Enabling Environments: Tried and Tested - One, two, three ..

Young children's mathematical development occurs as they seek patterns, make connections and recognise relationships through finding out about and working with numbers and counting, and with sorting and matching. It is through playing with numbers that they begin to recognise the meanings of numerals and what they represent.

LARGE MIRRORED NUMBER SET
REFLECTIONS ON LEARNING
AGE: 3+
PRICE: £18.99
CONTACT: 01732 225850; www.reflectionsonlearning.co.uk
A set of large shiny numbers
Tested by Heidi Evans, registered childminder, Purley on Thames

'These are nice, big numbers made from quite sturdy material that can be used inside and out. Most other numbers I have seen have been too small or not very strong. These are good for younger children, as they can't swallow them!

'I first used the numbers in the garden. I simply placed them on some decking and allowed the children to find them and observed their reactions. They were attracted to the shiny material and shouted to each other "I found a number two!", etc.

'A child aged 49 months began putting them in numerical order and talked to the other children as he did this. These numbers can be easily seen by all and would not get lost/swallowed during play, which is excellent in a setting with a mixture of ages. They could be used in sand or water or dangled from the roof if you wanted so they are quite flexible.

'The children made comments such as "These are really shiny ... I can see my face in a number three!"

'My only concern was that when we tried to put a little nail through the hole, the number split as the hole is far too small for any nail/tack. This was a shame as we hoped to put them up on our wooden fence. Otherwise I think they are extremely safe for all ages and I would definitely consider buying them.'

Star Rating: ***** (Excellent)

NUMBER BINGO!
THE CONSORTIUM
AGE: 3+
PRICE: £13.19
CONTACT: 0845 330 7780; www.theconsortium.co.uk
A bingo set for seven children using the numbers one to ten
Tested by Frederick Bird Primary School, Coventry

'The bingo game was good at helping the children use their knowledge of number recognition and to encourage them to count objects, using accurate 1:1 correspondence in a fun activity. The game was introduced to a group of six children. The practitioner explained the object of the game: to look at the number she was holding, to see if they had that number of pictures on their board and then to say "I've got six, seven, etc", to encourage them to count reliably and to recognise and say the numeral. After several games a child was then chosen to hold up the number and to check if the child who said they had the matching number actually did so.

'The children played the game very enthusiastically and quite competitively, each being keen to shout "Bingo" when they had won.

'It is good value for money. The bingo boards and cards are printed on thick, sturdy cardboard, making the product durable. After being played with enthusiastically by many groups of children independently, the product still looked new.

'The product is visually appealing, using pictures of familiar objects for children to count on the bingo boards and clear, large numerals to match.

'The game was played for several sessions with adult support and after this the children asked for it to be left out so that they could play with it themselves. It was made available for children to use independently each morning on entering the classroom and proved very popular.

'There were always children either playing the bingo game or sitting watching, waiting for their turn to play. If an adult ever forgot to leave out the game, the children would remind the practitioner. A few children showed their parents the bingo game when they brought them into the classroom and some parents sat with their children and helped them match the numbers to the objects.'

Star Rating: **** (Very Good)

SOFT DICE
WESCO
AGE: 1+
PRICE: £20.10
CONTACT: 0115 989 9765; sales@wescouk.co.uk
Set of large, lightweight, soft dice
Tested by Mayfield House Kindergarten, Kidderminster

'We felt that this product was a bit of a mis-match as the nature of the dice in terms of their size and weight made them ideal for the children aged 18 months to two years, but really they have little concept of numbers and are a bit young to be recognising numerals. The older children, meanwhile, would find these dice a bit too young for them to play with, so we felt their use was somewhat limited.

'However, they are soft, light, colourful and safe. The children could use them like a ball.

'I think they would be more versatile if there was a see-through pocket into which you could pop in a quantity of objects to match the number on the dice, so the children can link the numeral to a number of objects.'

Star Rating: *** (Good)

NUMBER CLOAK
TTS EDUCATION
AGE: 3+
PRICE: £19.99
CONTACT: 0800 318 686; www.tts-group.co.uk

A vibrantly coloured cape with material flaps to open and reveal numbers
from one to ten
Tested by Lark Children's Centre, Plymouth

'The staff and children were very excited about the beautiful and magical appearance of the cape. A staff member was the first to model it. The children asked "what is that for?" and we were able to tell them it was a special cape with hidden numbers.

The children did immediately add it to their repertoire of dressing-up options, but some of the excitement waned over the weeks, as can be the case with any new item.

'The discovery of the numbers worked best when an adult took the lead to show that she could find a number, and then lots of children joined in - "I've found three!" - with help from the adult to support numeral recognition.

'Staff felt that it was a good prop for circle time to support children to use the numeral discovery features. Children would initially choose the cape regularly from a basket of dressing-up clothes and they would wear it in a range of roles or just enjoy having it on while they went to do various activities, such as mark-making or small-world play. As the children's interest diminished with familiarity, the staff felt that using the cape at circle times would renew that interest.

'It is a lovely addition to children's imaginative play. The added features of discovering and talking about the numbers gives further play and learning opportunities.

'This is a good-quality product that has been carefully sewn, so it is good value for money. The tactile qualities of the numerals make it attractive to all children and it could be used for some adult/child games or as a special cloak to put on to signify a particular time of day.'

Star Rating: *** (Good)

NUMBER RHYME ROTATING LINE
DIRECT EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
AGE: 3+
PRICE: £29.99 for large rod and teaching notes; £9.99 for
child-sized rod
CONTACT: 0800 043 4142; www.des-uk-shop.com
Large rotating line of blocks printed with numerals, dots and rhyming
words on a sturdy aluminium rod plus teaching notes; and a smaller
child-sized version
Tested by Barton Primary and Nursery school, Torquay

'We introduced the line to the children in a whole-class teaching activity in which we looked at the pattern-making qualities of the yellow and blue coloured blocks.

'We did some counting and then some recognition of numbers and matched the numbers to the dots, but it would have been more helpful if the dots were not actually attached directly next to the numeral and they could have been matched by rotating them to each other.

'In the end we sang the song of "This old man" and concentrated on the rhyming of the numbers (which is in fact literacy) rather than the mathematical qualities of the line.

'Afterwards the children did have free use of the line (both the large teaching one and the smaller child one). They enjoyed looking at it and manipulating it but their experiences were limited and it was hard for an adult to extend these too far without additional resources.

'Maybe as it is called a rhyming line we expected more of it than it was actually designed to provide. It is a well-made product and the price is reasonable, but it did not provide what we would have liked.

'This product was limited in its uses. We were not sure how to promote it better, and different teachers agreed that while the line presented itself as full of opportunities, using it left us disappointed in its value.'

Star Rating: ** (Satisfactory)

- All prices are exclusive of VAT and post/packaging

BEST BUY

For Basingstoke childminder Carrie Bennett, her numbers best buy is a set of jumbo magnetic foam letters and numbers from Primary Classroom Resources for £25.95 (www.primaryclassroomresources.co.uk). The set includes 40 uppercase and 40 lowercase letters with extras for spelling, and 36 number and operation signs. 'They float, go in the bath, can be stuck to the magnetic side of the easel or an individual magnetic board and are easily manipulated by all the children and are great for numbers hide and seek,' says Bennett.

'This product can be used as a base resource for the younger children and to extend activities for the slightly older children through vertical tutoring and more advanced mathematic skills. They are large enough for group work and yet easily manipulated by the little ones. They are quite pricey when compared to plain foam letters and numbers, but the magnetic function is useful.'