favorite math manipulative?

[hsingscrapper]

I have some pattern blocks but not a whole set. I have some unifex cubes but not a whole set.

 

I am contemplating cuisenaire rods and perhaps something else.

 

What is your most-grade friendly non-consumable math manipulative?

[angelmama1209]

for my kids, c-rods, hands down. they love them even just to play. if you haven't already, check rosie's videos at education unboxed. my friend had never seen or heard of c-rods and i had her watch the videos and she ordered some that day. they're amazing.

[Farrar]

C-rods. No contest.

 

I do like the abacus too and my kids have had fun with pattern blocks when they were little, but if I had to pick a single manipulative, it would absolutely be C-rods.

[SorrelZG]

C. Rods.

[hsingscrapper]

for my kids, c-rods, hands down. they love them even just to play. if you haven't already, check rosie's videos at education unboxed. my friend had never seen or heard of c-rods and i had her watch the videos and she ordered some that day. they're amazing.

 

I just checked some of the videos. I need to order the rods from Rainbow Resource. Help me decide which set to get, please?

[airforcefamily]

Most often I grab unifix cubes. We have regular colored ones, ones with numbers and +/-/=/x on them as well as a pattern board and counting stairs. It's easy to illustrate ideas with them and the kids like building with them too.

 

We have pattern blocks, counting bears, and cards for both but they don't get much use.

 

I really want a math balance (where you put little weights on different numbers) but I'm not sure we would use it much.

 

We used math u see blocks when we used math u see and they were pretty good. They're still pulled out at times.

 

I'm interesting in the c-rods but I can't seem to wrap my mind around how they would be helpful without a lot of reading to understand what to do with them.

[dbmamaz]

my kid is pretty intuitive about math, and we counted all the toys we had before he went to kindergarten (before i decided to homeschool) but the only manipulative we really ever used with a math curriculum were legos.

[happypamama]

C-rods. We use them a lot to illustrate concepts. Even just playing with them is fun for the kids. Also, hundreds flats and a thousands cube to go with the C-rods.

 

I've also gotten a lot of use out of fraction circles. You can make those yourself, though I opted for the plastic ones. They've been really helpful for teaching about fractions. (I also got the fraction squares; those have not been quite as useful as the circles, except that say, the sixths are the same color for both, so it's useful to say, "this is one-sixth, and so is this.")

 

My kids (especially the 3yo) love playing with the balance scale and weights too, though we've not done any formal lessons with it, just played with it. Ours has buckets, so it can hold weights/solid objects or water.

[jennynd]

C rod is good to see the concept of all 4 operations, including fraction. But we also love abacus for place value

[PIE!]

We seem to be using base 10 blocks a lot lately - though we're definite fans of c. rods, and the abacus comes in handy too.

[Mukmuk]

C-rods. Others: wooden cubes, square tiles, fraction circles.

[AdventureMoms]

 

I'm interesting in the c-rods but I can't seem to wrap my mind around how they would be helpful without a lot of reading to understand what to do with them.

 

Rose has some great videos at Education Unboxed that show you just what to do with them.

[AdventureMoms]

I just checked some of the videos. I need to order the rods from Rainbow Resource. Help me decide which set to get, please?

 

Wooden, small group set gets my vote.

[momtoamiracle]

I've got c rods coming in the mail.

 

 

 

 

So far our favorite manipulative has been one inch colored blocks. We have used those for patterns, graphs, counting by twos and fives, adding and subtracting. Unifix blocks would work the same way, the wooden cubes are just quicker to me. No snapping together and pulling apart.

 

 

 

I can't wait to get the c rods!

[daffodil]

It's a tie between cuisinaire rods and the RightStart abacus. Both get used frequently.

[angelmama1209]

I just checked some of the videos. I need to order the rods from Rainbow Resource. Help me decide which set to get, please?

 

 

i think in one of the first videos, she gives her recommendations. we have the basic 155 piece wooden set. my kids are 3, 5, and 7 and i am looking to get another set. there's just not enough for them all to use them together. i would also recommend some 100 flats to go with them. :)

[angelmama1209]

Most often I grab unifix cubes. We have regular colored ones, ones with numbers and +/-/=/x on them as well as a pattern board and counting stairs. It's easy to illustrate ideas with them and the kids like building with them too.

 

We have pattern blocks, counting bears, and cards for both but they don't get much use.

 

I really want a math balance (where you put little weights on different numbers) but I'm not sure we would use it much.

 

We used math u see blocks when we used math u see and they were pretty good. They're still pulled out at times.

