This math book has been developed with the children. We started from their way of thinking. Each task must come from their experience and be meaningful to them. In school, Peter is supposed to solve the problem 3 + 5 = ?. The teacher says, "Count 3 and 5 together." She helps him count on his fingers. He doesn't understand what this is supposed to mean. Then she places 3 candies and 5 candies on the table. Peter counts 1, 2, 3 and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. She says, "You need to keep counting." 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. He still doesn't understand what he is supposed to do. Then she pours the eight candies onto a plate. Now he counts "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8." He doesn't see how this relates to 3 + 5 = 8. These are my experiences with children who hopelessly fail in school. They learn to count in a way that lacks meaning and significance until they ultimately lose interest in math class.