How To Create Math Fun With Palindromes In 2017!

     Most of know that a palindrome is a word or phrase that is spelled or read the same both forwards and backwards. Kids love to share simple palindromes such as mom, dad, wow, Otto, Anna. Older students have often discovered longer words such as racecar, kayak, level. Keep talking and you'll find phrases such as, "Madam, I'm Adam." And, if you've run out of other examples, pull out the mind-blowing, "A man, a plan, a canal: Panama" on your kids!
     Teachers often make a math connection with palindromes. Numbers that are read the same forward and backward count as palindromes. Go as simply as you wish - even a number such as 55 is technically a palindrome.
     Palindrome fans and lovers of symmetry are always delighted when a day, a week, or even a month contains a forward-backward date. For this year, 2017, July contains several palindromic dates. Unfortunately, most schools are out of session in July, so now is a great time to introduce or review the concept and set kids up with some fun activities to mark the occasion.
     Keeping in mind that these dates are in the American style, using "17" as the year, here are the palindromic dates for 2017:

     You can also throw in 7-10-2017, using the whole 2017, as another example.
     So, how do you celebrate Palindrome Week? Here are some ideas:

Let me know how you prepare and celebrate Palindrome Week, 2017!