Skip Count Fun!
Though I write reviews for Practical Homeschool magazine, I don't often run reviews in this space.
Sometimes, though, I find something that is far superior to
anything else in its category, and I want everyone to know about it.
That's how I feel about Access to the Answers, an
absolutely delightful skip count CD! (Even better, it
is the creation of some friends of mine. But even if it weren't, I'd
love it just the same!)
Skip counting teaches children to count by multiples rather than simply by ones, and once your children do this, mastering multiplication facts is a breeze. Young
children often find it very easy to pick up anything set to music. So
imagine teaching your children to count by 9s by singing these lyrics
to a lively rendition of of “I've Been Working on the Railroad”:
9,
18, and 27, here comes 36
45
and 54, these are cars that switch
63
and 72, then comes 81
90
and the train ride's over
Nines
come blow your horn!
Access
to the Answers will have your children tapping their toes,
singing along, and learning to count by 2s, 3s, 4s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s,
and 12s.
Our
friends, Amy and Al Parker, teamed up with Lori Morrison, a
homeschool mom and math tutor, to create this album. The Parker
family provide the catchy and very fun music, complete with sound
effects. Each song is sung to a well known melody, making them easy
to remember and repeat. The
2's song is about counting falling stars (with appropriate sound
effects), the 3's is to the tune of Jingle Bells and has sleigh bells
and horses neighing, 4's is a song about counting fireworks and is
played with a brass band, and so on.
I've
been using Access
to the Answers
with the young children in our co-op. They are loving the tunes and
learning their facts! When introducing the idea of skip counting, I
like to first teach “whisper counting.” It works like this for
2s:
1
(whisper),
2
(loud),
3
(whisper),
4
(loud), 5
(whisper),
6
(loud),
and so on.
Then
I might write the numbers on the board and erase all but the ones we
are going to skip count. But singing the songs over and over is what
really helps cement the facts in little heads. And this CD makes that
really, really fun. Our family has used several other skip count
albums through the years, but this one beats them all! I bought a
copy for myself and also one for my grandgirls.
You
can order copies through Rainbow Resource for $15 or directly from
the Parkers. We placed a group order for a number of families from
our church and received a significant discount.
Al
and Amy run Canoe Creation, an outdoor ministry based in Ohio. If you
are looking for a summer camp for your children or a place to take a
youth group, you need to check out what they have to offer!
Canoe
Creation
Al
and Amy Parker6400 Cutler Lake Rd.
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