Singapore Manipulatives - What do you buy?

[krazzymommy]

Gulp. I know you guys are raving about this, but all I'm seeing is $$$$$. Do you buy all the manipulatives? Some? None? That $60 Base 10 set is killing me.

Here's the link (http://www.singaporemath.com/Homeschool_Manipulatives_s/61.htm) to the manipulatives.

[Patricia in WA]

Manipulatives? Not a thing! My kids all hated them. I have used the program all the way with 2 kids and am going through it a third time. I repeat.....not a thing! :D

HTHs,

[krazzymommy]

Realllllllyyyyy?????

I'm curious for other's answers, but that sure is a relief to hear. (er, read!)

Thanks!

[Amber in AUS]

We used the EB series before switching to MOTL and i just used what we had around the house. Popsticks, abacus, blocks etc.

[Patricia in WA]

Personally, I think your fears will be eased once you get your hands on these books. They are deceptionally well done books. I think they cover the topic the way most of us could think had we been given the chance to think! KWIM?

Is there anyone near you that uses them or a homeschool store that sells them?

[krazzymommy]

You're right...this is SO different for me, so I do need to go try and get my hands on some of this stuff.... :)

[lovelearnandlive]

I think for EB you really only need the cubes and the balance. This is all we used for the first book; I've skimmed the second and it seems that the cubes get a lot more use, but other than that you don't really need to buy any specific manipulatives. Anything else you probably already have around the house: plastic containers/measuring cups, a calendar, a clock, etc. And when we learned about the shapes I just used a ball, ice cream cone, blocks, etc. to teach the shapes rather than buy a set of those little shapes.

With the balance, you don't need to buy weights right now either. A lot of the exercises use the cubes as a unit of measure, so they will say something like "this toy car is as heavy as ____ cubes" or something like that. They also use the cubes to measure length and height. Those cubes get a LOT of use!

Edit: I should probably link to the specific cubes I'm talking about: These (http://www.singaporemath.com/2CM_Mathlink_Cubes_LER_4285_p/mn2cmmlc.htm) are the ones.

Hope that helps!!

[jcooperetc]

We have used the place value cards and the place value mats but you can certainly just make those yourself. We have used Singapore through 4th grade to date and never needed any other manipulatives.

[Laura Corin]

Juice straws, a metre ruler (not for Early Bird) and a bucket balance. The juice straws can be bundled with elastic bands to make base 10 manipulatives. Apart from that, we just used things from around the house.

Laura

[Arch At Home]

Besides our liquid measuring cup with metric on it, a meter/yard stick, a kitchen scale and a bucket balence, we use almost exclusively Cuisonaire Rods. My kids understand them so well. In addition once you get to bar charts they make great bar chart manipulatives.

[stripe]

Are you using a regular bucket balance type?

[JABarney]

Hi, we have extensively used the multilink cubes.... a must have. We also bought a balance scale (good for many years of maths study). For almost everything else, I have used things around the house.

[dawn of ns]

I've been using our MUS blocks but other then that it's mostly Lego and Hot Wheels cars. You can also make your own by printing some out from here (http://mason.gmu.edu/~mmankus/Handson/manipulatives.htm).

[krazzymommy]

Well, that's cool. We already have those linking blocks and a scale. I've had a few recommend those cuisenaire (sp?) rods, so I might look into those. I like the idea of the straws, too.

Thank you all!

[Tree House Academy]

With my youngest, we use some blocks for counting. By blocks, I mean, some wooden BLOCKS. We got them for $4.99 at walmart and he builds stuff with them when he is finished. LOL

We also use straws for the number bonds and rubber band them together. :)

I have a set of base 10 blocks I got off e-bay for $5.00 which included what I paid for shipping. We have yet to use them.

[Tree House Academy]

As for a balance, we have one, but my youngest just "got it" with weight and we never even used it.

[Alice]

For EB, I used stuff around the house. We used a lot of M&M's for counting. Kept everyone happy, especially Mommy. :)

We're doing 1A now and they have a list in the front of manipulatives that might be recommended. I didn't even know that Singapore sold the manipulatives until I saw your post. I got some linking cubes from Rainbow Resource that were pretty cheap and we've used a lot. Our are the unifix cubes though and I can see where later the multifix ones would be useful. I've also picked up a bucket balance scale, a wooden clock puzzle, dice, etc. But most of that has just been when I see it on sale. I don't think you need to buy a bunch of stuff all at once.

[Mallory]

As for a balance, we have one, but my youngest just "got it" with weight and we never even used it.


While the idea of "weight" is used with a balance, it can also be used for many other kinds of math problems.

5 + __ = 13

If you put 5 cubes on one side and 13 on the other, how many do you have to add to get them equal?

It does have applications other then what we think of as weight.

[Karen in CO]

Oh yeah. THose aren't manipulatives - They are toys. Legos. Old MUS blocks. A bucket balance. Stuffed animals. Straws. Craft Sticks. BLocks. Cheap base ten blocks.

