Knobbed Cylinders

AGE

2.5 years approx.

MATERIALS

Block A – the cylinders vary in height and dimension from short/narrow to tall/wide. Block B– the cylinders vary in height and diameter from tall/narrow to short/wide. Block C– the cylinders vary in diameter. Block D – the cylinders vary in height.

DIRECT AIM

To develop the child’s visual perception of dimension.

INDIRECT AIM

To develop the child’s co-ordination of movement. To provide controlled experiences of seriation. To give the child basic language important in Maths. To strengthen the child’s fingers for writing.

PRESENTATION

Individual exercise done at a table.

1. 1. Bring block A from the shelf showing the child how to support the underside with the small fingers. Place the cylinder block in the front of the table leaving enough space to place the cylinders.
   2. Remove the cylinders from left to right holding the knob of each cylinder between the thumb and first two fingers. Mix the cylinders in the front as you remove them.
   3. After a short pause, return the cylinders choosing them in order of size from left to right.

Exercise 1:

1. 1. The child does the exercise as presented using one block at a time until he is able to work with each block separately.

Exercise 2:

1. 1. The child repeats the exercise using two blocks together and they are placed in a “V” formation. Say”angle” as you feel the inside of the blocks with the two fingers of your dominant hand. Remove the cylinders from each cylinder, holding the knob of each cylinder between the thumb and first two fingers. Mix the cylinders in the space between the angles as you remove them.
   2. After a short pause, return the cylinders in no particular order.
   3. You can also place the cylinders in a parallel formation, feel the parallel formation with your middle and index fingers, and name it: “parallel”. Remove the cylinders from each cylinder block, holding the knob of each cylinder between the thumb and first two fingers. Mix the cylinders in the space between the parallel blocks as you remove them.
   4. After a short pause, return the cylinders in no particular order.

Exercise 3:

1. 1. The child repeats the exercise using three blocks together. They are placed in the shape of a triangle. Show the child how to feel the triangle.

Exercise 4:

1. 1. The child repeats the exercise using four blocks together.
   2. They are placed in the form of a square. Show the child how to feel the square and then how to remove the cylinders from each cylinder block, holding the knob of each cylinder between the thumb and first two fingers. Mix the cylinders in the middle of the square.
   3. After a short pause, return the cylinders in no particular order

Exercise 5:

1. The child repeats the exercise using four blocks together.
2. They are placed in the form of a rectangle. Show the child how to feel the rectangle and how to proceed as before.

Game 1:

The cylinders are placed on a table and the cylinder block is placed on another table some distance away. She places a flag into a hole in the cylinder block and asks the child to fetch the correct cylinder.

Game 2

Each child takes a cylinder and holds it behind his back. The block remains on the table. The Montessori Directress points to one of the holes and invites the children to discover who has the corresponding cylinder by feeling his hidden cylinder.

CONTROL OF ERROR

The cylinders will not fit snuggly into their sockets. The socket will be too big for the cylinder.