day 237: multiplication ice block sticks

multiplication ice block sticks ready for learning

day 237 and i am back to reality and out of holiday mode and once again preparing for the new home school year, which is now less than a week away ... yikes!  today i am in maths mode for pollyanna in the form of multiplication tools.  there are HEAPS of ideas on pinterest, and i have chosen one to make today ... ice block stick multiplication.

i got this idea from the first grade parade and it is pinned to my home school projects board.  mrs carroll uses the ice block sticks for teaching addition and subtraction and i thought the idea seemed so good it could easily translate to multiplication and eventually division.

i used a sharpie to write the problem on one side and the answers on the other.  i also used both ends of the ice block to demostrate that, like addition, it doesn't matter which number comes first in the equation.

what you need

the stick, this photo shows what the front side and the back side look like

2 x family ... i am going to give this group to pollyanna first and work our way up from there :)

outcome: i am hoping that this will make learning her times tables more fun for pollyanna and less about just reading and remembering her times tables from a chart.  the great thing with these sticks is i can mix them up or keep them as families.  the answers are readily assessable to her but not immediately so shw will be able to give it a go and then check whether she is right :)

my gratitude goes to mrs carroll at the first grade parade for uses such a simple everyday item to make maths more exciting for littlies :)