Make Your Own Abacus

Create Your Own Abacus.
So... What is an abacus? 
It is an ancient calculator - one that people still use today. 

What You'll Need
-Popsicle sticks
-Bamboo skewers
-Beads
-Hot Glue
-Pliers/scissors
 

Decide on what kind of abacus you are interested in making, and arrange the beads accordingly. 

Glue the popsicle sticks to the bamboo skewers with enough room for the beads to slide. 

Pliers and scissors are for shortening the skewers.

Then use the remaining popsicle sticks to shape the outside of the abacus. 

The type of abacus design I chose is seven rows, one bead per row on top and four per row on the bottom. 
The top row beads each represents five. Many people use the abacus from right to left, but it is up to you how you use it. 
The Middle Bar is the counting bar. 

So if we are going from right to left, then we count what is touching the middle bar.
Green - 5+2=7
Black - 5+1=6
Red - 5
Blue - 4
Orange - 3
White - 2
Pink - 1
You can assign different values to the rows as well. 
Green can become 50+20=70
Black can become 50+10=60
Red can become 50
Blue 40
Orange 30
White 20
Pink 10