Montessori Continent Globe (Bridging) Lesson, Age 3 to 6

MONTESSORI ACTIVITY

Montessori Continents Globe (Bridging) Lesson Activity for Ages 3 to 6

MONTESSORI CATEGORY

Geography

AGE

3 – 6 years approx.

MONTESSORI ACTIVITY OBJECTIVES

• To introduce the child to the flat representation of the world.
• To prepare him for later map work.
• To lead him towards abstraction – moving from the 3 dimensional to the 2 dimensional.

MONTESSORI MATERIALS:

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The puzzle map of the world

• A ball of plasticine or modelling clay
• A knife and chopping board
• Work Mat

CONTROL OF ERROR:

If the child does not prick the map of Africa deep enough there will be no impression left once he has flattened the plasticine.

PRESENTATION 1:

This is an individual exercise done on the table on a work mat.

1. Ask the child to carry the continents globe to the table. Show the child how to carry the globe to the table with one hand supporting the base and the other supporting the globe.
2. Place the globe on the floor …on the work mat.
3. Collect the planisphere (puzzle map) from the shelf and place this on the mat too.
4. Tell the child you are going to show him how we get from a round world to drawing a flat world. Tell the child that it is easier to draw a map this way – on a 2 dimensional level.
5. Tell the child that when we draw a flat earth we can see the whole world and not just the part that we are directly looking at, as is the case with the globe.
6. Roll the plasticine into a sphere and compare it to the globe. With a sharpish instrument, prick out an outline of Africa. Show the child. Place the plasticine on the board, take the knife and cut the plasticine in half.
7. Place the halves on a plastic mat and one by one press them flat. Compare the flattened half to the two hemispheres of the puzzle map saying that this is how we get a flat representation of our world.
8. Invite the child to have a turn.