miniLÜK control unit with clear panel

The miniLÜK control unit is a flat plastic box with a transparent hinged lid and twelve numbered tiles, intended according to the manufacturer for children aged four to eleven. On its own it does nothing. It is the tool for the miniLÜK practice workbooks. An explainer video on the “Vera” channel shows what that looks like. The child sorts the tiles into the lid, takes tile one, looks at an Osterei (Easter egg) in the workbook and asks whether the word has an O in it. Yes, so the tile goes onto the field under the smiling smiley. After that it is about syllables: Brot has one arc, Krokodil three. At the end the box is closed, turned over and opened, and the backs of the tiles form a color pattern that has to match the template in the workbook. A second video from the daycare of “PropsteiLebenstedt” plays through the same thing with a workbook about the mouse and numbers up to twelve.\n\nThe device becomes clearest in the comparison by “Betzold” with the large LÜK box. That one has 24 tiles and more text-heavy workbooks, and it targets older primary school children, while the miniLÜK tiles are twice as thick and easier to grip. The two systems are not compatible. In the “Lehrerforen”, some teachers prefer Logico because it is easier to understand, can be interrupted, and doesn't send twelve tiles onto the floor. A special-needs teacher counters that her children like the LÜK precisely when clothespin cards and Logico get monotonous. Below it, the bambinoLÜK with six tiles marks the lower limit. A mother on “urbia” found it already too easy for her almost four-year-old.\n\nLearning happens through the game, but at its core the game is placing and revealing. Each red task number corresponds to one tile, each black solution number to one field. If the pattern doesn't match, the child turns over the wrong tiles, closes the box again and sees which tasks to tackle once more. At our house, exactly this moment was the high point, and my daughter beamed every time the pattern matched. Even so, it doesn't work entirely without adults at first. Teachers report that children without practice in self-checking cheat or give up early, and a mother on “Rabeneltern” had to sit next to her child the whole time. In the review by “spieletest.at”, the workbook Mathestation 1 stands out for so many intermediate steps between the calculation, the color table and the field that it overwhelms some children.\n\nOn age, manufacturer and parents are close together. Westermann gives four to eleven years and workbooks up to the end of fourth grade. Several parents say their children understood the principle at just under four, while another four-year-old still lacked the stamina. One teacher observes that many first graders lack the concentration for twelve tiles until Easter. So I would base the start on your child's stamina, not on the birthday. You buy the workbooks individually, there are over 250 according to the manufacturer, and several parents borrow them from the library. If you are digging an old box out of the attic, you should know that, according to a forum post, units with insert sheets don't fit today's workbooks.\n\nIn everyday use the box is handy and, at 26 by 13 centimeters, fits in a backpack. The twelve loose tiles are the weak point, and teachers advise practicing the tidying up right away so the next child can start immediately. Not every child likes the principle. One found it annoying, according to his mother, not to be allowed to simply write down the solutions. A family I know used the device for three daughters, one with more enthusiasm, another with less.