math manitpulatives
:o) Nicole Bybee
Has anyone here ever used math manipulatives? We went to a homeschool mini conference last night and a lady there gave a demonstration on the Mortensen math manipulatives. I thought they were pretty cool and thought my kids would have fun with them. BUT MY GOODNESS... OUCH to the pocketbook!
Has anyone tried any other ones and if so, could you let me know a price average and which ones are comparable and more importantly, which ones are not worth wasting money over.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Has anyone tried any other ones and if so, could you let me know a price average and which ones are comparable and more importantly, which ones are not worth wasting money over.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
rumpleteasermom
The only math manipulatives we've ever bought were fraction circles
and those we got because one of mine was trying to learn how to cook
and couldn't get the fraction straight.
I think Lego's accomplish the same things as most of the rest of
them. I think they are useful for visual learners because they need
to SEE the relation ships. But I would not spend a lot of money on
them.
Bridget
--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., ":o\) Nicole Bybee" <bnatkbdpj@o...>
wrote:
demonstration on the Mortensen math manipulatives. I thought they
were pretty cool and thought my kids would have fun with them. BUT
MY GOODNESS... OUCH to the pocketbook!
which ones are not worth wasting money over.
and those we got because one of mine was trying to learn how to cook
and couldn't get the fraction straight.
I think Lego's accomplish the same things as most of the rest of
them. I think they are useful for visual learners because they need
to SEE the relation ships. But I would not spend a lot of money on
them.
Bridget
--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., ":o\) Nicole Bybee" <bnatkbdpj@o...>
wrote:
> Has anyone here ever used math manipulatives? We went to ahomeschool mini conference last night and a lady there gave a
demonstration on the Mortensen math manipulatives. I thought they
were pretty cool and thought my kids would have fun with them. BUT
MY GOODNESS... OUCH to the pocketbook!
> Has anyone tried any other ones and if so, could you let me know aprice average and which ones are comparable and more importantly,
which ones are not worth wasting money over.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sarah Carothers
On Sat, 26 Jan 2002 08:37:12 -0700, :o\) Nicole Bybee wrote:
I'd HIGHLY recommend the Miquan Math program with the cuisennaire rods. Go to Key Curriculum Press for all the details but it's very inexpensive, last forever and is fantastic at teaching the mathematical concepts rather than rote memorization of 'do this first, then do that next'.
Sarah
--
Sarah Carothers, puddles@... on 01/26/2002
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>Has anyone tried any other ones and if so, could youHello Nicole and welcome to the list. Glad you're going to stick around even through the tough times :-)
>let me know a price average and which ones are
>comparable and more importantly, which ones are not
>worth wasting money over.
I'd HIGHLY recommend the Miquan Math program with the cuisennaire rods. Go to Key Curriculum Press for all the details but it's very inexpensive, last forever and is fantastic at teaching the mathematical concepts rather than rote memorization of 'do this first, then do that next'.
Sarah
--
Sarah Carothers, puddles@... on 01/26/2002
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Fetteroll
on 1/26/02 10:37 AM, :o) Nicole Bybee at bnatkbdpj@... wrote:
stop watches, grocery stores.
Oh, Mortensen! I think if you see it as no more important than the
"manipulatives" I mentioned and are comfortable with your kids playing with
the program for 5 mintues and then never touching it again, and you have
some disposable cash, then you should get it ;-) If you think of Mortensen
as a way to learn math you're going to be disappointed unless your kids
think it's the bees knees and do it the "right" way. If, on the other hand,
you know they will learn math from living life -- and you learn to recognize
it in real life! :-) -- then it's just another thing to goof around with, as
important in the great scheme of things as dice with more than 6 sides.
(They're cool and nifty but no child's understanding of math depends on
them.) So, of course, why spend the money! ;-)
I think *the* most important tool you can learn to use with your kids is how
to do math in your head. Problem solve out loud when you're trying to figure
out something. For instance to add 25+17 you can say it's 20+10 and 5+7. Or
take 3 from the 25 to get 17 up to 20 so it's 20+22. Avoid doing math on
paper because it's way too abstract while kids are still figuring out how
numbers work and sets the numbers in concrete so they can't be changed about
and manipulated.
on 1/26/02 12:14 PM, Sarah Carothers at puddles@... wrote:
helping kids learn how numbers work but since it's on paper, it's still got
that abstract quality to it that won't necessarily translate to
understanding how it applies to things in real life.
What it boils down to is that it's still a program. It's designed to get
kids to think about numbers in a particular way. *If* the kids are ready,
*if* they can understand numbers that are divorced from real life, it is
designed to help them discover connections themselves, but the environment
they make the discoveries in is still artificial.
Joyce
> Has anyone here ever used math manipulatives?Yes, they're called measuring cups, rulers, knives, drawing software, money,
stop watches, grocery stores.
Oh, Mortensen! I think if you see it as no more important than the
"manipulatives" I mentioned and are comfortable with your kids playing with
the program for 5 mintues and then never touching it again, and you have
some disposable cash, then you should get it ;-) If you think of Mortensen
as a way to learn math you're going to be disappointed unless your kids
think it's the bees knees and do it the "right" way. If, on the other hand,
you know they will learn math from living life -- and you learn to recognize
it in real life! :-) -- then it's just another thing to goof around with, as
important in the great scheme of things as dice with more than 6 sides.
(They're cool and nifty but no child's understanding of math depends on
them.) So, of course, why spend the money! ;-)
I think *the* most important tool you can learn to use with your kids is how
to do math in your head. Problem solve out loud when you're trying to figure
out something. For instance to add 25+17 you can say it's 20+10 and 5+7. Or
take 3 from the 25 to get 17 up to 20 so it's 20+22. Avoid doing math on
paper because it's way too abstract while kids are still figuring out how
numbers work and sets the numbers in concrete so they can't be changed about
and manipulated.
on 1/26/02 12:14 PM, Sarah Carothers at puddles@... wrote:
> I'd HIGHLY recommend the Miquan Math program with the cuisennaire rods.And I've recommended it many times over the years. I think it's *close* to
helping kids learn how numbers work but since it's on paper, it's still got
that abstract quality to it that won't necessarily translate to
understanding how it applies to things in real life.
What it boils down to is that it's still a program. It's designed to get
kids to think about numbers in a particular way. *If* the kids are ready,
*if* they can understand numbers that are divorced from real life, it is
designed to help them discover connections themselves, but the environment
they make the discoveries in is still artificial.
Joyce
Heather Woodward
Our "manipulatives" have been candy - coins- dice. legos. blocks etc. I don't think it necessary to spend lots of money on it....
----- Original Message -----
From: rumpleteasermom
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2002 10:45 AM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] Re: math manitpulatives
The only math manipulatives we've ever bought were fraction circles
and those we got because one of mine was trying to learn how to cook
and couldn't get the fraction straight.
I think Lego's accomplish the same things as most of the rest of
them. I think they are useful for visual learners because they need
to SEE the relation ships. But I would not spend a lot of money on
them.
Bridget
--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., ":o\) Nicole Bybee" <bnatkbdpj@o...>
wrote:
> Has anyone here ever used math manipulatives? We went to a
homeschool mini conference last night and a lady there gave a
demonstration on the Mortensen math manipulatives. I thought they
were pretty cool and thought my kids would have fun with them. BUT
MY GOODNESS... OUCH to the pocketbook!
> Has anyone tried any other ones and if so, could you let me know a
price average and which ones are comparable and more importantly,
which ones are not worth wasting money over.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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