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  • FROM TEACHER TO TEACHER: Learning Materials For Pre-School Children

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    Yedidiah
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    Authors Remarks: When I set out to search for a teaching approach that was child appropriate and applicable for countries in Sub Sahara Africa, I had to take into account that young children like everywhere have a short attention span for lecturing. They are caught in their natural self-centeredness, and need to do things for themselves. They are still in the process of filling words with meaning, and of building the mental images that helps them to understand what teachers are trying to tell them. So, it had to be an individualized hands on-method for learning. The Montessori Method, provided an approved way as a starting point. But how could we manage to get the necessary materials for big groups of young children, on a very small budget. The only way out was to make similar materials to what Maria Montessori had been developing, taking her principles, and make them ourselves during the teachers training courses, which is even in the Montessori tradition. The benefit was that when teachers make their own materials, they understand them far better, and are much more vigilant that materials will not be misused and destroyed. The materials had to be of simple items that can be found easily in the African environment, and that are not expensive and have so little ‘valuable’, that they don’t remain as a piece of decoration protected in the principal’s office. Making materials is very time consuming, and I found it was not so easy to get pictures suitable for the experience of African children, in addition many of the trainees had little computer or drawing skill , so we provided a pattern book for easy reproduction of images. Check out the PDF file of our material book ...47 pages of learning materials made from locally available items, and with ideas of how to get started with a multi-sensorial classroom.

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    Authors Remarks: When I set out to search for a teaching approach that was child appropriate and applicable for countries in Sub Sahara Africa, I had to take into account that young children like everywhere have a short attention span for lecturing. They are caught in their natural self-centeredness, and need to do things for themselves. They are still in the process of filling words with meaning, and of building the mental images that helps them to understand what teachers are trying to tell them. So, it had to be an individualized hands on-method for learning. The Montessori Method, provided an approved way as a starting point. But how could we manage to get the necessary materials for big groups of young children, on a very small budget. The only way out was to make similar materials to what Maria Montessori had been developing, taking her principles, and make them ourselves during the teachers training courses, which is even in the Montessori tradition. The benefit was that when teachers make their own materials, they understand them far better, and are much more vigilant that materials will not be misused and destroyed. The materials had to be of simple items that can be found easily in the African environment, and that are not expensive and have so little ‘valuable’, that they don’t remain as a piece of decoration protected in the principal’s office. Making materials is very time consuming, and I found it was not so easy to get pictures suitable for the experience of African children, in addition many of the trainees had little computer or drawing skill , so we provided a pattern book for easy reproduction of images. Check out the PDF file of our material book ...47 pages of learning materials made from locally available items, and with ideas of how to get started with a multi-sensorial classroom.

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    273 views51 pages

    FROM TEACHER TO TEACHER: Learning Materials For Pre-School Children

    Uploaded by

    Yedidiah
    Authors Remarks: When I set out to search for a teaching approach that was child appropriate and applicable for countries in Sub Sahara Africa, I had to take into account that young children like everywhere have a short attention span for lecturing. They are caught in their natural self-centeredness, and need to do things for themselves. They are still in the process of filling words with meaning, and of building the mental images that helps them to understand what teachers are trying to tell them. So, it had to be an individualized hands on-method for learning. The Montessori Method, provided an approved way as a starting point. But how could we manage to get the necessary materials for big groups of young children, on a very small budget. The only way out was to make similar materials to what Maria Montessori had been developing, taking her principles, and make them ourselves during the teachers training courses, which is even in the Montessori tradition. The benefit was that when teachers make their own materials, they understand them far better, and are much more vigilant that materials will not be misused and destroyed. The materials had to be of simple items that can be found easily in the African environment, and that are not expensive and have so little ‘valuable’, that they don’t remain as a piece of decoration protected in the principal’s office. Making materials is very time consuming, and I found it was not so easy to get pictures suitable for the experience of African children, in addition many of the trainees had little computer or drawing skill , so we provided a pattern book for easy reproduction of images. Check out the PDF file of our material book ...47 pages of learning materials made from locally available items, and with ideas of how to get started with a multi-sensorial classroom.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 51

    Y

    oung people learn by doing. Activity is the most important aspect of their
    learning process. This makes learning materials an absolute a necessity in preschools. For teachers, we have the challenge to provide and maintain learning
    materials in all areas of the curriculum content. Being involved in the practical set-up
    of schools, we have experienced how hard it is to find appropriate learning materials
    and even pictures. So, we set out to make our own.
    Ths book is the result of 10 years of work and contains learning materials in the area
    of Practical life, Social life, Math, Language and Science. For a lot of the examples,
    we have adapted the principles and designs invented by Maria Montessori, to whom
    we are most grateful.

    laudia Bohner, after her training in Special Needs Education with Learning
    Difficulties served for 4 years in the public school system in Germany.

    In 1992, she came to Africa. With Youth with a Mission, Uganda, she taught in a
    Vocational Training school . In 1996 she joined the University
    of the Nations Early Childhood Department. For 8 years she
    laboured training Infants Teachers, setting up pre-schools and
    developing learning materials, using the locally available
    resources.
    Presently Claudia lives in Accra, Ghana, working with
    Heartland Academy branch of the Logos Rhema Foundation for
    Leadership Development.

    ISBN 9988-640-35-8

    SonLife Tel. 500631

    FROM
    TEACHER
    TO
    TEACHER
    LEARNING MATERIALS
    FOR PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN

    CLAUDIA BOHNER

    Claudia Bohner, 2005


    All rights reserved.
    For further enquiries, please contact:
    Claudia Bohner
    E-Mail: edu4trans@yahoo.com

    SonLife Printing Press & Services


    P.O. Box 4521, Accra, Ghana.
    Tel. (233-21) 500631
    E-mail: sonlifeghana@yahoo.com
    ISBN 9988 - 640 - 31 - 5

