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INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on your purchase. The Edu-Beam is a 4-sided balance beam that features letters, numbers, shapes and colors. Children love to explore through movement, and it is here where a child�s attention is best captured. The Edu-Beam provides children with this movement, capturing their attention and allowing you to teach symbols and concepts with the fun and excitement of play. The following information will give you ideas on how to use the Edu-Beam. However, you should feel free to be creative and explore other exciting uses for the beam. Have fun!

MERGING MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES WITH COGNITIVE LEARNING

1. Use the Edu-Beam to initially introduce letters, numbers, colors and shapes. Have students sit around the beam so that they may touch and trace with their fingers.

2. As a student performs a selected activity on the beam, ask him/her to identify a color, shape, number or letter along the way by stepping on it and saying it at the same time. Having students perform a movement to a pre-selected letter, number, color or shape is also a good way to teach, test and re-teach. Try having them mark the spot not only with their feet, but also with other body parts. This gives students an opportunity to learn body parts, while challenging their movement in different ways.

   Students like to be asked questions relative to their egocentric focus. Have students walk to the first letter in their name and balance on it with their left foot, or side step to the number of their age and squat down and touch it with their right hand. You see, in just this one activity, you have asked them to perform a gross motor movement, cognitively and physically identify their own name or age and engage in a left or right orientation. This type of activity can be done with any word and number sequence. And for you teachers who have a letter, number, color or shape of the week, the Edu-Beam can be a great tool to teach and reinforce those concepts.

3. The uses of the beam are not confined to specific gross motor activities. The Edu-Beam can be used for educational games. For example, the cue card game in which the teacher makes up the alphabet, number, color or shape cards and the child must match it with its match on the beam.

   For a real challenge try the beanbag game. In this game beanbags are balanced on the head, hands or other body parts while the student performs a selected activity on the beam. See how long they can maintain their balance without dropping the beanbag. Be creative and make up your own games using the Edu-Beam.

4. For older students, the Edu-Beam can be used to introduce simple match concepts. Have students walk up to 10 and backwards down to 1. While they are doing this, use more/less, plus/minus and add/subtract cues as they go up and down the number scale. Have students count out loud.

   Another variation is to incline the beam using only one base support. This gives students the feeling of going higher as they go up to 10 and a feeling of going lower as they walk backwards to 1.

   Use the Edu-Beam to teach addition and subtraction.
   Example: 2 + 3 = 5 (Student takes 2 steps to 2 and adds 3 steps and to land on 5.)
   Example: 5 - 2 = 3 (Student stands on 5 and subtracts 2 steps so they land on 3.)

Other Uses

1. Use Edu-Beam as a bench for your group talks.
   
2. Use Edu-Beam as an example of a straight line, and have students line up in single file beside it so they get a clear picture of what is meant by a straight line.
   
3. Use Edu-Beam as a giant scale to show even and uneven concepts. This can be done by using one base support in the middle of the beam.
   
4. Use Edu-Beam to teach group cooperation by having all the students help you change the beam to a new side.
   
5. Use Edu-Beam to facilitate creativity in the teaching and learning process. Use your imagination to spark their imagination.

Safety On Your Edu-Beam

1. If possible pad the floor around the beam with carpet or a soft mat.
   
2. Encourage students to wear sneakers.
   
3. Students should not change the faces of the beam unsupervised.
   
4. Students should always be spotted when attempting any new skill on the beam, especially jumping skills.
   
5. Encourage students to keep their hands to themselves when on the beam with other children.
   
6. Keep the beam low.

Suggested Vocabulary While Using Your Edu-Beam

1. Colors: Red, blue, yellow, black
   
2. Numbers: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
   
3. Shapes: Circle, square, triangle
   
4. Directions: Up, down, backward, forward, sideways, crossover, over, across, high, low, match, left, right, middle, center, straight
   
5. Skills: Walk, crawl, sit, stand, kneel, jump, balance, side step
   
6. Body Parts: Arms, legs, hands, feet, head, fingers, elbow, knee, hip, shoulder