Math problems

The more my boys grow the more apparent it becomes that they have some budding STEAM brains blossoming in their heads (science, technology, engineering, etc.).  Little P loves to build - duplos, baby blocks, crazy fort sticks, tents, pillows, forts, anything he can get his hands on.  Building is his go-to play activity.  And Little B is constantly wondering about how things work and asking questions to understand the inner-working of things.  Right now he's focused on DC's Metro system.  Somehow in the course of dinner conversation tonight the boys started asking math questions and posing "hypotheses" to each other.  It was too good not to share.

It all started when Little B commented that he was cold and I suggested he put more layers on.  One of the boys commented that he wouldn't be cold with 100 layers on and I pointed out that with 100 layers on, he wouldn't be able to move his arms to eat his food (picturing the little brother from A Christmas Story with his snow suit on).  So we created a hypothesis: how many shirts could he put on and still move his arms to eat his food?  Little B guessed 50.  Little P guessed 2.  Sadly, they would not agree to test this hypothesis with me;)

Little P recognizes numbers but doesn't have a real understanding of math concepts yet.  So his questions are along the lines of: "What's 100 milks plus 1 milk?" and "What's 100 tractors plus 48 horses?  7!"

Maybe it's because I'm tired, maybe it was the wine, but this one left me in stitches...
Little B: "What's 1,000 plus 1,000?"
Little P: (with all the volume and enthusiasm he could muster) "1,000!!"

Finally, in an attempt to stump me, Little B asked me how many days were left in this year.  "If there are 366 or 365 days in a year, how many are left this year?"  I guessed about 240 and explained that I derived that number by knowing that this week marks President Trump's 100th day in office and that he was inaugurated on January 20, so subtract 120 from 365 and you get about 240.  I must have used the word celebrate in there somewhere, perhaps to remind him of the celebration his class had of their 100th day of school, because he paused to think and then said, "Mom, I guess you're not celebrating this week!"  Truth son, truth.

Concluding statement from Little P: (as serious as he could be) "This really stumped you."