    Table Of Contents

    Introduction
    A Learning Method for Early Childhood Education ...............................................1
    Chapter One
    How To Get Started? .............................................................................................5
    Chapter Two
    Does' And 'Don'ts' For Teachers ...........................................................................7
    Chapter Three
    A Few Tips For Making the Materials ....................................................................9
    Chapter Four
    Practical Life Materials .........................................................................................10
    Chapter Five
    Sensorial Life ......................................................................................................19
    Chapter Six
    Language .......................................................................................................27
    Chapter Seven
    Science ................................................................................................................34
    Chapter Eight
    Mathematics.........................................................................................................37

    iii

    Introduction
    A Learning Method for
    Early Childhood Education
    Early Childhood Development is a relatively new term in many African countries. With the
    trends of urbanization and globalization, the care of young children is transferred more and
    more from the parents and extended families to facilities and institutions. In many cases, these
    are private entrepreneurs who often operate by the laws of the free market. This is a
    development which causes severe concern, for the formative years determine to a great
    extent what kind of person the adult will be. The future of every nation will depend on what it
    invests in the young children. Characteristics and qualities that are necessary for a healthy
    nation with a vibrant economy and self-reliant population are laid down in infancy.
    Many African governments realize the need to set regulations and rules in place and to
    develop early childhood curricula to monitor and supervise pre-primary education.
    With great appreciation I received the LEARNING FRAMEWORK FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
    DEVELOPMENT, issued by the National Curriculum Development Centre, Kyambogo,
    Uganda, as an example of sincerity and expertise in giving guidelines for early childhood
    education. In the following, I want to quote from this source:
    Early childhood development refers to the continual process of positive change in the
    young child from the time it begins to live to the initial years of formal schooling around 8
    years. Development involves physical and mental growth, emotional and social adjustment
    as well as learning from the surroundings. During this period, especially the first three years
    of life, a child's potential as a human being is built physically, emotionally, intellectually,
    socially and spiritually. This period, therefore, is very crucial to a child's growth and
    development and requires special attention of parents, family members, the community
    and all persons likely to influence the development of young children ( p.vii).

    The approach is outcome-oriented and the outcome is geared towards a person who is:

    Independent, self-reliant and able to thrive and operate in sub-systems and systems;

    Physically, intellectually, morally, spiritually developed and socially as well as


    emotionally well adjusted;

    Appreciative and respectful and uses his/her language and other peoples language;

    God-fearing, morally and spiritually built;

    Well grounded, appreciates and respects his/her culture as well as others.

    Developmental needs of children


    Physical needs include:

    Need for proper feeding and healthy environment;

    Need for exercise and play;

    Need for sleep and rest;

    Need for adequate clothing and shelter;

    Need for care and attention.

    Emotional needs include:

    Need for love and security;

    Need for success and self-worth;

    Need for expression of anger, fear, tenderness, and happiness (p. 2/3).

    Social and moral needs include:

    Need to live with, and relate to others;

    Need to belong to a group;

    Need to lead and follow;

    Need to understand right and wrong;

    Need to become independent.

    Spiritual needs include:

    Need to understand the Creator and creation;

    Need to understand God as a loving Father who cares for them and others.

    Intellectual needs include:

    Need for stimulation;

    Need for the opportunity to explore, experiment, and discover;

    Need for opportunities to use language;

    Need for purposeful play ( p. 2/3).


    Child-Centred Learning Approach
    This learning framework differs radically from the way parents and teachers traditionally
    look at a curriculum. 'Curriculum' typically provides information on what needs to be taught
    in a particular course. In the case of children, the emphasis is on children learning and
    working on their own development and not on what is taught by the adult , there are no
    'lessons to be taught by the adult, but there are developmental activities to be done
    by the children' (p. 8).
    How do children learn?
    Young children are driven by an inherent urge to learn. But they learn differently from the
    way older children and adults learn. They need to observe the environment around them,
    manipulate and experiment with objects in the environment and develop clear concepts.
    Children under six years are in a pre-operational stage in cognitive development. From birth
    they are exposed to innumerable stimuli in their environment. But they are not yet capable of
    abstract and logical thinking. They need to work on forming a mental order of things they
    observe from basic concepts, and move from the concrete to the abstract progressively.
    They use their different senses during this process of cognitive development.
    Put it simply, children learn by doing. Hence, rote learning does not help them. Activity is the
    most important aspect of the process of learning in young children. The more children
    interact with their environment through activity-based learning, the greater will be the clarity
    of the concepts they develop.
    Each child is an individual and differs from others in terms of when he/she reaches a
    particular stage in the development process. Hence, there should not be any strict age-wise
    lineation of activities. At the same time, it is true that every child passes through each major
    step in development. The stage of the development process the child has reached, rather
    than just his/her age, has to determine the next level of development activity he/she needs
    to perform (p. 8).
    Development is a function of both maturation and learning. The child must reach a certain
    level of maturation -- mental and neuro-muscular -- to be able to progress to the next stage
    in the learning process .Until the children are developmentally ready, they should not be
    forced to do specific activities. The most common mistake we see in the pre-schools is that
    of forcing children to write and read when their muscular coordination and their spoken
    language abilities are just developing (p. 9).

    Children respond spontaneously to opportunities for play and learn through play . Play is
    the most suited form of activity at home as well as in formal and semi-formal settings for
    children to learn and form basic concepts.
    There should be a balance between child and adult-initiated play where the adult indirectly
    facilitates children's learning. In both situations, children are the active participants and the
    adult's role is only to provide a proper learning environment (p. 9).
    Characteristics of young children:
    Here are some characteristics of children that need to be considered:
    - They have short attention spans;
    - They are in the process of exploring the environment;
    - They have a sensorial approach to learning;
    - They need to move around;
    - They are rudimentary in their language development;
    - They lack experience and maturity;
    - They focus on doing rather than knowing;
    - They are on a concrete level of understanding and are slowly moving to a more abstract level;
    - They move from egocentrism to empathy with others;
    - They cannot be forced to move onto a higher level of cognitive functioning.
    According to what has been stated, a method is needed that allows children to move freely
    most of the time -- an approach that allows social interaction and talking as well as
    individualized learning. There is a need for a method that offers learning materials for sensual
    experience and directed and free manipulation on one hand, but that includes group activities
    as well as class instructions and activities on the other.
    In our attempt to implement this framework in our schools in Uganda, we came up with the
    following concept: In our pre-schools, we follow a Biblical curriculum developed by the
    University of the Nations, Hawaii, in order to meet the emotional, spiritual, moral and social
    needs in children. This curriculum involves about 30 minutes per day, in two sessions of 15
    minutes each, of class or group instruction, discussions, demonstrations and other activities
    like singing, praying and role-play. The first session is on biblical concepts, the second is about
    discovering an aspect of creation, that is, of the surrounding world. An adapted and modified
    version of the Biblical Curriculum with pre-planned lessons for 32 units are available, also
    published by the same author.
    We also offer extended free-play opportunities with play dough, dollies, blocks, Legos,
    waterplay, and many other toys. Also available for the children is a selection of very good
    children's books, including children's encyclopedias, first dictionaries and picture Bibles.
    To meet the intellectual, social and emotional needs, we offer learning materials for
    individualized, multi-sensorial learning in five learning centers. Through the materials, the
    child learns directly and independently by experiencing first-hand the qualities of the
    presented materials. The materials have to provide clear and precise information in a concrete
    form. They are designed to present various concepts to the senses. When the child handles
    the materials, he/she is presented with the concept as well. With enough exposure
    (exploration), the child will discover the concept. The sensorial experience with the materials
    then paves the way for meaningful nomenclature. Most of the materials have an inbuilt control
    so that the child can know when he/she has mastered the task.
    Learning centers are a manageable way of allowing young children the freedom of exploration
    they need in their quest for learning.
    As teachers, we have the challenge to provide and maintain materials so that all areas of the
    national curriculum can be accessed by direct experience.
    3

