Learning mathematics with the Abacus

[LadyAberlin]

Has anyone used this? What grade level do you think it is best to start this in?

Thanks,

Heather

[SonshineLearner]

This is what I have. I really like it but I haven't officially started using it. I think it's best to have an abacus for those you think will be doing it...at the same time. In other words, I have one for myself as teacher and one for each of my children. The abacus isn't heirloom quality, but it's functional. I purchased an extra abacus at an Oriental Shop in CA that looks and functions just like the ones I purchased from NurtureMinds.com

My husband sat down the first night we received it and worked through the whole book.

 

Not only does it go through addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, but it also teaches the child how to visualize the abacus in their mind. The are encouraged to work out some of the problems in their mind, which is useful for when there is no abacus available. (We got year 1 & 2)

 

I think it looks like it's really going to work for us!

Carrie:-)

[acbuy]

I purchased similar kid-friendly abacus learning books (Chinese version) from a bookstore in Chinatown. I was happy to have gotten 2 books for $9 total (book 1 and 2). I don't read Chinese, but was able to understand it as the pictures were very kid friendly and clear. They don't have an activity book, but I'm using it in conjunction with Singapore Math, as it looks like their written exercises are similar. They covered addition and subtraction and place value. You may want to look into this alternate route as I thought the pricing on these books were so much more when sold on the internet. I was shocked to see such a variation in pricing from bookstore to bookstore (From $3 to $15) and they all go through the same introduction,addition and subtraction sequencing.