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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 8:57am | IP Logged
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Or both? Anyone got opinions here?
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Theresa
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Maryan
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 9:09am | IP Logged
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Honestly, Theresa, the reason why I haven't used Montessori Math... is because of the golden beads! 
Now to make this a completely RATIONAL discussion... let me say that I have absolutely no experience with them. I just had a bad first impression from the moment that I saw them in a catalog!! So there's no logic, just irrational "I just didn't like them" working here.
I'm a blocks girl. I use my blocks for everything.
ETA: And to REALLY add a disclaimer to my comments, I also should add that I've started using a bit of Right start materials and curriculum for math. While the lady who developed Right Start is Montessori trained and tried to apply some of those principles, it is not a Montessori method.
Also -- I'm brand new to this and haven't dove in completely, but I like what I see so far. I make the presentations, they copy them. The downside so far -- it's expensive. But with several boys coming up the ranks - I'm counting it as money well spent. And I get to use my blocks with Right Start (as well as other things).
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Maryan
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 9:14am | IP Logged
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Maryan, that is so funny because that was exactly my first impression. Silly beads!
The more I look at them the more I see the logic behind them, but they seem to serve the exact same purpose as the base ten blocks. They are just pricier!
Is it just a matter of them being the traditional Montessori way of making base ten materials?
Or is there really something else about the beads that makes them different?
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Theresa
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Mackfam
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 9:17am | IP Logged
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I'm very interested in this thread! I too have been considering the golden beads. They would be one of those investment pieces, and I don't want to blow money on something that I really won't use.
It seems like they would really help with visualization, but enough to justify the cost? I really just need some help here from an experienced user who has purchased.
Is there a basic set you would recommend for starting up with a few presentations?
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Jen Mackintosh
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Maryan
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 9:20am | IP Logged
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They do glitter?!!?? You know maybe kids and colored Christmas lights and.... golden Montessori beads go together??
Okay... now I'll really just listen to other people's feedback because you can see I'm completely ignorant as to what the attraction is!!
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Maryan
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Celeste
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 10:00am | IP Logged
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Dr. Montessori chose gold in part, I think, because it would attract the children!
I made golden bead material and use it. A lot. (I think some suppliers have bead material for cheaper than it can be made, but I didn't know about them 5 years ago.) Sometimes even after we've transitioned to abstraction, we need to pull out those beads to remind us where we've been.
I'm not familiar with base ten material, but I think the advantage of the beads is the concept that ten is a unit ten times, and a hundred is a hundred times, etc., is more clearly presented--with the beads you can see all these units multiplied. (Yes, I made a thousand cube out of beads, 1000 of them, yes, I'm insane. But you only need one made out of beads; the rest can be blocks with dots.)
Well, not completely crazy. I am not very good at math. While I was making the materials I "got" certain concepts. When my dad would help with math he would say "squared" and "cubed" instead of "to the second power" and "to the third power." Never got that. When I made my hundred squares and chain, I finally saw how 10 to the second power is 10 squared--it makes a square! And 10 x 10 x 10 makes a cube! I know, big duh, but I felt like Christopher Columbus. I did it with my own hands and my brain finally got it!
Celeste
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JennGM
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 11:22am | IP Logged
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So, can we discuss options of inexpensive premade and easy inexpensive make-it-yourself golden beads?
I know the Yahoo groups discuss it, but it seems with the beading frenzy that it should be so much easier to whip these out.
I want them to be pretty and durable. Some beads get scratched and dull easily. Anyone?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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Oh, and storage. Better to buy? Suggestions there, too?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 12:09pm | IP Logged
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Well, I made my own colored beads for the teens and tens boards and she uses them a lot.
But I don't think it would be worth the effort to make the golden bead materials. At least not for me. I just can't. I'm going to have to buy them.
Storage? I'll have to wait until I get them and see. I think I will be ordering the set from Montessori concepts called Intro to Decimal System. You get One cube, 9 flats, nine bars, and nine units, and it comes with a box, I believe.
I will also order the 100 and 1000 chains.
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Theresa
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Katie
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The girls like the beads, the boys like the blocks!! Seriously. I made lots using the info on jmjpublishing.org, but I have also bought some golden bead material from Alison's Montessori. It serves the purpose but I prefer the sparkly beads I used to make my own. The gold is quite subdued on the bought ones I have.
