What is eight?

I'm sitting on the sofa surfing the internet while Wander cooks supper. Sparkle is at the coffee table drawing. Glitter is off doing her own thing.

I come across an online discussion about homeschool math programs. Somehow, part of the discussion turns to the question "what is eight?"

One mom reports that her child says that "8 is 8....1/2 of 16, 2x4, 4x2, 1+7, 6+2, ........ "

Another mom reports that according to her child, eight is " 5+3, 6+2, 7+1, 8+0, 4+4 ("and all the opposites"), 1+2+2+3, 2x4, 4x2, 16/2, 24/3, 32/4, 40/5, 18-10, and eight ones."

On a whim, I as Sparkle, "What is eight?" She is resistant because she wants to color. Finally, Sparkle says that 1 x 8 is eight and 8 x 0 is eight. Hum. Not correct and not at all what I expected considering that I haven't done any multiplication with her.

I prompt her a bit more asking if eight is the combination of any numbers. I get a grudging "4+4=8, 5+3=8, and 2+2+2+2=8." Okay. This is much better. Nothing spectacular, but at least correct.

Then I push my luck and ask if eight is a color. Instead of finding the question ridiculous, Sparkle says that eight is green. "If it's colored, it is usually green. The whole thing is green." Huh? Where did that come from. Alas, I'm not to find out as Sparkle resists giving me any examples of where she's seen a green eight.

A few minutes and a few questions later, I found out that according to Sparkle,

1 is yellow
2 is red
3 is blue
4 is green
5 is red
6 is yellow
7 is red
8 is green
9 is blue
10 is yellow
white is 12
11 is red
green is 18

I wonder if Sparkle has synesthesia?