MathemAntics

MathemAntics Is a series of research-based games/activities that can help children from about 3 to 7 years learn about number, from counting to adding/subtracting. Each of the games/activities has a control panel that adults can use to customize the tasks so as to meet the needs and abilities of individual children. Generally, children using MathemAntics can benefit from an adult who helps them get started, particularly with a new task. MORE, LESS, AND SAME helps young children, from about 3 to 5, to compare the number of musical instruments on two sides of the screen in order to determine which side has the greater number, the lesser number, or whether both have the same number. COUNTING FROGS IN A POND helps very young children, beginning at age 3, to count one by one as they place frogs in a pond and take them out. Children can even learn to read the written number that shows the number of frogs. COUNTING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS helps children from about 3 to 6 to determine the number of musical instruments (from 1 to 20) on the screen. Children learn to use special tools, like lining up the objects in groups of up to 5, to solve the problems, and learn to read written numbers. QUICK! Is a game (giving points for success) that helps children of all ages (and adults too) to see the number of musical instruments without counting. Eliminating the need to count one by one makes calculation easier and more efficient. EXPLORE enables children from 4 to 7 to familiarize themselves with special tools- - like grouping musical instruments by fives, lining them up, or using groups of up to 10- -that can be used to solve and understand number problems. ADDING AND SUBTRACTING FROGS IN A POND helps young children, ages 3 to 5, learn the basics of concrete addition and subtraction as they first determine the number of frogs in a pond and then figure out the total number after a new set of frogs joins them or some frogs jump out of the pond. ADDING AND SUBTRACTING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS helps children from about 4 to 6 or 7 to learn the basics of a more abstract form of addition and subtraction as they first determine the number of instruments on the screen, hide them in a box, and then figure out how many the box will contain when some new instruments are added to the box or some in the box are taken away.