Montessori Knobless Cylinders Lesson Presentation

MATERIALS:

Four sets of 10 cylinders. Each set is a different colour and has a corresponding colour lid. Yellow cylinders vary in height and diameter. Green cylinders vary in height and diameter. Red cylinders vary in diameter. Blue cylinders vary in diameter.

OBJECTIVES:

• To develop the child’s visual perception of dimension.
• To develop the child’s co-ordination of movement.
• To provide experiences of seriation.
• To give the child basic language important in Maths.
• Fine motor movements and co-ordination
• Concentration
• Hand eye co-ordination

CONTROL OF ERROR:

Visual – the child can see irregularities in the seriation.

If the tower topples.

AGE:

2 ½ – 3 years approx.

PRESENTATION:

Individual exercise done on a floor mat or on a table.

Place a mat on the working space. Select the yellow box first. Show the child how to carry the box using two hands cupped around the box. Remove the cylinders one by one grasping them over the top with your dominant hand. Place the box neatly to the side and the top of the mat.

Show the child how to grade the cylinders from biggest to smallest in a horizontal line.

Exercise 1:

The child grades the cylinders.

PRESENTATION 2

Show the child how to build a tower with the cylinders starting with the largest cylinders first. If the mat has a thick, uneven pile, you may use the lid of the box as a base.

Exercise 2:

The child builds the tower.

Exercise 3:

The child uses the four sets of cylinders together to discover different properties such as similarities and differences in dimensions between the cylinders.