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Elastic Band Craze Teaching Children Mathematics and Geometry

posted by azrael on Monday July 07 2014, @12:33AM   Printer-friendly
from the someone-somewhere-is-making-money dept.

cafebabe writes:

You may have seen a craze involving colorful elastic bands.

Don't despair! It is teaching children mathematics and geometry including Pascal's triangle and Fibonacci sequences. Even young children are learning terms such as hexagon and rhombus.

Furthermore, kids are also learning reading skills and fine motor skills while making friends and gaining confidence. Many are also learning about economics.

 
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  • (Score: 2) by TGV on Monday July 07 2014, @06:11AM

    by TGV (2838) on Monday July 07 2014, @06:11AM (#65109)

    It teaches children as much about Pascal's triangle as dropping a plate on the floor does to teach them Newton's laws.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   2  

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by choose another one on Monday July 07 2014, @08:36AM

    by choose another one (515) on Monday July 07 2014, @08:36AM (#65136)

    True, except that dropping stuff _is_ how kids learn about gravity etc. Watching babies & toddlers learn is actually fascinating - there are so many things that as adults we just "know", but actually it was so long ago that we've forgotten we had to learn them.

    Dropping plates when very young teaches them about entropy, and when slightly older teaches them maths & economics as it is deducted from pocket money...

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by TGV on Monday July 07 2014, @08:46AM

      by TGV (2838) on Monday July 07 2014, @08:46AM (#65143)

      I'm not denying the learn that gravity exists, but they don't learn what it is or anything about Newton's laws. That all comes as a big surprise when they start learning physics. They don't even understand why their rubber ducky stays afloat in the bath. Hell, they use words, but at age 8, they cannot distinguish a subject from a relative pronoun.

      So, if I'm saying that these elastic bands teach them the same about Pascal and Fibonacci as dropping a plate teaches them about gravity and Newton, I'm saying that they do not learn any mathematical concepts.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by khakipuce on Monday July 07 2014, @12:09PM

    by khakipuce (233) on Monday July 07 2014, @12:09PM (#65185)

    Well said. The point of maths, science, engineering, etc. is to develop and analytical mind and analyse the problem. The vast majority of people have a heuristic view of the world not an analytical one.

  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by lx on Monday July 07 2014, @12:52PM

    by lx (1915) on Monday July 07 2014, @12:52PM (#65198)

    It's a craze among kids so by the immutable laws of media it has to be either:

    1) The savior of humanity heralding a golden age of hyperintelligent athletes curing world hunger.

    or

    2) A one-way ticket to psychopatic behavior, drug abuse and teen pregnancy.

    • (Score: 2) by TGV on Monday July 07 2014, @12:56PM

      by TGV (2838) on Monday July 07 2014, @12:56PM (#65199)

      Need. Mod. Points.