Bitskit Product Info - Handy Clock

It Simply Makes Telling the Time Make Sense!

Provenance and Planet Friendly
Hand crafted from of laminated birch plywood, fully FSC certificated from various sustainable sources. and coated in clear water-based lacquer. Manufactured in the UK

What is it?

A simple, wooden clock with movable hands and indented markings to support additional needs. It feels fab, works inside and out* and makes telling the time make sense!
*Damp not dripping please!

What it does
Builds the beginnings for future learning including

  • telling the time
  • counting in 5s
  • past and to
  • quarters and halves
  • hours and minutes
  • 12-hour clock
  • 24-hour clock
  • analogue and digital
    - in the simplest way

Scaffolds the learning for those needing a little extra support.

Makes learning telling the time practical and sensory for every learner (including interventions) and for those with particular or additional needs including visual impairment

Who is it for?
  • Early Years Settings
  • Prep and Pre-prep
  • Key Stage One and Key Stage Two
  • Learning at home
  • Intervention groups
  • One to one tutoring
  • Learners with additional needs
  • Learners with visual impairment
  • SEND Support- especially Dyscalculia.
  • Special/ Specialist Schools
  • Hospital Schools
Why it works so well…
  • It builds the beginnings for future learning.
  • It teaches the skills for telling the time in bite-sized pieces.
  • It begins with what the children know-it is based on five fingers on a glove or a hand
  • It teaches the concepts of five, quarter, half, past and to in distinct, practical, visual, fun and simply unforgettable ways
  • The circumference is 60cm making it possible to show the length of a minute or an hour using a linear or circular measure ( a cubed bead string)
  • The concepts which lead to telling the time can be taught as soon as the children are ready
  • Each concept can be embedded before the next is introduced.
  • It removes the confusion caused by conventional numbering- (why does ‘20 to’ have the number 8!) and between the 12-hour and 24-hour clock
  • It can be taught and revisited over as many sessions as are needed and still be fun for the child and the teacher
What works well with it?
  • Groovy Broomstix and gloves (ideally pink and turquoise gloves) - A good place to start, gradually making a clock face by introducing the gloves around the outside of a round table with the crossed Groovy Broomstix in the centre
  • Cubed Abacus Beads and Laces makes the concept of 60 minutes practical and links the circumference (60cm) with the linear measurement
  • The Teacher's version -  makes the Handy Clock method of telling the time an everyday occurrence and for SEND makes it ordinarily available for every learner
  • A paper right angle - please show the children how you make this by folding or cutting a circle into four quarters- to learn about quarters or right angles in the environment, embedding the idea of quarter of an hour
Overcoming misconceptions
  • Remove the focus from the numbers usually written around the clock (they are only the 12-hour numbers and distract if you are counting minutes, quarters or 24 hours)
  • A clock actually starts at 0 not 12- who would know from looking at it?!
  • Use the Cubed Abacus Bead String to show that (on the Handy Clock) there are 60 centimetres around it. Lay out the threaded lace to show this 60 cm as a linear and visual representation
  • Teach just one concept at a time - we are building the beginnings of telling the time!
Before you Begin... Beware!
Risk assessment and common misconceptions
  • Not suitable for children under 3
  • There are a few small parts - do not leave children unattended.
  • Don’t leave out in the rain
  • Don’t trust it to get you to work on time!
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