    The centers include the Practical Life Center, where practical skills are trained, for example,
    cleaning, pouring, stringing beads, pounding, cutting and many others.
    In the Sensorial Life Center, the senses are trained, refined and impressions related with
    nomenclature. For example, children learn the terms: 'thick/thin' when handling the Brown
    Stair. 'Long' and 'short,' or 'is longer than' are learned with the Red Rods. All senses are to be
    trained though majority of the materials are visual and tactile.
    Art projects are available to learn different techniques and to explore the personal creativity.
    The Learning Centers -- Mathematics, Language and Science -- contain materials for
    required academic subject matters. The materials are appropriate for young children. We have
    seen young children being able to understand abstract concepts through concrete materials.
    For a lot of our materials, we have adapted the principles and designs invented by Maria
    Montessori.
    With this manual, I hope to contribute to the implementation of the Ugandan Learning
    Framework For Early Childhood Education and of all other attempts to provide pre-school
    education which is holistic and child-appropriate for the future of this great continent.

    Chapter One
    How To Get Started?
    It is important to secure a big space which will allow the children to move around freely and
    handle the different projects. To create space, it might be necessary to remove furniture. Table
    space for half of the children of your class or group is normally enough. Shelves are important,
    and they must be low enough for the children to reach, about 80 cm high. For shelves, 30 cm
    for the width of the board is sufficient.
    Children will work a lot from the floor. The surface of the floor should, therefore, be covered with
    a pleasant material, a plastic linoleum has served quite well. The design should be calm, so
    that it is not distractive.
    To demarcate working space for children on the floor, we are using work mats. Work mats are
    made, in our case, from shower curtains. The rubber keeps them from slipping on the plastic
    linoleum on the floor. We buy second-hand shower curtains on the local market, cut them in
    pieces according to the sizes we manage to find, and take them to the tailor to sew the edges.
    Here, as well, we prefer pieces without distracting patterns.
    For children, sitting on the floor is not easy when they do not know where to sit. A line helps for
    orientation for they can see it. Insulation tape, 2 or 3 rows, and 2" celotape on top makes a
    good line on any linoleum. Often, a circle will not fit well in the room, so an ellipse must be
    drawn on the floor.

    With a string (here: red line) and 2 fixed points, you need to
    find out how it will fit into the room by trial and error. The
    farther apart the points are, the flatter the ellipse becomes;
    the closer they are together, the circular it becomes.
    Walking on the line is a good transition activity. Music works
    very well. We have seen children respond to it in an amazing
    way. If you do not have a cassette recorder/electricity,
    singing is an alternative: We are walking, we are walking,
    we are walking on the red line.
    After walking, skipping, dancing, marching, ... children will
    sit on the line for instructions or demonstrations, before
    going for their individual work.
    Not all can go at once to collect their work, it would create a big chaos, so the teacher needs to
    find ways to have only one or few children go for their project at a time.
    5

    Examples:
    - whisper the name of a child;
    - show the name strip, for children to recognize their name;
    - if your name starts with S, go
    for a work;
    - if your birthday is in May, go for
    a project;
    - if you are wearing a belt, go for
    your work;
    - if you are a girl with braided
    hair, etc.

    Next to a big space is a reasonable slot of time; time which is


    not interrupted. One hour is the
    minimum, 1 hour 30 minutes (or
    even 1 hour 45 minutes) would
    be better. Snack time can be an
    integral part of the free choice
    time/project time, if a table is
    provided where children can
    eat their snack and a dishwashing facility for cleaning
    their cups and plates.

    In the beginning
    At first it is good to have enough projects which do not require a lot of instruction or demonstration: books, play dough, crayons and paper, simple items for matching, puzzles and simple
    practical life work (dry pouring, stringing beads, etc.). At this point, much demonstration and
    practice is needed for work procedures: folding the mat; walking around work mats without
    stepping on them; returning of mats and learning materials to their proper places, etc.
    Cleaning up procedures (wiping spills, sweeping and mopping) are taught at the beginning as
    well.
    Since the classroom setting is different from what teachers might have been used to, the

