The village in the past, and in the future — (Pages 26-29)
KS2/KS3
- Give the students the following problem to work out. If they were given one ‘jelly baby’ to eat on day one, two on day two, four on day three, eight on day four, and this number kept doubling each day, how many ‘jelly babies’ would they have to eat by day thirty? A calculator is usually necessary for students to work this out as the figure on day 30 is an amazing five hundred and thirty six million, eight hundred and seventy thousand, nine hundred and twelve. This exercise simulates the growth of the world’s population over 30 generations, assuming the average number of children per family is four. This exercise can provide the basis for a lively discussion about the world’s future.
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