The present invention relates to numerical teaching aids.

A known counting stick, illustrated in Figure 1, is commonly used to teach children numeracy skills. The counting stick 100 has an elongate body 102 on which there exists a plurality of markings 104. Such markings may illustrate the numbers one to a hundred as do the markings 104 in Figure 1.

Teachers use a counting stick to demonstrate mathematical operations by pointing to positions along the line of markings that can represent a specific number or value. Similarly, children practice mathematical operations and calculation by making use of the counting stick 100 by conducting calculations along the line of markings 104 and may point to the result simply using their finger. However, teachers have modified and improved this system by allowing children to use cards printed with numbers, and adhesive such as that sold under the trademark BIu Tack®, to attach such cards to the counting stick thereby marking a position or labelling the position with a symbol representing the solution such as a number or a fraction. Children may also removably attach counters (not shown) to the surface of the counting stick 100 using e.g. magnets or hook and loop type fasteners sold under the trade mark Velcro®. The counters may be moved from one place to another on the markings 104 to help the child visualise a calculation which they are performing.

A problem with the use of such a counting stick 100 is that the removable counters (not shown) for use therewith have a high chance of becoming unintentionally separated from the counting stick 100 and lost. Another problem is it is difficult to use several counters at the same time. The task of demonstrating or practicing mathematical operations using counters representing numbers of, for example 50, or groups of numbers in 5s or 10s, would be unworkably clumsy using attachable cards.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome the above disadvantages of the prior art.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a numerical teaching aid comprising; a body member having an indicator portion adapted to have markings thereon; and a plurality of counter members adapted to be mounted to said body member such that said counter members are non- removably mounted to the body member and movably mounted to at least one marking.

Because the counter members are non-removably mounted to the body member, this provides the advantage of eliminating the chance of losing the counter members, and minimises the risk of counter members becoming a choking hazard.

In a preferred embodiment the body member comprises a mounting portion adapted to receive a plurality of counter members .

In another preferred embodiment the mounting portion comprises a rail mounted to a main part of the body member.

In a further preferred embodiment the mounting portion extends around the periphery of the body member. This provides the advantage of allowing a user to move unused counter members to a side of the body member which is not in use, such that the unused counter members are out of the way without need to be removed from the body member.

In a preferred embodiment, the numerical teaching aid further comprises at least one fastener portion adapted to be mounted to the body member and permanently fixed thereto after mounting of the counter members to the body member, to prevent removal of the counter members from the body member.

This provides the advantage of maximising flexibility in the arrangement of differently coloured counter members during assembly of the numerical teaching aid.

A plurality of counter members may be adapted to resiliently engage the body member.

This provides the advantage of simplifying the construction of the teaching aid.

At least one said counter member may comprise a respective discontinuous loop adapted to engage the rail between the ends of the loop.

The teaching aid may be adapted to be used for measuring length.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- A- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a known counting stick;

Figure 2 is a partially exploded view of one end of a numerical teaching aid embodying the present invention;

Figure 3 is a side view of the teaching aid of Figure 2;

Figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of another portion of the teaching aid of figure 2;

Figure 5 illustrates a plurality of cards adapted for use with the teaching aid of figure 2; and

Figure 6 illustrates a pair of side views of the teaching aid of figure 2 in use.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, a numerical teaching aid 200 embodying the present invention has two elongate tubular members 202, 204 extending along mutually parallel axes 206, 208. Each tubular member 202, 204 has a respective flange 210, 212 extending therefrom. Each flange 210, 212 is attached to opposite sides of an elongate hollow body portion 214 having a rectangular cross section and a rectangular shaped aperture 216 extending therethrough along the length thereof.

A plurality of counter members 217 are adapted to be mounted to the teaching aid 200. Each counting member 217 has the shape of a discontinuous loop, and is adapted to resiliently engage a flange 210, 212 between the ends of the loop such that the flange 210, 212 is gripped between the ends of the loop to keep the counter member 217 in position. An elongate tubular member 202, 204 is adapted to be received within the remaining opening defined by each discontinuous loop shaped counting member 217.