[~Kirsten~]

Add me to the list of people who didn't realize Singapore had manipulatives! :blush: But, in searching for some manipulatives just to have next year, I came across a different base 10 set that's much more affordable. Here's the link: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=516636&netp_id=341525&event=EBRN&item_code=WW&view=covers. It only has one base instead of 10, but I think especially for younger ones, it might be enough. Just tossing it out there!

Thanks so much for mentioning this, as I really like the looks of the cubes. :001_smile:

[matroyshka]

I never bought any manipulatives from the Singapore site, although I think I did buy just about every kind of manipulative under the sun elsewhere...

But what did I actually use?

A balance was nice for a few things in the early books - I already had one a friend got me at IKEA.

Rulers with both metric and standard measures (although I think in the earliest books they measure with non-standard things like paperclips and pencils - ie how many paperclips long is your desk).

For counting/adding/subtracting I had a set of MathUSee blocks I used with my older two - for my youngest I discovered the AL Abacus and I think the blocks mostly gathered dust after that.

For the capacity section (a couple of lessons once a year in the first few books) you need containers of different sizes. They don't have to be special ones or have any measurements on them till the primary grades.

What I used over and over was the blocks and later the abacus. Anything you can use to count would work, though. You really don't need to buy a ton of stuff or spend a ton of money. Anything else I used was just stuff gathered from around the house.

[Mommy22alyns]

I was a Saxon dropout, so I just used my Saxon manipulatives with Singapore (haven't done EB yet though). I've made number cards with just index cards or by copying the ones in the back of the HIG. We glued beans to popsicle sticks for tens. We've used the Cuisenaire rods and multilink cubes. I did have to buy a better bucket balance, since the Saxon one I got was a joke.

Oh, and a dry erase board - great tool!

[Narrow Gate Academy]

The manipulatives that we have used with Singapore are cuisenaire rods and an abacus. We had the rods for Miquon and used the abacus in PreK for counting practice. We've also used popsicle sticks, made our own fraction manipulatives, used a meter of yarn instead of a meter stick, etc. I would buy the books first. Then decide if you want to purchase manipulatives or just use things that you have around the house. HTH

[amsunshine]

We use the multilink cubes and the balance. I didn't get the geared clock, but I found a small plastic clock from learning resources for $1.99 at Lakeshore, and we use that a lot with my Kindergartener and first grader to teach time. Also, I got the Allowance game from Lakeshore ($16.99) for practicing with money.

We also use the balance for things other than typical weight measurements. We use them as an alternative way to show number bonds, i.e., if you put 5 cubes on one side and 2 cubes on the other, how many more cubes do we need to get to 5?

Also, we didn't use the base 10 blocks. We just use the multilink cubes in groups of 10 or our abacus, which we already had.

[bonniebeth4]

I wouldn't buy the manipulatives from Singapore. They're overpriced. I did get a base-10 set (http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/Interlocking+Base+Ten+Starter+Set+-+Blue/015316/1231878520-155127) from Rainbow Resources for $25. And I was pleasantly surprised when I got my Home Instructor's guide (Standards 2A). It had all the cards/charts in the back for copying. I also bought a Saxon manipulative kit from Rainbow, but I probably didn't need to. The kids have lots of fun playing with them (it keeps ds3 occupied during math time), but so far, the only thing I've needed is the base 10 set.

[~Summer~]

Gulp. I know you guys are raving about this, but all I'm seeing is $$$$$. Do you buy all the manipulatives? Some? None? That $60 Base 10 set is killing me.

Here's the link (http://www.singaporemath.com/Homeschool_Manipulatives_s/61.htm) to the manipulatives.


If you are wanting to get a Base 10 set, Sonlight has a set that is recommended for Singapore Math that is only $27. Here's the link (http://www.sonlight.com/KMUS.html)...you have to scroll down and click on recommended resources.

[Spy Car]

Besides our liquid measuring cup with metric on it, a meter/yard stick, a kitchen scale and a bucket balence, we use almost exclusively Cuisonaire Rods. My kids understand them so well. In addition once you get to bar charts they make great bar chart manipulatives.

:iagree: Same here.

I would not be without a 155 block set of Cuisenaire Rods, that are used mostly for our Miquon and the Miquon-like activities we build off Singapore lessons for reinforcing concepts. $17.00

I also have a cheap (actually "free") metric ruler.

Some tally sticks (popsicle sticks). Super cheap.

Then I've made "numbers" on index cards in 3 different ways:
1) As regular numerals 1,2,3 etc. 2) As red-dots ... representing Three. 3) And tally-stick style lll = Four

And we mix up homemade games with these. Including a little game involving a home-made cardboard panel that can hold two cards side by side, and two "flaps" that can cover the numbers. With both flaps "closed" you don't see any cards. Open the flap on one side and you see (for sake of example)... Three! If you have 3 and you open the other flap and reveal .... Four! How many do you have all together? Seven! That's right! 3+4 = 7. If we close the first flap (take away 3) what do we have left? Four! You are very good at this. And if we have Four and we take away Four (close the second flap) what do we have? Zero! You're right! Math geniuses all.

