Monday, August 29, 2022

From Toys to Tools

 At the beginning of the year, I love to get out all of our

math manipulatives put them in buckets, spread them

around the room and have the students explore

each container.


Students build towers and knock them over, build

 the tallest tower possible, design creatures, and 

do whatever their imagination takes them.


We do this for several days.  We get the play out of

 our manipulatives so that when we need to use them, 

they won’t be considered toys. We talk about how all of

 these materials are actually TOOLS to help us in our

 thinking.   We play with toys but use tools to organize

 and show our thinking.


Once we have the play out of our math manipulatives, 

the students are able to use them in ways to show their

thinking during math time.


*Just a small side note–when it is inside recess–

everything becomes a toy!


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