Montessori Botany Cabinet and 3 sets of corresponding Cards

MATERIALS:

Three sets of Leaf cards.

Set 1 – Solid Outline

Set 2 – Thick Outline

Set 3 – Thin Outline

OBJECTIVES:

To make the child familiar with, and to teach him the appropriate leaf shape names.

To lead the child towards abstraction.

To refine the child’s reasoning powers.

Preparation for reading and writing.

Co-ordination of Movement.

CONTROL OF ERROR:

There is a card for each inset.

AGE:

3 plus years.

PRESENTATION 1:

1. This is an individual exercise done at the table or on the floor on a floor mat.

2. Bring the first Tray to the mat and place it in the centre of the mat. The child sits on your non-dominant side.

3. Take the leaf cards from the Solid set and lay them out around the tray.

4. Lay a card out to the left-hand side of the tray, lay two cards out in front of the tray and lay the last card out on the right hand side of the tray.

5. Remove the insets slowly and gracefully by grasping the little white knob. Place them on their matching solid cards ensuring that the blue solid shape is totally covered.

EXERCISE 1:

The child works with the exercise as presented.

EXERCISE 2:

On another day, invite the child to work with the second drawer, and so on working with each drawer in succession.

The child places the leaf inset on to each card in turn.

EXERCISE 3:

Later, the child repeats the exercise with:

The broad outline cards

The thin outline cards.

EXERCISE 4:

The child continues working until he can use all 3 drawers and all 3 sets of cards together at one time.

Game 1:

1. Select a drawers of the cabinet and place it on a mat at one end of the room, ensuring that the children can see the shape.

2. Take the solid set of the cards, show a child the card and ask him to fetch the corresponding wooden inset.

3. When he brings it, let him fit it over the card. Show another card to another child and continue in this way until all the cards and insets have been matched.

Game 2:

4. Select a drawer from the cabinet and place it on a mat at one end of the room, ensuring that the children can see the shape.

5. Take an inset this time, show a child the inset and ask him to fetch the corresponding card.

6. When he brings the card back, let him fit the inset and card together.

7. Show another inset to another child and continue in this way until all the cards and insets have been matched.

Game 3:

1. Place two mats on the floor a good distance apart.

2. A variety of insets are placed on one mat and assorted cards are placed on the other mat.

3. Point to one inset and ask the child to bring the corresponding card. Specify whether it should be solid, a thick outline, or a thin outline.

Game 4:

1. Spread all the cards from set 1 on the table.

2. Place set 2 on another table and place all the leaf drawers from the cabinet on a third table.

3. Mix the cards from set 3 and give a few to a group of children.

4. Ask them to find the corresponding insets and cards to those they have been given.

5. In doing so they have to remember the leaf shapes they have been given.

Game 5:

1. Using two sets of leaf cards e.g. The solid and thick outline, share out one set of cards among the children who then place them on their tables face up.

2. Hold up one card from the other set and the child who has the corresponding card turns his card down.

3. The game continues until all the cards are used up.

Game 6:

1. A more difficult variation of this game can be played by turning the card face down on the table.

2. Allow the children to have a thorough look at them.

3. Then when the Montessori Directress holds up the card from her set, the child remembers and recognises it as his card.

Game 7:

Stereognostic exercise

1. Place the leaf shapes and a few frames, into the stereognostic bag or blindfold the child.

2. Let the child feel the shapes and frames and replace the corresponding shape into the frame.

Montessori Botany Cabinet Lesson Presentation

MATERIALS:

A wooden cabinet with 3 drawers containing wooden frames.

The wooden insets are of basic leaf shapes.

An orange stick.

Each inset has a knob for handling.

Drawer 1: Pairs – cordate, obcordate, obovate, ovate.

Drawer 2: Contrasts – lanceolate, aciculate, spatulate, linear, hastate, saggitate.

Drawer 3 : Contrasts – reniform, orbiculate, deltoid (triangular), elliptical

OBJECTIVES:

To make the child familiar with, and to teach him the appropriate leaf shape names.

To develop the child’s visual perception

To teach the child new language.

CONTROL OF ERROR:

There is a socket for each inset in the tray in the cabinet.

There is a card for each inset.

AGE:

3 plus years.

PRESENTATION 1:

1. This is an individual exercise done at the table.

2. Bring the 1st Tray to the table and sit on the right hand side. The child sits on your non-dominant side.

3. Choose 3 contrasting shapes.

4. Remove the insets slowly and gracefully by grasping the little white knob.

5. Place each leaf inset on the plain wooden spaces opposite.

6. With the fleshy tips of your fingers feel the entire edge of the inset in one continuous movement, starting at the near bottom corner and moving anti -clockwise.

7. Gently place the inset down and with the same fingers as before, feel the entire inside edge of the space in that inset’s frame, in one continuous movement. Again, start at the far left-hand corner and move anti-clockwise.

8. Pick up the inset and by your facial expression show that you have affirmed the shape in that they both feel the same.

9. In one smooth, continuous movement, replace the inset into its frame.

10. Repeat this process for the other 2 leaf shapes in the Tray.

11. If the leaf shape is intricate, use an orange stick to trace around the shape.

EXERCISE 1:

The child works with the exercise as presented.

EXERCISE 2:

On another day, invite the child to work with the second drawer, and so on working with each drawer in succession.

EXERCISE 3:

The child unrolls a floor mat and works with 2 drawers at a time.

EXERCISE 4:

The child unrolls a floor mat and works with 3 drawers at a time.