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Planning a party can be challenging—take this recent occurrence at my house. My husband and I decided to invite a couple over for dinner. (We’ll call them Couple #1.) Couple #1 went to school back in the day with another couple we’re friends with (Couple #2). So we decided to invite them as well. It also occurred to us that it would be nice to invite another old classmate from that same year (Single #1) However, we didn’t have enough outdoor seating so we decided to abandon that idea. But then Couple #2 ended up with a prior engagement, so we went ahead and invited Single #1, who accepted the invitation.
Several days later, Couple #2 told us their previous plans had fallen through and they would like to come after all—oh, and could their grandson come as well? He’s staying with them for the school year. This led to my husband and me staring at the chairs and space on the back deck with some concern. The back deck was abandoned and we put two extra leaves in our dining room table, doubled our food plan (the grandson is a teenager), and we ended up having a terrific party that was a bit larger (and messier) than planned. 
Organizing small get-togethers, parties, and even work meetings is a real world skill that relies on math and problem solving. Print this activity sheet and encourage students to give their brains a workout as they help Petunia Pig plan a party! Perhaps I should have reviewed Petunia’s challenges before my own dinner party. 😉