Kylie loves numbers
Only six years old and can already do Grade 3 level mathematics.
Kylie Africa, a pupil at Smiley Kids in Discovery, is only six years old and can already do Grade 3 level mathematics.
She is a student at Abacus Maths in Roodepoort, and has qualified to represent South Africa in the Global Association of Japanese Mental Arithmetic (GASJMA) championship which will be held next year October in Bangkok, Thailand.
She qualified for this honour during the National AMSASA championship held at Hoërskool Roodepoort on 22 October.
Her mom, Olivia Africa, said they’re very proud of her achievements. “It is wonderful!” she exclaimed, with tears of joy in her eyes. According to Olivia, Kylie never gets tired and she is a very eager learner who is always ready to do more worksheets. “She does not really need motivation to practice her Soroban (abacus) and Anzan (mental arithmetic ),” said Olivia proudly.
According to Sharné Bressler, the owner and teacher at Abacus Maths, Kylie is very special. “A Grade R pupil is only supposed to be able to recognise numbers from one to 10, but Kylie can already add, subtract, multiply and divide with larger numbers – and write them. She also reads on a higher level than most children her age,” she said proudly.
During the interview, Kylie was happily doing her Abacus Maths sums, never losing focus once. When her attention was finally captured by the conversation around her, she was asked why she loved abacus maths. Her answer was simply, “It makes me happy. When I do these big sums – I don’t just feel clever, I know I am clever!” She also said she was excited, but nervous to go overseas.
Olivia said they will have to make some sacrifices and forego some luxuries to start saving for next year’s competition, as both Kylie’s parents will accompany her to Thailand. ”But, Kylie is our priority, we will do what is needed to ensure she is able to go,” Olivia said determinedly.
“If there is someone who would like to donate towards Kylie’s participation, please contact me on 084 652 4000,” said Sharné.
As we were all getting ready to leave, Kylie was asked if she wanted to go and play. Her answer? “I want to practice some more!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moxy0E4SlSQ&feature=youtu.be
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