Do you find that center time is one of the noisiest times of your school day? Sometimes it’s the students voices that is the problem, but other times it’s the clanging and banging of manipulatives that is contributing to the rise in decibel levels in your room. Sponges will help this problem. You can easily make Base 10 blocks from sponges. They are quiet and have a fun texture that I’m sure your students will love! Here’s a parent note asking for donations of sponges. Click to get your copy:
I used Base 10 block sponges, in my Travels in Math – math center. This is a quick and easy center to set up. The packet comes with 10 assignments which I recommend stapling into a book. The math books can be kept in the math center. Put a number label at the top of the front cover of the math books and train your students to keep the books in number order. There is an assignment sign that you hang by the center to remind your students which page they need to complete in their book. Here is a copy of the number labels:
I used BD cartoon shout font to make these labels. That is a free font that you can download from several different sites on the internet.
Here’s a sneak peek of the Travels in Math – math center:
The packet comes with 10 assignment pages.
There are addition and subtraction problems with regrouping.
There is a math mat to use with Base 10 blocks.
Assignment sign to remind students which page they need to complete.
Cut these picture apart and hang them on the assignment sign.
This packet is available at my TPT store for $3.
Love the idea of making base ten blocks LESS NOISY!! 🙂
I used sponges in class often, but never for math, so this is a great idea!
~Marie
http://www.cotesclass.blogspot.com
Love the idea of making base ten blocks LESS NOISY!! 🙂
I used sponges in class often, but never for math, so this is a great idea!
~Marie
http://www.cotesclass.blogspot.com
Thank you! I think your students will enjoy the texture of the sponges, too!
What a great idea! We have foam base ten blocks along with the 'noisy' kind. Using sponges is just a fabulous way of getting cheap manipulatives 🙂
My Second Sense
I'm loving the sponge idea of using sponges for base ten blocks! The plastic ones can get so noisy, especially when they're digging to the bottom of the tub for one more cube!
Plus the sponges add color!
Sally from ElementaryMatters
This is a great idea. Our base ten blocks are foam, but the plastic ones are loud. This would be a great alternative.
✿April✿
✿Grade School Giggles✿
This is an amazing idea! I tutor special needs students and this would be a perfect solution to lugging around all the base ten blocks! AND it's fun! Thanks so much for sharing!
Laura
Differentiation Station Creations