My Articles about Preschool & Elementary Math
- Math Skills Checklist 3rd-5th Grades
- Math Skills Checklist from Preschool to 2nd Grade
- My Own Batch of Cookies (math through measurement)
Math Resource by Cheryl BastianMath Manipulatives
We love pattern blocks, Cuisenaire rods, and Unifix cubes starting in the preschool years. I bought my sets over 20 years ago and they are still in regular use. My kids just love to sit at the table and making elaborate designs with them. I prefer the wood blocks since there is such a satisfying feel to them, but if you're pinching pennies, the plastic ones are more economical. Besides the rods, pattern blocks, and interlocking cubes, see if you can find a batch of teddy bear counters somewhere!
Pattern Blocks (Wooden)By Didax Educational Resources
Children create patterns and designs by matching sides of the six geometric shapes of these colorful wooden blocks and explore concepts of one-to-one correspondence, sorting and matching, fractions, symmetry, problem solving and measurement. Each set of 1 cm thick blocks contains 25 yellow hexagons, 25 orange squares, 50 green triangles, 50 red trapezoids, 50 blue parallelograms and 50 tan rhombuses.
 | By Learning Resources Inc Use these sets of 100 blocks, in six shapes and six colors, to explore patterns, symmetry, linear and area measurement, fractions and problem solving. Teaching Guide included. |
 | By Carson-dellosa Publishing |
Cuisenaire rods come in lengths from 1 cm to 10 cm. You use them to illustrate addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc. For example, you can put a 2 rod and 3 rod together and they will equal a 5 rod. Or put three 2 rods together and it equals a 6 rod.
 | Cuisenaire Rods Introductory Set, Plastic Learning Resources Inc Provide a colorful, concrete way for your students to understand mathematical concepts---including whole numbers and fractions, ratios, congruence, and geometry---with these manipulatives. Math ideas and problems become easier to grasp when youngsters relate abstract ideas about numbers and shapes to something they can see and touch. Grades K through 8. Set includes 74 plastic rods, sufficient for two to four students; a storage box; and a 24-page activity guide. We also used to have a set of Unifix cubes! I loved them, but somehow they all got lost over a period of 20 years. These are for snapping together, counting, adding, making sequence patterns, etc. I should get another set for my younger kids! |
 | Unifix Cubes 100 pieces in a Pouch Didax Educational Resources Unifix cubes have been used to teach countless children number concepts. 100 cubes in 10 standard colors are included: red, dark blue, light blue, yellow, green orange, maroon, brown, black and white. A 16-page booklet also includes activities that help children better understand patterning, multiplication, addition, sorting, measurement, numbers, grouping, division, subtraction, and counting. |
Since 1996, we have used Horizons Math workbooks for the elementary grades. We have tried a few other curriculums since then, but we always go back to Horizons, which is published by Alpha Omega. For each grade level there is a teacher manual and two workbooks. We mainly use the teacher manuals for easier grading, but they also provide teaching tips, hands-on activities, supplemental worksheets, and instructions. Starting in the 4th grade, there is more direct teaching to the student in the workbook, with less oral instruction by the parent. Horizons workbooks are colorful and provide a sensible amount of review. You can click on the titles for more detailed products descriptions at the CBD web site.(includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
(includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
(includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
(includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
(includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
(includes teacher manual and two workbooks)
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