Fractions

***This post was originally written back in November, just found it, not sure why I didn't post it before***

We aren't using Math-U-See (MUS) right now for math, we are using a free program found here.

BUT we are using the MUS blocks, namely the fraction overlays.
These things are ingenious.  My dd learned fractions with them and ds is flying through it right now because of these.
They make the fraction world tangible and are easier to work with than a pizza, although not as tasty. ;)

They make increasing and reducing fractions easier to grasp for example:

One-half or 1/2

\

is the same as:

two-fourths or 2/4

is the same as:

three- sixths or 3/6

is the same as:

fifty-one hundredths or 50/100

We could "see" that the larger the number, the smaller the pieces.  I think fractions can be confusing to kids because the larger numbers are actually smaller quantities (on the denominator), but with these fraction  overlays, you "see" it right away.  That's probably why they call the program Math-U-SEE. ;)

Playing around with the overlays: