Adding more numbers

Piles of coins are a good analogy when one is doing addition, and one is moving quanntities from one column of numbers to the next, but it is not the best analogy. The problem with piles of coins is that it is hard to see quickly just how many coins there are in the pile. The spots on a die are much better because the number of spots can be instantly recognised. The challenge is to combine the two to create a system that combines the good qualities of both. This is what we have done at Puppet Maths. Once children recognise the quantity represented by the arrangement of the spots on a die, then they can learn to rearrange those spots in conjunction with other spots that they wish to add the number to, to form a pile, which can then be easily separated into those that are numerous enough to turn into a quantity that will fit in the next column, and those that are left behind in the column they already find themselve in. By using spots from a die, we have developed a mechanical analogy, that children can hold in their imagination, and instead of struggling with manipulating numbers they can just let their imagination tell them what the answer will be. This is a much easier way of getting the right answer, and it is the secret that children who are good at maths already know, which those who struggle with maths do not. We at Puppet Maths want all children to know these secrets, we want them all to get their sums right simply by applying their imagination to their maths problems.