Cutting Layers

I almost forgot to share the following activity with you and wanted to do so before we take it down from the hallway...

Watching the children complete art activities is so inspiring - each child so different from the next...  It is no wonder how one lesson can have so many different outcomes.  This activity has been engaging the students not only in cutting paper, but also in concepts of symmetry and shadowing.  I thought using two papers at the same time for a paper cutting lesson would add an interesting dimension.  Up until this point, my students have only worked with one piece at a time, so this has been an exciting project to complete.

Pairs of squares which are stapled together (3, 4, and 5 in. squares); white construction paper which has been lightly folded in half lengthwise; basket with scissors, pencil, and glue stick.

The child places one pair of squares from each size/color into the basket, selects a piece of white paper, and takes all materials to a table.  Once the workspace is set up with the basket on the right left hand side, the child proceeds to cut a shape into the first set of squares.

Here, the child has set everything up, cut two shapes from the blue set, and is cutting the second shapes from the yellow squares.

When all shapes from each set of squares have been created, the child arranges them on the white paper.  They can either layer the two shapes which are the same to create a shadow effect, or place them symmetrically on the paper.   Some children have even done both, creating a layered, symmetrical collage!

This photo shows how the child has placed the shapes symmetrically on the paper and is now gluing them into place.

I love, love love, how these have turned out!  Here are some of them in our hallway:

Collages:  Cutting Layers

By the way, one reason I take so much time to document our art activities is so that parents of my students can understand all that a project entails.  When they walk down the hall towards our classroom, it is my hope that these pieces are viewed not simply as 'kid art,' but as carefully crafted creations with much thought and purpose behind them.

Spring is Here

We have been enjoying the last days of having our St. Patrick's Day activities out around the classroom (this weekend I'm planning to set up some Spring and Easter things...) and savoring the warm, sunny days outside.  What a great time of year!  There is also some exciting news on the horizon for our school regarding Montessori Compass, the easiest, most user-friendly on-line record keeping system for Montessori schools, teachers, and parents.  Living Montessori Now is currently hosting an awesome giveaway, courtesy of Montessori Compass, of an iPad for one lucky person - get on over there, read about the system, and enter the contest!  I'll be writing more about Montessori Compass including its impact on our classroom record keeping and parent communication very soon.  In the meantime, you will notice a new addition in the sidebar of the blog (underneath the picture of my school) with a link to this valuable tool. :)

So, it is with great excitement I share with you some of what has transpired in our classroom over the course of the week:

Mixing colors - what a beautiful array!

Some of our youngest members of the class are still enjoying THIS Sound/No Sound activity.

Working with different shapes in the Geometric Cabinet.  This material gives the child a sensorial impression of various shapes while promoting writing skills (tracing).

Understanding numbers and linear counting with the Teen Beads 11-19.

During a Sandpaper Letter lesson, one of the children pointed out the same letter on another child's shirt!

How beautiful is this flower arrangement?  We usually don't have roses, but one of my students gave me a bouquet on the occasion of our school's Open House last weekend.  We have been enjoying them immensely.

Linear and skip counting with the Square Chain of Five.

Comparing the Pink Tower and Brown Stair.

Enjoying our St. Patrick's Day math game.  Here, an older student is playing with a younger one, helping with basic concepts.

A pin-pushed Map of the World - the kids were so complimentary and said, "Ooh, how beautiful!"  "Look at that!"

Static Subtraction with the Stamp Game.

The Thousand Chain!

Extension work with the Solid Cylinders.  The children in this photo set up the blocks at two close tables and proceeded to complete the exercise with their eyes closed.  How fun!  And, I especially love the flowers!

Pre-reading:  Sequencing Cards

The children LOVE this activity - balancing marbles on golf tees.

Static Subtraction with Golden Beads.

Working collaboratively with the Pink Tower and Brown Stair...

and to make this, too.  

Here, is one of their drawings of the extension work.

Bells - Matching

Practical Life:  Metal Polishing

Grace and Courtesy:  Practicing a verbal greeting with a handshake.  (I wish I could show the children's faces in this photo - big smiles!)

An Education for the Senses: Part Two

Read the first part of this topic in the post HERE.

Five direct purposes of sensorial education:

• Provides the child the necessary tools to enhance the child’s natural tendency to explore their environment.

The child is a ‘natural sensory explorer’ and has been such since birth.  An education for the senses allows the child to understand all that surrounds him from the colors he sees to the items he touches and feels.  The child becomes more aware of the details not only of his own senses, but also those who surround him.  He is better able to articulate his own experiences.

• Allows the child to distinguish between similarities and differences.

The child is allowed to practice and refine the necessary senses and formulate his own thoughts regarding concepts that are similar and ones that are different.

