Rekenrek?? So what the heck is a rekenrek?

Today, I spent part of my Martin Luther King Jr. Day making rekenreks.

So what the heck is a rekenrek? A rekenrek is a calculating frame.  It is a tool that helps kids to generate a variety of addition and subtraction strategies, including doubles, doubles plus 1, making tens, and compensation.  I have used it for one-to-one correspondence, counting on and number of the day.  At the beginning of kindergarten when students are just beginning to subitize 5 and 10, I  would probably only concentrate on one string of ten beads on the rekenrek with five of the beads being yellow and the other five black.  I would gradually transition to the two strings of ten beads for addition and subtraction.  This is an amazing tool for metacognition and number talks and kids love them.  This pdf by Barbara Blanke explains more in detail how and why to use them. 

I just made these by taking an 8 x 11.5 card-stock cut in half. Punched 4 holes, 20 beads of 2 colors, chenille sticks (pipe cleaners), Popsicle sticks and hot glue (Be careful!!). Laminated and put together as in picture. 

Enjoy :-)
Emily