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Wrap it! Flip it! Check it!

Maths Wrap looks like an iPod and feels like a game, but it's a powerful tool for building confidence and helping children learn foundational maths facts.

The inventor, Simon Deacon, is a maths tutor and former naval engineer. "I noticed that many children struggle with learning their maths facts from books," he says. "I wanted to give them something more dynamic - something they could actually hold and play with."

The secret of Maths Wrap is its 'hands-on' feel: children learn by doing, not just by rote. The iPod-sized device has numbered notches down 2 sides, and a cord attached. It comes with over 60 cards, to test different maths facts from times tables to percentages. You wrap the string around the casing, through the appropriate notches. When you've finished, you've created a criss-cross pattern on the back. If your pattern matches the pattern in the window, bingo! - you've got it right. If it doesn't fit exactly, you need to do a little more work.

Maths Wrap uses the principles of kinaesthetic education: learning by doing something physical. "Many children learn best when they're physically engaged, and doing something with their hands. It helps them process information," says Simon Deacon. The ''doing-and-seeing' method also helps children recognise patterns of numbers in the facts they're learning. These facts are simply the building blocks of mathematics: children who are confident with them find it easier to master complex problems such as long division and algebra. "But the real beauty of Maths Wrap is that it's fun to play with," says Simon Deacon. "Once children get used to using their wrap, they soon start to build fantastic confidence."

Maths Wrap has already won the approval of many teachers. "It will transform the learning of maths facts for children, both at home and in the classroom," says Claire Davies, a Warrington deputy head.

The launch is the culmination of a five-year dream for its inventor. "I made the prototype in a shed in the back garden," says Simon Deacon. "Since then, it's been through quite a few changes, and lots of road-testing by hundreds of children. But the heart of the thing remains the same - that children should have fun with the fundamental process of learning maths facts."