Math Manipulatives: Make Your Own Counting Sticks
Math manipulatives are a wonderful way to help the visual or tactile learner in your life to get a handle on math. There are countless trinkets available for sale in homeschool catalogs everywhere, but the good news is, you don't have to pay through the nose — you can make your own! You need:
• Craft sticks (popsicle size)
• Glue
• Things to glue on the sticks: dried beans, foam pieces, buttons, beads, etc.
• Fine point permanent marker
• Optional: fine point colored markers
For the very simplest counting sticks with no gluing required, you can just make colored hash marks on each stick, then label the number at the bottom. For more visual and/or tactile appeal, however, you will want to glue items on to the sticks.
Decide how many of each number you want to represent, and gather enough of your materials. Glue a line of items down the length of the stick to represent a number, then label the bottom end of the stick with the number in permanent marker. Write carefully, as markers tend to bleed on the wood, and you do want your student to be able to read the numbers when you're done.
Counting sticks can be used for addition, multiplication, division and some subtraction. Naturally, as you progress into larger numbers, you will need more counting sticks. To create even more interest in the counting sticks, have your children help you make them — ownership in a project often leads to more interest and involvement.
Click image to enlarge
