In the rural community of Santa Avelina in the Highlands of Guatemala, it indeed takes a village to develop children's mathematical understanding through a partnership among school, home, and community. Connections to real-life applications, such as the planting and growing of corn, shape the learning experiences of these children so that they gain both a solid understanding of mathematics and the relevance it plays in their lives. Making connections in what is taught is one of the five National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Process Standards (NCTM 2000) and includes three types of connections educators should implement: (1) strive to make connections between mathematical concepts rather than teach concepts in relative isolation; (2) numerous opportunities abound to connect mathematics to virtually every subject; and (3) situate mathematics instruction in the real-life experiences of our children. In this article, the authors describe the use of culturally situated instruction to bridge the gap between "school math" and "real-world math" and engage children in real-world learning connections. They share stories of activities that they implemented, examples of student responses, and suggestions for how teachers can make instruction more relevant and effective by using local connections.