Q: Take a bag of marbles and use these to visually see how addition works. For example, take five marbles out of the bag. Now take another three marbles out of the bag. Combine all the marbles together and count how many you have. You’ll have eight marbles. That means that five plus three equals eight.   Using this tactic can help you visual subtraction too. Try taking four marbles away from your pile of eight marbles. You’ll end up with four marbles left. That means that eight minus four equals four. You can buy workbooks online or visit free websites that allow you to practice. You’ll be presented with a table filled with all sorts of problems to solve – everything from one plus one to seventeen plus fifteen and so on. If you are adding numbers that have multiple digits you can set them up on top of each other to make it easier to add. Consider the problem 21 plus 14. Draw the equation so that the 21 is sitting on top of the 14. Now draw a line underneath the 14. Adding down, add the final two numbers. In this case, those numbers would be the ‘1’ from 21 and the ‘4’ from 14.   One plus four equals five, so you would write a five below the line you made under those two numbers. Now add the ‘2’ from 21 and the ‘1’ from 14. Two plus one equals three. Write the three under those two numbers to the left of the five that you just wrote. You should have the numbers 3 and 5 sittings next to each other below the line you drew. That means the answer to this problem is 35. 14 + 21 = 35. If you add two numbers together and they make another two digit number, take the one from that two digit number and move it over to the left. For example, if the problem was 14 + 28 instead your first calculation would be 8 + 4. This would give you 12. You would still put the ‘2’ from 12 below the line underneath the 4 and the 8. However, the ‘1’ from 12 would then be moved over to the left and added to the second equation. So you would add the ‘1’ from 14, the ‘2’ from 28 and the ‘1’ from 12. That would give you the number 4 once you add all those numbers together. This means that 14 + 28 must equal 42. Pass the pigs is a popular game that has you roll tiny ceramic pigs on a table. Based on the way that they land, you earn a certain amount of points. You only play to 100 so the numbers never get too high, but it’s a great way to learn basic addition. It’s much better than doing addition tables for hours!
A: Use objects to count out the math visually. Practice your addition and subtraction tables. Start by adding the final digits of both numbers together. Play games with simple math.

Q: Making marzipan is something you can do at home, or you can buy it pre-packaged.  Typical marzipan candy shapes are fruit shapes––little apples, oranges, pears, lemons, strawberries, etc. Flowers are another ideal way to shape marzipan. Marzipan candies include using marzipan as a stuffing inside dried fruit pieces or between two nuts. Some more ideas include: Marzipan bunnies, marzipan toadstools and Christmas candy. Again, you can make fondant at home or buy it already made. Be aware that there are different types of fondant available, with varying levels of sugar and other ingredients, which affects softness, taste and durability. Ask the retailer for advice. Some may be more suited to covering cake than shaping as candies. Typical fondant candies include round balls or cookie cutter shapes. Fondant candies are often flavored and may be covered in chocolate to form chocolate creams of varying flavors. Refer to the instructions of particular recipes for certainty; in some cases, the exact type of fondant (candy or cake) will impact whether it can be shaped.
A: Use marzipan to make candies. Use fondant to make candies. Note that both marzipan and fondant can use the same shaping techniques.

Q: Raise your monitor so that the top third of your screen is at eye-level. Measure the distance from your monitor to your eyes to ensure it is 18 to 24 inches (45.7 to 61.0 cm) away from your face. You may need to prop your computer up on some books, use a taller or shorter desk, or adjust the height of your chair. Use a tape measure to determine how far your face is from your computer screen, and adjust where you place your chair accordingly. Try to keep your shoulder bag or purse to a small size and minimal weight. If you do have a lot to carry, use a backpack rather than something with only one strap, and get a backpack that’s designed for even weight distribution. Avoid carrying bags on the same shoulder all the time, because this will lead to improper alignment. Switch shoulders regularly. If you work at a desk or work in front of a computer, get up and move around frequently to decrease the pressure on your neck and back. A brief pause to walk around every half hour can be beneficial. Try to take 30 seconds or a minute to do neck stretches every 2 hours. The same goes for sitting on the couch and watching television. If you often wake up with a sore neck, you probably have poor sleep posture. Supportive neck pillows allow your head to fall into the middle of the pillow, supporting your neck with a firm, curved section at the bottom of the pillow. While walking, keep your shoulders back and aligned. Squeeze your core muscles (your abdominal muscles) to keep your body straighter. Bend your knees a little bit to take some pressure off of your hips. Invest in shoes with good arch support – it’s amazing how much this can help your posture. Keep your chin parallel to the floor when you’re walking, and walk with a heel-to-toe motion. Don’t stare at your feet or arch your back; keep your butt and belly lined up with the rest of your body. Using a posture brace has been shown to help improve posture by forcing your shoulders back and keep your head aligned with your vertebrae. Using a posture brace daily can not only help maintain a proper posture but in fact improve your shoulder positioning.
A:
Set up your computer ergonomically. Avoid carrying heavy bags or purses. Stretch every 30 minutes that you’re in front of a desk, computer, or TV. Buy a supportive neck pillow. Stand with good posture. Walk with good form. Try a posture brace.