Teachers spend a lot of time thinking about how to bring lessons into the "real world."  Creating engagement and interest by connecting math to everyday life is a great way to help kids dig into complex concepts that might not come easily.  But guess what?  Sunny skies and long, warm days are in store for the next several months, and that means opportunities to bring math into the real world in a more literal sense... by going outside! Choosing to teach math outside the classroom's four walls is a great way to generate some enthusiasm about a lesson (especially if fluorescent lighting is making things a little bleak indoors :). Taking lessons outside isn't just a good idea because of the fun factor.  There's actually reason to believe that activity can help kids learn math better, too.  One recent study of 4th and 5th graders in South Carolina demonstrated that math scores were notably higher for children who were given 10 or 20 minutes to exercis......