• Develops skills in identifying sequential patterning.

Intrinsic in the Montessori Sensorial materials is a sequential order of patterns.  This may include the sizes of the Pink Tower Cubes going from largest to smallest.  Likewise, patterns can be seen not only in the individual pieces of material themselves, but also through the sequence of lessons.  For example, the lessons of the Color Tablets build upon each other, creating a pattern of use within the apparatus.

• Allows for the child to acquire information about their environment.

The children are given the necessary means by which they are better able to understand their world.  He is given the language to describe these elements and is therefore better able to contribute to the social world.

Five Indirect purposes of sensorial education:

• Preparation for writing.

The Montessori Sensorial materials allow the child to develop the muscles used in writing through the use of the pincer grasp with the apparatus.  The Knobbed Cylinders or the tracing of shapes in the Geometry and Botany cabinets provide a few examples of this indirect aim.

• Increased vocabulary.

The child is exposed to the precise language of the materials which builds his knowledge of words.

• Enhances the child’s social skills.

Due to the fact that the child’s vocabulary and knowledge increases, he is better able to contribute socially.  He is able to articulate his impressions and share them with others.

• Increased attention span.

As the child progresses through the exercises, he is allowed to practice and enhance his concentration and abilities to pay attention to his own actions and learning.

• Prepares the child’s ‘Mathematical Mind.”

The Sensorial materials are organized with a base of ten.  For example, the Pink Tower and Broad Stairs are each comprised of ten cubes and prisms respectively.  Likewise, there are ten of each of the Knobbed and Knobless Cylinders.  This indirectly prepares the child’s mind for mathematical concepts.

Another Week

gone by...    Here are some pictures of what we've been up to:

A colorful shape sorting activity which has been used for not only sorting shapes, but also for counting and patterning.

Practical Life:  Spooning colored rice.

Number matching:  One of my young three's chose this work from the shelf and began tracing the felt numbers.  Then, on her own, she started matching the Sandpaper Numbers to the shamrocks.

Pink Tower and Brown Stair extensions - and drawing them, too! :)

Days of the Week reading practice.

Which one is different?  I made this small set of pre-reading cards several years ago using some fun stickers.  The dots used to cover the 'different' object is simply a foam circle.

Folding Cloths

Tactile discrimination (temperature) with the Thermic Tablets.

Constructive Triangles:  Large Hexagonal Box

Geography:  Map of Asia

Dynamic Addition:  3,788 + 3,467 = 7,255

Sealing with glue to make shamrock shapes.
(Click on caption to read more about it).

Static Subtraction with the Stamp Game.

Patterns and colors - lots of fun with this enrichment material!

Linear and skip counting with the Hundred Chain.

Finding a quiet spot with the Silence Game.

Tens Board:  Here, the child is counting from 11-99 (yes, she did all of them at once!).  This pictures shows her making the numeral 25 next to the two tens and five units.

Working with the Trinomial Cube.

I brought these extension cards for the Knobless Cylinders in hopes of renewing interest in the material.
 

First Control of the Addition Snake Game (control of error).

More Pink Tower and Brown Stair work.

An Education for the Senses: Part One

Maria Montessori believed there is a sensitive period for developing the senses.  Although the senses are an integral part of our lives, children during the early years, have the greatest potential to develop and refine them.  It is precisely this idea that demonstrates the purpose of Sensorial materials in the Montessori classroom.  The Sensorial materials are powerful tools, which allow a child to become aware of his unconscious impressions and bring those impressions in to conscious awareness.  Additionally, they enable the child to create a basis of order in his mind allowing for intelligent exploration of his environment. 

Montessori was influenced by the sensorial equipment designs of Itard and Seguin who used these materials while working with disabled children.  It was Montessori, however, who developed her own pedagogy to incorporate the materials to enhance the development of all children.  Use of the Sensorial materials aids children in developing and refining each of the senses.  Consequently, a better understanding of the world arises as the child is able to describe and articulate all that he observes.  Furthermore, the sensorial experiences create for the child an acute awareness of the beauty that surrounds him.

