When we think about methods for teaching children math, the first things that probably come to mind are flash cards, repetition and memorization, pie charts, workbooks, and the like. But one method you may not have thought of, or even heard of, is the use of educational manipulatives and games.

What are the benefits of using educational manipulatives and games for learning math?

First of all, you may be wondering, just what are educational manipulatives? Our official definition of “manipulate” means “to treat or operate with or as if with the hands or by mechanical means especially in a skillful manner” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). In other words, it’s doing something or handling something with the hands. But how does this relate to teaching math?

Well, when you want to teach children about money, what do you do? You pull out some coins and some bills and you explain how much each is worth and how they relate to one another. This is a hands-on approach to teaching the value of money using manipulatives.

Educational math manipulatives are things the students can actually touch and pick up with their hands. They come in all shapes, colors and sizes. Manipulatives can give the student a three dimensional hands-on picture of the concepts they are learning. And, best of all, they are easy to use.

Manipulatives are usually cubes, rods, tiles or cards with or without numbers on them. If your child is just starting out, you would use the ones without numbers. One example of this is Cuisenaire rods.

Cuisenaire rods are a collection of rectangular rods, each of a different color and size. They help students visualize problems involving fractions and can be used to teach the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. After your child learns the basics, then you can use the cubes, rods or tiles with numbers and symbols on them. These are used just like flash cards.

But what if you want to teach about geometric shapes or fractions or patterns?

First, there are geometric manipulatives. These can be used to teach children about cylinders, spheres, cubes, pyramids and cones. Some geometric manipulatives are whole. Others are divided into parts to make it easier to demonstrate the adding or subtracting of those parts. Suppliers of geometric manipulatives usually provide an activity book with many lessons to help the student understand geometric relationships.

There are also manipulatives that teach about fractions. These are usually made out of foam or plastic. They can be used to help the student understand the relationship between whole things and parts of things.

Manipulatives that teach design and patterning skills are very popular. Perhaps it is

because they are often used in crafts. Crafting can be fun, but how many children realize they are developing their problem solving skills while they are doing crafts? Pretty sneaky, huh?

Another way to enhance learning is with games.

We all know children need to learn their math facts. Although some children can learn these facts the first time they see them, most children learn by seeing them over and over again. They learn by repetition. Simply using flash cards or workbook pages can be boring and not very stimulating.

But by using a game, children get the needed repetition in an interesting, fun way. And there are games available for all levels of learning. For example, the game Sum Swamp is for beginners who need practice with addition and subtraction. Totally Tut is another game that gives practice in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division as well as order of operation practice.

Does your child need practice with logic, strategy or pattern recognition? Tic Tac Twice is a fun game that will surely help. Players use two boards at once. A good move on one board may not be a good move on the other. Players must place four playing pieces in a row across, up, down or diagonal on one board. This game is based on algebraic principles.

Geoshapes is a game that is a little more challenging. Students will plan strategies and calculate risk while getting practice with their math. The goal is to be the first to fill a figure with combinations of geometric shapes.

Whatever your child’s learning goals, there are games and other tools to help. Educational manipulatives and games are some of the often-overlooked tools in our educational arsenal that can be used to both teach and entertain at the same time. While traditional methods of teaching math that have proven their value should certainly not be abandoned, educational manipulatives and games can and should be used as a resource to overcome those short attention spans for which most children are famous.

