Stamp Game Addition and Subtraction {Math}

We've been using our homemade golden beads for most of our large number work lately but I decided this week would be a good one to reintroduce the stamp game. This is one of my favorite materials. It's generally introduced after the golden beads. It's still a hands on way to work with large numbers but the "1000" "100" and "10" tiles have their corresponding numbers written on them as opposed to be 100 separate units. We purchased our from amazon and printed some stamp game paper. 

How to Use:

1. Introduction: Take out your golden bead materials and the stamp game materials. For each category, point to the unit and the corresponding stamp to show that they represent the same thing.  Mix them up and do a three period lesson to reinforce the concept. 

2. Addition: Write a simple addition problem on the stamp game paper. Make sure no regrouping is involved initially. Demonstrate how to pull down the stamps for each unit. Use the skittles if necessary to hold places. Place a ruler underneath the units for the first number. Place the second units underneath. Remove the ruler and push up the stamps so that they are all combined. Count up all the units and right in the appropriate place on the paper. Encourage the student to make up their own problems (or write a few on the paper for them). 

3. Regrouping: same as above but demonstrate how 10 "10 units" is the same as a "100" unit. Show how to replace 10 of those units with one of the red 100 units and continue adding. 

4. Three Addends Add three large numbers together. 

5. Check work. Show how you can take away an addend to see if you have the initial number. 

6. Subtraction: Same as addition but instead of adding numbers to the bottom demonstrate how to take them away and than count how many are left. If regrouping is necessary, replace the unit needed. 

You can use this material for multiplication and division as well! When we get there I will post it! This corresponds well with Singapore student work book 2A Exercise 12-24. 

Montessori Math {One to One}

I have very odd feelings about this subject. I love the idea of Montessori math. I think the materials are beautiful. I think the method is brilliant at exposing kids to concrete ideas. I just have no idea how to actually teach it. I've got science down (just check out our science tab up top). I've got an ok handle on Language. History and Music seem doable if you just introduce them to it. But Math. Ugh. It's not like I was horrible at math in school. I was just the kid who loved getting a worksheet, filling it out, and calling it a day. Apparently I never really understood what I was doing. 

I've started working through the Karen Tylers math manual this month and I'm so very glad that I have it. We're going to start from the beginning and move on up. Thankfully I have a toddler who has been sleeping (no really- sleeping) with her sandpaper numbers and a six year old that "sees the answers in his head." I know they have something to teach me along the way. 

One to one correspondence is one of the easiest, cheapest and (go figure) important lessons in math. You can do it with any number of objects but I like this one with an egg carton and six eggs.  I got our wooden eggs here and our egg carton from REI in the camping section. You can use rocks, cars, legos... 

How to Introduce

-Show the kids a basket of eggs and the container

-Take one egg out at a time and place in the carton. Start from the top left and go left to right than the bottom row. 

-Take out the eggs and place back in the basket

-Put the materials back on the shelf

-Alternatively (like in the picture) you can lay out the eggs on the mat and than place back in the egg carton. 

Control of Error: Enough eggs. Leftover eggs. You can take out an egg (or add an egg) for a variation.