    Chapter Two
    Does' And 'Don'ts' For Teachers
    teacher needs to carefully think about how best to operate.
    This classroom is a workplace for children, and the teacher does not have a predominant part
    when free choice activity is going on. But he/she should strive at any time to give a perfect
    example for the children to follow.
    1. Observe quietly. Please do not converse with other adults in class. Do it after class.
    2. Stay at the outside edges of the classroom as much as possible. Don't let your presence be
    obvious, unless it is necessary.
    3. Bend down when talking to a child!
    4. If a child spills something give him/her time to think through. He/She will often look to an
    adult, expecting reaction. However, gently, but firmly make sure that he/she picks, wipes,
    mops it up, and assist only if he/she asks for assistance. If the spill has broken glass,
    explain that it is dangerous and that you will take care of that, but allow him/her to help by
    getting the dustpan and broom and by taking the tray.
    5. Try to intercept, as often as possible, a child that is intending to approach the teacher who is
    demonstrating a project to another child.
    6. Do things slowly and carefully so that the child observing can follow your example. Move
    about the room slowly. TALK SOFTLY AT ALL TIMES. Have a pleasant facial expression.
    Don't look like a policeman/woman.
    7. Pick up any loose articles on the floor and put them away, unless you have seen the child,
    who has left it, in which case, you should have him/her pick it up.
    8. Try not to let a child know that you are observing him/her.
    9. Avoid assisting a child who is performing a difficult task unless she/he asks for your help. If
    a young child attempts work far advanced for him/her, or if you know she/he has not had
    any demonstration on that piece of equipment, invite him/her to do another work.
    10. Don't compliment a child on his/her work all the time. If he/she asks for your compliment or
    approval, ask instead, "Are you excited (disappointed, etc.) about your work?" or "Tell me
    about your work." This will help him/her to develop trust in his/her own achievement.
    11. Never permit disorder: running, shouting, hitting and throwing, etc. Take the disorderly
    child by the hand and lead him/her away from the other children and discuss with him/her
    that she/he is disturbing people that are working, and that the classroom must be quiet.
    Never speak harshly to a child, pull his/her arm, beat or abuse in any way!
    12. In general, if a child comes to you crying or complaining because he/she has been hurt
    accidentally or deliberately, be sympathetic and ask him/her about the injury (be sincerely
    interested in what has happened to him/her). We do not want a child to become dependent
    on us, nor do we ever want to appear uncaring. He/She will sense from your voice and
    attitude if he/she is loved.
    7

    13. The bathrooms must be supervised closely! Make sure they are clean. Keep an ear open
    for any mischief or playing. Check the bathrooms routinely, especially when you know there
    are several children unattended. We want to stress on cleanliness and independence in
    using the bathrooms.
    14. You may help a child with tying of shoe laces, aprons, etc., but do not clean up after the
    children; they can do this themselves. You may ask an older child to assist a younger child
    with dressing, but never force peer assistance.
    15. Never leave the children unattended. In a mixed age group (3-6 years) a second teacher
    is required in addition to the class attendant (assistant teacher), if there are more than 15
    children in the class. For younger children (3 years), the teacher child-ratio needs to be
    even less -- 1:10 -- would be appropriate. The necessity for constant supervision
    applies especially to playground and transition times that have less structure and
    need more supervision.

    Chapter Three
    A Few Tips For Making the Materials
    Manila paper is easy to tear. When you need strips or other smaller pieces, it is wise to fold and
    tear the paper instead of cutting. Drawing lines and cutting with a pair of scissor often shows
    poor results when someone has little practice in it.
    Laminating is very expensive, but we need to preserve the materials. Covering them with 2"
    celotape has been a good solution. Don't get discouraged. It takes some practice to cover the
    papers with the celotape. Start with smaller pieces, like vocabulary cards, later even pages of
    books can be covered in such a way.
    For making jigsaw puzzles, just copy the patterns with a carbon paper on a piece of plywood.
    Then cut the plywood with a fret saw.
    A fret saw is a very simple tool. A piece of metal pipe bent to a bow. Both ends of the pipe are
    flattened. Then there is a square hole in them to fix a nut and bolt. The nut and bolt hold another
    piece of metal. The saw blade is clamped between the flattened end of the bow and the other
    piece of metal and tightened with the bolts. The blade needs some tension, therefore, when
    inserting it, it is necessary to press the bow slightly together. Fret saw blades are so small they
    can fit in an envelope, in case you cannot find them in your country.
    The secret with making things, is just to keep trying, you can manage!

    For workshops on material making, you can contact the author through the e-mail address:
    edu4trans@yahoo.com.

    Chapter Four
    Practical Life Materials
    For the practical life area, different utensils
    are needed for cleaning:
    for wiping tables and shelves: a bowl/small
    bucket with a rag and a cloth for drying;
    for washing dishes: two basins, a dishdrying rack, soap, sponge and dish towel;
    for the floor: broom, dustpan and brush, a
    bucket and a floor rag.

    Sweeping
    Materials: Broom with a short stick, dust pan
    and brush, marked squares on the floor, waste basket, small pieces of paper (not too many).
    Age: 2-4 years.
    Aim: Sweeping, coordination, care of the environment.
    Presentation: Bring the materials to the marked area for sweeping. Remove the paper pieces
    from its container and sprinkle them outside the square. Show how to hold the broom and
    sweep the papers into the square. Return the broom to its place. Take the brush in your right
    hand, the dustpan in your left. Place the dustpan on one of the lines of the square and sweep
    the papers with the brush from the square onto the dustpan. Empty the dustpan into the waste
    basket. Return the dustpan, brush and the waste basket.

    Clothe Pegs
    Materials: Container with clothe pegs.
    Aim: Concentration, training of finger muscle - pincer
    grip.
    Age: 2-3 years.
    Presentation: Spread the mat. Collect the container
    from the shelf. Take the first peg with your left hand,
    holding it at its lower end. With the right hand, take the
    other end with thumb and forefinger/middle finger holding the peg. Press the fingers together to open the lower
    end of the peg. Let it go, then press again. Show how to
    place the peg on the rim of the container. Then take the
    next one and do the same with it. Put all the pegs on the
    rim of the container. Pause. Remove the pegs one by one
    and place them inside the container. Return the container to the shelf. Return the mat.
    10

    Tooth Picks
    Materials: Tooth picks, salt shaker, tray. (If necessary,
    expand the size of the holes in the salt shaker for the
    tooth picks to go through easily.)
    Age: 2-3 years.
    Aim: Concentration, eye-hand coordination.
    Presentation: Collect the tray from the shelf. Take the
    salt shaker, open it and remove the tooth picks from it.
    Put the picks on the tray. Close the salt shaker and put it
    on the tray. With your left hand, take the first pick and
    place it between the thumb and forefinger of your right hand. Stick it into the hole of the salt
    shaker. Then take the next one in the same manner. When all the tooth picks are in the shaker,
    return it to the shelf.

