Comments on: Teaching Kids About The Number Zero https://www.treevalleyacademy.com/number-study-zero/ Free Educational Printables for Kids Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:31:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.4 By: Melanie Thomas https://www.treevalleyacademy.com/number-study-zero/#comment-4388 Fri, 07 Jul 2017 15:37:36 +0000 http://www.treevalleyacademy.com/?p=372#comment-4388 In reply to erin_doula.

The abacus my daughter is using in the Mental Math post is called a Japanese Soroban. With this abacus there’s only 1 bead above the bar and 4 below. It’s very useful for mental math.

The Chinese abacus has 2 beads above and 5 below. I don’t have any experience with the Chinese abacus so I can’t comment on it.

I have 2 Japanese Soroban abacus’, so if you’re looking to buy one of those I can give you my tips that I would look for if I was buying another one. I have one that has a reset button, I find that a handy feature. Also, I have one where I wish there was a little more space between the beads and the bar, it would make it easier to clearly see if the bead was being counted or not. Also, for adults anyways, I find it important for the beads not to be too small or at least a smidge of space between each column of beads. The one I have with smaller beads has no space between each column of beads and with my adult hands it’s a little too confined. My other one that has I would say about 2 mm of space between each column I would say is perfect in that regards. The last thing I would be looking for would be how the beads glide. I guess that’s hard to tell if you’re buying online. Ideally they would glide easy but still have a bit of resistance for better control. Some pretty multiple colors would be nice but not critical.

The abacus that has 10 rows with 10 beads each is not really for mental math but can be a useful tool in general for math. I have one I got cheap at IKEA (not sure if you have an IKEA where you live). In regards to abacus apps for Android, I have no idea sorry, I don’t use Android.

]]> By: erin_doula https://www.treevalleyacademy.com/number-study-zero/#comment-4387 Fri, 07 Jul 2017 13:50:24 +0000 http://www.treevalleyacademy.com/?p=372#comment-4387 I am, have been homeschooling my son in grade primary this year and plan to continue next year into grade 1. I am so happy I found this blog and your site. Great ideas and direction, thank you SO much! Question regarding the mental math piece. What kind of abacus is it that you are using? I don’t have ipad, we only have android so I am unable to use the app you recommend. I’d actually like to get an abacus so it’s more hands on for them, however there are a few types. Any thoughts on which style is the better option? It sounds like the one you are talking about in the free app is maybe called a Chinese abacus? Where all the beads are the same color, and there are only 2 above the bar and more below the bar, and they slid up and down. The most common I see when I search for abacus is those that have 10 rows of beads, where you slid them from left to right or vice versa, and each row is a different color and has 10 beads. Just wondering what your experience or knowledge is in terms of choosing which style to use. Ideally the one that really helps them learn the mental math the best. And also if you now happen to know of any good free abacus apps for android I’d love to hear a recommendation. Thanks in advance

]]> By: Debbie @ Bible Fun For Kids https://www.treevalleyacademy.com/number-study-zero/#comment-1061 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 15:19:06 +0000 http://www.treevalleyacademy.com/?p=372#comment-1061 The printables are great! Thanks for sharing!

]]> By: Selena @ Look! We're Learning! https://www.treevalleyacademy.com/number-study-zero/#comment-855 Thu, 18 Dec 2014 03:10:32 +0000 http://www.treevalleyacademy.com/?p=372#comment-855 Mental math is so, so important for our kids. I love the printables! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

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