7Teach math lessons through the creative means of a life story Provide 36 weeks of instruction based on skill levels rather than grade levels Guide students by the use of inexpensive manipulatives, including index cards, dried beans, and construction paper We often tend to compartmentalize when teaching children. In real life, there aren't artificial barriers between "subjects." For example, when you are cooking or baking, you have to use the skills of reading, logical thinking, and measuring, just to name a few. In driving a car, you see and read road signs, read maps, and count miles. So why do we say to children, "This is math, this is language, this is about science and nature, and this is history"? The most natural and effective means to teach children is through life examples. Content, story, and the ability to show math in real life make a living math book