October is almost over, but there is still so much to celebrate. October is a month full of occasions to celebrate and enjoy with your homeschool. One of our favorites to enjoy is National Pasta Month. Who doesn’t love pasta? Math — maybe not so much. Bring those together (to even the playing field) and discover these 10 ways to use pasta as a math manipulative.
Math manipulatives are a great help for kids when they need to practice with critical thinking skills. Since our minds work well with connections, using manipulatives to teach math connects and integrates ideas to improve understanding.
Using pasta as manipulatives isn’t actually a fluke. It makes sense to use items that are already around the house. Homeschooling does not need to be expensive. Use what you have and roll with it. The whole idea is really, just to be able to use manipulatives as it has been proven to be beneficial for learning mathematics.
The National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) stated that to improve math proficiency; children should be taught with the use of concrete and visual manipulatives at all grade levels. This doesn’t mean kids won’t learn without using manipulatives, but it does mean that if we have a chance to boost learning by using manipulatives, then we can totally do it.
A few positive things to think about when you are considering the use of manipulatives in your math lessons are as follows:
- Using math manipulatives is a way you can encourage independent learning, even at an early age.
- Math manipulatives can help kids feel they are a part of the learning, instead of being taught at.
- Math manipulatives can help you interact and engage with your child during lessons. Many times kids can feel like it’s them and us. If we help them using manipulatives, we can take part in learning with them.
- Visual learners and students who like to work with their hands can learn and understand math more by using manipulatives.
Using manipulatives for math can be just what you need to help your students boost their learning. You may even think that manipulatives are only for a few math topics and at an early age. However, math manipulatives like pasta can and should be used with various types of math, all through high school even.
Check out these 10 ways to use pasta as a math manipulative in your homeschool:
Counting: Pasta Counting Activity | Sand in my Toes
Addition: FREE Elementary Munchable Math Worksheets | Life of a Homeschool Mom
Number relations: Triangle Inequality Pasta | Prince’s Products 4 the Middle
STEM: STEM Engineering Energizer: Squish and Stick Pasta Tower! | Get Caught Engineering – STEM for Kids
Measurement: 4 Pasta Lessons for Older Kids | Scholastic
Subtraction: Entertaining Preschoolers with Macaroni Math | Bright Hub Education
Place Value: Place Value Games with Pasta Printables | JDaniel4’s Mom
Probability/Ratios: Pasta Possibilities: Patterns | Pat Calfee
Algebra: Pasta Parentheses And A Freebie! | Elementary Brownies
Geometry: Fun Idea for Teaching Angles: Play with Pasta Shapes | We are Teachers
Check out these fun math manipulatives resources:
Alice in Pastaland: A Math Adventure (Charlesbridge Math Adventures)Math Engineers, Vol. 1: Patterns, Pasta, Pizza and PenniesLearning Resources Auntie Pasta’s Fraction GameDidax Educational Resources Unifix Cubes Set (100 Pack)Magnetic Ten-Frame Set, Including 5 Frames (no Hollowed Out) and 55 Colorful Discs (Upgraded Version for Fridge & Hand-held)Learning Resources Dice In Dice Bucket, Math Toy, Manipulative, Set of 72, Ages 3+Huiee Counting Sticks Wood Toy Math Manipulatives Wooden Number Cards Counting Rods Kids Preschool Educational Toys New
Other hands-on math manipulative resources:
All of the above is awesome, but the very best thing about pasta is eating it! Here are a few pasta recipes that will be a hit for your kids:
10 Delicious Sheet Pan Recipes Kids Will Love | Hello Wonderful
Kid-Friendly Pasta Salad | Little Sunny Kitchen
Kid-Approved Easy Cheese Pasta Dinner Recipe Your Family Will Devour | Our Family World
Fruity Pasta Salad | The No Pressure Life
Easy Recipes for Kids | Scholastic
With manipulatives, kids can use their critical thinking skills, work with their hands, and make connections. Pasta is like a jack of all trades, the renaissance of carbohydrates. From crafts and math manipulatives to delicious food, pasta rocks. Enjoy pasta for all these things throughout the year and in National Past Month.
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Jeannette is a wife, mother and homeschooling mom. She has been mightily, saved by grace and is grateful for God’s sovereignty throughout her life’s journey. She has a Bachelor in English Education and her MBA. Jeannette is bi-lingual and currently lives in the Tongan Islands of the South Pacific. She posts daily freebies for homeschoolers!
