I experimented with various types of beads and strings from Michaels. My favorite are the cube beads. These had a larger surface on which to write the numbers and they lay flat on a table for counting. The children hold the left side of the string while moving each bead as they count. I also found some star beads, which I thought the children would love. These also lay flat on the table for counting, but the surface is smaller. This makes it harder for the children to see the numbers. The rounded beads are okay, but you must turn them to see the numbers. I am currently on the lookout for a great tray or storage system for my sets. I would like to use something that keeps them separated so that they will not tangle.
I recently taught a two week summer class called, "Marvelous Math." The students enrolled ranged from entering kindergarten to entering second grade. It is most important to me to work with each child on his or her own level, according to his or her own needs. I asked each child to count for me starting with tens to one hundred, then by fives, and then by twos. If they could do all of these, then I had them work on the threes. One student knew all the multiples to 12 of all the numbers from 2-8! He is entering second grade.
This was an extremely motivating activity for the children. It was exciting to see them pick up a strand to practice skip counting. I want to add that I do many other activities to help them conceptualize the process of skip counting and multiplication. This was simply a way to practice the multiples. Many thanks to Heidi for this great idea. Check out heidisongs.com. Her ideas are fabulous.
