Skip Counting - Chains of Squares and Cubes

Materials
- A cabinet of cubes, squares, and chains ranging from 2 to 9, including the unit bead:

• Chains of 1 in red with corresponding labels in red marked 1.
• Chains of 2 in green with corresponding labels in green marked 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8.
• Chains of 3 in pink with corresponding labels in pink marked 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 up to 27.
• Chains of 4 in yellow with corresponding labels in yellow marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12 up to 64.
• Chains of 5 in light blue with corresponding labels in light blue marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 12 up to 125.
• Chains of 6 in purple with corresponding labels in purple marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 18 up to 216.
• Chains of 7 in white with corresponding labels in white marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 21 up to 343.
• Chains of 8 in brown with corresponding labels in brown marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16, 24 up to 512.
• Chains of 9 in dark blue with corresponding labels in dark blue marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 18, 27, 36 up to 729.

- A large sized mat or runner 

Presentation

1. As an introduction to the other chains, begin with a chain from the middle such as the 6 chain.
2. This is to be presented in the same way as the 10 chain and 1,000 chain.

The photograph below shows the 5 square chain folded next to the five square:

The photograph below shows the 5 cube chain folded with five 5 squares next to it:

The photograph below shows that five cube chain folded into squares, the five 5 squares on top of each other to show that it is the same as the 5 cube:

Note
The Child does not need to be shown each of the chains.


Exercice
The child can then work with any of the chains.

Purpose

Direct
- To give the child other means of counting than by one by one
as they did in the chains of one hundred and one thousand (respectively, the square and the cube of 10)

Indirect
- For squaring and cubing. The child comes to realize the different quantities in the square and the cube as a number.
- Also the relation of the square of a number to the squares of other numbers and of the cube of a number to the cubes of other numbers,
- An indirect preparation for multiplication e.g. 5 x 2 = 10, etc.

Control of Error
The Child's own knowledge

Age
5 1/2 - 6 years

Questions, Comments ?

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