Number Bracelets

Last week I found a great idea from Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits blogspot called Number Bracelets. Reagan made these cute bracelets out of pipe cleaners and plastic pony beads for each number 1-10. Each child gets a bracelet for the number they are working on. They use the beads to find all the different ways to make that number and record them in a booklet. I started with 4 and went to 10. I tried the 4 bracelet last week and the 5 this week. The kids LOVE them! I'm doing a number a week with lots of other activities for each and I'm using the bracelets to  introduce the number of the week. My kids refer back to the bracelet and/or their recording booklet on other days to check themselves when doing other activities for that number. We did it together at first but most of them can do it alone now. I have some students that are pretty low in math and this has really helped.  It's so concrete and visual. The kids are begging to keep the bracelets so I think I'll let them take the 10 one home and I'll keep the rest for next year so I don't have to buy all the beads and re-make them again.