Pi Day in Rural & Small Libraries — How ARSL Members Are Making Math Fun for All Ages

What does Pi Day look like in a small-town library? If you're part of ARSL's Infinite Sums Rural & Small Libraries Cohort, it looks like beaded bracelets, pirate treasure hunts, pizza, bouncy houses, and at least one fourth grader having a genuine 'aha' moment.

On March 14, cohort members across the country threw open their doors and invited their communities to celebrate the most mathematical of holidays — and the results were nothing short of inspiring.

About the Infinite Sums Program
The Infinite Sums Rural & Small Libraries Cohort Grant Program is supported by the Simons Foundation as part of its Infinite Sums national initiativeand offered in partnership with SciStarter. ARSL is proud to offer this educational training experience and financial support to small and rural libraries across the U.S.

The twenty library workers selected will host math-inspired community-wide events for patrons of all ages on Pi Day, Infinity Day, and Fibonacci Day in 2026. Cohort members are attending monthly virtual training sessions and two in-person gatherings.

Seeking to inspire a collective of math 'ambassadors,' challenging existing ideas of who can and should lead math engagement efforts. The initiative will cast a spotlight on people from both rural and urban communities, parents and caregivers, artists and cultural influencers, and more.

Infinite Sums will change the trajectory of how math is appreciated and pursued. Through memorable experiences, people will see the beauty in math's infinite intricacies — and perhaps discover how they fit into the pattern.

Turning Numbers into Wearable Art
Kimberly McNaughton | Grace M. Pickens Public Library | Holdenville, Oklahoma

Kimberly's Pi Day Celebration featured activity stations that blended crafts, science, storytelling, and snacks. The standout? A bracelet-making station where children strung beads in colors corresponding to the digits of pi — 3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9 — turning an abstract number into something they could wear home.

"A moment that stood out was when the children finished their bracelets and started noticing the color patterns matched the digits of Pi," Kimberly shared. "They became excited and began pointing out the numbers in their bracelets, which showed they understood the connection between the craft and the math concept."

The cohort, she says, helped her think more creatively about hands-on programming: "It provided inspiration for activities like the Pi bracelet station, which connects math concepts with creativity."

Pi Day Palooza
Hyunjin Han | L.C. Anderson Memorial Library | Metter, Georgia

Hyunjin and her team went big with Pi Day Palooza — three pi-themed crafts, two circle bouncy houses, community weaving, bubble-making, and pizza, all designed to spark conversations about pi. Hyunjin was busy running the show on the day itself, but is gathering stories from staff and volunteers for a full recap. One takeaway she's already carrying forward: the cohort reminded her to prepare publicity materials in languages other than English — a small but meaningful nudge toward more inclusive outreach.

Poetry, Paper Chains, and Pizza in Jasper County
Abigail | Allendale Hampton Jasper Regional Library | Jasper County, South Carolina

Hosted at the Pratt Memorial Library, Abigail's Pi Day brought community partners together for Pi-Ku poetry, pi paper chains, friendship bracelets, pi storytime, coloring sheets, and free pizza. She admitted to some nerves beforehand — would the community connect with the theme?
"My fears quickly vanished when I saw children showing off their Pi paper chains and saw teens working together to write unique Pi-Ku poems," she said. "The activities allowed community members to play around with the pattern of pi and learn about how it never ends!"

She credited the cohort's collaborative spirit for helping her prepare: "Bouncing ideas off other cohort members allowed me to fine-tune the plan and think ahead so I was prepared for anything!"

Math for All Ages and Abilities
Christy Casimiro | Victoria Evans Memorial Library | Ashburn, Georgia

Christy's Pi Day Celebration welcomed people of all ages and abilities — and delivered some delightful surprises along the way. Participants who thought they'd struggle with the activities found themselves successfully building "scribble boys" and making perfect circles. The joy was contagious. Inspired by the experience, Christy and her team are now planning to incorporate math-themed signage year-round throughout the library and to weave math programming into their Summer Reading Program.

A Pirate Treasure Hunt Through the World of Pi
Katie Rider | Odell Public Library | Morrison, Illinois

Katie turned Pi Day into an adventure. Participants of all ages followed a "Pi-rate" treasure hunt through stations featuring Pi trivia, Lego visualizations, beaded bracelets, and — the crowd favorite — a hands-on Pi calculation activity in which volunteers helped visitors measure the circumference of circular objects with string.

"No matter what size item they measured — bowl, roll of tape, coin — the answer was always 3 diameters and a little bit," Katie recalled. "One 4th grader exclaimed, 'Oooooh! Because pi is 3.14 — 3 and a little bit!' Mind blown."

Participants who completed the hunt were rewarded with a slice of homemade pie.

Beyond the event itself, Katie noted that Pi Day has opened up meaningful conversations with patrons who carry negative memories of math from their school days. "It's been a great opportunity to reframe their connections with math — how it's found in nature and art and music and everyday life."

Circles, Circumference, and an "Aha" Moment for Parents
Madera County Library–Chowchilla Branch | Chowchilla, California

With seven activity stations — including Bubble Geometry, Lego Skyline, Pi Art, Pi Tic-Tac-Toe, and a Measuring Circles table — Chowchilla's Pi Day was packed. But the most memorable moment came during storytime.

"While reading Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi, I could see the parents having an 'aha' moment where they learned about circumference and radius — what pi is really all about," the librarian shared. "The cohort has helped me build the confidence to show how math isn't hard or boring — it's fun."

Real Pie, Real Math
Tyler | Cherokee Public Library | Cherokee, Iowa

Tyler took "Pi" literally — and deliciously. The "Just Desserts for Pi Day" program used real pies to explore pi in action, comparing how much more filling fits in a 10-inch pie versus a 9-inch one. Local cookbooks were featured throughout, and the programming buzz was real: one cookbook even ended up with a reserve list — "which has never happened before," Tyler noted.

"It was nice hearing all the different approaches to Pi Day," Tyler said. "I'm bringing that energy into Infinity Day in August."

Walking 3.1416 Kilometers
Upper Skagit Library, WA

Upper Skagit Library took Pi Day outside — literally. Staff and participants walked exactly 3.1416 kilometers together, then gathered to connect the digits of pi to moments in their daily lives. "We had wonderful moments seeing children happy to discover and understand new concepts," the team shared. They're already planning to weave mathematical discovery into their Summer Reading Program.

What's Next
Pi Day was just the beginning. Cohort members will next gather around Infinity Day on August 8, followed by Fibonacci Day on November 23. If Pi Day is any indication, rural and small libraries across the country are well on their way to becoming the math hubs their communities didn't know they needed.

About the Simons Foundation
This work is supported by the Simons Foundation and is part of its Infinite Sums initiative. For more information, visit infinitesums.simonsfoundation.org.

The Simons Foundation's Science, Society & Culture division seeks to provide opportunities for people to forge a connection to science—whether for the first time or a lifetime. Through our initiatives, we work to inspire a feeling of awe and wonder, foster connections between people and science, and support environments that provide a sense of belonging. The Simons Foundation's mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. Since its founding in 1994 by Jim and Marilyn Simons, the foundation has been a champion of basic science through grant funding, support for research, and public engagement. We believe in asking big questions and providing sustained support to researchers working to unravel the mysteries of the universe.

Written by the ARSL Office