Books with title Sarah and the Number Knights

While writing a manual to accompany King Maximo and the Number Knights, the idea came to me to create a sequel featuring the unsung hero of the story, Sarah, who answered THE QUESTION on which the story hinges, “Which is the greatest of all the numbers?”The indications for using the story to teach mathematical concepts through hands-on activities are found within the story itself. As such, it is a textbook in story form. It is my hope that this effort will demonstrate the efficacy of this form of teaching as a means of deepening the learning experience beyond that obtained through more traditional academic instruction The story is set in a meadow. The lawfulness of nature mirrors the lawfulness of mathematics, and vice versa. In learning through the use of imaginative, purposeful activity something is stimulated which leads to the cultivation and development of capacities we should hope to find in a dynamic human being.The story links the study of mathematics to the natural sciences, and provides an active grounding in geometry. Work with the Number Knights touches on areas largely overlooked in most educational circles, including visualization, discernment, spatial awareness, body geography, hand/eye coordination, and the artistic sense in general. The work is primarily experiential, and as such it is strengthening and deepening in its effect.Finally, the story portrays children working in a spirit of cooperation, mediating competitive tendencies with more social ones. The children come to realize that each has a contribution to make to the group as a whole, and that, like the Number Knights, a group is strongest when it recognizes the unique value of each of its members.

King Maximo sends his twelve best knights out on a quest to discover the greatest of all the numbers. They return after one year to a great feast at which each knight in turn recounts his adventure, detailing why his is, in fact, the greatest number. After each has spoken, Joccomo the Jester summarizes the qualities of that particular number in a verse. Each knight then designs a coat of arms, or shield, which captures the essence of the number. In the end, all twelve coats of arms hang on the wall. The answer to the question is almost overlooked, until a most unlikely person calls it out.This story sets the table in the imagination for future mathematics study, and links math to other fields, especially the natural sciences. Moreover, it takes math out of the head for a moment and into the child's heart.