It is so vitally important for students to work together on collaborative projects. Through collaboration using manipulatives, students can literally see how their peers are thinking through their iterative processes, they learn to articulate their own thinking, and they learn to value the input and opinions of others. Also, in being able to see the practical value of mathematics in building, budgeting, and resource allocation, students appreciate 'real world' scenarios in the discipline.

In this image, student groups build helicopters on a budget. Educators can set the complexity of the task by altering the values of the inputs (value of different color rods and connectors).

Middle school students solve algebra problems to find the cost of each component in the alien creature creation challenge. Working collaboratively, they design aliens on a budget. A lot of creativity and math lead to these amazing creations:

Second graders constructing alien creatures and budgeting using multiplication.

Using intooba kits, middle school teams use assigned decimal values to build helicopters on a budget. Each input item (rods and connectors) are assigned decimal values, and groups use intooba engineering worksheets to create structures on, or under, budget.

Here students learn the practical use of math in design and construction. Given a budget, collaborative groups must design and build car models using fractions as the values of the components! Look at the creativity within the class!

Students use intooba kits to build space stations using fractions as values for each component. Groups have to be creative in their designs to come in under, or on, budget! Students learn from each other within their own groups, and from other groups during the design and construction phases. We offer extensive teacher and student manuals as well as assessment rubrics. Hands-on, creative, and fun!

Look at the incredible creativity of these 6th grade collaborative groups as they conduct a fraction review. Here each component is given a fractional value, and groups have to build a boat on a budget.
Build-create-have fun!

If we, as educators, want to see what children are thinking, how they cooperate with peers, and how they solve problems through repeated effort, then we have to give them something to physically work with in the classroom.

Utilizing manipulatives checks all those boxes! We offer teacher and student manuals. No PD necessary, but offered if requested.

Open the box, and get to work with creative thinking and many projects.

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As students work diligently on their learning in content areas, they can work with manipulatives to learn vital skills in developing collaborative language, listening and learning from peers, and experimenting with concepts in tactile ways.
 
If students are given manipulatives to work with, they can enhance their learning and delve deeper into understanding key concepts as they concurrently develop vital life skills which will serve them well in middle school and beyond. Working with versatile products, students can learn the skills of creative problem solving in groups, create problems to share with peers (student becomes teacher), and develop multiple solutions to challenges.
 
intooba construction kits for math/engineering/STEAM facilitate hands-on collaborative work with manipulatives, and they:
 

• promote active listening,
• require accurate descriptions of thoughts and directions,
• encourage experimentation,
• enable the visualization of concepts, and
• foster creativity.