How to make an easy Stem-and-Leaf Plot manipulative

I love garage sales! I am always looking for ways to take something old and transform it into something new! I found this treasure awhile back. It's a Melissa and Doug wooden shape sorter. I bought it for $1!! I didn't really know what I was going to do with it at first. But I just had to buy it because it's Melissa and Doug! I am a huge fan of their products!

I finally thought of a way to use it. I'm going to turn it into a manipulative for stem-and-leaf plots.

First, I wrote down a set of data to use. Here are the numbers: 15, 24, 29, 30, 33, 37, 41, 44, 44, 48, 51, 53, 55, 57, 58 (Remember, when you display the data let your students do the work and put the numbers in order.)

Next, I used clear tape and a black permanent marker to label the stems and leaves. I can peel the number stickers off easily or I can add more numbers around the sides of the shapes for a future lesson. 

Finally, I stood the stem-and-leaf up vertically. Voila! A stem-and-leaf plot! I will be able to show them that the digit in the tens place is the stem and the digit in the ones place is the leaf. It will be great for my lesson next week. The kids can manipulate the leaves and put the stem-and-leaf together with me.

Check it out!