 

I'm interesting in the c-rods but I can't seem to wrap my mind around how they would be helpful without a lot of reading to understand what to do with them.

 

check out rosie's videos at http://www.educationunboxed.com

[MissKNG]

ccccccc - rrrrrrrrrrroooooooooodddddddddddddddssssssss:D

[Momling]

We used c-rods more in 1-2nd grade and base-10 blocks in 3-5th grade.

[justLisa]

We never got the C-rods.

 

I have a huge base 10 set. DS does not need manips, dd likes to use them

[Crimson Wife]

I'll be the contrarian here. I much prefer the Right Start abacus to c-rods because it is so much more intuitive to me to visualize 8 as 5 blue beads + 3 yellow beads than as a brown (?) rod.

 

I also really like the Right Start place value cards, base 10 cards, and the Rainbow Fraction Tiles.

[Spy Car]

I'll be the contrarian here. I much prefer the Right Start abacus to c-rods because it is so much more intuitive to me to visualize 8 as 5 blue beads + 3 yellow beads than as a brown (?) rod.

 

I also really like the Right Start place value cards, base 10 cards, and the Rainbow Fraction Tiles.

 

There is a utility in seeing 8 as 5+3 using the (bi-colored) AL Alabacus. but with Cuisenaire Rods it is easier to show that 1+7, 2+ 6, 3+5, 4+4, 5+3, 6+2, 7+1, and 8+0 all make 8.

 

When doing re-grouping children will not always re-group around "5s." I think the C rods promote a more flexible, powerful and useful tool for seeing all the combinations possible when breaking a number like "8" into two (or more) parts. Here the AL Abacus is limited.

 

Bill

[Crimson Wife]

There is a utility in seeing 8 as 5+3 using the (bi-colored) AL Alabacus. but with Cuisenaire Rods it is easier to show that 1+7, 2+ 6, 3+5, 4+4, 5+3, 6+2, 7+1, and 8+0 all make 8.

 

When doing re-grouping children will not always re-group around "5s." I think the C rods promote a more flexible, powerful and useful tool for seeing all the combinations possible when breaking a number like "8" into two (or more) parts. Here the AL Abacus is limited.

 

Bill

 

Actually, it's not.

 

Right Start has the child do a lot of work with the abacus breaking numbers into various combinations. So on one line the child will split 10 into 1 + 9. Then on the next, he/she will split 10 into 2 + 8, and so on down the abacus.

 

The visual is there without the confusion of "white + blue = orange", "red + brown = orange", and so on. The colors of the c-rods are totally arbitrary and just make me :ack2::ack2::ack2:

[justLisa]

Actually, it's not.

 

Right Start has the child do a lot of work with the abacus breaking numbers into various combinations. So on one line the child will split 10 into 1 + 9. Then on the next, he/she will split 10 into 2 + 8, and so on down the abacus.

 

The visual is there without the confusion of "white + blue = orange", "red + brown = orange", and so on. The colors of the c-rods are totally arbitrary and just make me :ack2::ack2::ack2:

 

I am not a fan of them either.

 

Maybe with a very very young child if you started out with them. But my kids don't see the point of them nor do I.

 

They don't work for everyone.

[Spy Car]

Actually, it's not.

 

Right Start has the child do a lot of work with the abacus breaking numbers into various combinations. So on one line the child will split 10 into 1 + 9. Then on the next, he/she will split 10 into 2 + 8, and so on down the abacus.

 

 

 

You can not make groups of 7+1 on the AL Abacus, not in two distinct bi-colored groups anyway. The best one could do is (5+2)+1, and when the beads are all pushed together (5+2)+1 looks like 5+3 and not 7+1 due to the limits of bi-colored beads.

 

The visual is there without the confusion of "white + blue = orange", "red + brown = orange", and so on. The colors of the c-rods are totally arbitrary and just make me :ack2::ack2::ack2:

 

This has been discussed before (ad nauseum) and is a canard. Children quickly grasp the ordinary

number value of the rods. They are adding and finding differences with number values and not according to "color." You know this.

 

Bill

Edited October 7, 2012 by Spy Car

[Hunter]

I'm trying really hard to learn to use REAL things as manipulatives.

 

Money, playing cards, fingers, rulers, scales.

 

We were just talking in a thread about using a 2 pan balance scale to teach subtraction.

 

Stacks of pennies can work just as well as blocks.

 

Here is an idea that will work with a princess or pirate unit study. Ten jewels are placed in a bag, and 10 bags are placed in a treasure box, to teach place value.

