Lesson 111: Abacus mental math test for kids
Level 9, Mind Castle. 7 answers on the beads, then 6 in your head. Get 11 right for the Castle Crown sticker.
What your child does, card by card
Mind Castle test. The last test! PlayType opens the lesson: “Test time. No hints. Show what you know.”
The test: 7 tasks with no ring and no help, one try each: your child must work out the columns 8 + 7 - 3 + 5, 24 + 35 - 12 and 9 + 6 + 8. A count shows which task this is.
Flash sums in your head: the abacus is covered and the numbers appear one at a time, 1.1 seconds each (7 + 5 + 4, 23 + 14 + 31 and 9 - 3 + 6 + 2); your child adds them in the head and picks the total from 14, 16 and 68.
Listening sums: nothing is shown. The browser’s voice reads each number (5 plus 6 plus 2, 30 plus 25 plus 10 and 8 plus 7 minus 5), and your child picks the total from 10, 13 and 65. With the sound off, the numbers are shown instead.
You passed! You finished every lesson. You are an abacus star!
What this lesson trains
About five minutes and 13 answers. Altogether the child makes 16 bead moves (6 with the top bead, 10 with bottom beads). Up to 59, read and set from the left. Then 3 quick looks in your head. The friend rules here: +7 = −3 +10, −3 = −5 +2, +3 = +5 −2, −1 = −5 +4, +6 = −4 +10 and +8 = +3 −5 +10, used in 6 of 7 sums.
The sum sheet
In Column Tower the lower window is a sum sheet instead of the hands: the column written out one line under another, the line being worked in yellow, the lines done ticked, and the total once the last line is in. The beads keep the running total, so the abacus is never cleared in the middle of a column.
What PlayBuddy and PlayType say
PlayType: “You finished every lesson. You are an abacus star.”
PlayBuddy: “We are so proud of you.”
The test and its sticker
13 answers, one try each, with no green ring and no help. 11 or more right give the Castle Crown sticker; fewer, and PlayBuddy says “Not yet. One more try and you've got this!” and Play again glows. Nothing earned before is taken away.