Homemade Math Manipulatives-Place Value

 

 

 

For learning place value, addition, and subtraction (especially "carry the ten") we use these little 1" square cardboard chips I painted, cut, and labelled 1, 10, 100, 1000. The more I use them the easier it is for my student-at-hand to grasp a concept.

 

This is actually an extra bit of lamination I snagged, but we also use clear tinted binder dividers, or clear plastic covers with a paper inserted to make it easier to handle and dry erase markers.

 

 

 

 

Other manipulatives I store in just little plastic bags, but these I keep in a craft organizer--easier to find and clean up, and definately colorful.

 

 

I have used workboxes and bins for each student before. With just two children to keep track of, the easiest storage for me so far has been just throwing a all the math stuff in a bin. It's all in one place and fits just right.

 

Pictured above are also fraction circles and bars I easily made with foam squares from the Dollar Store.

Math Tactics

Mockingbird, making herself a quesadilla with two tortillas and cheese:
 "Mom I'm cutting my cheese wheel first in half... then in fourths...then eighths...then spider web!"


Because math comes E-asily to my right-brained, intuitive self...

Because nothing is more relaxing for me than teaching renaming in multiplication while hearing a baby cry herself to sleep in the next room on lawn-mowing day as someone else tells me they are hungry 30 minutes post lunch, and  my student at hand is falling over in their chair with whatever sound effects that particular child is known for.

Really. Not only am I the epitome of calm at that time, but it is just at that particular moment I often ponder on the joy and privilege of getting to teach this aspect of knowledge to my dear, dear children.

This would be the sole reason I buy candy now. and potato chips. and am looking forward to Halloween candy now for the first time--E-v-e-r. (We've already got our costumes planned.)

Also silly putty-which worked pretty well with 9dd today. No whining, could do mental math with it, and-did I mention no whining? She was fascinated with it since it was the first time in her life she'd seen the stuff, and played with it the entire time--coming to attention when I hinted it might be too distracting.

And this is hidden for when we hit long division again.