By: Lisa Lee

You are having a fairy tale wedding party and you are going to need some special honeymoon accessories. These themed weddings are exquisite as they are stylish. They usually take place in a ballroom type setting and the light are low the music is classical or contemporary. The dresses are spectacular and the hairstyles and headpieces are delightful. The men are all decked out in tuxedos and the women are as elegant as the bride. The marriage garnishes for a Cinderella fairy tale wedding ceremony are going to take some time to find everything you need. If you look online, you can find different ideas for a fairy tale big event.
The other type of fairy tale wedding party you might have is a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs wedding party them. For this theme, the dresses are sophisticated and the men are dress in different attire from a Cinderella theme wedding. With this type of themed wedding party, your celebratory accessories might include a hoop dress, a tiara and an open top black patent shoe. The fairy tale weddings are very spectacular, but they do take time to plan and get everything together. Your honeymoon garnishes might be found online rather than in any local celebratory shop.
Sleeping Beauty is another popular fairy tale wedding party theme. This wedding ceremony theme when played out with every detail in place can be wonderful. Your guests will not know what to say or how you could have put something so spectacular together. You are going to need help with the honeymoon garnishes as well as implementing the entire wedding and reception. The rewards will pay when you become husband and wife. The fairly tale weddings are a scene to be seen by each one. No one will want to miss your wedding. The wedding accessories will include some great fairy tale wedding favors.
If you are planning a fairy tale wedding party such as Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, you want to create the scene from the fairly tale. To do this, you might want to hire a designer to set the stage for the fairly tale. If you need a castle setting, it will take some money to pull this together, but in the end, your dream wedding and reception will be something that everyone talks about for many years to come. Honeymoon accessories are not so difficult to find, as they are to alter and fit the bodies of your wedding party party, including you.
The bridal garnishes for a fairly tale marriage ceremony can be found by browsing the Internet for fairy tale wedding accessories and you will find site with dresses, shoes, headpieces, wedding favors, honeymoon garnishing and cake garnishing. Everything you need for a fabulous wedding can be found with ease. If you need any decorative pieces to make your setting, you find building instructions and materials you will need online as well. You will have a wonderful marriage ceremony when you have a fairy tale wedding party. One last fairy tale theme that is becoming popular is the Alice in Wonderland. This is the wedding party that will leave everyone in awe.
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By :  Nathan Eniyiyim

Wouldn’t it be nice to be in possession of a magic wand and have the power to make every wish come true; to banish fear to the under the stairs cupboard instead of being afraid to go inside that cupboard? Anyone who suffers from a fear or phobia would go to great lengths to get hold of such a wand. If only such a wand existed.

In the world of magic, a wand is used as a distraction; it is used to misdirect the attention of the audience. Deep down, we know that this is the truth, and yet we cling to the hope that such a wondrous piece of apparatus does indeed exist. We like the idea of a magic wand as an instant cure for anything and everything. The magic wand is merely a metaphor for a cure.

I think that we particularly like the idea of the magic wand because it does not depend on our own ability to do anything at all; it is the wand that has the power. But this in itself is an unfortunate misdirection. Because the majority of things which we want to cure or to attain hinge upon something which is not outside of us, but rather deep within the heart of us. The majority of cures come from within.

This is definitely the case with fears and phobias. Fears arise from the hidden depths of your mind and bubble up to the surface, sometimes slowly, but more often upon a tidal wave of emotion. And in that moment when the fear is washing through you, it is as if a tight band has wrapped itself around your logical thought processes. You just cannot think straight. Your reactions are that of “fight or flight”, and logic simply has no part in that instinctive and automatic response.

It is for this reason that no amount of logical thinking will help you to overcome a phobia. When you are gripped by fear the higher logical thinking parts of the brain are temporarily cut off, and they only “re-engage” once your emotions have returned to a state of calm. Logical thought will not usually help even then, because the learned beliefs which trigger the phobic reaction are stored in the subconscious mind, and not within your conscious control.

To cure a phobia, you need to find a way in which to access your subconscious mind. Hypnosis is a really powerful magic wand which will allow you to do exactly this. Once you have gained access to your subconscious you have the power to change your inner thoughts, beliefs and expectations. With the help of a hypnotherapy download you can wave good bye to your fears.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis phobia downloads to help you to overcome your fears.

P.S. Please do grab a free hypnotherapy download from my website.

Are you fed up with your phobia? Would you like to wave a magic wand and find that your fear has been banished once and for all?

With a degree in psychology and qualifications in hypnotherapy and NLP, Roseanna Leaton is one of the leading practitioners of self-improvement. Grab a free hypnosis mp3 from http://www.RoseannaLeaton.com and view her library of phobia hypnosis mp3s including one to overcome claustrophobia.

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By: Roseanna Leaton