Math is like ice cream, with more flavors than you can imagine — and if all your children ever do is textbook math, that’s like feeding them broccoli-flavored ice cream.
— Denise Gaskins
CREDITS: Today’s quote is from my About page. Background courtesy of Pinstamatic.
Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math 
Math is like ice cream…..I guess that’s true. But one can also get a stomach ache by being tempted by all of those flavors and trying them all. There has to be some foundational knowledge to guide the actions before chaos ensues.Just a little knowledge can go a long way…it needn’t inhibit exploration, but it can give exploration a little direction.
I agree, Margo: Let’s not try ALL the flavors at once. But too many people think that math is only about eating the vegetables you hate the most, just because the textbook says they are good for you and you’ll need them when you get to calculus, or something… Let’s also be sure to include plenty of healthy treats in our diet!