    Spooning
    Materials: Two containers of the same kind, spoon,
    tray, beans or other items for spooning.
    Age: 2-4 years.
    Aim: Concentration, eye-hand coordination.
    Variations: Different type of spoons.
    Control of Error: Beans on the tray.
    Presentation: Collect and spread the mat. Pick the
    tray from the shelf with two hands. Place it on the mat
    so that the container with the beans is on the left side. With your left hand, take the spoon and
    place it on the middle finger between the thumb and fore finger of the right hand (like holding a
    pen). Show how to spoon the beans. When there is little of the beans left, it is necessary to tilt
    the container with the left hand to get the beans on the spoon. When all the beans are
    transferred from one container to the other, repeat the exercise, spooning from the right to the
    left container. If no beans have fallen on the tray, return the tray to the shelf. Return the mat.

    Tongue Transfer
    Materials: Ice cube tray, a pair of tongues, cotton
    balls or pieces of sponge, a tray.
    Presentation: Similar to spooning, but instead of
    from one container to the other, the transfer goes
    from one side of the tray to the other.

    11

    Sieving Sand
    Materials: 3 bowls, a small sieve, spoon, tray, sand.
    Age: 2-3 years.
    Aim: Concentration, eye-hand coordination, use of a
    sieve.
    Control of Error: Sand on the tray.
    Presentation: Spread the mat. Collect the tray from
    the shelf. Pick the spoon with your left hand and place
    it into the right hand in 'pen-position'. Put two spoonful
    of sand into the sieve and sieve it through. Pour the
    remaining stones in the sieve into the second bowl.
    Then take another two spoonfuls while counting.
    Sieve the sand, put the stones into the other bowl. Continue until all the sand is sieved, and the
    fine sand is in one bowl, while the stones are in the other bowl. Compare the contents of the two
    bowls by feeling with the fingers. Then pour both back into the third bowl, take the spoon and
    mix the sand and stones. Place the sieve in the left bowl and return the tray to the shelf. Return
    the mat.

    Pounding Millet
    Materials: Small mortar, bowl with millet, spoon,
    tray, small plastic bags, permanent marker.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Concentration, concept of pounding, eyehand coordination, writing of name.
    Presentation: Collect the tray. Put one spoonful of
    millet into the mortar, and say, one spoon. Pound
    until the grains are pulverized. Take a small plastic
    bag and the permanent marker. Write your name on
    the plastic bag. (For very young children, teachers
    might help.) Pour the contents of the mortar into the
    plastic bag and knot it. Put it in your pocket. Return
    the tray to the shelf. Return the marker and the mat.

    Grinding Millet
    Materials: Grinding stone, container with millet,
    spoon, tray, plastic bag, permanent marker.
    Presentation: Same as pounding, but this time
    grinding.

    12

    Cutting Carrots
    Materials: Cutting board, knife, cup, container with
    water, carrot, plastic table mat, sponge.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Concentration, cutting skill.
    Variations: Different items for cutting.
    Presentation: Collect the table mat and place it on
    the table. Wash hands. Collect the cup. Go for the
    container and fill it with water. Collect the cutting
    board and the carrot; ask for the knife, and carry it to
    the table. Place the carrot on the cutting board and hold it with the left hand. Take the knife in
    your right hand and cut the first piece off. Cut the carrot in 'wheels' of about 1 cm. After cutting,
    return the knife to the teacher's desk (or wherever it is kept). Return to the table and put the
    carrot wheels one by one into the bowl with water, then into the cup while counting. Empty the
    water container and wipe it with the sponge. Wipe the cutting board with the sponge. Return
    cutting board and container to the shelf, wipe the mat with the sponge and return it. Take the
    cup and eat the carrots. Wash the cup and return it.

    Orange Juice
    Materials: Cutting board, knife, cup, orange
    press, orange with lines for cutting, plastic
    table mat, sponge, spoon, tray.
    Age: 4-6 years.
    Aim: Cutting and squeezing skill, following a
    procedure.
    Variation: Peeling the orange.
    Presentation: Collect the table mat and put it
    on the table. Wash hands. Collect the cutting
    board and the orange. Collect the tray with the
    orange press, cup, sponge and spoon,
    carrying it with both hands. Then ask for the
    knife and take it to the table. Put the orange on
    the cutting board, holding it with the left hand.
    Take the knife in the right hand and cut the
    orange into two halves along the line. Take the
    orange half and place it on the press. Squeeze the orange by pressing all the fingers of the right
    hand while holding the handle of the press with the left hand. Turn the right hand with the
    orange (in a motion-like opening of the lid of a jar) to get all the juice out. Remove the first half of
    the orange and place it on the tray. Pour the juice from the press into the cup, holding the handle
    of the press with the right hand and supporting it with the left hand. Then squeeze the second
    half of the orange in the same way and add the juice to the one in the cup. Wash hands. Return
    the knife to its place. Take press and remove the seeds with the spoon onto the tray. Take the
    tray with the orange peels and seeds to the trash can. Wash the orange press, the spoon and
    the tray. Wipe the cutting board with the sponge and return it to its place. Wipe the table mat.
    Enjoy the juice. Wash the cup. Place all the items back on the tray: orange press, cup, spoon,
    sponge, and return it to the shelf. Return the table mat.
    13

    Cutting Wood
    Materials: A small saw, clamp, scraps of wood, boxes.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Concentration, cutting skill, handling a tool.
    Presentation: Collect the clamp. Select a piece of wood
    from a box. With the clamp, fasten the wood to the table.
    Collect the saw from its box. Hold the saw in your right hand
    and demonstrate how to cut. Cut-off pieces of wood are put
    into the pocket. After cutting, return the saw. (The clamp has
    to be very tight so placing and removing the clamp is not
    normally done by the child.)

    Hammering
    Materials: Board (20 cm x 25 cm x 4 cm), a small
    hammer, small nails, a container for the nails.
    Aim: Concentration, eye-hand coordination,
    hammering skill.
    Presentation: Show how to hold the nail in the left
    hand and hit it slightly until it can stand on its own.
    Then hammer it into the wood completely.

    Cutting with a Pair of Scissors


    Materials: A small pair of scissors, prepared strips
    of paper, a tray.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Concentration, cutting skill.
    Presentation: Collect a pair of scissors and a paper
    strip and take it to the table. Hold the scissors in your
    right hand with fore and middle fingers in one of the
    two handles, the thumb in the other. Show how to
    open and close the scissors. Hold the paper in your
    left hand and cut. After the exercise, throw the cut off
    pieces into the dustbin and return the scissors.
    14

    Hand Transfer
    Materials: A tray, two bowls, items: seeds or
    stones, etc.
    Age: 2-3 years (and those who put their
    hands constantly into the containers while
    spooning, for example).
    Aim: Concentration, eye-hand coordination.
    Variation: Try to do it without making any noise.
    Presentation: Spread the mat. Collect the tray
    from the shelf and place it in the centre of the
    mat. Have the bowl with the items on your left. Take out the first item with your right hand and
    place it into the second bowl. Take the next item and place it into the bowl. Continue until all the
    items are transferred from one bowl to the other. Pause, then repeat the exercise. Return the
    tray and the mat.

