Extensions and games

Lately in the classroom I've really been focusing on showing extensions of sensorial materials to the children, to encourage them to go back and practice the things they've already been shown so they can truly understand and master them. I have at least one child who feels that after she has done something once, she's done with it, no need to practice (even if it wasn't all that easy the first time!). By introducing some little 'games' she can do with friends though, I've gotten her to practice a lot more with the materials and get to know them a bit better.

While there are about two dozen or so different sensorial materials, the extensions are pretty similar. The children can do different types of matching.. They can match the materials themselves, find things in the classroom environment that are the same color/shape/size/etc., or even just bring one set to a table on the other side of the classroom and try to remember what they're looking for while navigating across the room. All this little games help build up their memory and really help solidify the aspect of the material that they're working with.

C doing an extension of the color tablets where he collects items
from around the classroom that match the color of the tablets.
Several children observed this and couldn't wait to try it themselves!

Another main extension that I've tried to make a point of introducing is the language that goes with each material. Things like the color tablets and geometric shapes have obvious language to be given, but all the sensorial materials have a certain bit of language associated with them. For example the pink tower is large/small, the brown stair is thick/thin, and the red rods are long/short.

The specific words are used to introduce the children to the idea of comparing two different qualities through language. In a certain context one red rod may be the longer one, but next to another rod it may be shorter. While a child  may be able to put the rods in order, they may have no idea how to explain verbally to another person what they did. The point of these language extensions is to formalize and give the language for something the children  already understand.

I do want to point out that as a teacher I'm not actually trying to teach children the 'idea' of large and small, I trust that they've already noticed that objects are all different sizes. What I'm trying to supply them with is the language associated with these different properties so they can communicate about them with other people.

Montessori Sunday: Pink Tower

Edit: For some reason this did not actually get posted on Sunday, oops! Please pretend that it did!

Welcome back to another post of Montessori Monday, which from now on will be Montessori Sunday. My last Montessori post covered the basic history and structure of the method and today I'd like to introduce you to one of the actual classroom learning materials. There are hundreds of Montessori materials in the Casa dei Bambini (ages 3 to 6) alone, and where else to start but the Pink Tower, the iconic Montessori material.

The pink tower is more than just a pile of blocks and building it is more than just stacking the blocks one on top of the other. The blocks are built to specific dimensions so that they all vary by the same degree (1cm cubed). When the teacher presents this material to the children she shows how to carefully carry the blocks one at a time to a working mat. When the blocks are all brought to the mat she then shows the child how to build the tower. This isn't because she doesn't think the child can figure out how to build the tower, but because she wants to convey the precision and delicacy with which she builds it. The blocks are never slid into place, but rather picked up and re-centered to help improve fine motor skills. The tower is then admired from all angles and dismantled just as carefully. Originally Dr. Montessori had allowed the children to knock the tower down, but then changed her mind as she wanted them to treat all the materials with respect and care.

A child may learn how to build the tower very quickly and master its order, but that doesn't mean they are finished with it. Most Montessori materials have extensions beyond the first presentation. These are given to extend the child's use of the material. Simple games and language activities keep the children engaged with the material longer so they can really become familiar with it. With the pink tower the child may be introduced to scattering the blocks on one mat and then actually building the tower on a different mat across the room. This not only encourages them to remember which cube they need next, but to retain their focus as they wind across the busy classroom. The language for large and small is also introduced using the pink tower, giving the child a chance to begin using more precise language to describe their world.

But one of my personal favorite things about the pink tower is the fact that it corresponds to the brown stair (also called the broad stair). The two materials are based on the same basic dimensions and it is fascinating to watch the children explore the different ways the two materials can go together. Ok, and it's fun to do it yourself as well!