POST 6: GEOBOARD
The GeoBoard is a very interesting manipulative material to work with in class. Physical manipulatives and visual models help children to make sense of mathematical concepts, and the student playing with his toy is laying the groundwork for future geometry understanding.
The bands invite the students to explore and to increase the mathematical understanding. In the very early grades, teachers often introduce the geoboard by modeling how to use it safely and encouraging students to experiment by stretching the bands to form parallel lines. Then young learners can transform the lines into stars and other shapes of their own design. These simple constructions set the foundation for learning about edges, corners, sizes of shapes, and area.
It's very useful to start working the geometrical shapes with the younger children and it can be also used to learn about the areas and the addition or subtraction with older students. The manipulation is a positive aspect which make learning easier for everyone.
There is also a site where we can work with a digital GeoBoard, using different bands and different colors, as in a physical GeoBoard, but in the net: