Telling the time

The Aramazu method brings the concept of telling the time into the lives of young children by using simple visual logic which they understand.  Parents find Aramazu's new child friendly learning process is quicker and avoids the frustration children often feel when trying to understand how the 12 numbers and two hands of the clockface are applied to telling time.

International 

Aramazu was created in the UK. At the present time (Autumn 2009) the Aramazu learn to tell the time books listed on this website use UK time terminology (such as ‘to’ and ‘past’).  Skyla Publishing, publishers of Aramazu are intending to commence the launch of overseas versions over the next 24 months. The launch of these versions will be announced on this website.

About Skyla Publishing

A new independent UK company publishing illustrated learn-at-home books, audio books and CD’s for young children with the content supported by on line games and puzzles.  For school use the same content is available on leading brands of interactive electronic whiteboards, supported with teacher and classroom resource packages.
Aramazu, a new way of learning to tell the time, is a Skyla Publishing project.

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Aramazu and Dsylexia

Many dyslexic children have difficulty in telling the time using an analogue clock. They have to remember the difference between two very similar hands, with very little contrast and use the numbers to sometimes tell them the hours and sometimes the minutes, whilst directional confusion exists in deciding whether a hand is pointing to or past the hour.

Aramazu is different and this is how it works for these children. Through three audio books or a Fast Track Book for older children, activities using  ‘catch a second’ and ‘Build a minute’ primarily give the children the concept of duration, helping them to feel and sense time.  In the audio book differing sounds are used for seconds, minutes and hours in the stories to make these bits of time more significant. These imaginative stories create a memory anchor, where children can see characters climbing up the mountains, up one side and down the other, showing the passage of time and direction around the clock, aided by yellow arrows.  A finger is used to illustrate the short hand, it points to the hour time is on. making. Children adopt the habit acquisition approach and use their own fingers to practise pointing to the hour mountains. Through this they can already be successful with o’clock and half past, without even having to remember a number. 

Leading on from this, the foot is introduced. The foot has been chosen because feet are good for climbing and following Time as it climbs up and down the Hour Mountains on two huge ladders. Initially these two ladders the TO and the PAST ladder are shown off the clock, so that children can get used to counting steps on the ladders as minutes. The two ladders are then squeezed onto the clock so that children can continue counting the steps up TO the top of the clock or down PAST the top of the clock.  Practical activities involve children climbing up TO the top and then pretending to climb PAST the top. This stage needs much practise so that automaticity can be established in order to prevent confusion.
As the pieces are put together, children are given three clues to remember ‘Foot Foot Finger’ which means ‘Which minute, which ladder, which hour’ giving a powerful memory anchor for a child to order the statements involved in telling the time.  Finally these children are allowed the success often denied them through traditional methods.