    Pouring Exercises
    Examples:
    ! Dry pouring with handles, and
    ! Wet pouring with transparent containers.
    Materials: A tray, two identical containers with
    handles/transparent containers, pouring materials/water and food color.
    Aim: Concentration, eye-hand coordination.
    Age: 2-4 years.
    Presentation: The important aspect is to show
    children how to hold a container with two hands,
    supporting it with the second hand at its bottom.
    This ensures a safe grip (children's hands are very small, and things can slip out easily).

    Squeezing a Sponge
    Materials: A tray, two bowls, a small sponge,
    colored water.
    Age: 2-4 years.
    Aim: Concentration, concept of absorbing and
    squeezing.
    Presentation: Collect the tray from the shelf to
    the table. Take the sponge and show how it
    absorbs the water. Hold it above the first bowl until
    the water stops running. Then hold it above the
    second bowl and squeeze it for the water to come
    out. Go back to the first bowl and put the sponge
    into the water. Again, squeeze it into the other
    bowl. Continue until all the water is transferred from one bowl to the other. Dry the tray with the
    sponge and return the tray to the shelf.
    15

    Wet Pouring with Funnel


    Materials: Bottle, funnel, cup or pitcher with
    colored water, sponge, tray, apron.
    Variations: Different bottles and containers.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Control of Error: Spills
    Point of Interest: Fluids, pouring, funnel.
    Purpose: Eye-hand coordination, concentration, concept of a funnel.
    Presentation: Put on the apron, collect the tray
    from the shelf and place it on the table. Place
    the funnel into the mouth of the bottle and pour
    the water from the cup/pitcher into the bottle (using both hands to hold the cup). Remove the
    funnel and pour the water back into the cup/pitcher. Repeat the whole process. Dry the tray
    with the sponge and return the tray to the shelf. Return the apron.

    Transfer with an Oil Dipper


    Materials: 2 Jam jars (1 with colored water), oil
    dipper, tray, sponge, apron.
    Age: 4-5 years.
    Control of Error: Spills.
    Purpose: Eye-hand coordination, concentration.
    Presentation: Put on the apron. Collect the
    tray to the table. Take the dipper in your right
    hand and dip it into the water. Transfer the water
    with the dipper from the left container to the right
    one. The rest of the water might be poured
    instead of scooped. Dry the tray with the sponge
    and return the work to the shelf; return the apron.

    Transfer with a Baster


    Material: Baster, 2 containers (1 with colored
    water), tray, sponge, apron.
    Variations: Different containers.
    Age: 2-4 years.
    Control of Error: Spills.
    Purpose: Concentration, concept of a
    baster.
    Presentation: Put on the apron. Collect the
    baster and put it on the tray and place the container with the water on the left side. Take the
    baster in your right hand and demonstrate its use: press, let go. Transfer the water with the
    baster from one container into the other, then back. Put the baster on the table, dry the tray and
    the empty container with the sponge. Place the baster on the tray, then return it to the shelf;
    return the apron.
    16

    Eye Dropper
    Materials: Tray, eye-dropper, soap holder
    with suction cups or plastic tablet container, sponge, small container with
    colored water.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Eye-hand coordination, concentration, controlling the pressure of the pincer
    grip.
    Presentation: Collect the tray and send it
    to the table. Take the eye-dropper with
    your right hand, holding it with a pincer grip
    at its flexible end. Hold the container with
    the water with your left hand on the tray.
    Show how to press the rubber end of the eye-dropper . Put the plastic end of the eye-dropper
    into the water and press till bubbles come out. Then let it go -- it sucks in the water. Hold the
    eye-dropper above the first little compartment of the tablet tray, press it and place one drop into
    the compartment. Then hold it above the next compartment and place a drop. Continue (left to
    right, up to down) until all compartments have a drop of colored water. Pause. With the sponge,
    dry the tablet container and the tray. Put all the items on the tray and return it to the shelf.

    Float and Sink


    Materials: Tray, a big, clear
    plastic container, small plastic
    container with different little items,
    one small piece of wood labeled
    'float', a small piece of tile labeled
    'sink', sponge.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Concept of floating and
    sinking.
    Variation: Different items;
    change them at times.
    Presentation: Collect the tray to
    the table. Remove all the items from the small container. Take the labeled pieces first and put
    them one after the other into the water. Remove the tile from the water and say, sink. Place it
    on the table. Remove the wood also from the water and say, float. Place it on the table next to
    the tile. Put each of the other items in the water, remove and place them under either the wood
    or tile, depending on whether they sinks or floats, to form a column (floating items under 'float',
    sinking items under 'sink'). After the exercise, dry all the items and the tray with the sponge.
    Return the tray.
    17

    Dressing
    Materials: 4 little vests with
    different fastenings: buttons, zip,
    laces, bows; hangers.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Independence, manual
    skills, dressing.
    Variations: Assorted fastenings
    and buckles.
    Presentation: Collect the hanger
    with the vest with buttons and
    place it on the mat. Unbutton from
    top to bottom. Open the two sides,
    close them again, with the button-holes on top of the buttons. Show how to button: with the
    right hand, push the button halfway through the button-hole, then with the left hand, thumb and
    index finger, pull it completely through. Give the child a chance to pull a button through. Do the
    same with all the buttons. Return the hanger with the vest.
    In another session, collect the hanger with the zip. Open the zip. Indicate the grove where the
    other part needs to be slid in and demonstrate how to do it. Then pull the zip with thumb and
    index finger of your right hand while holding to the bottom of the zip with your left. Return the
    vest.
    In yet another session, collect the vest with the bows. Open all the bows by pulling the ends
    apart. With your index fingers undo all the simple knots. Open the two sides, then close them
    again. Straighten all the ribbons towards the outside. Tie the simple knots by crossing the
    arms, picking up the ends of the ribbons (left and right simultaneously) and so crossing the
    ribbons. With the ribbon below, go around the other on top, then pull tight. With the right index
    finger go under the ribbon which lies on the left now and lift it to make a loop. Hold it with the left
    thumb and forefinger. With the right ribbon, go around the loop on your left (clockwise) and
    push it with the middle finger of the right hand, creating another loop. Pull both loops. (Do each
    step for all the bows before doing the next step.)
    Again, collect the vest with the lace. Remove the string, hole by hole; open the two sides, then
    close them again. Fold the string in half. With the left hand, pick up the bottom right corner. With
    the right hand, pick up the end of the string. Push the end through the first hole (bottom right)
    from front to back. Then lift the bottom left corner and go through the bottom left hole from back
    to front. Pull the string halfway through, both ends are the same length. Continue lacing from
    the back to the front. Tie a bow at the end.
    The vests can be worn, so the skill can be practised when a friend is wearing the vest, or if you
    are wearing it yourself, or when it is on the hanger on the wall.

