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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Carlito C. Caterpiller's Math House Games - Review and Giveaway


In order for most kids to really want to learn something the best way I have discovered that works, is to keep it fun and keep it interactive. For most kids when they get frustrated, their ability to want to learn anything at that point is difficult and most want to give up.

That's why I am super excited to share with you a great new product for kids that helps keep learning fun, interactive and the best part educational. They really do learn with Carlito C. Caterpillar's Math House Game Card Set. In this ring bound set of cardboard, color cards, there are 40 games - 2 per Step - that you can play with your child to teach them math skills. These are based on Domenico Marcio's Sensory Math Teaching System and one I wish I had when my kids were younger and struggling with learning math concepts.

Domenico Marcario, M.S. - is the creator of the c3pla Sensory Math Teaching System, retired high school mathematics teacher and full-time passionate grandparent. He approaches math with a 3 R's: rules, repetition and rote. Kids gain understanding by doing rather than sitting passively and watching someone else do the thinking for them. If you focus on maintaining an environment of play, the child will experience the learning as an active participant rather than a passive participant.

The material is presented in 3 stages, with a total of 20 steps and 2 games in each step covering quantity, numeration, and operations. These games are designed for parents to play with their children. Only when the child fully understands the concept, will you increase the complexity, such as reversing roles of the players and designating the child as the leader.

For example here's what the color-illustrated double sided card would include:

Step 1: Alike It or Not
Stage 1: Quantity
What: To show what a set is.
Why: Placing "alike" object together, or creating sets leads to the knowledge of how many.
How: The child decides if an object belongs to a set by discovering how the objects are alike and determining what makes them belong.

Game 1A:

Get Ready: Collect a few different kinds of objects (e.g. assorted fruit, small toys, eating utensils).

1. Arrange as a group of 5 objects in which 4 of the objects are the same kind (e.g. all fruits) and 1 of the objects are of a different kind (e.g. toy car).

2. Ask your child to tell you which object does not belong in the group and why.

3. Ask your child what makes the objects in the group belong to the group.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 with different object arrangements.

There are also great online resources available for both parents and children on the website that comes included with the game set so parents can create award certificates and kids can be entered in the Hall of Fame.

I received this game set compliments of Propeller for my honest review and can't praise it highly enough. I can understand how this would really help kids with the math concepts that everyone will need to understand such as adding/subtracting, counting, writing numbers, multiplication and division, number placement (tens, hundreds, thousands), and more. The best part is that you are building relationships with your child while making learning math fun. This product rates a 5 out of 5 in my opinion. These would be great for preschoolers through grade school! For more information about this product and where you can learn more about it, click on the links below:


You can also find them on Facebook by clicking here.

Thanks to the generous folks at Propeller, they are providing a set of Carlito C. Caterpillar's MathHouse Game Card Sets for one lucky reader of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here's what you need to do to enter:

1. Simply be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Remember No P.O. Boxes please!

3. Since I will need a way to contact - VERY IMPORTANT - since some of you have not included this in your comment - please include your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols. Without it, I can't contact you if you're the winner.

4. Leave me a comment and tell me how you plan to use this set if you are the winner. I'd love to hear about your needs as a parent!

The giveaway will end on 9/30 and I will be contacting the winner (if I have your email address) at that time via email. So don't miss out on this great family friendly product, that I know you will LOVE!!!

4 comments:

  1. Please enter me in contest. I am a follower and email subscriber. I would love to win this for my son. Tore923@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. My daughter is student teaching at an elementary school that is over 80% underprivileged children. Most of them don't understand even the most basic concepts of math. It has been a real challenge for her, but she is determined to make a difference in their lives! Any tool that she could use would be a blessing. Thanks!
    sweetrabbits@bellsouth.net

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am always looking for things to help aide me in my daughters education. My oldest loves games and loves math. This sounds perfect! I have the hardest time with Math concepts, though when I was younger I didn't. I am always on the look out for something that will help me teach her what she needs to know! Thanks for the chance! Love the blog!
    acozyreaderscorner[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I follow on GFC, I would love to play this with my family, and I'm from MN. Thanks for the great giveaway.

    misusedinnocence@aol.com

    ReplyDelete

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