Even and Odd Numbers

Do you have two socks? Wiggle your toes in them. You have two eyes to see the bright, big world. Blink, blink. You have two hands to clap, clap, clap. They go together like best friends. But what about your nose? You only have one nose to smell yummy cookies. And what about your super special teddy bear? There is only one of him. Some things have a partner, and some things are all by themselves. I am the secret that helps you see the difference. Hello. I am Even and Odd Numbers.

A long, long, long time ago, before there were cars or cartoons, some very smart people lived in a warm, sunny place called ancient Greece. This was way back in the 6th century BCE. These people were called the Pythagoreans, and they loved to play with numbers and find secret patterns. They would gather little pebbles, shiny and smooth. They noticed that if they had two pebbles, they could make two little piles with one pebble in each. If they had four pebbles, they could make two piles with two in each. These were my even numbers because everyone got a fair share. But if they had three pebbles, one person got two and the other got one. Oh no. There was always one left over. They called these my odd numbers. It was a fun game that showed them my magic.

Today, you can find me everywhere you look. I am here to help you play. When you share crackers with a friend, I help you make sure you both get the same number so it is fair. Two for you, and two for me. That's an even number. When you line up with your friends, I help you find a partner to hold hands with. We can march, march, march in twos. I love helping you see patterns and share nicely. I make the world a little more friendly, one number at a time.