    Braiding
    Materials: 3 cords in different colors tied together at one end, loop for
    hanging.
    Age: 4-5 years.
    Aim: Braiding skill, concentration.
    Presentation: Undo the braid, then start again: one cord in the middle,
    one on the left and one on the right. Take the left cord and place it over
    the middle one between the middle and the right. Then take the right
    one, place it over the middle one between the other two. Continue in the
    same manner until the cords are braided to the end.
    18

    Chapter Five
    Sensorial Life Projects
    Matching Objects: Shells
    Materials: 10 pairs of real objects, here shells of different kinds,
    container.
    Age: 2-4 years.
    Aim: Concept of matching, visual and tactile discrimination.
    Variation: Different pairs and different items to match.
    Presentation: Spread the mat, collect the container from the shelf,
    place it on the mat (right-lower corner). Take the first shell from the
    container and feel it with the other hand. Then put it on the mat (topleft corner). Take the next shell, feel it and compare it with the first
    one. If they are alike, place it next to the first one, if they differ, put the
    second below the first. Match all the shells in the same manner.
    Pause. Return the shells one by one into the container. Return the
    container and then the mat.

    More Examples of Items to


    Match
    Presentation: Same as above.
    In the next step, pictures representing the
    same items can be added and matched to
    lead the perception of the child from the threedimensional representation of a real thing
    (here fruits and animals) to the twodimensional representation. This means
    another step towards abstraction.

    When objects are not produced by industrial


    machines, the individual items differ slightly
    and the child has to decide which are the
    important properties of the object to be
    compared.
    Here, the pairs of beads differ slightly and it
    takes a good look to find the matching ones.
    The same is true of the shells.

    19

    Matching Pictures
    Wrapping papers can be a good source for pictures
    that can be used for making cards for matching and
    sorting. They can differ in their levels of concrete to
    abstract patterns.
    Visual perception is trained with these cards, and is
    essential for any reading readiness.
    The presentation is like that of matching objects,
    though there is no tactile examination by feeling.

    Matching Picture and Shadow


    Materials: Pictures of objects with the shadow of
    that object on another picture, which make a pair. In
    each set, 6 to10 pairs, a container.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Visual perception with emphasis on the outline
    of the shape.
    Variation: Different pictures, different pairs.
    Presentation: Spread the work mat. Collect the
    container with the material from the shelf. Place it on
    the mat (right-upper corner). Remove the pictures
    and place them below the container. Sort them: pictures in one pile, shadows in another pile.
    Make a column with the pictures: take the first picture, name the animal, place it on the mat
    (top-left corner). Take the next picture, name the animal, place it. After the pictures, take the
    first shadow, compare it with the pictures one by one and place it next to the matching picture.
    After all the pairs have been matched, return the cards to the container while mixing them so
    that they are ready for another use. Return the container to the shelf.

    Mystery Bag
    Materials: 2 bags containing the same set of items.
    Age: 2-4 years.
    Aim: Tactile discrimination, mental pictures.
    Variations: One bag; varying items; 2 children
    working together; change the content at times.
    Control: Vision.
    Point of interest: Hidden things.
    Presentation: Collect and spread the mat; collect
    the container with the bags. Take one bag in your left
    and put your right hand in the bag. Remove the first item and name it. Place it on the mat.
    Remove the second object, name it and place it on the mat. Remove all the items one by one
    and name them. Remove all the items from the second bag and match them with the first ones.
    (Both bags have the same items inside.) Put them back into the bag. Give one bag to the child.
    Say, Lets try to find the bottle. When the bottle is found (without looking into the bag), take it
    out and place it on the mat. The child does the same. Now the child can be given a turn to find
    an object, name it and ask the teacher to find the same from her bag. Both are taken out for
    control. In the same manner, identify all the items from the bag. Return the items, each in its
    bag. Put the bags into the container and return them to the shelf. Return the mat.
    20

    Red Rods
    Materials: 10 red rods, 10100 cm in length.
    Age: 2-4 years.
    Aim: Concept of long/short.
    Presentation: Spread the
    mat and collect the ten rods,
    starting with the shortest.
    Carry them one by one at both ends. Place them at random on the mat, but in the same direction. Find the shortest rod and hold it in your left hand. With two fingers of the right hand, feel
    the whole length of the rod, and say, short. Then place it back on the mat. Find the longest
    rod, feel the whole length with two fingers, saying, long. Practise the two terms: long and
    short.
    After this, take the short rod, name it and place it in the left bottom corner of the mat. Then find
    the next rod and say, A bit short, and place it above the short one. Build up the whole
    sequence: find the rod, place it above the others (no need to name them). Return the rods to
    the shelf, one by one, starting with the longest, carrying them at both ends. Return the mat.
    Find things that are long or short in class.
    In a later session, comparisons can be introduced: is shorter than; is longer than.
    For the 5/6-year-olds, labels with this comparisons: is longer than, is shorter than can be
    added.

