APH Abacus Bee

The APH Abacus Bee is a fun and engaging competition designed to ignite a passion for mathematics in students who are blind or have low vision. By allowing the use of various formats like print, braille, UEB math, or Nemeth code, the competition ensures that participants can use methods that suit their individual learning styles. The APH Abacus Bee encourages the use of mental math and abacus skills, unlocking students’ full mathematical potential. To learn more, check out Calculating Confidence article.

The APH Abacus Bee is divided into two phases. The preliminary regional contests, organized by partner organizations or schools, provide a platform for students to compete locally and showcase their skills within their communities. This phase not only fosters healthy competition but also allows students to meet and engage with other students from their region!

Regional Abacus Bee competitions will take place across the country between September – November 2024. Finalists from each region will compete in the Abacus Bee Finals in Spring 2025.

Does this sound like something a student you know would enjoy? Encourage them to join the excitement, boost their confidence, and let the APH Abacus Bee inspire their journey into the fascinating world of mathematics and beyond!

Six different regional competitions were hosted across the country in 2023, in: Florida, New Jersey, Maryland, Kentucky, Washington, and Iowa. All APH Abacus Bee competitions had five categories, which were based on skill level: starters, movers, riders, flyers, and blaster. This tiered approach ensured students were competing against their peers with similar skill levels, making the competition fair and encouraging for everyone involved.

• Florida Abacus Bee: Hosted by Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired – Florida Abacus Bee Website
• New Jersey Abacus Bee: Hosted by VISTAS – New Jersey Abacus Bee Website
• Maryland Abacus Bee: Hosted by Maryland School for the Blind
  Contact: Jacqueline Otwell – jacquelineo@mdschblind.org
• Kentucky Abacus Bee: Hosted by Kentucky School for the Blind
  Contact: Martin Monson – martin.monson@ksb.kyschools.us
• Washington Abacus Bee: Hosted by Washington School for the Blind –
  Washington Abacus Bee Website
• Iowa Abacus Bee: Hosted by Iowa Educational Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired – Iowa Abacus Bee Website

Even though each competition varied in size and location, there was one common theme amongst them all: CONFIDENCE. When asked, the regional coordinators and participants’ families all commented on how much of a confidence boost it was for the students to compete and show off their talents. Don’t just take our word for it, here’s what some of student participants and their families had to say about their experience:

• “In the past two years of participating in the Abacus Bee, I have definitely noticed a positive change in my son’s attitude toward math. He is more confident and seems to recognize his gift more readily and is thinking about ways that he can use it in his future career.” – parent
• “I met other nice students and liked how everyone got an award. I used a great mental math strategy that helped me to do great in the Oral (Space Race) Round!” – student
• “Thank you for offering this event! It has instilled a great deal of confidence in my son and has definitely inspired his interest and abilities in math!” – parent
• “I loved the Abacus Bee. My favorite part was meeting new friends!” – student
• “I loved the red-carpet event! The look of joy and pride on each child’s face showed how much the enjoyed the event!” – parent
• “For me personally, this shared experience with my granddaughter truly opened my eyes to the challenges she faces now and will carry throughout life, but also all the massively inspiring young people and volunteers I met, this was a humbling experience and so grateful I was able to attend.” – grandparent

APH was pleased to invite 31 finalists to the Abacus Bee Finals event in Louisville, KY on March 21-24.  We had finalists from each of our participating regionals. Here’s the breakdown of who came and from where!

Finalists by State:

• Florida | 9
• Kentucky | 6
• New Jersey | 2
• Washington | 5
• Maryland | 3
• Iowa | 6

If you have questions regarding the finals event, please contact our Northcentral Region Outreach Specialist, Jennifer Brooks​ at Jbrooks@aph.org.

This program was supported by the Simons Foundation. Their mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. Since its founding in 1994 by Jim and Marilyn Simons, the foundation has been a champion of basic science through grant funding, support for research and public engagement.

Contact our Northcentral Region Outreach Specialist, Jennifer Brooks​ at Jbrooks@aph.org for more info.