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

 

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.     Short bead stair

2.     Square chains

3.     Several mats

 

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 III:

1.     From the top of the mat, right to left, place the following short bead stair beads: 9-bead bar dark blue, 8-bead bar brown, 7-bead bar white, 6-bead bar purple,.....to 1-bead red.

2.     Have child count each bead bar as it is being placed on the mat beginning with:

- One red bead saying, "one"

- Two green beads saying, "one, two"

- Three pink beads saying, "one, two, three"

- Four yellow beads saying, "one, two, three, four"

- Five light blue beads saying, "one, two, three, four, five"
 

3.     Continue in this manner through nine.
 

4.     Below the above layout, place in a vertical line below the appropriate beads the square chains: 9 chain (vertical), 8 chain, 7 chain… to 1 red bead.
 

5.     Beginning with the red bead, place the individual bead bars next to the appropriate sections of the square chains. This is to show the child the relationship of the materials together and how many individual bars are used to make a particular chain.
 

6.     After placing the bead bars next to the appropriate sections of the square chain, return the bead bars to the top of the mat.
 

7.     Repeat above process but place the total layout in a horizontal manner:
 

1 red bead 1 red bead, 2 green bead bar 2 green square chain, 3 pink bead bar 3 pink square chain, 4 yellow bead bar 4 yellow square chain, 5 light blue bead bar 5 light blue square chain, 6 violet bead bar 6 violet square chain, 7 white bead bar 7 white square chain, 8 brown bead bar 8 brown square chain, 9 dark blue bead bar 9 dark blue square chain and 10 golden bar 100 golden chain

REFERENCES:

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