The Math Learning Center Virtual Manipulatives

The Math Learning Center is my favorite place to find virtual manipulatives for math.  When my K-5 teachers are looking for a way to model in math, these are the first apps I recommend.  Not only are they simple to use, but they offer built in tools for showing work, calculating, measuring, and drawing.  If used in conjunction with Seesaw, students can reflect and/or explain their thinking process as they solve problems.  This post is meant for those teachers who would like to use virtual manipulatives but may not be aware that these apps exist both on the iPad and as web apps available in your browser.  

Below are my absolute favorite Math Learning Center Apps but don't forget to click the link above to see all of the apps available absolutely free!

Geoboard

The geoboard offers a variety of digital boards and multiple colored rubber bands.  No more rubber bands being lost or snapping in half! You have the option of showing the board with a grid and/or an x and y axis.  There is also a text tool for creating equations and tools for moving, sizing, coloring, etc.

Pattern Shapes

The pattern shapes are perfect your geometry, shape studies, or patterns in algebra units.  Shapes are dragged onto the board from the sidebar and you have the ability to change shape, size, and color.  You can change the gridlines in the workspace, rotate, or use some of the built in outlines to fill.

Fractions

The Fractions app allows you to create bars or circles to show fractional amounts.  You can choose how many parts and then color in the parts according to the fraction you choose to show. You can rotate the fractions, group them with the lasso, add labels to show what the written fraction looks like, and of course the drawing tools are available as well.

Number Blocks

Number Blocks supports students as they work with base ten.  It offers a primary and intermediate set of ones, tens, and hundreds that students can drag to the workspace for place value, adding, subtracting, etc.

Number Rack

Number Rack assists students with number sense as they think of numbers in fives and tens.  You can change colors, drag beads, add rows, and cover certain sections of beads as you instruct.

Don't forget that, whether students are working in the whole group, small groups, or independently, they can easily extend their learning by adding their work to Seesaw to reflect, explain, etc!