arliemaria Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 My mother recently died (December 2010) and we were willed my little sister, 8 years old. I am new to parenting in general. My husband and I have a 21 month old son. I am new to homeschooling. We have been at it less than a month now. We are doing Saxon Math 2. I do however want to add some manipulatives, but didn't want to buy their kit. I really like Montessori's philosophy and her "works." Does anyone have a recommendation for a good abacus or a 100 chart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
originalkat Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I have bought some Montessori Math Materials from Montessori Outlet. Google it and you can explore their website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nansk Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 You can get the laminated Hundred Board from Learning Resources and make your own number chips using craft foam. You can also get this 100-bead abacus from Learning Resources. It has the place value numbers on the frame, so you can use that as your small bead frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy to monkeys Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 :grouphug: I have no experience with Montessori materials, but I felt like couldn't just not say anything here! Condolences I think it's wonderful that you're taking care of your sister. Wish I had more helpful info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Check out Montessori Makers. They have instructions for making your own Montessori materials. I don't have much experience with Montessori, either, but I've looked at it before. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4besitos Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I got our 100's chart and some of the counters from Rainbow Resource (rather than buy the whole Saxon kit), this is my favorite place to order from as they have everything under the sun. I actually get the huge phone book size catalog so I can mark the pages.:) Another good hands-on program is Math-U-See. They use manipulatives for many years and it's good for hands-on, visual learners or children that need to work on a concept at a time. I make my own Montessori trays for my younger ones....but my 10yr old daughter likes to "do" them. My condolences on your Mom and good luck as you begin the homeschool journey! Yvonne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Right Start is billed as a Montessori style math curriculum, so you might look into that program and their materials. In my daughter's 1-3rd grade elementary class at a montessori school, they used a lot of different materials, particularly a set of beads... I recall their teacher did use Saxon 54 and higher as the kids progressed,though that was probably a personal preference rather than something recommended through AMI or AMS. Personally, I love Montessori classrooms... I just wish it really could be replicated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Miquon is another math program that is very in sync with Montessori methods. It uses Cuisenaire Rods as the main manipulative. There are now Montessori iPad apps (if you can believe that) with true Montessori manipulatives in virtual form. There is also an AL (RightStart) abacus app. You may not have an iPad, but thought I'd throw it out there in case. I'm sorry for your loss. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa3033 Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 I made my own Montessori bead material. It was well worth the time and money. Having said that, it was very, very time consuming. My enter family and friends will forever remember the summer of 2010 and all the beading I did. There are other similar methods out there, including base 10 and math-u-see that use a similar concept if you were wanting to purchase something without the expense of true Montessori materials. I did purchase a hundred board. It was relatively expensive, but only because it was part of a larger order with free shipping. You'll soon learn if you haven't already, that a good chunk of the cost in Montessori materials is in the shipping as well. You can make your own out of various materials. Some use 1" tiles purchased at a home improvement store and a plywood frame. Other math materials I have purchased were the hanging bead frames (probably not necessary for an 8 year old though) and wooden blocks to represent the golden one hundred square and one thousand cube. Even though I made my bead material, I only made on each of the 100 and 1000 cube as it was cheaper to purhcase the wooden representation. I found the instructions to making the bead material at Montessori at Home There is also a yahoo group devoted to making montessori materials, which I believe someone has already linked to here. YOu will find a lot of ideas through blogs. Just do a google search and then filter to blogs only. Some ideas are marvelous, others aren't worth my time for the negligible cost it would save me (of course ymmv). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnemom Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 I like the Melissa & Doug abacus. I got it at a local toy store, but have seen it on amazon, too. In general, I love Montessori materials, but I have to say that I don't like their elementary math manipulatives. They just don't seem intuitive to me. I don't care for the binomial cube or the trinomial cube, or the teens board. I like the bead stairs and bead chains, but the chains especially get very expensive. Alisonsmontessori.com has the most reasonable prices on quality items that I've found. As for math manipulatives, I have found plenty at Lakeshore that I like to use with dd. If you have one near you and can go and browse, you will be able to find things that you can use. They also have a huge catalog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest threefour Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Hello, I'm an elementary Montessori Teacher who was perusing google for information about cuisinaire rods and happened upon this thread. I just wanted to offer some information despite the fact that this thread is a year old. The most important materials in elementary Montessori math are golden beads, the bead bars and chains, and the bead frames (abacus). That beings said, all the math material is related and it is hard for me to say that anything can really be left out. It is important that the child be able to manipulate many different materials for the same concept. For example, multiplication can be practiced with golden beads, dot game, stamp game, bead bars, large bead frame (abacus), checkerboard (my favorite material), and flat golden bead frame. Someone mentioned that the binomial and trinomial cubes seemed like a waste. To an outsider this may seem like a simple puzzle, and to the 3-5 year olds who manipulate it in preschool it is, but when the elementary child who has been manipulating this material since age 3 discovers the math behind it it is a huge 'Aha!' moment that kindles the fire of learning. The elementary child can be doing the algebraic math of the binomial cube by 3rd grade. They can be proficient in all 4 operations of math by this time as well. Repetition of the materials makes this possible and because there are many materials to manipulate repetition never seems boring. Also, someone mentioned the teens board and I just wanted to clarify that it is not an elementary material but rather a lesson given at age 3 or 4. If anyone would like clarification on giving lessons with a particular material I would be happy to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.