 

 

[Mommysarah713]

We really like inchimals from fat brain toys. They are useful for so many early and elementary math ideas and pretend play.

[Spy Car]

I'm trying really hard to learn to use REAL things as manipulatives.

 

Money, playing cards, fingers, rulers, scales.

 

We were just talking in a thread about using a 2 pan balance scale to teach subtraction.

 

Stacks of pennies can work just as well as blocks.

 

Here is an idea that will work with a princess or pirate unit study. Ten jewels are placed in a bag, and 10 bags are placed in a treasure box, to teach place value.

 

 

The problem with so-called REAL things is they tend to get "counted." The whole purpose of C Rods (and ideally with the AL Abacus too) is that children see groups (and whole-parts re-grouping combinations) without needing to "count." This is a fundamental skill in whole-parts math programs and REAL objects are inferior in building these skills.

 

Bill

[Crimson Wife]

This has been discussed before (ad nauseum) and is a canard. Children quickly grasp the ordinary

number value of the rods. They are adding and finding differences with number values and not according to "color." You know this.

 

Bill

 

Well, what I find rather nauseating is all the constant gushing over c-rods :tongue_smilie:

 

It would be like you as a Cal grad living in Palo Alto and having to constantly hear people absolutely fawning over the Cardinals :D

[angelmama1209]

Well, what I find rather nauseating is all the constant gushing over c-rods :tongue_smilie:

 

my only reason for gushing over c rods is that my kids LOVE them. i picked them up on a whim at a used curric sale this summer and it was the first thing they dug out. we also use rs with the abacus and all and mm but c rods are our "fun" math.

[boscopup]

Another C-rod fan here, for the child that uses manipulatives. My oldest never needed manipulatives, except some base 10 blocks to demonstrate adding/subtracting across 10's. Otherwise, he gets pictorial explanations very well and/or just figures it out before I even teach it. :tongue_smilie:

 

My middle child, at 4, very quickly got the color/number association. *I* have trouble remembering that brown is 8, but he's got it, and he's the one using it to do math. I already know how to do math. ;)

 

Well, what I find rather nauseating is all the constant gushing over c-rods :tongue_smilie:

 

No different than you gushing over RS B. :D

[ereks mom]

centimeter cubes

[Farrar]

Well, what I find rather nauseating is all the constant gushing over c-rods :tongue_smilie:

 

We really love them and I find them really easy to work with. But I don't think any one resource is right for everyone and I know that when a program is beloved here, it can make you feel like an odd duck when it's not the right thing for you or your kids. There is quite a chorus about certain things.

[alisoncooks]

I :001_wub: math manipulatives.

We have pattern blocks, unifix cubes, counting bears, 2-colored chips (yellow on one side, red on the other), abacus, math balance, place value cards, playing cards, base 10 blocks..... more, I'm sure.

 

 

What we have used the most are our 2 colored counting chips and modified deck of cards ("modge-podged" a 0 and a 1 over my jacks and aces :p). They've been used 2-3x a week.

Edited October 7, 2012 by alisoncooks

[TKDmom]

Here's the c-rods I have, and I'm happy with them.

http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/006380/fef68dfe088c445ad312561c

 

I also use base-10 blocks and linking cubes a lot. The linking cubes have an added bonus that you can make Tetris-like shapes with them, which is fun for geometric puzzle type problems.

 

When I first started homeschooling I bought the whole Saxon k-3 manipulative kit with teddy bear counters and a balance scale and a Judy clock, etc, etc. I've almost never used any of those things.

[boscopup]

When I first started homeschooling I bought the whole Saxon k-3 manipulative kit with teddy bear counters and a balance scale and a Judy clock, etc, etc. I've almost never used any of those things.

 

Same here. I got the RS A kit, and I use nothing from it. I also bought the base 10 blocks set and used it once for math. :tongue_smilie:

 

Everything has been played with, but most of it is never used for actual math time. So don't go berserk buying a bunch of manipulatives. See what your child needs to learn.

[angelmama1209]

Same here. I got the RS A kit, and I use nothing from it. I also bought the base 10 blocks set and used it once for math. :tongue_smilie:

 

Everything has been played with, but most of it is never used for actual math time. So don't go berserk buying a bunch of manipulatives. See what your child needs to learn.

 

how do you do rs without using the manipulatives?

[boscopup]

how do you do rs without using the manipulatives?

 

I didn't. I sold RS, as it wasn't a good fit here. I kept the manipulatives in case I might use them, but I just haven't.

