[elliekelly]

I think they’re doing this more in schools. I was helping a first grader with homework recently and I was surprised the math worksheet was essentially simple algebra but with a shape or a little picture to represent the variable instead of a letter:

> 3 + circle = 7

> 10 - cloud = 4

It seems like a perfectly reasonable exercise for a first grader. Clouds and puppy faces and circles. But I have to admit if I’d seen “x” in place of the symbols I’m not sure I would’ve thought it was so reasonable.

[taneq]

The introductory arithmetic I've seen recently even kind of flips it around and defines subtraction in terms of algebra. "7 - 5 = ?" is presented as "5 plus what equals 7?"

[whatshisface]

That's how subtraction is actually defined, so that's not a bad idea.