Last year I started keeping student math boxes for each student in class. They are small plastic boxes with lids (6.5″ x 7.5″ and 4.5″ tall) that I bought at the dollar store. As I introduce the manipulatives for each new unit, I pass around enough for each student to have their own. Students then add the materials to the collection in their math boxes. They can pull these out for centers, help on work, tests, games, etc. They come in really handy in second grade where manipulatives are still so important to understanding math concepts. Plus, they’re a huge time-saver because it saves me from having to pass these materials out and put them away every time we need them. Here is what they look like:
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| One student’s math box. |
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| Here are the materials that are in each box so far this year: plastic money, base-10 blocks, pattern blocks, unifix cubes, a die and a student clock. These tiny boxes really hold a lot of material! |
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| Students store them on a shelf in our class.
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