Help Me Get This Bike: Chapter 8
How Do You Like These PAWS?
Dear Parents,
Welcome to Chapter 8, where Hudson becomes a dog-walking mogul and proves that math is the secret sauce to success! I'm Tyler, and I'm still amazed these magical math stories are actually teaching kids real skills (and they haven't caught on yet - shhh!).
Keep reading with your little mathematicians, and don't forget to stick around for "Are You Smarter Than Mr. Fluffbutt?" - the game show where kids battle wits with a cat who thinks he's smarter than all of us.
Follow the dream: Read a Story, Play a Game, Get Better at Math!
If you’re new! Perfect! You can find Chapter 1 here.
How Do You Like Them Paws?
Last night, I lay in bed thinking about bike until I drifted off to sleep. In my dream, I was sitting on a park bench next to my dream bike. Out of nowhere, my bike starts talking to me in the voice of an old man.
"I stayed up all last night, wheels spinning and turning," the bike said, spinning its wheels dramatically. "Then something occurred to me, and I went into a deep peaceful sleep."
"Bike, what are you talking—" I tried to say between laughs, but the bike interrupted.
"I bet you can tell me all about bicycles. You can tell me about how many gears they have. You can tell me what side of the handlebars the gears will be on."
I smiled at the bike, but it just continued.
"You can tell me all about tires. Off-road tires vs racing tires."
I started to respond but the bike comically shushed me.
"You've never been out of Baw-ston."
"Where's Baw-ston?" I asked.
"I said you've never been out of Baw-ston!" The bike repeated, making me laugh harder.
"You're just a kid."
"Of course I'm a kid, what are you talking about?"
The bike sat in silence for a moment. "You know all about gears, but have you ever started going uphill, then changed the gear and felt like this gear was made just for this hill?"
"You can tell me all about different helmets, but have you ever put one on your head and smelled that beautiful padding?"
"And finally, you know all about bikes, but have you ever sat on a beautiful seat and felt totally comfortable? Have you ever felt like a seat was made just for your butt? Felt a seat so perfect, that it feels like an angel that was sent to earth just for you?"
The bike stood up, said "your move, chief," rolled away, and dinged its bell twice.
That morning had started normally enough. I'd gone downstairs for breakfast, watching Mom and Dad move around the kitchen with surprising efficiency. Ever since redoing my schedule, I was seeing patterns everywhere.
"How much do you have in your bike fund now?" Dad asked over pancakes.
"I counted last night - $279!" I said proudly.
"That's fantastic!" Mom exclaimed. "You're really making progress."
Dad got this mysterious look on his face. "Hudson, I have a question that I want you to think about today." He spread his fingers in front of his face like a magician. "How many small dogs could you safely walk at one time?"
"That's easy—probably six."
"Don't answer now!" He wiggled his fingers. "I want you to think about it."
"Dad, why are you being so weird?"
Still with his fingers up, he loudly whispered, "Because I can!"
Later that day, Jimmy and I were walking home when it hit me. "Hey Jimmy," I asked, "how many dogs do you think you could walk at once?"
"Maybe six? Why?"
I put my fingers in front of my face just like Dad had. "My dad asked me to think about it."
Jimmy laughed. "That's weird."
"I know, but..." I paused. "Jimmy, what if instead of helping you walk dogs, I started walking my own group? We could each take six dogs at once."
Jimmy's eyes lit up. "And at $5 per dog..."
"That's $30 per walk!" I did the math in my head. "Way better than parrot-sitting. I spent two hours with that parrot yesterday and only made $10."
"Plus with dogs, we could do multiple walks per day," Jimmy added. "Split the park between us—you take the west side, I take the east..."
"And if we each did just two walks a day with six dogs each time..." I trailed off, calculating. "That's $60 each! In just a couple of hours!"
I thought about how long it would take to earn enough for my bike. At this rate, I could have the rest of the money in about two weeks.
Sometimes Dad's weird questions turned out to be the best ones.
🐱 Are You Smarter Than Mr. Fluffbutt?🐱
Meow there, mathematicians! I heard you've been following Hudson's story. Pretty impressive how he keeps track of all that money from pet-sitting, right? But between you and me (and don't tell Hudson), I bet you could solve these math problems even faster than he does! Want to prove it? Try the quiz and see if you can beat my purr-fect score. Remember, I'm not just any cat – I'm a mathematical genius in a fur coat! Think you can match my skills? Meow bring it on!
