nellebelle

My kids have been introduced to Roman Numerals. They haven't memorized the system, but they do understand that each letter stands for a certain number, and that it matters what order the letters are in.

My kids are champs at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000IWFB/102-7067581-3614516">Bop It Extreme</a>. The game keeps track of high scores and replays the current high score with a series of electronic noises.

The other night, Lisa was playing Bop It Extreme while I was in the room putting away some books. As she bopped, flicked, spinned, twisted, and pulled, without missing a BPFST or P, the toy sped up. I avoided looking at her, for fear of causing her to lose her groove.

When she finally missed one, the high score bleeped away. 145! Of course, I had no idea what the bleeps meant, but Lisa and Jackie did. It struck me that Bop It Extreme keeps score in Roman numeral equivalents. And my daughters, who have never "studied" Roman numerals beyond a few casual encounters, know exactly how to count in Bop It.

Mary Ellen

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