Number Rods

The numbering rods are a series of ten rods made of steamed beech wood, divided into alternating red and blue coloured segments, varying in length from 1 metre to 10 cm. The square side section of all the rods is 2.5 cm. The game serves to concretely learn the series of numbers from one to ten, in fact, each number is represented by a rod that contains the unit, a certain number of times. The dimensions of the rods remain constant in width and depth and gradually decrease in length by 10 cm. Composing the rods, grading them, helps the eye to perceive the dimensions and, thanks to the coloured segments that make the quantities from one to ten visible, to understand the sequence of numbers and to learn the corresponding name. Carrying out this type of activity helps to understand the number series and the decimal system both sensitively and concretely, as each rod can count the succession of the sum of the units. The game encourages the development of attention and concentration, prepares the "mathematical mind" and introduces basic arithmetic.