The white rod  is the unit cube and has dimensions of 1 cm X 1 cm X 1cm. The next rod, red, is 2 cm long; the following green rod is 3 cm long, etc.

This picture illustrates how the rods can be used for addition and subtraction. When a student is using them to add, he finds rods to represent each of the addends and puts them in a row. Then he searches for a rod of the correct length for the sum and checks it by laying it beside the addend row. To subtract he would lay the two rods beside each other. To find the difference he finds the rod that fills the leftover space. For example, on the left side of the photograph there are two white rods placed in a column. To the side of the white rods is a red rod. This physically demonstrates the equations 1+1=2 and 2-1=1. On the right side of the photograph, there are a green and a red rod placed beside a yellow rod. This can represent the equations  3+2=5, 2+3=5, 5-2=3, or 5-3=2.

A sample page from Miquon Orange, the first book, is shown above. In this lab, the student is to discover all the addition equations that are equal to 4. The rods are placed directly on a diagram of the rods on the page.  The pages in the Miquon workbooks are simple and uncluttered, and there are typically few problems per page. Miquon is a great for both visual and kinesthetic learners.

You might be wondering why I, as someone who claims to be a classical homeschooler, would choose a program like Miquon. Isn’t classical education about drill and memorizing facts? I must agree that Miquon does not seem to fit into the classical mold.  However, before I was a homeschool mom, I was an engineer. So I really like math. I think math is fun and I want my kids to see and understand that from a young age. Not only do I want my kids to think math is fun, but I want them to understand math. Having a good understanding of basic arithmetic is crucial in understanding higher maths. The Cuisenaire rods are wonderful for showing mathematical operations in a concrete way.  Miquon is not our main math curriculum because I prefer a primary math curriculum that is more logical and systematic in its presentation.  I recommend Miquon as a fun supplemental math program because it helps children to think about math in a different way. Miquon is available for purchase from Key Curriculum Press and many homeschool curriculum suppliers.