Manipulative Kit: 1st Edition (Saxon Homeschool)

This kit is wonderful, and some things were surprisingly better than I expected. For example, the clocks are geared, so they only can be positioned in normal ways for a clock. This helps kids understand how it works. I will say, the linking cubes are very difficult to snap together at first. I break them in by snapping them on and off about ten times before asking my 5 year old to do it. It is still challenging for her then, but she can accomplish it. They get easier as they are used more. But my daughter loves the things in this kit! She is so excited when we get into the box for math! This kit is expensive, but you use the contents for 4 years per child. You can use the lit over and over, nothing gets used up, so you can use it for multiple kids and pass it on to another homeschooling parent when you are done! I don't regret spending the money!

Our 5 year old daughter & 6 year-old son LOVES their "Math Box". Not only is it educational, but during free time they take it out and let their imaginations build villages and art and so many other things thought of. They would give it more stars if possible and so would I! Great for homeschoolers and for those teachers in the school system to use with their students.

When I ordered the teaching materials for Saxon Math, I thought I could do without the manipulatives kit and save money. It worked for a few lessons but I had to get more and more creative in how to satisfy the lesson using other materials. I finally broke down and purchased the manipulatives kit. It was WELL worth it, everything is sturdy and useful. Go ahead and purchase it, you'll need it!

Since another reviewer has already inventoried the supplies that come in the kit, I'm just going to list here the things that stood out to me since I've just gone through and inventoried everything. I would suggest counting the items to make sure you have at least enough of each, especially for the small tile/counter type objects -- I noticed that some bags had a different amount than what it said in the invoice or on the bag/package (in the end, there ended up being more than the stated amount). 1) The hands on the clocks have to be wound into position by the big hand -- the hour hand can't be moved by itself without seeming like you're breaking the clock. In other words if the clock reads 3:00 and you want it to say 7:00, you can't just move the hour hand to the 7, you have to manually wind the minute hand around the clock four times all the way to 7:00. 2) The Hundred Board comes laminated but without the edges being sealed in the laminate. It really is flimsy; a few of the corner edges are already slightly peeling apart and I've literally just pulled it out of the box. Planning on getting it laminated again to enclose the edges and preserve the board for the full 2-3 year scope of the math program. Also, there is some sort of scuff mark on it (which obviously doesn't affect functionality). 3) Dominoes: it was a brand new Domino game in a sealed plastic wrap (which was nice, I wasn't expecting that) 4) Rubber bands: one bag had 24 the other had 29 (listed 25 each on inventory/bag) 5) Tiles: there were 101 (listed 100 on inventory/bag) 6) 2-Color Counters: there were 22 (listed 20 on inventory/bag) All in all, I'm pleased with kit so far, but am deducting a point for the issues with the hundred board and the clock hands. I admit that when I purchased the Saxon Teacher's Manual, I didn't realize that there was a whole kit that I needed to purchase along with it. My idea was to make it up as I went along. But realizing the daunting task that that would prove, I'm glad to have taken the plunge to buy the kit. If you divide the cost up over the # of years you'll be using it, in my opinion it's really worth it. My daughter is really excited to use this because it seems like a whole lot of "toys" to her, so it should be a fairly easy transition to teaching her math if she's already excited about all the manipulatives.

If you are using Saxon for homeschooling then you NEED this! Makes following the book easy. Keeps you organized. Great hard case for storage. You won't have to buy little things like rulers, flash cards, shapes, etc. highly recommend for greatest success at Saxon math.

Manipulatives of some sort are a must have for younger children. These are made well and come in a clear storage box with lid. I don't think you could buy similar products individually for the price and in my opinion they are a must for saxon math. We wont be using saxon long term because we aren't fans of the program but the manipulatives will work for other programs. I purchased this at full price and my analysis is fair and impartial.

It took a couple days to get here. -not bad at all. I love these learning tools! I imagine you could just go buy them piece by piece, but buying them this way was a lot less trouble. My 5yo son uses these everyday for Saxon Math. This whole lot is what you'll need fit Saxon till 3rd grade, so it's a great great investment. I'd recommend to a friend for sure.

This is a great kit, however, I am disappointed that there are no coins. Saxon K-3 is so heavy on counting with money that I’m going to have to purchase a full set of coins separately.

Really love these, the bright colors get my kids excited to do math everyday. There are still supplies you will need to make yourself, so be prepared.

It is quite expensive for what it contains if you start at grade 1, because some of the stuff is for kindergarden. Also, some of the things in there you could buy for a dolar at the store. But its nice to have all you need all at once. P.s. Saxaon (Pre-Common core) is Great!

We use these along with the Saxon Math K Homeschooling text. My son loves it. Would have given 5 stars, but was a bit expensive.