Color Tablets:  Third Box

The sensorial exercises designed by Montessori focus on each quality that can be perceived by the senses including size, shape, texture, scent, loudness, softness, matching, sorting, weight, taste, and temperature.  Furthermore, all of the senses are represented in the materials: The visual sensorial exercises enable the child to distinguish between similar and differing objects. These visual exercises can be divided into three categories including size, form and chromatic, or color.  Work competed with the Pink Tower or Brown Stairs enable the child to refine his skills in perfecting detection of size.  Exercises which enhance visual aspects of varying form would include work with the Geometric Solids.  The Color Tablets are a source for the child to perfect his visual skills regarding color.  The tactile sense is also represented in the Montessori Sensorial apparatus.  Work with the Fabrics lesson, Touch Boards and Touch Tablets enable the child to enhance, refine, and achieve sensorial awareness of touch.  Through work with the Baric Tablets, a child is promoting development of his baric sense and differentiating weights.  Likewise, the thermic sense is allowed to be exercised with the use of the Thermic Bottles and Tablets.  The olfactory and gustatory senses are also represented in the Montessori sensorial materials through the Smelling Jars, and Taste Bottles.  Additionally, an integral part of sense training in the Montessori setting is the development of the stereognostic/haptic sense.  Exercises with the Mystery Bag or Geometric Solids enhance and refine this unique sense.  All of the senses are represented in the Montessori Sensorial lessons.  Ultimately, they “guide the child to logical thought and [further] discovery,” of their surrounding world.

Pink Tower and Brown Stair extension.

An important factor of the Sensorial equipment is that they are scientifically designed.  Unlike Practical Life materials where the child has a frame of reference from the home, Sensorial materials are not familiar to the child.  This aids in maintaining an open mind about what the materials will teach. The purpose of the equipment is to focus the mind on one particular abstraction from the environment.  This distinguishing factor of Sensorial materials is called ‘Isolation of a Property.’  The color tablets provide an example of this factor by keeping size, weight, shape, and texture identical, providing the element of color as the isolated property.  Throughout the materials, the isolated property is non-adaptable, that is, the isolated concept is universal and can be used in any country or culture in the world.

Control of Error is also built into the exercises.  The student can see for himself when the material goes together correctly.  Likewise, he can see if a mistake has been made, analyze the problem, and solve it.  Interruption from the teacher or other adults is not required, in turn, building a higher sense of self-esteem and self-discipline within the student. 

Sensorial work is usually presented to an individual student or small group.  As the teacher, we must always assess the needs of the student and progress at the appropriate level and pace.  Participation during the presentation is encouraged should the student/s show interest.  Also, giving the child freedom to repeat an activity for as long as he wishes is an important factor in the learning process.  Presentations consist of two parts.  First, the child is shown how to handle the materials.  Secondly, the purpose or goal of the material is shown through the activity itself.  After the presentation, the teacher observes the child as he works with the materials.  Through careful observation, the teacher will note any mistakes and attempt to interpret them without intent for correction.  Most often, through the control of error, a child will discover their own mistake and adult intervention is not necessary. The teacher can always represent a lesson if she feels it is appropriate.

The Three Period Lesson is a vital tool developed by Montessori, who borrowed from Seguin, as an effective learning procedure for a student.  It is provided only after the student has had experience and is comfortable handling the material.   In the First Period, the teacher provides the terminology or answer.  The Second Period is the recognition stage where the teacher asks the child to show the answer.  Confirmation of knowledge is demonstrated in the Third Period and the child provides an answer on their own.  The Three Period Name Lesson is used not only with Sensorial materials, but in other areas of study as well. 

As a child’s senses are refined through use of the Sensorial materials, they are ultimately creating a better understanding of the world around them.  They become aware of beauty and aesthetics, better able to articulate and analyze information, and more prepared for intellectual activities.  A sense of pride and accomplishment develop as a child finishes his tasks and makes his own discoveries.  As teachers, we have a duty to provide children with a rich environment from which they can naturally develop into unique individuals with an appreciation and understanding of their world.

Little Blue and Little Yellow

Leo Leonni's book, Little Blue and Little Yellow, is one of my favorite books to read this time of year.  While fitting in perfectly with all things green in the classroom this month, it provides a meaningful extension for numerous color mixing and art lessons.  Last year, I used this book as inspiration as we explored collage techniques as seen in the post HERE.  This year, I have put together a color-mixing activity utilizing a different gluing technique which is new for my students.


Sealing with Glue:  White card stock (with shamrock shape); bowl with blue and yellow tissue paper squares; on green tray - small bowl in which to place a handful of tissue paper squares; baby food jar with sealing mixture (two parts glue, one part water); jar for brush; glue mat (under tray).

The student takes a shamrock paper along with all necessary materials from the shelf to a workspace.  As will all the art lessons I present in my classroom, the tray is placed to the left of the glue mat promoting left to right directionality and therefore reading and writing skills.  The children were shown how to apply a layer of glue to a small section inside the shamrock and gently place a tissue paper square.  Then, they brush another thin layer on top of the tissue paper square, sealing the piece in place.  This process is repeated, with the squares overlapping in some spots, to create a color-mixing effect. 


Here, the child has set everything up and is in the process of sealing the tissue paper squares.
"It makes green!"

Once the paper was dry, the shapes were cut out and mounted.  They look great along with our Irish flag collages in our hall:


Sealing with tissue paper:  Shamrocks