a pink tower extension

Our computer is on the fritz right now... I'm unable to upload photos, so I'm going to have to be patient and wait until next week to show you all the fun things Elise and I have been doing!  In the meantime, here are some photos of a Pink Tower extension I just found from my teaching days. 

Oh, Pink Tower, how I miss you.  You're certainly not just any old stack of blocks!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Pink Tower, it's a set of 10 wooden cubes, ranging in size from 1 to 10 centimeters.  It was one of the first lessons presented to every three-year-old student in my classroom, but it was NOT just for the little ones. 

One of my favorite things about the Montessori sensorial materials is that the opportunity for exploration is limitless.  The Pink Tower can be used for matching activities, language lessons (little/big, big/bigger/biggest, ect), and in combination with the Broad Stair (This one was definitely a favorite.)  The Pink Tower can continue to challenge older children by introducing them to concepts like weight, area, and volume.

Here are some photos of a bright and busy six-year-old finding the area of one side of each of the cubes of the Pink Tower.   

First, she traced the outlines of one side of each cube on a piece of 1cm graph paper.

 

Next, she colored and cut out the squares.  This child was able to skip count by square centimeters to determine the area.  A child could also do this by counting each square centimeter.     

Here's her finished work!   

 

I'll be popping back in later this week with some more fun little things.  Hope you all have a great week!
 

 

models?

As I cleaned the classroom this afternoon, I couldn't stop thinking about these pink tower/broad stair extension cards. Some teacher, somewhere along the way made them. They feature drawings and photos of various structures that can be built with the pink tower and the broad stair. They are super-worn out, and I can't decide whether I should make new ones or just get rid of them all together.

Here's my internal debate:

In my classroom, we try not to put out models with art lessons.
One of Bev Bos' (Don't Move the Muffin Tins) rules for preschool art teachers is to avoid models. Here's what she has to say about it:

By models, I mean those things you have made for the child to copy. Never make a model to show a child. In the first place, it's insulting. It's like saying, "You don't know what a turkey looks like, so I'll show you." I've heard teachers say, " Well, I always tell them they can make theirs any way they want, even if I make a model. " This isn't a solution. I know how inadequate I feel trying to copy any product made by someone much more skilled than I.

Does this apply to these cards? Do they stifle creativity and intimidate the children?

Not all children use them when they build with the pink tower and the broad stair. I've always felt that the children who do use them are inspired by all the possibilities, but maybe they should be making these discoveries on their own.

I took an art education class last spring, and when the instructor found out I was a Montessori teacher, he told me that one thing had always bothered him about Montessori schools. He couldn't understand why we had pictures to go along with the long red blocks. He was referring to the long stair, aka the red rods. (We have extension cards for this lesson in our classroom, too, they just didn't make it into the photo.) I couldn't give him a good answer then, and I still can't!

What do you think?

color mixing II

Here it is...

color mixing II:

This lesson requires
organization,
fine motor control,
commitment,
and sometimes a little problem solving.

It's pretty much a
big deal
around here!

The set-up for color mixing II
is the same as color mixing I,
but instead of using only two colors,
the child must use all three.

Here are the color ratios, clockwise from the top:

• 4 yellow
• 3 yellow :1 red
• 2 yellow : 2 red
• 1 yellow : 3 red
• 4 red
• 3 red : 1 blue
• 2 red : 2 blue
• 1 red : 3 blue
• 4 blue
• 3 blue : 4 yellow
  
• 2 blue : 2 yellow
  
• 1 blue : 3 yellow

The child mixes the colors together with a toothpick...

...carefully places a white paper towel over the top,

and viola!

a spectrum of colors!

primary, secondary, and tertiary!

* I'm not sure who to give credit to for these brilliant color mixing lessons... they were already in my classroom when I started teaching. I have had to remake the color mixing cards over the years because the children use them so much!

color mixing I

There's always a little magic in the air
when a little one watches
two primary colors mix together...

This is one of the lessons
I would do on repeat
if I were 4. :)


Color mixing on the shelf:

What you'll need:

• 3 eyedropper bottles filled with red, yellow, and blue (diluted food coloring or liquid water color both work well)
• toothpicks for mixing
• white paper towels
• laminated color mixing cards
• a damp sponge for cleaning up
  

This is my best picture of the color mixing cards! Hopefully, you can kind of get the gist of them through the glare! First, I drew circles on sheets of computer paper (cut down to squares). I used stickers to mark the color quantities, wrote the numerals next to each quantity, and then ran everything through the laminator. Don't worry, the quantities do not have to be exact - just keep in mind that one card should make shades of orange, one shades of purple, and one shades of green.

red and yellow make orange
red and blue make purple
blue and yellow make green

The child selects the color she needs,
and droppers the appropriate
amount onto the card.

Then, she mixes the colors together with a toothpick.

Finally, she lays a white paper towel over the mixed colors
and presses down gently.

ta da!

The primary colors have been replaced by
different shades of a secondary color!
green!
orange!
purple!

Of course, I don't say this or anything at all, really.
I hold my tongue and let the child have her
experience
in color mixing.

I'll share photos of color mixing II (the spectrum) tomorrow!

mystery bags

This is a fun sensorial lesson that would be easy to put together at home!

Place six very different feeling objects in a bag. My mom made these beautiful batik bags for me... there's something very magical about putting your hands in a mystery bag. If you don't have bags, you could place the objects in a basket and cover them with a cloth napkin instead.

With your child, take each object out of the bag one at a time and identify what it is. Pictured: rock, pine cone, ring, turtle, star, and key. Put them all back in the bag. Take turns "seeing with your hands." Model this for your child first by sticking your hand/hands inside the bag and carefully feel an object. Before you take it out of the bag, say what you think it is. If you're confident with your young partner's memory, add more objects. This game is fun when played with a small group of children, too.

This is a slightly more challenging version of the first mystery bag. Place six pairs of very different feeling objects in a bag. With your child, match the objects as you take them out of the bag. Pictured: marbles, glass cubes, shells, hooks (not sharp!), nuts, and shells. Put them all back in the bag. This time when you "see with your hands," try to find a matching set without peeking in the bag. Model for your child feeling for a match with both of your hands inside the bag. When you have a match, bring the objects out of the bag to check. "They match!" I've found that children enjoy using this mystery bag independently as-well-as in a small group.
The third mystery bag is the same as the second, except more challenging. The six pairs of objects that you place in this bag should feel only slightly different. For example, these objects are all buttons, but you could use a variety of shells, coins, pom poms, etc.

Just as an F.Y.I., the purpose of the mystery bags is to isolate the sense of touch, and strengthen fine motor skills. The way you model laying out the objects may also reinforce sequence if you lay them out left to right, top to bottom. Also, I'm not sure on this, but using both the left and right hand to find matches must exercise both sides of the child's brain! The control of error would be seeing if the object is what you think it is or if the objects match when you take them out of the bag.