GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Growing up, I was never really good at Maths. Until, I had the benefit of getting to know an excellent Maths teacher, who showed me the good side of Maths. It was astounding. I never thought Maths could be so interesting and from then on, each time I found a pattern or a sequence, Maths got easier and easier. I have to say, by the time I ended High School, the only thing I really excelled in, was Maths (and English ~ but that didn’t count somehow).

Now, as a parent, I have to admit, I really suck at teaching Maths. Perhaps I’m too impatient with my kids and think ahead of myself. The easy stuff like Addition and Subtraction was taught with much frustration, on my part, and much dismay, on my kids’ part.  I dreaded the idea of teaching Multiplication and Division! When the book “Teach Your Child the Multiplication Tables, Fun, Fast and Easy with Dazzling Patterns, Grids and Tricks“, arrived, I looked at the front cover with much skepticism. How “fun” could it be?

I completely forgot how amazing it is, when the brain opens up, finds a pattern and starts working furiously at the numbers. Until this book arrived. My 7 year old saw this book and immediately wanted to work on it. I knew he learnt some multiplications at school, but I wasn’t sure how much.

He attacked the first grid….working all the multiplication numbers from 1 to 10. Just like that. I was amazed. He had read and glossed over the book, (I assumed he was just looking at the pictures) earlier…and when he started doing the numbers, he seemed to understand the underlying patterns under each multiplication.

And here I thought I would have a hard time teaching him the Multiplication!

About : The book starts with a story about a Circus in mayhem. The Ringmaster needs the child’s help in counting his animals, but it would take too long to count them, one by one. One needs the magic of multiplication to help him account for all his animals!

Eugenia Francis created this fun, colorful and imaginative way of working with numbers. She spent 15 years developing creative teaching materials. She taught both high school and university students (University of California at Irvine) and mentored other teachers. She received a B.A. and an M.A. in literature from Southern Methodist University and has done graduate work at UCI. Faced with the challenge of teaching her son the multiplication tables, she developed her own innovative method, discovering patterns and tricks to the multiplication tables.

This book also works very well for children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. Patterns provide structure.  Children with ADD/ADHD need structure. These children have a difficulty memorizing the times tables.  The visual-spatial method of patterns and grids works better.  Patterns also help dyslexic children as they strictly order number sequence.  Special needs children can better visualize and recall where a number is placed if they see a pattern.  Do check out her blog for any updates or tips!

Buy It : There are also other versions, the Teacher’s version and the Spanish version. Wipe-off Learning Aids are also available. The books are available on Amazon, while the books and the Learning Aids are available at Eugenia’s website.

Win It : Goody! Here’s the fun part : 7 very lucky readers will have a chance in winning this. All you have to do is :

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Story Fort has just published an interactive book just for kids, about a cyclops called Carl who has a big dilemma. In this story, kids follow Carl, while he tries to resolve his problems, kids also get to learn in a really fun and interactive way.

The first thing that struck me about this interactive book was the music! We love fun, upbeat music, so this is definitely a plus point. The other thing was, the very colorful illustrations that caught my 4 year old. He wasn’t too sure about the cyclops, and seemed to prefer the monsters more! There are many other lil gems in there, that would keep any kid entertain for some time. One of which, is when you click on a highlighted word, an image would pop out and it would be read aloud. What a great way for kids to learn and build their vocabulary.

There is even a bonus memory game, which all kids love! My son was truly entertained by this book and it is great for kids between the ages of 3-5. It is currently available for PC users only.

Check out the music video!

What is Bothering Carl from Andy Hull on Vimeo.

What is Bothering Carl from Andy Hull on Vimeo.

About Story Fort :

Story Fort is a digital publishing company specializing in interactive books for kids. Story Fort’s products provide fun story telling for children, while developing their reading skills and engaging their imaginations. Founded in 2009 by Andy Hull, who graduated from Brown University in 2003 with a degree in computer science. He then spent five years as a designer at leading toy company, Melissa and Doug, where he created several award-winning, best-selling toys. Andy is also the author, illustrator and programmer of Story Fort’s first title, What Is Bothering Carl?.

Buy It : It’s now retailing at $9.99, right now and you’re able to download a free trial here.

Win It : We’re so pleased that Story Fort is giving away TWO free digital books to 2 lucky readers and here’s what you have to do..

• One compulsory entry – Visit www.storyfort.com and tell us one cool item you can find in the fun stuff!
• One additional entry – Tweet this giveaway
• Three additional entries – Stumble this giveaway (please leave your SU id)
• Giveaway is open to everyone and closes on 28th July 2009.  The winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.