By Sharon Runge | Executive Director
Children, on their end-of-year school break, have been flocking to the Makerspace! Sharon Mwende, Makerspace coordinator, has created a number of educational and fun activities for the learners. One of the lessons was created to help the learners with math. She shared the following reflection:
I introduced the abacus to students in pre-primary to grade 3 with the objective of enabling them to know how it is used to solve mathematical problems, to help them understand the underpinnings of addition and subtraction, and to make one of their own. When I introduced the lesson, a few knew it was an abacus but did not know how to use it. They shared that they mostly used their fingers or sticks to count in school and at home.
Students studied the abacus’s structure, the arrangement of beads on each rod and what they represented and then they each took a turn to use the abacus. We had a short brainstorming session on what they thought they could use if they were to make one using readily available materials. They settled on using an old carton or styrofoam base, beads, wooden sticks and a ruler. After a step-by-step demonstration, students constructed his/her own abacus and then they decorated them. Once the abaci were complete, students used flash cards to engage in simple addition, subtraction, and counting numbers. This was the best part! From my observations and what the students shared, it was easier to count and solve problems with the abacus and they found it interesting and engaging. The bead movement seemed to increase their concentration levels. They were excited to use it at home, in school and to teach their friends!
Thank you Friends!!!! We had a successful GivingTuesday raising $23,000! We are thrilled. These donations will help support our programs for students like Grace. Our programs are interwoven and interconnected allowing students to live into their full potential.
If you missed GivingTuesday it's not TOO LATE to make a Year-End donation! Your gift will help us reach even more students, teachers and parents in 2023 through our innovative, effective and fun programs!
Thank you for your past support and for being part of the Kenya Connect family!
By Sharon Runge and James Musyoka | Executive Directors
By Sharon Runge | Executive Director, USA
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