The Mardi Gras Problem

Teacher Activity: We enjoy going to family-friendly Mardi Gras parades in Louisiana. These parades are exciting events filled with floats where riders throw beads and stuffed animals to children.  At the 2015 “Krewe of Artemis” parade in Baton Rouge, Autumn and I wondered:

How many beads does a float rider need to buy for a Mardi Gras parade?

The results is (then) 6-year-old Autumn's video below--a "news report" that ends with the question above that can be shown in the classroom.   The accompanying article includes an activity that goes along with the video that can be used in grades 4-8 to figure out how many beads are needed for the Artemis parade.