What do you think of Numicon?

[Colourworld]

Have seen it in the classroom. DS tells me he does not play Numicon because the table is always busy (he is in the Reception Year). I have checked the Numicon website and it looks very expensive. Actually it reminds me of the dominoes. So, I wonder whether anyone owns it and can tell me their opinion on this game. Are there cheaper alternatives? Is this game a hit or just a fashion?

[Colourworld]

Here are the prices ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/education/primary/maths/9780198486886001000.do

I cannot believe those plastic things cost that much!

[sarararararah]

It's FANTASTIC! Sorry, am bfing ds and can't type all its virtues one-handed, but it's an excellent resource. Not sure you really need it at home though. Will come back later to respond better unless someone else beats me to it!

[Lara2]

It's great - not really a game, more of a maths resource for the classroom. Our ECC teacher uses it and says it's made alot of difference to the children she works with. Our Reception children love it - tons of ways to use it, and the website gives lots of info.

[catinthehat2]

I would feel gutted at paying £30+VAT = £36 for this

Surely you could slap together equivalent bits from anywhere for

[catinthehat2]

ACtually, I quite like those that I linked to...

[FreudianSlippery]

I've been lusting after numicon for ages! But even the at home kit, at around £40, is expensive.

So my (wealthy) friend, when pressing me to choose the DCs an Xmas present, agreed to get it for us :)

It is fantastic! To DD (3.7) it's just like a toy, but she quickly got the idea that the individual shapes represent numbers.

If you can afford the at home kit I would say it is a worthwhile investment, if you are willing to spend time playing with it too :o by which I mean, it is a good toy and they will learn playing by themselves, but to get the best out of it they need a bit of parental guidance (there's activity ideas in the kit)

You could always try a set of cuisenaire rods? They are about £10-15 on amazon. Similar idea, each number has its own rod in a different colour and the new plastic ones can be clicked together.

[cazzybabs]

why not do it with lego towers or make it with salt dough

from the elc you can get a weighing scales with numbers that balance for sums

[craftynclothy]

Have you asked at your school? I know dd1's school newsletter had an article in about it and they were offering sets for £10-ish (not sure which ones they were though)

[Colourworld]

catinthehat2, your link to Numicom shows that you can also use it for building (e.g.a truck), just like with shapes. That is fun but it is overprised in my opinion. :(

I will not be buying it unless I find something cheap on ebay. I like the Cuisenaire rods. Amazon sells a set for less than £10.00. Looks similar to building blocks or lego which we do not own actually.

I was curious about Numicom because DS has been talking about it. So, I thought why not to buy it? He-he.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Very much appreciated.

[catinthehat2]

Cuisenaire rods have been around forever, they were objects of great desire when I was a littly, the colour stains on thwe white wood were so attractive.
YOu have to be anal about the tiny cubes for single units as they will go walkabout.

[Ferguson]

Our Year1 class 'play' with it, and were amazed to realise for themselves that adding two ODD numbers will always result in an EVEN number: maybe not something they have to know just yet, but starting to get kids comfortable with numbers is surely a good thing.

Probably a bit 'overkill' for home use though, and Yes, Lego is more fun, and certainly more versatile. [KS1 helper]

[Colourworld]

If they play numicon at school ( I do hope my DS has opportunity to play as well) do I need to spend additional time working with him on his maths? And by they way, are there great and simple Maths workbooks?

[cazzybabs]

no they are learning though play - so no need for eztra workbooks]

jigsaws, board games, cooking, playing with money all good for helping with numeracy skills

[12xtables]

Our local school has mini mathulators from 12 x tables. Apparently Numicon cannot teach triangular or square numbers and is pretty limited for what you pay

[clam]

We use it across the board in Foundation, and as aremedial support for older children. Our EP is currently training TAs in specific activities for KS2 children to address basic number concepts that they just haven't mastered.

However, our kit cost nearly £300! And the handbook has gone missing so our Inclusion Manager is going nuts until it's found.

[HumphreyCobbler]

It is a great visual resource to support numerical concepts. I think it is more useful than cuisenaire rods.

If your child has access to it in school then you don't need to buy it, only get it if you want to! There are, of course, many ways to represent number. This is just one of them.

I love using it in the classroom and I have bought it for my own children although DD has posted the sevens somewhere, possibly because they are pink

[mrz]

You can buy the homework sets from Amazon quite cheaply

www.amazon.co.uk/Numicon-Homework-Activities-Intervention-Resources/dp/0198487061/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1351420534&sr=8-4&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[mam29]

my eldests said her school had access numicon but it was rare as was borrowed from senco but her new school has it every day in classroom, i looked at t onoine but cant currently afford it for the home

[LeeCoakley]

It's a maths resource primarily for schools I would have said. We use it for remedial work but there are moves afoot to have a set in each classroom with all the staff trained in how to use it to best advantage. At home there are so many things to help with maths - leave these expensive 'toys' for school!

[mrz]

You can buy a bag of numicon for £3

[motherofluvlies]

mrs where please?

[motherofluvlies]

Sorry.....mrz

[MoreCrackThanHarlem]

I sometimes work in a lower ability Y6 group where children are not secure with number bonds. Numicon is great for this as you can lay a 10 on the table and find 2 other number pieces which add together to make 10 over the top of it.

[MoreCrackThanHarlem]

We have had a training session on it. There is loads you can do with Numicon

[Ferguson]

I don't know how this three-year-old thread has come back to life!

But also consider this:

Practical things are best for grasping number concepts - bricks, Lego, beads, counters, money, shapes, weights, measuring, cooking.

Do adding, taking away, multiplication (repeated addition), division (sharing), using REAL OBJECTS as just 'numbers' can be too abstract for some children.

Number Bonds of Ten forms the basis of much maths, so try to learn them. Using Lego or something similar, use a LOT of bricks (of just TWO colours, if you have enough) lay them out so the pattern can be seen of one colour INCREASING while the other colour DECREASES. Lay them down, or build up like steps.

So:

ten of one colour none of other
nine of one colour one of other
eight of one colour two of other
seven of one colour three of other

etc,

then of course, the sides are equal at 5 and 5; after which the colours 'swap over' as to increasing/decreasing.

To learn TABLES, do them in groups that have a relationship, thus:

x2, x4, x8

x3, x6, x12

5 and 10 are easy

7 and 9 are rather harder.

Starting with TWO times TABLE, I always say: "Imagine the class is lining up in pairs; each child will have a partner, if there is an EVEN number in the class. If one child is left without a partner, then the number is ODD, because an odd one is left out."

Use Lego bricks again, lay them out in a column of 2 wide to learn 2x table. Go half way down the column, and move half the bricks up, so that now the column is 4 bricks wide. That gives the start of 4x table.

Then do similar things with 3x and 6x.

With 5x, try and count in 'fives', and notice the relationship with 'ten' - they will alternate, ending in 5 then 10.

It is important to try and UNDERSTAND the relationships between numbers, and not just learn them 'by rote'.


An inexpensive solar powered calculator (no battery to run out!) can help learn tables by 'repeated addition'. So: enter 2+2 and press = to give 4. KEEP PRESSING = and it should add on 2 each time, giving 2 times table.

There are good web sites, which can be fun to use :

//www.ictgames.com/

//www.resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/index.html