Spaghetti and Meatballs for All!

Mr and Mrs Comfort are hosting a family reunion for 32 people. Mrs Comfort rents 8 square tables and 32 chairs, and she draws up a plan to make sure there is room for everyone. But when Mr Comfort starts pushing the tables together, it starts to become clear that not all of the chairs are going to fit around the tables!

 

At the end of this book is a very clear explanation for adults of the maths involved in arranging the chairs and tables. Children can consider how many chairs will fit around the tables in different arrangements, making links to area and perimeter. There are also some links to scaling recipes up at the beginning of the story (with measurements given in pounds and quarts), and children can work out how many meatballs and how much garlic bread each guest can eat.