This free math video series shows me introducing early algebra concepts to my 6 and 8-year-old daughters using Cuisenaire Rods and Base Ten Blocks. I covered some base ten rods with paper and Mod-Podge to represent “x” here.
I got these ideas from Crewton Ramone’s House of Math. He uses different blocks than I do and his are actually meant to be used for algebra. Cuisenaire/Base 10 blocks are what I have here so I just made some cosmetic changes in order to do the same things he shows in his videos.
Once children have had extensive practice using Cuisenaire Rods to work with fraction concepts, they are ready to move on to decimal fractions. In this free math video, my daughter transfers her knowledge of adding fractions using the rods to adding decimal fractions written in decimal notation. At this point, I still have not told her any of the rules for fractions or decimals. I am letting her come to that understanding on her own. Watch carefully in these videos and you’ll see her making connections on her own.
After being introduced to decimals and decimal notation, my 6-year-old was ready to try using Cuisenaire Rods to make a number line that included fractions in decimal form. It is important that children not only see fractions as parts of a whole, but also as points on a number line. This activity helps bring the 3-dimensional rods down to 2-dimensional paper.
