hsmom23 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I am wondering what manipulatives you veterans have bought and love love loved and which ones barely got taken out of the packaging. I am asking especially for like Prek through 2nd grade. Anything that you would especially recommend that would be used throughout all these grades. I am looking for any subject, not just math. So like is there a set of phonics cards that you have worn out, etc.??? TIA for all your experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 For math, the Right Start abacus. Not a real manipulative, but the movements for the phonogram/phoneme sounds in Jolly Phonics got my daughter to FINALLY remember the ones she was struggling with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Our hands-down favorite math manipulative are the Math-U-See blocks. We're not using the curr. anymore but the blocks are used all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuovonne Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Favorites: colored pencils, crayon, paper, tape, and scissors playdough RightStart Abacus Cuisenaire Rods geared clock O/G phonogram cards (homemade) salt tray (homemade, for handwriting practice) blank mini-books (homemade) handheld magnifying glass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I use manipulatives a lot and have made a lot of manipulatives from scratch using Montessori and Waldorf inspiration. (I have links on my blog to various places I go to find things.) Math (in order of how much we use it) 1. gem-like things you put in glass vases or other small objects (counting, addition and subtraction) 2. base 10 kit and place value rainbow (used for place-value and regrouping) 3. Al-Abacus from Rightstart Math (subtraction, regrouping, place value) 4. number sidewalk (piece of paper cut in 1/2 lengthwise then the ends are taped together and I make a space for the numbers 1-10) and a small figure who walks the sidewalk. Great for addition/subtraction within 10. 5. tens and teen board and small beads to go with it or you can use the base 10 kit pieces. (numbers beyond 10) 6. cups for the small objects (division) 7. fraction circles (the Montessori style puzzles probably work better than the paper ones I made but it makes equivelent fractions hands-on.) Spelling I like having stencils and stamps on hand as just another way to work with writing the words in a fun way. I also have letter tiles and magnets but they don't like those as much. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 For math, the RS Abacus and the Rainbow Fractions Tiles from Learning Resources. I also highly recommend the RS math card games book & set. Hands-On Equations has been a winner for us but it seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing from discussions on this board. For phonics, the Leapfrog Word Whammer fridge magnets set. I also like the HWOT pre-k set even though that's technically a penmanship program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honey Bee Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I would add Rightstart's place value cards. The abacus rocks too, but I think someone already mentioned that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy in ME Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 The math balance is a favorite "toy" around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in the Country Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I am wondering what manipulatives you veterans have bought and love love loved and which ones barely got taken out of the packaging. I am asking especially for like Prek through 2nd grade. Anything that you would especially recommend that would be used throughout all these grades. I am looking for any subject, not just math. So like is there a set of phonics cards that you have worn out, etc.??? TIA for all your experience. Cuisenaire Rods Base 10 set Geared clock Pattern Blocks Letter/Letter Blends Phonics "Puzzle" pieces from the Veritas Press Phonics Museum set...I don't know if they are sold separately or not. They are letters that hook together like puzzle pieces for making words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Pattern Blocks are a favorite here. So are teddy bear counters, and a balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauriej Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Far and away, Rightstart manipulatives and games have been the most fun and productive. When you have kids begging to play math games, you know you're doing something right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 We are having a blast with the mini-computers I made from the CSMP site. For the markers or checkers for the mini-computer, I use a package of those round, shiny stones from Dollar Tree. For "Eli's Magic Peanuts", I spray painted several of the stones with black paint, then drew the ^ symbol on top with a gold marker. Cheap and fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmeraldGirl Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Math U See blocks Fraction squares Clocks from yard sales Coins Sandbox for writing Letter dice cubes Letter & number magnets Individual-sized white boards Thermometer, round w/ pointer and rectangle w/ vertical measure tape lincoln logs for history geometric solid blocks with architecture book geoboards with patterns tannagrams with patterns DIME blocks with books stencils flashcards for math drills lots of board games lots of card games lots of puzzles Leap Frog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 For K-2 the manipulatives my kids played with the most were the HWT little chalkboards and chalk, the magic erase thing from HWT, pattern blocks, geoboards, and attribute blocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Mouse Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Things we have used a lot: Linking base 10 blocks RightStart Abacus RightStart card games for math Judy clock Legos Play food/groceries with price tags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuovonne Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 book weight to hold books open What's this? Please tell more. If she's just reading, she does okay, but as soon as she picks up a pencil, she has a hard time keeping her book open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leanna Tomlinson Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 MUS blocks - go along great with CLE too! MUS fraction kit Judy Clock Teddy Bear Counters - 3 sizes, 5 colors Leanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Our hands-down favorite math manipulative are the Math-U-See blocks. We're not using the curr. anymore but the blocks are used all the time. :iagree::iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I am wondering what manipulatives you veterans have bought and love love loved and which ones barely got taken out of the packaging. I am asking especially for like Prek through 2nd grade. Anything that you would especially recommend that would be used throughout all these grades. I am looking for any subject, not just math. So like is there a set of phonics cards that you have worn out, etc.??? TIA for all your experience. For Math: Cuisinaire rods. I use these daily...even with algebra... PATTERN BLOCKS and a money bucket with real coins. For phonics...homemade flip books for word families ~~Oh, and my US puzzle with each state separate and the capitals underneath. ~~Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Hated the Saxon math linking cubes b/c they were so hard to put together and pull apart! My favorite manip was the Montessori objects we used for reading. Sooo cute and fun to use--small objects that started with a certain letter or were spelled with 3-4 letter phonetic words (a small pig, for example). I also like the constructive triangles and the Montessori 3D grammar objects--for example, nouns are symbolized by a black triangle, verbs by a (rolling) red ball. Also loved our art supplies, and using a jar of buttons for grouping, patterning, sequencing, counting, etc in preschool and K. Oh, and the pattern blocks--useful for so many things, including fractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 An electronic cash register by Learning Resources for playing store. We had this set of letters which were coated in a texture similar to sandpaper. They loved tracing the letter with their fingers and saying the sound. Helped with beginning writing too as they got the motion of the form down without using paper and pencil. I don't have them anymore to recall a name, but you could easily make a set from sandpaper glued to cardstock. We also had a set of rubber vehicles similar to the counting bears. These were different colors of cars, planes, fire engines, trucks and trains. Tinker toys, lincoln logs and duplos. My biggest mistake was to be too structured at this early age with the manipulatives. I wanted them to use everything the 'right way" instead of just letting them explore, imagine and figure out. Maybe you are wired differently - hope so. But if not, please accept this humble bit of regret; we should have played a lot more! Kymberly ds 10 and ds 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom23 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 Ok, so which do you prefer, cuisenaire or math u see blocks. Any suggestions for a brand of geoboard and tannagrams. And where do I find the counting bears???? Edited to add: Also which right start games would you reccommend???? My biggest mistake was to be too structured at this early age with the manipulatives. I wanted them to use everything the 'right way" instead of just letting them explore, imagine and figure out. Maybe you are wired differently - hope so. But if not, please accept this humble bit of regret; we should have played a lot more! Kymberly ds 10 and ds 7 Thanks, that is why I asked, I was wanting to just set up like stations or the ziploc bags with manips for them and thought it was a way to get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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