Aside from the 'new' way of multiplication (which doesn't strike me as too bad), I think asking kids to make a stem-and-leaf plot of the birthdays in their clas

Aside from the 'new' way of multiplication (which doesn't strike me as too bad), I think asking kids to make a stem-and-leaf plot of the birthdays in their class is actually really cool. It shows them how the things they learn can be applied to real things and it could open the way for interesting discussions as well (though the birthday paradox might be a bit much for 5th graders perhaps).