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

 

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
3.     Cube chains

 

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 XI:

1.     Layout the cube chains as before. Beginning with the third chain (pink), have 3 children holding it in order to form a triangle. Each child in turn counts the side he is holding and then the chain is placed on the mat.

2.     Repeat with the four chain (making a square), but add another child. Repeat with the five chain (making a pentagon) but add another child. Repeat this procedure through the ten or 1000 chain, thus having ten children.

3.     When the chains are laid out on the mat as above (geometric forms), suggest to the children that they might find these forms in the geometric cabinet. Have the children find these forms in the cabinet and bring the geometric insets to the rug and place by the appropriate beads. Return material when through.

4.     Layout the cube chains in the shapes as in step 2 and place inside the same shapes with the square chains. Let children observe work when completed.

 

REFERENCES:

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