Rekenrek and Back-To-School Clipart - Monday Made It

Reken-wha?

I'm going to say right up front that I have been calling these "wreck'n'wrecks".  I went full hillbilly on it, I'm sure.  No doubt that the great people of Holland are laughing at me.

I first came across these on, you know it baby!, PINTEREST.




If you follow through to the website, you will find a GREAT post by Renee at The Reading Corner.

 

And I strongly suggest you read that post, as she has two great links to pdf's describing exactly how to use the rekenrek to enhance student understanding of quantities up to twenty.  Which is exactly what I'll be using them for- boy howdy!

 

It's a bit like an abacus- but instead, when you put the beads on in different colored groups of five- you can make a connection to any work you're doing with ten frames, and also help children with looking at numbers in terms of groups of five.

 

I ended up making twelve and considering that as a class set, as I plan to have the kids use them as partners.  I really want the kids to talk about their thinking in math this year- and I thought this would be a great tool for math conversations- as they work together to slide the beads from side to side and talk about their thinking.

 

They were pretty cheap to make as well.  Turns out the Dollar Tree was selling the pencil baskets in sets of three for a dollar, the pipe cleaners were 88cents each at Wal-Mart, and I bought the pony beads there also for two bucks.  had I not been picky about the colors, I could have gotten all of it at the Dollar Tree.  But I had an attack of "I want it to match my color scheme".  I am glad that not all of you suffer from that, and probably could shave two dollars off your total.

 

 

 

Just twist the ends of the pipe cleaners to attach firmly to one side, slide on your beads in two color groups of five and twist to the opposite end. Voila!  Ready to roll.  With all the math reading I've been doing this summer- super, suPER, SUPER excited to give these a work out in September!

 

I've also been working this week on coloring up some new digital art Traci and I made.  We've taken our seasonal kids and gotten them ready for school in four different packs:

Lines and Lunch

 

 

Reading and Writing

 

 

Waiting and Willing

 

 

And - my favorite - Working Hard

 

(and yeah, Virginia sweeties- that IS a white-tailed deer diorama!)

Make sure you link up with Tara at Fourth Grade Frolics!

***Cheesey Pete! I almost forgot!!!*** First FOUR commenters to leave their email address may have one pack of their choice- just say which pack you'd want and why. Aaannnnndddd on Friday I'll draw a name from ALL of the commenters to win all four school kids packs! Sound good? Just make sure I can email you! Best way to do that, without having to give out your email is to make sure you're not a no-reply blogger. Check you settings, kittens!

And wreck'n'wreck ya'll,