The teaching aid 200 also has two connecting members 218 adapted to engage respective ends of the elongate tubular members 202, 204. Each connecting member 218 has a tubular elongate portion 220 with two bend portions therein. Each respective end of the elongate tubular portion 220 of a connecting member 218 has an extension portion 222, 224 extending therefrom. The extension portions 222, 224 are adapted to be received in the respective apertures along the length of each tubular member 202, 204 such that the elongate tubular portion 220 of each connecting member 218 forms a continuous outer surface with that of each tubular elongate member 202, 204. The connecting member 218 also has a flange 226 extending therefrom the outer surfaces of which are adapted to form a continuous surface with those of flanges 210, 212 when each connecting member 218 is connected with body portion 214.

By way of example, the teaching aid could be pre-assembled with 100 counting members 217 arranged in groups of 10 red and 10 white onto the body portion 214 with a connecting member 218 permanently glued or welded to either end of the body portion 214.

When a connecting member 218 is mounted to each end of the body portion 214, counting members 217 mounted to the body portion 214 can be slidably moved along the continuous rail defined by the connected flanges 210, 212, 226.

Markings {not shown) can be drawn or printed on any part of the body portion 214. They are preferably located on the flanges 210, 212 and/or the flat outer surface of the elongate body portion 214.

In a preferred embodiment there would be a range of scale markings where one of these scales would be a line of 100 markings arranged lcm apart to allow the calculation of decimal numbers within a range of 100 units and also to be effective as a metric centimetre measuring tool.

In addition, counting members 217 could be precisely lcm wide to allow them to be matched alongside the markings as a practical aid to measuring in lcm increments. In its practical application the scale of lcm markings and the lcm counting members 217 could be used independently or in conjunction with one another by aligning the scale against an object to be measured and sliding the appropriate number of counting members 217 to mark the position or space in one dimension the object takes up against the side of the scale.

Because the continuous rail defined by the connected flanges 210, 212, 226 extends around the periphery of the body member, This provides the advantage of allowing a user to move unused counter members to a side of the body member which is not in use, such that the unused counter members are out of the way without need to be removed from the body member. The added advantage of this feature is that the user can select any number of counting members 217 to work with from 1 to 100, for example, while putting to the opposing side the remaining beads,

If, for example, one counting member 217 were selected, then the user could have uninhibited use of this one bead along the entire length of the markings for demonstrating numerical calculation. For example the counting member could be aligned to the far left of the markings and the user asked to imagine that this represents zero. The question could be asked. 'If the opposite end represents 100 where should I slide the counting member to represent 50?'

This exercise could be repeated to deal with calculations between any two numbers, even numbers of less than one. For example, 'If the far left represents -1 and the far right represents 0 what does the counting member represent at the half way point? '

By selecting five counting members at a time the user could count in groups of five up to say 25 for example, or select 30 counting members and divide them into 3 groups of 10 by sliding the groups of ten apart, taking advantage of the fact that the counting members have been produced and arranged onto the bar in colours of either red or white in groups of 10.

Figure 5 illustrates a plurality of cards 219 with markings thereon so adapted for use with the teaching aid 200. Each of the cards 219 is provided with a hook and loop type tape (for example as sold under the trade mark Velcro) (not shown) on its rear surface for mounting the cards 219 to a corresponding hook and loop type tape 225 (Figure 4) extending along the length of the central portion of the body portion 214. Children make use of such cards 219 to attach such cards 219 to the teaching aid 200 thereby marking a position or labelling a position with a symbol representing a solution to a calculation such as a number or a fraction. Figure 6a. illustrates a top side view of the teaching aid 200 being used in conjunction with three cards 219. Figure 6b. illustrates a bottom side view of the teaching aid in figure 6a.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example the teaching aid 200 may only have a single connecting member 218. In such a case the respective tubular elongate members 202, 204 and respective flanges 210, 212 comprise the same elongate tubular member and flange, and are thereby connected by two bend portions therein. Also, the rail defined by the flanges 210 and 212 may be discontinuous and adjacent ends of elongate tubular members 202, 204 may have stop members (not shown) e.g. another flange or a bung, attached thereto. Alternatively the cross sectional diameter of each tubular elongate member 202, 204 or flange 210, 212 may increase to an extent so as to prevent the slidable movement of a counting member 217 there along. Counting members may have any colour and may not all have the same colour.