Mathematician's Home Tool Kit

In our Excel Math curriculum we provide instructions for teachers on how to use our material. At the back of each Teacher Edition, in the Manipulatives Section, we include a list of items that are useful to have handy during class. These lists are specific by grade level and the concepts learned in that grade.

Last night it occurred to me that it might be helpful to have a math tool kit for home use. What would I include in my tool kit?

While researching, I came across many lists of things could go into a kid's math tool kit: pattern blocks, six inch ruler, dice, coins, cubes, number cards, animal cards, dry-erase marker and eraser, counting tokens, etc. Here's a list from a school in India.

Searching Google bought up these entries:

• Math Toolkit resources help educators teach the content ...
  
• Mathematics Improvement Toolkit is a collection of professional development resources that allow teachers to support students ...
• Mathematics Adoption Toolkit is a data-driven format for reviewing instructional materials ...
  
• Math Tool Kit is a wealth of activities that connect concepts in a contextual content of construction ... (What did that mean?)
• Maths Toolkit offers a dynamic environment in which teachers and pupils can explore numbers and relationships ...
• Math ToolKit is a cross-platform C++ class library for creating computing intensive applications ... (whoops)

I didn't mean a "virtual math tool kit" as described above. I meant real, usable tools for real life. For kids or adults. Here's my $150 math tool kit:

MEASURING LENGTH $50
12 foot / 3.6 meter tape measure with both standard and metric units
18 inch ruler / 50 cm straight ruler with both standard and metric units
12 inch combination square and level
digital caliper for measuring small things
set of plastic compass, protractor, triangle, square, etc.

MEASURING WEIGHT $40
0-5 lbs / 2.3 kg digital scale for food and/or postage
0-330 lbs / 150 kg scale for people
 
MEASURING VOLUME $10
set of standard and metric measuring spoons and cups

MEASURING TEMPERATURE $15
digital probe thermometer

MEASURING PRESSURE $15
0-60 psi / 04 bar tire pressure gauge

CALCULATING $10
Desktop calculator with 8 digits display  (and/or calculator on mobile phone)

CASE $10
Plastic tackle box or crafts supplies box with lid and latch