While American kids may be punching buttons and getting right answers, Asian students are doing more to develop their brains through the use of eyes and hands on an ancient tool. According to this month's National Geographic, using abacuses is "common throughout Asia, where youngsters flex their finger muscles in abacus contests. Studies show that abacus mastery helps develop the brain's visuospatial areas." According to Seattle educator, Vinaya Kulkarni, using the abacus "contributes to all aspects of thinking, not just math."Just to remind that Clear Spring School is ahead of the game, we have been making abacuses of various designs for different grade levels in the wood shop for several years and using them in the classroom. The photo above is of last year's 1st grade class.
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