About an Abacus

I read an article about a few months ago regarding abacuses and how they help children with their arithmetic skills. My daughter's teacher (at the beginning of the year, before I started homeschooling) told her class that they would be learning multiplication and division. I was worried that she would fall behind. She had trouble remembering 7+8...how would she be able to figure out 7 x 8 ?

I debated on whether to buy one. I was not sure that it would hold her interest long enough to learn how to properly use it; I didn't want to buy a toy that didn't serve any purpose. Well, it turns out that I didn't have to worry. When I brought one home today, my son gravitated towards it. I am sure that the bright colors had something to do with his interest, as well as the clacking sounds that the beads made when he pushed them together.

I found a webpage on how to use the abacus. The little guy loves to count and I am wondering if I can teach him how to count higher than "eleventeen" - which comes after thirteen, by the way...