Abacus Mind Math Instruction Book Level 1: Step by Step Guide to Excel at Mind Math with Soroban, a Japanese Abacus (Abacus Mind Math - Level - 1 ... Book, Workbook 1 of 2, Workbook 2 of 2) 1st Edition

I purchased the entire curriculum: all Instructor’s guides and all workbooks. I began using the curriculum for my two children, who were 4 and 5. First, (as mentioned before) students do need to know how to read numbers from 1-99, know place values (ones, tens and hundreds) and be able to write numbers.I had no previous exposure to the Soroban; therefore the Instructor’s Book was essential. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly - with dedication and work - my children picked up the skills necessary to use the Soroban. Ten months after starting the curriculum, my children are halfway through book three of the six workbooks. We have taken two weeks, instead of one week to repeat about three lessons which they found to be difficult. Additionally, I am currently taking about three weeks to practice mental math with them, as this skill has provided the greatest challenge (although both children are doing better than I would have predicted).I would highly recommend this curriculum with some caveats:1. You must be committed to sticking to the 5-6 day per week schedule.2. This commitment includes practicing with your child daily; it is likely that they cannot do this without a parent unless they are older than 12. (For example, I spend an hour on Mondays introducing the new lesson and practicing. Tuesday-Friday, I spend from 30-45 minutes with my children as they practice/do Soroban homework).I have found the customer support to be extremely helpful. They have emailed me detailed responses and spent a good deal of time on a phone call to answer some of my questions and concerns.If you have the time and discipline, this program can work very well for your child/student. I would never have imagined that my 5 and 6 year old would be capable of doing three digit mental calculations before I started using this program; it really does work and I am hoping they have plans to release additional levels that introduce multiplication, division, percentages, decimals and negative numbers for children.

I bought this book in combination with both of the workbooks.This system has transformed the way my daughter views numbers, her capabilities and intelligence, her school experience, and our relationship. She has had trouble with number concepts and operations since she started school, and she is now third grade. We spent hours every night doing the one or two sheets of homework she was assigned. She didn't understand grouping, number lines, those drawings of blocks, lines and dots, the number machine--none of it. She tested "within normal range" at school, but anything she couldn't count on her fingers was difficult for her to comprehend. We dreaded homework every night, and more often than note one or both of us ended up crying. It was creating a rift--I felt so frustrated and powerless, and I lost my patience often. I was worried that she was reaching the age that she would fall behind the other kids, or she would just push it aside rather than struggle with it, with me. I knew i had to give her a different way to look at numbers.When I was in high school, someone came to our Japanese class one day and taught us how to use the soroban (abacus). I learned how to use it in about ten minutes, and I remember we were doing lots of different operations within the class period (not that I remember them now). So I found this system online, and purchased it, as well as a soroban.For a few weeks, she fought me--she didn't want to take the chance of failing at this too. But once she tried it, she got it in a snap. Within one session, she was able to use the abacus to add and subtract numbers she would have struggled with on paper, and would have been impossible for her to do in her head. We spent extra time on the abacus part, so that she was extremely comfortable and confident when we moved onto mental math. We have only been doing the mental math section 10-15 minutes a day, three days or so a week, and she can already add and subtract pretty much any non-carrying number less than 100--in a series of three to five equations (eg. 10+25-30+2-1+17). In her head! I have to use the abacus to keep up with her.I am so proud of her, and thankful for this system.

I just purchased the Level 1 & 2 Workbooks and Instruction books and after spending several days reading them, I must say I am very happy with my purchase.All of the books are well written, nicely illustrated, easy to read, understand and follow. They are all well worth the price paid. Just what I have been looking for to learn the abacus and mental math myself, so I can teach it to my grandson.Level 1 covers 20 weeks of instruction with daily exercises and Level 2 covers an additional 22 weeks of lessons with daily practice problems..The workbooks are just that - workbooks to be used for the daily exercises. The Instruction Books are very important because they cover the "how to" part of the course with easy to follow, step by step illustrated instructions.Before ordering I thought the prices for the instruction books were a little high, but after reading them I realized they were worth the price paid.By comparison, here in the SF Bay Area, there are private schools that teach the Abacus and Mental Math. The going rates are $17 to $20 for a once a week 1 to 1 1/2 hour class - plus additional charges for books and materials. Way too expensive for me.For just a fraction of that, I can purchase the Abacus Mind Math books and study whenever I want at home.Thank you Abacus Mind Math.