Listen in Addition

I've been looking around at the multiplication CDs, trying to find something to help Sierra, but had yet to find something that didn't drive me crazy. Almost all of them are very monotonous with little more then repetition of numbers and equations. And while they will help you memorize the facts, it will drive you batty in the process.

Well, at the library yesterday, I cam across an addition CD called "Listen in Addition". It had a CD and board book together, and since my kids were busy playing on the library computer, I popped it into the library's CD player and listened in. I was surprised. It was actually fun! Julie Scott, the author, has a fun song to go along with each addition set. Half of the song is fun made up stuff, the other half is the addition facts, and it's repeated twice. The book also is nicely done, showing pictures to match the songs while presenting the addition facts. There are no words to clutter the pages, just the numbers and fun drawings. This really helps those audio-visual learners put the music facts on paper.

The first ten songs cover the addition problems from 1+0 to 10+9 (each set, 0-9, getting it's own song). The last two songs go on to the addition facts that add up to ten (such as 7+3 and 6+4) and doubles (6+6, 5+5, etc.). I'll admit, they're not the best songs in the world, but they're better then everything else I've come across. I'll be able to listen to them repetitively without going nuts. Check out the web link above to hear some samples. You can also check it out from your local library (although you living in the Longmont area will have to wait until I return it).

I was able to find the multiplication equivalent, Multiplication Sensation, on Amazon (our library doesn't carry it), and I'm excited to try it out. It also comes with a book to help the visual learners. They do skip counting as well as the multiplication tables, a very useful skill, and the book is paperback instead of a board book. I'll let you know how it turns out.