I think that base ten blocks would be a very adequate substitite when $$ are a factor. The bead chains are nice and I'm not sure how you would reproduce that with blocks.
FYI - I use RightStart Math a lot and use the actual beads rather than those little cards. The girls really like holding manipulatives intheir hands.
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Meredith
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Celeste wrote:
Dr. Montessori chose gold in part, I think, because it would attract the children!
I made golden bead material and use it. A lot. (I think some suppliers have bead material for cheaper than it can be made, but I didn't know about them 5 years ago.) Sometimes even after we've transitioned to abstraction, we need to pull out those beads to remind us where we've been.
I'm not familiar with base ten material, but I think the advantage of the beads is the concept that ten is a unit ten times, and a hundred is a hundred times, etc., is more clearly presented--with the beads you can see all these units multiplied. (Yes, I made a thousand cube out of beads, 1000 of them, yes, I'm insane. But you only need one made out of beads; the rest can be blocks with dots.)
Well, not completely crazy. I am not very good at math. While I was making the materials I "got" certain concepts. When my dad would help with math he would say "squared" and "cubed" instead of "to the second power" and "to the third power." Never got that. When I made my hundred squares and chain, I finally saw how 10 to the second power is 10 squared--it makes a square! And 10 x 10 x 10 makes a cube! I know, big duh, but I felt like Christopher Columbus. I did it with my own hands and my brain finally got it!
Celeste |
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Celeste, this was beautifully said, and I am right there with you on *getting* it after working with the bead/base 10 concepts. It is my understanding that the base ten material and the golden beads are somewhat interchangeable as they do offer the wooden blocks with the red dots like you mentioned above. I have not purchased my Golden Bead Decimal set yet, but am planning on going for it as I know all my kiddos will use it.
A tiny bit of experince I have had with my ds 5 when working with the 100 chain, it's just not *quite* the same with the ten rods as it would be with the ten golden beads. They visually *see* the ten units on the bead bar as opposed to a flat rod with cut marks on it depicting the unit. I think you have a wider range of use with the Golden Beads in later math and abstraction as compared to the Base Ten Blocks. Clear as mud 
Great discussion on materials ladies, thanks for bringing them all up!!
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Meredith
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Meredith
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I think I am going to invest in this bead set from Alison's Montessori as it will allow all the children to work the 45 Layout and will give more than one child a chance to work with the bead material at he same time. It's a bit on the spendy side, but will probably be used for ALL my Golden Bead work for the rest of their lives How's that for justification 
Anyone making these?? I have wimped out on this possibilty for times sake 
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Meredith
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 3:40pm | IP Logged
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I'm getting from Montessori concepts the set I mentioned above, plus I'm ordering the 45 wooden squares, 9 wooden cubes, and 45 bead bars of 10 and 45 individual beads. Also two sets of small numbers and one of large.And the 100 and 1000 chain!
And I think I still come out cheaper than the set from Alisons, but not by much (around 150 bucks).
Meredith, it's hard to tell from the picture, but is the set you are ordering made of individual beads? It looks different to me, but it is hard to tell from the photos.
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Theresa
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Meredith
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Yes Theresa, good question. It says it's the *beaded* bank game, but I'll have to double check on it for sure as I don't need anymore wooden blocks since I already have two base ten sets. But I'm going to peek at Montessori Concepts again and check prices, anyone have these from there and can mention anything about quality?? I would want to make sure they were pretty well constructed, copper wire, etc.
Sounds exciting!!
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Meredith
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Maryan
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| Posted: May 29 2007 at 4:17pm | IP Logged
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Katie wrote:
The girls like the beads, the boys like the blocks!!...
I think that base ten blocks would be a very adequate substitite when $$ are a factor. The bead chains are nice and I'm not sure how you would reproduce that with blocks.
FYI - I use RightStart Math a lot and use the actual beads rather than those little cards. The girls really like holding manipulatives intheir hands. |
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Perhaps the "Mom of Boys" in me balked at the idea of teaching with something sparkly to my guys!! But, Katie, this was helpful to me... and to hear that you implement beads with Right Start as well!
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Maryan
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: golden beads vs wooden blocks
