Cuisenaire rods - connecting or not?

[beckington]

Title kind of says it all. I'm going to buy some cuisenaire rods and wondering if I should get the type that connects or not. What are the pros and cons?

Thanks!

[moominmamma]

Legos are really fun to put together, but no fun at all to take apart.

Cuisenaires are a really fun without being put together, and if put together (i.e. interlocking) are no fun to take apart.

I vote for non-interlocking. Wood. Lovely tactile sensation. Better for building 3D constructions (i.e. they get played with a lot more and therefore get more familiar). Sure, they sometimes get bumped out of alignment, but we found that a yardstick on the table was the perfect thing to align them against. Even the edge of a workbook worked well, though it was sometimes too short. As my kids got more proficient with math, they swept those cuisenaires around like they were Vegas dealers with cards, and it was nice to be able to create rod-trains quickly and accurately. With the interlocking ones once you're dealing with larger numbers (eg. comparing 9x7 and 6x10) unless each joint is fully pressed together, the measurements and comparisons are not accurate, so you have to snug up the connections. 

Miranda

[fruitfulmomma]

You could try this instead...

http://www.timberdoodle.com/Rod_Track_p/560-026.htm

[Tjej]

My DD loves the regular wooden ones.  They do feel nice and satisfying.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

I like the non-connecting ones. If the connecting ones are squashed together super well then they don't line up quite right.

[beckington]

Thanks everyone! I'll get the non-connecting ones, and wood if I can! :)