The Combo Kit

This is your "go to" kit. The "Cadillac" of Base Ten Manipulative sets.

Ordering a combo kit is simple. Just choose your option from the drop down menu and hit buy now...you will be redirected to a "Thank You" page after the transaction is completed. Shipping to Alaska and Hawaii as well as International Costs a little more and may add to the shipping time...but you can expect your order in about 6 to 8 weeks in most cases. Get it? Cases. Allow up to 45 days outside the 48 contiguous states. International orders may be MORE than the listed price. We are not in the business of making money on shipping. If it's more we will bill you for the difference. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR PH# IN THE INSTRUCTIONS PART OF THE PAYPAL ORDER FORM. Or in the box where it says phone number.

Some companies "require it" for delivery. If you don't include it Mortensen Company will contact you for it and this will delay the whole process. Shipping has GONE UP for international orders. Please email for an exact quote. Shipping to AUSTRALIA for example is about 129.00 just for the combo kit...and when I say 129.00 that's the total including the combo kit in American money. About 52 bucks just for shipping. Canada and Mexico it's about 125.00 total but you may need to pay more, same with UK...these are shipping/postal charges not handling fees or you aren't an US citizen fees...it ALL goes to postage.

Mortco will invoice you for the extra shipping charges. Also be aware some of you socialists can expect some lovely VAT. They do put "educational materials" clearly on the outside of the box.

And expect Mortco to take 6 to 8 weeks to get it to you. That's right i said 6 to 8 weeks...NOT days.

1. Free shipping to Continental USA Destinations (Not Alaska, Hawaii, or outlying USA Territories).
2. International Shipping is billed by Mortensen Math World Headquarters prior to shipment.
3. No Cash Refunds. Credit exchange only with RMA. Email first for RMA: MortensenMath at iCloud.com.
4. When your order is received by Mortensen Math World Headquarters you will receive a CONFIRMATION email.
5. Please allow 3-6 weeks for receipt of your order. If you have not received it or heard from us within 3 weeks please request ORDER STATUS at: MortensenMath at iCloud.com.
6. When your order is shipped by Mortensen Math World Headquarters you will receive a TRACKING email that includes an ETA.

AL = Alaska, HI = Hawaii, shipping is higher to these states.

A case contains 4 combo kits.

International customers often have questions about what these abbreviations mean. In ALL international cases you should Email for exact rates, up until recently "international" meant Canada and Mexico, but now with this website attracting some attention I am getting orders and inquires from all over the world. A combo kit to Australia cheapest way possible costs about 56.00 so expect to pay about 129.00 and of that more than a third is shipping!

Combo kit and a Password and you are good to go. What do you get for a password? Click here.

The Combo Kit:

Q.1. Will this set last me up till Algebra etc.? or maybe the question is how long will this set last me up to?

A. As you see in the screen cast above one of my sets is 20 years old. I use the combo kit for teaching EVERYTHING, particularly algebra but also pre calc etc.

Q.2. Does the set include material or can I find it on your website for me to teach using the manipulatives? or Is there something else I need to invest in?

A. The set includes blocks only. If I had my way the set would include blocks and a DVD but I don't have my way...yet. You could get a Curriculum Starter Set for about 400.00 that has blocks and books and a skip count CD as well as a video but you still need instruction on how to use it. My website contains hours of lessons and soon I will have some 7 hour eCourse for 35 bucks or so so which will include a webinar plus a phone Q&A.

Q.Basically do I have what I need to understand how to get started in counting and starting early addition and subtraction?

A. Yes. More than enough. Especially with the Sample Lessons Pages and other Password Protected pages.

Q.3. I noticed some sheet's or templates you used inside of the tray's that indicates 10's, 20's etc using the trays to do addition, subtraction and other math are those included in the set? Can the tray's be leveraged as a part of the lesson or for self exploration.

A. They should be, if not make your own. They are simple to make, and it's a fun project. The tray's SHOULD be leveraged as a part of lessons or for self exploration.

Q.4. Are these base 10 manipulatives stackable onto one another? I'm also trying to understand how this compares to Math U See.

The blocks stack but they do not interlock or snap together. Steve Demme was a trainer with Mortensen Math they parted ways in 1990. Math U See combines traditional text book learning with the blocks, by traditional I mean rather than emphasizing concept based teaching and math as a language they go level by level (more or less) they way traditional public schools do: addition then subtraction then multiplication then division etc...you won't see pre-schoolers doing algebra...

Q.5. How many Base Ten Manipulatives do I need?

A. The ratio of students to combo kits should be not more than 5 students per combo kit in an ideal situation. If you use Banker Builder, Drawer, Recorder a combo kit can be used for up to 12 students...the more kits you have the better so that each child has ample access to the manipulatives but a 1/4 or 1/5 ratio of kits to kids should serve as a good rule of thumb.

Q.6. Can I just use one kit for presentation purposes?

A. Yes, and it is not as effective as each student being able to handle the base 10 blocks. I am fully aware that in some circumstances this is completely impossible. Make the effort to give students a hands on experience.

See FAQ page for more.

1. Free shipping to Continental USA Destinations (Not Alaska, Hawaii, or outlying USA Territories).
2. International Shipping is billed by Mortensen Math World Headquarters prior to shipment.
3. No Cash Refunds. Credit exchange only with RMA. Email first for RMA: MortensenMath at iCloud.com.
4. When your order is received by Mortensen Math World Headquarters you will receive a CONFIRMATION email.
5. Please allow 3-6 weeks for receipt of your order. If you have not received it or heard from us within 3 weeks please request ORDER STATUS at: MortensenMath at iCloud.com.
6. When your order is shipped by Mortensen Math World Headquarters you will receive a TRACKING email that includes an ETA.

Really, get a combo kit and passwords and you are good to go. Add a Multi-Tens kit if you like, but it's not absolutely necessary. Nice to have as a time saver though. You may have seen me use it in several videos, it's great because the brain wants to work fast and rather than counting out tens or X's you can just grab one block for what you need. For more about the combo kit, multi-tens and passwords GO HERE.

Click to see the the multi tens kit "in action."

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