Montessori Maths Activity: Fishing 123s with Jar Lids

This was prepared for J on 16 August 2011, but I didn't manage to take more pictures.

 8 years later, this was prepared for C, and I managed to take pictures, which I documented :-)

Age: From 2 years old (Level 2)

Activity Duration: 5-15 minutes

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Objective(s): To train the child’s hand-eye coordination skill

Materials:
1. 1 toy fishing rod
2. Jar lids written with 1, 2, 3...
3. 1 bowl to contain the fished jar lids and some toy fishes
4. 1 basin containing water
5. 1 tray

Directions:
1. Call out a number and demonstrate to your child by fishing the number on the lid with the fishing rod.

2. Ask  your child to use the fishing rod to fish out the same number of fishes based on the number called.

2. Call out another number and let your child try to fish for the number.

Cost:
Plastic fish rod: 20 DKK (4.80 SGD or 3.80 USD) at Chao Chao at Lyngby Station

Additional Information:
I got this idea from seeing a toddler playing with the toy sold in Amazon. Baby FECS tried this on 12 November 2019 (3Y5M26D). I taught her how to carry the Montessori tray containing this activity from the shelf upstairs to the bath room. She did it all on her own, making it all the way upstairs and into the bathroom without any accident :-)

She enjoyed the activity a lot. She couldn't really recognize the number yet, but it will take practice and repetition to learn the numbers. But she enjoyed fishing the fishes out of the basin of water and into a bowl. Towards the end, she poured back all the fishes she "caught" back into the "pond" - the basin of water.

12 November 2019 (3Y5M26D): Carrying the Montessori tray from the playroom...

and up the stairs she went... :-)

We place the lids with Chinese numbers and the fishes into the basin and then poured in water... 

I asked her to fish for the number "1* in Chinese.

I asked her to fish for one fish, corresponding to the number "1" lid.

I called a number and asked her for fish for that number that appeared on the lid. She needed to bit of help to identify the correct lid and then fished it.

Then I asked her to fish the corresponding number of fishes again.

This was repeated until all the number lids and fishes were fished out :-) 

She then chose to pour back all the fishes and number lids back to the "pond" i.e. basin of water and start another round of the game :-)

Edible Homemade Playdough

Ingredients:

1. Wholemeal flour

2. Water

Directions:

Mix and knead some amount of flour and water. Adjust with more flour or water until the dough is soft, but does not stick to your fingers.

Additional Information:

I have found many play dough recipes on the internet, but they all look rather inconvenient, requiring salt and cream of tartar. I supposed salt is added in order to extend the shelf life of the play dough. But I am not sure why cream of tartar is required. Most recipes don't realy explain why. 

I wanted simply to make some dough for Baby FECS to touch and play with - sensory experience. I wanted something that would be edible, as she loves to taste everything she plays with. I don't want her to taste play dough that contains so much salt as it would be too salty and unhealthy and at the same time, I don't want her to develop a taste for salty food. I wanted to be able to make some dough for her to play without having to struggle to use time to measure and follow a recipe, as when she is awake, it is very difficult to do anything that requires me to read instructions.

I don't want a play dough that is actually tasty and would encourage her to put it into the mouth, so just plain flour and water is perfect. But if she does put it into her mouth, I want it to be edible and healthy, so I decided to choose wholemeal flour, I know that it is safe and at the same time, would actually add to her nutrition.

I don't need a playdough that has a long shelf-life, as with her span of attention and interest, at most, we would be able to recycle it twice. So I can just put the dough in the fridge and lasting for another play the following day would be good enough for me.

So I decided to just use flour and water to make a dough for her to play with. So very simple, just two ingredients and mix until it forms a dough. It works quite well.

But even for this very simple "recipe," I only managed to try it now, as I have been bringing the kids out on most days, since it is school holidays now in Denmark. On days when we are home, time passed just so fast that it is challenging for me even to find the time and energy to mix some flour and water to form dough. Finally, our Little FECS is away this week to a camp, leaving me with Baby FECS home alone. So I finally managed to do this activity with Baby FECS today. After a few minutes, Baby FECS found it fun to make small dough and throw them on the floor.... aaarrrggghhh...

Okay, all these are just excuses... the main reason for the delay is that I dreaded the mess playing with flour would cause. I finally pluck up sufficient courage and energy today to allow Baby FECS to play with flour and dough and true enough, it was quite messy!!! I had to clean it up, but having all the nice feeling that I had given Baby FECS the sensory experience beneficial for her development, while I slogged to clean it up. Daddy FECS came home and while helping me to clean, he decided to give the high chair she sat on while playing with the dough and good hose down... what a sweetie hubby :-)

Adjust the amount of flour and water until the dough is soft, but doesn't stick to your fingers.

26 July 2017 (1Y2M10D): Baby FECS playing with homemade playdough for the first time

Toy of the Day: Homemade Pull-A-Sash Box (6M25D)

10 December 2016 (6M25D): Don't throw away the baby-wipes case. Re-use it as toy by stuffing it with sashes. 

10 December 2016 (6M24D): Baby FECS loves pulling at things now. 

She could pull out the sashes from the box.

Let Baby Touch Leaf

From 3 months old

This is a touch sensory experience for baby with leaf. J plucked this leaf from our balcony this morning and gave it to Baby C to feel and touch :-) Trust the little brother to think up of sensory activities for Baby :-)

23 October 2016 (5M7D): But the little rascal at 5 months old, is at the exploring stage and likes to mouth everything, so we had to take it away from her, and only let her touch with supervision. It would have been easier if she was 3 months old.

