DIY Rekenreks

I'm excited to be sharing an easy project with you today--one of my favorite math tools: rekenreks!

I don't know about you, but I love to use rekenreks in my classroom. If you've never heard of rekenreks before, you will! These arithmetic racks consist of two strings, with a row of beads on each string. Each row is traditionally made up of five red beads and five white beads, but you can use any two colors you like. They are great for helping students to understand number concepts such as basic addition and subtraction, subitizing, and decomposing numbers. These have become an essential part of my math workshop, but they are an expensive purchase!

Two years ago, I created my own rekenreks for my classroom using cheap materials--an old cardboard box, string, and pony beads. They were great for a little while, but this year, they've been driving me nuts. The bending...the rattling... ahhh my blood pressure shoots up just thinking about it. During a recent committee meeting, my supervisors shared these awesome homemade rekenreks that are durable and inexpensive to make. I went straight to Lowe's and got to work!

Here are my old rekenreks... You can make them from cardboard, but don't.

What I'm about to show you is a much better method of making rekenreks that will last a lifetime!

How to Make Durable Rekenreks

You will need: 

Lowe's choice poplar wood size 1/4 x 4 x 4 (one board makes five Rekenreks)

Elastic cord

Pony beads

Here is what the boards look like at Lowe's.

The nice folks who work there cut them for free, even though there is a sign saying that they charge for each cut after the first three. I know many other teachers in my town have had the same experience. If your Lowe's is going to charge you, you can always have someone with a saw do it for you or do it yourself. I was being kind to the hubs by sparing him the task. I got five rekenreks out of each board.

Then, I marked off and drilled some holes. Ignore the toddler foot in the background.

 Yeah, I know this was not the best setup. Don't make fun. After drilling the holes, get some sandpaper and give the edges and the areas around the holes a quick sanding.

I stole found and used this elastic cord from the supply cupboard at my school. These two packs weren't quite enough for all 20. You can find bigger packs in the children's craft section at Wal-Mart.

I cut each string of elastic just slightly longer than the board itself. Different sizes and brands of elastic stretch differently, so you'll need to experiment with one or two. Thread the cord through one side and let it hang back there. Then, string ten pony beads onto the string (five of one color and five of another). Now, thread the other side of elastic through the hole and stretch tightly on the back side. Tie the two ends in a knot and repeat about four times to make sure it holds. 

 Trim the excess string along the back. This is what the finished product will look like!

I made 20 rekenreks for less than thirty dollars, and it only took a day. I hope you decide to make some of these for your classroom!