Intuitibrix in the Wooden Box

The startup Intuitibrix was founded by me, Petra Wimber, as a sole proprietorship in Switzerland. It has since become a LLC. My many years of experience as a teacher in elementary education are poured into this project.
I am responsible for all areas, with help in product planning, marketing, and shipping.

The Intuitibrix were developed and tested in Switzerland. The products are manufactured in Switzerland and Europe.

The Intuitibrix are produced in small family businesses in Germany and Serbia. The boxes are partly made in the Czech Republic.

The blocks and the box are made of real beech wood. Therefore, there may be variations in color. Each block and box is unique.

The key factor is not the age, but the prior experience. If children in 2nd or higher grades have problems with math, it is often due to their understanding of quantities. This means they can memorize many tasks. The difficulty then arises with other forms of representation, such as number walls, word problems, etc.

If you're concerned that the child might feel too old for the blocks, I would simply ask them. Children often know very well what helps them.

Maybe the Intuitibrix Minis could be a good alternative.

Yes, multiplication and division work with Intuitibrix as well. My tip is: let them try it out.

Since the larger blocks are only available once, these numbers have to be combined. For example, 3 times 7 could be represented by a 7, 6 and 1, or 5 and 2. The important thing is not the solution to the task but the understanding of what it means to take three 7s.

It's the same with division. I take a certain amount and distribute it. For example, 21 is divided into 4 piles. You have to think a lot and exchange. In the end, the child will realize that it doesn't work and 1 is left over.

Or: 21 is divided, and each gets 4. Again, the child will notice that it doesn't work.

For automation, there’s an endless amount of material, but understanding is often overlooked. Yet, that’s the foundation.

For an even simpler representation of multiplication and division, the Intuitibrix Minis are even better.

Especially children with a good memory often have many tasks memorized. For them, it's difficult to recognize that they haven't understood the quantities. They solve all the tasks correctly. However, there have been many 'Aha' moments with Intuitibrix.

Yes, the ten's transition can be represented very well. On the one hand, only 10 dots fit into a row in the box, and on the other hand, children can easily recognize a ten with the 5-line. It's best to let them figure out for themselves how they want to solve the tasks. They may choose a different approach for each exercise.

No, with the Intuitibrix you can calculate with larger numbers.

The numbers 11 to 19 can be represented using the ten block and an additional block.

For numbers up to 100, you use the side with the dots to represent the quantity.

For numbers and tasks over 100, I have created some YouTube videos.

The production of Intuitibrix is very labor-intensive, and high-quality beech wood is used. Only a small part of the wood can be used to ensure the numbers and lines are clearly visible. The rest is waste.

The blocks must be precisely cut, and all edges must be smoothed. Rough surfaces are sanded. Then, the blocks are laser-engraved on three sides and sorted into the box. There is also waste here, as the wood does not always react the same way to the laser. Color differences are inevitable.

The box is also custom-made and laser-engraved specifically for the Intuitibrix.

Almost all steps are done by hand. This is time-consuming and expensive.

Playing, discovering, building, exploring, basics, first experiences, counting, number decomposition, addition and subtraction, fine motor skills, creativity, basic geometric experiences, joy in doing.

Every child is different. Some three-year-olds are already interested in numbers. Children from 4 years old will surely enjoy it.

Very often, children with math problems in higher grades are not secure in the number range up to 20. They count instead of calculating, as they lack a mental representation of numbers. Through creative building with Intuitibrix, this representation can be acquired later. It saves the children from the embarrassment of having to catch up on the material from the 1st and 2nd grade, as it feels like play to them.