers can expand beyond the school and classroom. All sorts of things can and should be measured to create graphs, draw inferences, and make connections. Collecting data and grouping them into tens and hundreds (or thousands) will help cement the value of grouping to count and compare. The particular way you bring number and the real world together in your class is up to you. But do not underestimate the value of connecting the real world to the classroom. Take too “practically minded” an attitude and you stifle true creativity, to everyone’s detriment.
