For those of you who know me, you know I LOVE the abacus and pretty much anything that provides a concrete or pictorial representation for reasoning in mathematics. A typical abacus from IKEA or Toys R US costs between $10-$14 a piece. So...I came up with a way to make one for less than $1! Just takes a little hot glue, some tongue depressors, shish kabob skewers and pony beads.
Here are some pics from our last session in Math Academy in Jackson County, Michigan, and from our TIPM3 course in Wayne County, Michigan.
Working hard to string those beads!
Voila!
I'm ready for some hot glue!
My K-2 Friends at Taylor Public Schools!
Looks easy and fun, eh?! As a gift to you, download your free direction sheet and create Shannon's Popsicle Abacus for your students! Comment on my post or send pics of how yours turned out! Enjoy!
