I am always on the lookout for new educational materials to use with my kids during homeschool lessons. My kindergartener daughter has mastered reading but still has a little trouble with basic math. She is also very hands-on, learning best when she can manipulate objects while counting, adding, and subtracting. When recently offered the chance to review a set of VersaTiles from ETA hand2mind in exchange for my honest opinion, I eagerly accepted the opportunity to try a new math tool during math lessons with my daughter.
About ETA hand2mind
ETA hand2mind has been helping teachers create “Aha!” moments with hands-on learning moments for more than 40 years. The company believes that students learn better when their hands and minds work together, and study after study has proven the power of hands-on learning. Their development team collectively has 31 teaching credentials and 24 advanced degrees. Every solution that ETA hand2mind creates has been designed to help students unlock greater understanding.
Price and Design
ETA hand2mind VersaTiles offer an active alternative to practice workbooks by combining the challenge of a puzzle with standards-aligned skills practice, ultimately helping students develop fluency of key concepts and skills. The self-checking system provides immediate results. The improved closure and tray design suit all ages and physical abilities. I received Grade 1 Math, which currently costs $26.25 on Amazon and $24.95 on the ETA hand2mind website. My set came with a pouch, activity book, tray, twelve tiles, and stickers. VersaTiles are also available for kindergarten through sixth grade.
Performance
My daughter really enjoys self-correcting educational tools because she can breeze through the questions that she already knows and ask me for help only when needed. She also loves being able to try to figure out wrong answers on her own. Using VersaTiles from ETA hand2mind is as easy as 1, 2, 3! The Grade 1 Math activity book contains 64 activities. Each activity contains twelve questions that help young learners work towards an objective. For example, the first activity involves counting marbles with an objective of naming a number using single objects and container of ten objects. As a homeschool teacher, I really appreciate that the activity work explicitly states the objective of each activity.
To use the VersaTiles, my daughter begins by answering the questions from each activity in the activity book by placing the tiles, number side up, in the clear case bottom by matching the question numbers to the answer letters. Once she finishes answering all twelve questions, she closes the case, flips the tray over, and checks her answers by seeing if the pattern revealed through the clear bottom patches the one on the bottom of the page in the activity book. If the pattern matches up, my daughter knows that she got all the answers correct. If not, she can remove the incorrect tiles and try again to self-correct until she successfully matches the pattern.
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So far my daughter has been working on the first few activities in the Grade 1 VersaTiles activity book. She started homeschool kindergarten at the beginning of September but mastered basic numbers and counting last school year. The Grade 1 activity book is thus perfect for her. For example, the first activities help her practice counting tens and ones, which she recently learned about through her online math program. Grade 1 topics include counting, place values, addition, subtraction, measurement, time, shapes, and more. In addition to the Skills Practice System book that I received with my set, you can also buy additional activity books for each grade level. I am already debated getting a couple of the other Grade 1 books such as Measurement and Data: Length, Time, and Analysis.
Final Verdict
If you are searching for an interactive tool to help your children master math skills, I highly recommend ETA hand2mind VersaTiles. I received Grade 1 Math, which came with a pouch, activity book, tray, twelve tiles, and stickers. Sets are available for kindergarten through sixth grade, and additional activity books are also available for each grade level. My daughter loves answering the questions for each activity on her own and then checking her answers by matching the pattern on the bottom of the page with the pattern that she created with the numbered tiles. If she made any mistakes, she can remove the incorrect tiles and try again to self-correct until she successfully matches the pattern. For a hands-on learner like my daughter, VersaTiles from ETA hand2mind are a perfect addition to my homeschool curriculum.
Purchase VersaTiles on Amazon or on ETA hand2mind via my affiliate links. You can also follow ETA hand2mind on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and YouTube.
Image Credits
Building Confidence in Math with ETA hand2mind VersaTiles © 2016 Heather Johnson
ETA hand2mind VersaTiles © 2016 Heather Johnson
Tiles and Tray of ETA hand2mind VersaTiles 1 © 2016 Heather Johnson
Activity Book of ETA hand2mind VersaTiles © 2016 Heather Johnson
Tiles and Tray of ETA hand2mind VersaTiles 2 © 2016 Heather Johnson
Tiles and Tray of ETA hand2mind VersaTiles 3 © 2016 Heather Johnson
Incorrect Pattern of ETA hand2mind VersaTiles © 2016 Heather Johnson
Correct Pattern of ETA hand2mind VersaTiles © 2016 Heather Johnson
Open Tray of ETA hand2mind VersaTiles © 2016 Heather Johnson
