When the Colonial School District (from Conshohocken/Plymouth Meeting) emailed and said they wanted to donate a CARLOAD of elementary math manipulatives, we said “Um… what are math manipulatives?”

Turns out they are colorful 2 dimensional shapes, 3 dimensional shapes, counting cubes, unifix cubes, and various other items from Pearson’s Investigation 2 Series in grades K-5.

These shapes can be taken out of the classroom and into YOUR creative process! The clear plastic shapes are thick enough to be drilled into or manipulated with other tools while the foam shapes are flexible and easy to cut. We love staring at them and touching them all day long!

While beautiful and incredibly useful for tactile education, it’s a shame to see these mass produced plastic objects being thrown away or becoming obsolete. Instead of being added to landfill they can gain a second life through creative reuse.