For an (imaginary) locally developed math class, we did an interesting open-ended activity. We were given a choice between going bowling or going to a movie, and had to predict how much money we'd need for the evening. This included transportation costs, food, admission, and anything else that may apply. It was a very real application of math. There is sometimes a tension between the exactness of math and the practicality of estimation. I often think estimation and guesswork is crammed into problems where it doesn't belong, so it was nice to see a perfectly appropriate and realistic use of estimation. As the students, we were required to figure out bus fare or approximate the cost of gas. We needed to research the cost of a movie ticket and and try to anticipate what food we'd want and how much it would cost. All in all it was a very useful, dare I say fun, activity. The natural danger of course is that students will not use their phones or computers for the task at hand, and some classroom management will be needed to meet that challenge. However, if you can keep your students on task, I think if would be a very rewarding lesson for them.
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