Now lets try the same operations using our Rods. 3 + [ ] = 7? 7 - 3 = [ ]?

We also have a Geo-board. $4 plus a dollars worth of rubber-bands

Short story long, you don't need to buy a lot of manipulative to make math fun and learning meaningful.

The Cuisenaire Rods are the one thing we've purchased that *for us* has paid dividends beyond my wildest expectations. YMMV.

Bill

[Arch At Home]

We use the bucket balence I got when I ordered the Saxon Manipulative kit. I assume that it is a regular one but I didn't really shop around.

[Spy Car]

The one thing I don't have (and wish I did) is a Right Start abacus with the sets of five clearly delineated in separate blocks of color. These seem useful.

[stripe]

FYI Rainbow Resource sells them (http://rainbowresource.com/product/Abacus%2C+Side-to-side%2C+Blue+and+Yellow/004083/1232068240-1989240) for $10. I'm not sure if they are not quite the same, with the numbers on the reverse side, but they (RR) discontinued the $20 version.

I think if you have a drill or something at home, you could make them with beads and a dowel. I'm just not handy enough to do it. But I feel it could be done.

[Spy Car]

FYI Rainbow Resource sells them (http://rainbowresource.com/product/Abacus%2C+Side-to-side%2C+Blue+and+Yellow/004083/1232068240-1989240) for $10. I'm not sure if they are not quite the same, with the numbers on the reverse side, but they (RR) discontinued the $20 version.

I think if you have a drill or something at home, you could make them with beads and a dowel. I'm just not handy enough to do it. But I feel it could be done.

Thanks for the link :001_smile:

[Alana in Canada]

Spycar/Bill

I love your little flap book idea. Do you have a picture somewhere for this visual learner?

For some reason, in the later books we used a BIG sheet of paper divided up into columns (1's, 10's, 100's) and poker chips.

white = 1's,
red, 10's and
blue = 100.

So, 35 - 7 is laid out as 3 reds in the tens column and 5 white's in the ones. Can we take away 7? No. We have to borrow a ten to take seven away. Take the red, good, now count out ten white ones for it. Good, now take away seven.

A few days later.....

Hey, let me show you a neat trick. Why bother counting out all ten white ones when you are just going to take seven away? What's ten minus seven? Great. Why not just count out three and add those to what you've got on the chart? Excellent. (35 -7 became 35 take way 10, add three.)

My son can do subrtaction with borrowing in his head because of this! It's amazing.


We did all our adding (with carrying) and subtraction (with borrowing) with those.

[workingmom]

I didn't know SM had a site for manipulative and this is our second year using it!

But ds LOVES the base ten set I picked up from a local teaching store. It really helped him early on and he would do the 3 digit math problems with them (if though it took longer this way) and during break time they got transformed into amazing architectural pieces. I got 100 counters from the teacher store which we use for games. A meter stick and taped a mark where a yard would be. I have a large clock that moves more realistically. Some linking cubes from Rainbow the base 10 we got didn't link. And a stack of dice for games and math drills.

[Spy Car]

Spycar/Bill

I love your little flap book idea. Do you have a picture somewhere for this visual learner?


I didn't have a picture, but for you :D

As you can see, the workmanship (if we can call it that) is quite crude. And it's just an old cardboard box, some black fabric tape, and I'm using "picture corners" to hold the cards. It ain't fancy, but it works.

[Spy Car]

Spycar/Bill
For some reason, in the later books we used a BIG sheet of paper divided up into columns (1's, 10's, 100's) and poker chips.

white = 1's,
red, 10's and
blue = 100.

So, 35 - 7 is laid out as 3 reds in the tens column and 5 white's in the ones. Can we take away 7? No. We have to borrow a ten to take seven away. Take the red, good, now count out ten white ones for it. Good, now take away seven.

A few days later.....

Hey, let me show you a neat trick. Why bother counting out all ten white ones when you are just going to take seven away? What's ten minus seven? Great. Why not just count out three and add those to what you've got on the chart? Excellent. (35 -7 became 35 take way 10, add three.)

My son can do subrtaction with borrowing in his head because of this! It's amazing.


We did all our adding (with carrying) and subtraction (with borrowing) with those.

I love the poker chip idea!!!

And your son? Genius!

These are the ways to teach and learn as far as I'm concerned.

Bill

[Alana in Canada]

I didn't have a picture, but for you :D
Thank you! How kind. It's quite simple, but wonderful. I have a nephew I want to try that out on (I have to wait a few years unfortunately!)

And picture corners! Brilliant.

[LanaTron]

I love using the abacus from Right Start with Singapore! It is the only manipulative my kids have been willing to touch, and has been very helpful with teaching them to envision regrouping.