Montessori Land and Water Forms Lesson Activity

island and lake

cape and bay

peninsula and gulf

isthmus and strait.

(archipelago and series of lakes)

The land may be made from clay, which is waterproofed and sprayed, brown.

A jug of blue-coloured water, a tray and a drying cloth.

Learning the simple definitions of the various landforms.

1. Introduce one land and water form at a time. Invite the child to get some water in the jug, or to pour the coloured water into the “island” landform. Let the child explore this sensorially by feeling the water and feeling the land. Give the child a short definition, saying, “an island is a body of land entirely surrounded by water.”
2. Let the child pour some water into the lake form. Let him feel the water and the land. Give him a brief definition that “a lake is a body of water entirely surrounded by land”.[DAP isPaidUser=”Y” errMsgTemplate=”LONG”]
3. Do a brief three period lesson on the land and water forms without moving the trays around.
4. Show the child how to empty the landform carefully into the jug by centering one corner over the jug.
5. Wait for the last drop to fall and then dry the landform with the drying cloth.
6. Invite the child to empty and dry the other landform in the same way.

Presentation 2

Present the cape and bay in exactly the same way. Thereafter, the peninsula and gulf, isthmus and strait, and lastly archipelago and a series of lakes.

Extension 1

This is a bridging exercise where the child matches the 10 forms to the land and water form cards. Lay the trays out in pairs from the top of the mat to the bottom.

Give the child a card and let him try to find the concrete match. He places the card beside the form. Alternatively, show the child the landform and let him find the matching card. If the cards are made out of sandpaper, he may even feel the form as a control of error.

You may want to keep mentioning the name of the land and water forms as the child manages to match them.