[cam112198]

:bigear:

[Colleen in SEVA]

Wellllll... between trying pretty much every math program with my own children and teaching 2 math classes at a homeschool co-op, I have A LOT of math manipulatives. The only things that get used constantly are the base 10 blocks.

 

I sold my cuisenaire rods because I hated them (GASP!!), and my children never used them for the intended purpose. I kept the rods around for years because my older 3 learn so differently that I thought *someone* would use them eventually, but they did not.

 

I also sold my Right Start Math Games set (also not a fan of the abacus).

Edited October 8, 2012 by Colleen in SEVA

[FloridaLisa]

I like the Cuisenaire rods and am glad to have found Education Unboxed which has helped me unlock even more uses for them.

 

Other favorites over the years:

 

* 100 chart -- I have about 10 of these and have colored them for skip counting. The first is unmarked; on the second, I colored every even number; on the third, every odd number. The fourth has all multiples of 3, the next multiples of 4, the next 5's and 10's, etc. I used different colored markers for each and it has been excellent for teaching skip counting.

 

*Fraction circles

 

* Pattern blocks

 

*Number line marker board: This has been great when introducing or working with negative numbers. The student can actually mark on this board.

 

I have lots of other manipulatives that we have loved and used consistently over the years: coins, dice, colored bear counters, legos, clocks, triangle math cards, etc.

 

Lisa

[JOHNNABONNA]

Cuisennaire rods. My dd has always liked the abacus too:)

Oh yea I second fraction circles!

[MrsBanjoClown]

My kids love it when they see me pull out the base 10 blocks, and I have caught them pulling them out to play with themselves!

[besroma]

C-rods, base ten blocks, fraction strips, and fraction circles.

[tyydae]

Same here. We make use of things that are already handy in our home: marbles, cheerios, grapes, coins, stones, noodles, jelly beans, etc,. Even though, I have had my eye on some c-rods and flat math counters for a while now. Just haven't made the actual purchase.

I'm trying really hard to learn to use REAL things as manipulatives.

 

Money, playing cards, fingers, rulers, scales.

 

We were just talking in a thread about using a 2 pan balance scale to teach subtraction.

 

Stacks of pennies can work just as well as blocks.

 

Here is an idea that will work with a princess or pirate unit study. Ten jewels are placed in a bag, and 10 bags are placed in a treasure box, to teach place value.

 

 

[Jpoy85]

I would have to say the teddy bear counters have been a big hit here.

[Mama2two]

Haven't read all the other responses, but abacus, hands down

[Alessandra]

I always thought that c-rods were a bit silly -- why learn all the colors? The dd started Miquon in order to get a better conceptual understanding of math. She LOVES them, and now I am a convert too. BTW, we own almost every math man. that Learning Resources makes, and c-rods win, hands down.

 

For my math talented son, we used a hundreds board in K; later on, he felt better doing math w/o any manipulatives, because he just "got" it.

 

As others said, the Education Unboxed videos are great -- we usually incorporate one into each math lesson. Dd loves the videos with the cute-as-a-button little girl; I like the more abstract ones.

 

There has been a lot of discussion here about plastic vs wood rods. Most people here (at least as far as I could tell -- no slamming please) like the plastic. I got a small group set, followed by a second small group set at dd's request. Rosie (the videos) prefers the wooden ones -- she has a video on why. You may also need a few hundreds flats from a base 10 set to do all the building projects in the videos -- just a heads up.

 

Years ago, I got the connecting cuisenaire rods -- horrible! Difficult for some kids to snap & unsnap, so that becomes Mom's job, ugh!

[Spy Car]

I will second Alessandra's suggestion above to add A set of base-10 "flats" (100 values) to a basic Cuisenaire Rod set. This combination gives children a way to visualize and play with 3 digit numbers from the outset of their math adventure.

 

Bill

[Chrysalis Academy]

We are not big on manipulatives here - we have c-rods, base 10 blocks, and an abacus, but more often than not I just draw pictures on the whiteboard to illustrate things for Miss P, and use really pretty scarlet runner beans with Mo. I think with Miss P, she had already grasped a lot of the concepts before I got all these manipulatives, and neither of us are very visual/spatial thinkers, so they just haven't gotten much use.

 

BUT! Miss P *adores* Hands-on Equations and the math balance. She loves algebra and this symbolic way of representing problems works so much better for her than the more visuospatial way - so Singapore bar models are really hard to understand, but turning the problem into an equation with a variable works really well.

 

So, I'm thinking different manipulatives will appeal to different types of thinkers to the extent that they fit the way you intuitively see the world - and I can't see forcing a kid to try and use a tool that doesn't click with them.