Montessori Activity: The Bead Cabinet - Sensorial Experiences with the Chain (Stage IX)

 

AGE: 4.5-6 (the child should have worked with the initial bead presentation and the short bead stair and be very familiar with the sensorial materials)

OBJECTIVE(S): To show the child the progression of different relationships between units, squares, and cubes.

MATERIALS:

Bead Cabinet consists of:

1.     Colored square chains

2.     1 mat

 

PREPARATION:

1.     Place several mats on the floor, one beneath the other.

2.     Bring the bead presentation tray containing 1 unit, 10 bar, 100 square and 1000 cube to the mat. Later add to these materials the 100 and 1000 chains.

STAGE IX:

1.     Place all of the square chains in a vertical manner on the mat, right to left.

2.     Move down the one red bead

3.     Move down the bead chain of 2 (leave in a vertical line)

4.     Move the pink chain down and form in a triangle

5.     Move the yellow chain down and form a square

6.     Move the light blue chain down and form a pentagon

7.     Move the violet chain down and form a hexagon

8.     Move the white chain down and form a heptagon

9.     Move the brown chain down and form an octagon

10.  Move the dark blue chain down and form a nonagon

11.  Move the 100 chain down and form a decagon

12.  After forming the above, point to the third chain (forms a triangle) and ask: "Can you find something in the geometric cabinet that looks like this?"

13.  Repeat this with each figure formed.

14.  Your child places geometric figure on the rug next to the beads.

- With the red and green beads any straight line figure will do.

- This is a great activity and is enjoyed by every child.

REFERENCES:

- https://archive.org/details/advancedmontess00livigoog
- Shu-Chen Jenny Yen’s On-line Montessori Albums http://faculty.fullerton.edu/syen/mts/math/_link.htm