Geo Board - A tool for learning for kids

What is Geo Board ?

A geo board is a mathematical manipulative used to explore basic concepts in plane geometry such as perimeter, area and the characteristics of triangles and other polygons. It consists of a physical board with a certain number of nails half driven in, around which are wrapped rubber bands.
Geoboards were invented and popularized in the 1950s by Egyptian mathematician Caleb Gatteg (1911-1988).

Structure and use

A variety of boards are used. Originally made out of plywood and brass nails or pegs, geoboards are now are usually made out of plastic. They may have an upright square lattice of either 9, 16 or 25 nails or more, or a circle of nails around a central nail. Students are asked to place rubber bands around the nails to explore geometric concepts or to solve mathematical puzzles.

Geoboards may be used to learn about:

• plane shapes;
• translation;
• rotation;
• reflection;
• similarity;
• co-ordination;
• counting;
• right angles;
• pattern;
• classification;
• scaling;
• position;
• congruence;
• area;
• perimeter.

Two-dimensional representations of the geo board may be applied to ordinary paper using rubber stamps or special "geoboard paper" with diagrams of geo boards may be used to help capture a student's explanations of the concept they have discovered or illustrated on the geo board. There are also a number of online virtual geo boards.

Fun with it

See my son Prerak having fun with it and learning with it!! This one is made at home with Laminated ply and brass nails in some creative time zone by myself for him!! Early shapes like Square, triangles , rectangles and then going to complex with different colors of rubber bands and lots of overlaps... Great tool isn't it?