Homemade Mirror for Baby

Baby Mirror

Age: From 2 months old

Don't throw away your make-up case, wash it, clean it and give it to baby as baby mirror for baby to look at :-)

And with this, you don't need to buy little toy baby mirror as well :-)

When Baby is older, she would love to open and close the compartment...

Homemade Mobile for Baby

Homemade mobile that allows you the flexibility of changing the display of toys.

Made from IKEA's clothes hanger (29 DKK/5.90 SGD). Idea credit www.apa.dk

Test by lying down and see if the toys are turning at the right position that is interesting for the baby. The toys should be facing baby.

The homemade mobile view from the side...

 4 September 2016 (15W7D): Trying it out with Baby C... she preferred to look how it rotates from the side through the side mirror...

 4 September 2016 (15W7D): Baby C started to look at the toys

  4 September 2016 (15W7D): Baby C tries to grasp the toys...

 4 September 2016 (15W7D): It worked, Baby C is looking intensely at the toys... :-)

Dangle Ribbons at Baby

Age: From 0 month old

Indulge your baby's growing interest in color and movement. Tie several short ribbons (approx. 15 cm long) onto a bracelet or clothes hanger. Flutter the ribbons in front of him, letting them tickle her arms and legs. As she grows older, she might reach out to touch the colorful ribbons.

I got this idea from the book "Play & Learn:  activities for baby and child" by Dr. Roni Cohen Leiderman and Dr. Wendy Masi available from Amazon:

http://amzn.to/1sZxPEs

Montessori Activity: Homemade Fabric Box

Age: From 2 years old

Objective(s): To refine the child's sense of touch through matching fabrics according to the texture by feeling with the child's fingers.

Materials:

1. The Fabric Box contains different pairs of fabric such as:

• Cotton
• Wool
• Jute
• Silk
• Linen
• Velvet
• Satin
• Leather
• Rayon
• Demin

2. 1 blindfold (optional)
3. 1 mat

Presentation:

1. Mix the pile of fabric randomly.
2. Take the 1st piece of fabric from the top of the pile.
3. Feel it with your hands.
4. Take the next piece of fabric from the pile and compare if they are the same through touch.
5. If they are not the same, i.e. they don't match, put the 2nd fabric aside to the right of the pile.
6. Continue to compare one fabric at a time until a match is found.
7. Place the matched pair on the top left corner of the mat.
8. Continue matching in the same manner until all pairs are found.
9. After your child has gained sufficient experience, use the 3-Period Lesson to teach the name of each fabric.
10. To increase the challenge, use a blindfold for your child to rely solely on his touch to match the pair, instead of sight (optional)

Video Demonstration:


Here is a video demonstrating the above presentation:

https://youtu.be/Uk8np8g7w4g

This video shows another way for the child to work with this material:

https://youtu.be/bx653dnQjeo

Additional Information:

I did not introduce this to J, when he was a toddler. It was too much work, and I am not good at making things. But I would like to do this activity with Baby.

I am currently on maternity leave, waiting for the baby to arrive. As such, I have attempted to make my own Fabric Box. I cut out the pieces from unwanted clothes, scarves, towel, etc. I re-used a wooden box, which came with chocolate, to store the fabric.

It has taken me the whole night yesterday to make this. I am glad I have completed it.

References:

http://www.infomontessori.com/sensorial/tactile-sense-fabrics.htm
http://www.montessorialbum.com/montessori/index.php?title=Fabrics
http://teachingfromatacklebox.blogspot.dk/2013/08/montessori-fabric-matching-part-1.html

Pictorial Demonstration:

Mix the pile of fabric randomly.

Take the first piece of fabric from the top of the pile. Feel it with your hands.

Take the next piece of fabric from the pile.

Touch and

compare if they are the same through touch.

If they are not the same, i.e. they don't match, set the second fabric aside to the right of the pile.

Take the 3rd piece of fabric from the top of the pile.

Feel it with your hands.

Compare if they are the same through touch.

If they are not the same, i.e. they don't match, put the end piece of fabric aside to the right of the pile.

Take the 4th piece of fabric from the top of the pile.

Feel it with your hands.

compare if they are the same through touch.

If they are the same, place the matched pair on the top left corner of the mat.

Continue matching in the same manner until all pairs are found.

Return the fabric back to its box after use.

After your child has gained sufficient experience, use the 3-Period Lesson to teach the name of each fabric.

You can also make this activity more challenging by using a blindfold for your child to rely solely on his touch to match the pair.

How to Make This Materials:

Our Montessori Fabric Box is homemade:

They are made from the materials from old clothes, scarves, cloth bags and towels.

I use the Montessori metal inset as a template for the size. 

Each fabric piece is 10 x 10 cm. 

I use an old chocolate wooden box to store the fabric.

Place the fabric box in a tray, ready for the child to bring to the table or mat:-)

This is how it looks like inside :-)

Our fabrics consist of:

1st column: Spandex, towel, net and felt (focus on providing a clear difference in texture)

2nd column: Satin, cotton, polyester, linen (focus on providing the increasing degree of coarseness)

3rd column: Silk, Thai silk, another kind of silk & bath cloth

Last column: Demin

I did not have velvet at home, thus velvet hasn't been included.