ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Who remembers these from school? They're called cuisenaire rods (but I didn't remember that). Oh, the things you can find on ebay!

Kym. You've shown something unknown to me. What are they used for ?

They were the bane of my life when my son was at school - how on earth can you teach a kids maths with these stupid things....bottom line is I don't think you can...my son is no idiot but he never did well at maths. His parents (nasty, mean vindictive anally retentive people that we are) insisted that this kid learn his times tables and simple fractions and the basics of elementary maths. To the degree of having maths charts stuck up in his bedroom and no he couldn't use a calculator to do his homework with either I don't care if everyone does it that way.

Bottom line is today this kid now 45 is a boat builder currently working on his 2nd boat this one a 50 foot cat and all the plans are in his head and the equations etc. pencilled on the boat as he goes along and not a calculator in sight. Cuisenair rods should be relegated to the toy-box along with Leggo blocks IMO

Cheers

Maureen

Maureen

I LOVED these rods! Ten white ones = one black one. Yellow plus pink = light green. You can show how groups of numbers equals other groups ... I thought they were terrific. But I do agree with you that children should learn times tables (how does anyone cope without them). Having said that, I also love my calculator ...

I remember them Kym! Didn't know they had a special name though.

Never did learn my times tables Maureen! But then I don't need them for writing!

Heather

I'm with your maths method Maureen......spot on !!.

And I have never heard of them. When we learnt math it was a pencil , paper and a teacher with a big stick.
Having ten fingers and ten toes I could count up to twenty no bother.

TTFN

PS
Kym are you allowed to draw faces on them.

Kym, Marty and I are similar vintage Dave. Blocks were a modern day invention!

You and you’re Math’s sticks

And she came out there from the city
To back of Burke that’s not so pretty
She bought her little coloured stick
To teach pupils maths oh so quick
Little Johnny who was nearly eight
Quickly opened up a math’s debate
Now teacher will you come with me
Look in that paddock, what do you see
Now I see, there are ten lambs said she
Wrong said little Johnny, proud was he
Now just you add up, what I’m telling ye
Two legs of lamb are on each wee beast
That’s twenty roasts, I’ll have you know
And two forequarters, each lamb has so
That’s twenty baked in the oven slow
There’s eight loin chops on each side
That’s sixteen on his back so wide
Why that’s one hundred and sixty chops
Two flaps each beast that’s twenty
Soup or stew now it will be plenty
Adds to two hundred and twenty in a song
Please miss correct me if I’m wrong
Them math stick they’ve had the gong

Bill the old Battler

There was a bloke up Bourke way used to get a lamb for you..real cheap...all nicely cut up and in a box. His maths weren't too good, some people reckoned his sheep only had three legs.