    Pink Tower
    Materials: 10 pink wooden cubes: 1 x 1 x 1 cm to 10 x 10 x 10 cm.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Aim: Concept of big and small; visual discrimination of dimension.
    Presentation: Spread the mat. Collect the cubes one by one, starting
    from the smallest, and place them on the mat at random. Find the
    smallest cube, feel its size, and say, small. Then find the biggest cube,
    feel it and say, Big. Put them back on the mat. Practise the terms, big
    and small.
    Then take the big cube, name it and put it on the mat. Find the next
    cube (9 x 9 x 9 cm), put it on top of the biggest cube, then the next.
    Build up the whole sequence into a tower. Pause. Take the smallest
    cube down, put it on the mat, then the next one, until all the cubes are
    on the mat.
    Return the tower to its place by starting with the biggest cube. Carry the
    cubes one by one, building up the tower again.
    In a later session, comparisons can be introduced. Take two cubes and
    compare them: This is bigger than this, or This is smaller than this.
    For the 5 to 6-year-olds, labels with those comparisons can be added.

    21

    Brown Stair
    Materials: 10 wooden regular prisms, 20 cm of
    length, width from 1 cm x 1 cm to 10 cm x 10 cm.
    Age: 2-4 years.
    Aim: Concept of thick and thin, visual and tactile
    discrimination.
    Variation: Combine with the pink tower.
    Presentation: Spread the mat and collect the stair
    from the shelf, starting with the thinnest piece. Bring them one by one and place them on the
    mat at random, but all in a vertical direction. Find the biggest piece; feel it and say, Thick, and
    place it back on the mat. Find the thinnest piece, feel it and say, Thin. Practise the terms: thick
    and thin. After this, go back to the thickest piece, name it and place it at the left side of the mat.
    Find the next piece and connect it with the first one. Build up the whole stair in this manner. To
    control the sequence, take the thinnest piece and 'walk' the stair with it or allow a bead to roll
    down the stair. Return the stair one by one, starting with the thickest piece.
    In a later session, introduce the comparisons: is thicker than, is thinner than. For the 5 to 6year-olds, labels with those comparisons can be added.

    Rwandese Baskets
    Materials: Baskets with lids in five
    different sizes fitting into each other.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Reinforcement of visual and
    tactile discrimination of sizes.
    Variations: Russian dolls.
    Presentation: Spread the mat.
    Collect the baskets from the shelf.
    Open the basket, put the lid on the mat
    and remove the second basket. Open
    the second basket, put the lid on the
    mat at random, and remove the third basket. Continue up to the last basket which is empty.
    Find the biggest basket and place it at the left side of the mat, find the second basket and place
    it at the right side of the first one. Make a row with the baskets, from the biggest to the smallest.
    Find the matching lids. Take one lid and compare it with the basket. Place it in front of its basket.
    After all are matched, put the lids on top of the baskets for control. Remove the lids again
    placing them again in front of their baskets. Start with the smallest basket, put its lid on top and
    place it in the second smallest basket, put its lid on top. Then put it into the next basket.
    Continue until all the baskets are in the biggest basket. Then place the lid and return it to the
    shelf. Return the mat.
    Similar materials are: different containers with their lids; nuts and bolts in different sizes;
    padlocks of different sizes with keys.
    22

    Matching Colors
    Materials: Small tablets with pairs of primary and secondary
    colors on the front and the name of the color on the back, a
    container.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Aim: Recognition of colors.
    Presentation: Spread the mat and collect the container from
    the shelf. Place the container on the lower-right corner of the
    mat. Remove the first tablet, name the color and put it in the
    top-left corner of the mat. Take the next tablet, name the color
    and compare it with the first tablet. If they differ, place it below
    the first tablet. Continue to match all the tablets in the same
    way. After matching, return the tablets into their container one
    by one. Return the container, return the mat.
    Variation: Match the names, match the names to the colors.

    Color Mixing
    Materials: Tray with 6 small glasses. The
    glasses are arranged in a circle on the tray. The
    position of the glasses on the tray is indicated by
    little circles painted with black oil paint on the
    tray. The first circle is colored red, the second
    has only the black outline, the third is colored
    yellow, the fourth has only the outline, the fifth is
    blue; the sixth is outline only. Three bottles with
    food color dissolved in water: red, yellow, blue;
    sponge, bowl.
    Aim: Understanding how to mix primary colors
    to get secondary colors.
    Age: 4-5 years.
    Variation: Mix only 2 primary colors.
    Presentation: Collect the tray with the glasses to a table, carrying it with both hands. Take the
    first glass, the one on the red circle. Bring it to the counter where the bottles with the food color
    are kept. May I have red, please? Yes, you may. Pour the red color into the glass. Take the
    glass back to the tray and place it on the red circle of the tray. Then collect the yellow and blue in
    the same way. Now take the glass of the empty circle between the red and the yellow, and pour
    a little of the yellow into it. Then take the glass with the red and pour a little red into the same
    glass. It becomes orange (don't mention it!). Mix yellow and blue to get green, and red and blue
    to make purple in the same manner. Now in the glasses on the tray is the circle with the primary
    and secondary colors. Pause to enjoy its beauty. Then go back to the shelf and collect a small
    plastic bowl. Carry it with both hands to the table. Pour the contents of the glasses into the bowl,
    one by one. Return the bowl to the counter. (In our school, this colored water is used for other
    water projects.) Go back to the table. Remove all the glasses from the tray and dry the tray with
    the sponge. Dry all the glasses one by one with the sponge and place them upside down on the
    tray in their circles. Dry the table.
    Place the sponge on the tray and carry it back to the shelf (with both hands).
    23

    Puzzle: Shapes
    Material: Puzzle with 9 shapes.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Recognizing shapes.
    Variation: Place the shapes on a
    paper, trace around their outlines, and
    color in with crayons. Cut the shapes
    with a pair of scissors and glue them in
    a 'shape book'.
    Presentation: Collect the puzzle from
    the shelf to the mat. Place it in the
    middle of the mat. Remove the shapes
    one by one, holding them at the knob.
    Place them at random on the mat. With
    two fingers of your right hand, feel the first empty space of the puzzle tablet (here the hexagon).
    Take the hexagon shape, holding the knob in your right hand. With two fingers of the left hand,
    follow the outline of the shape. Place it into the empty place. Then feel the next empty place,
    find the matching shape, feel around it, and place it into the space. Continue in the same
    manner until all the shapes are in their respective places. After the puzzle is completed, pause
    and return it to the shelf.
    In another session introduce the names of the shapes.

    Matching Triangles
    Materials: 10 different triangles made of plywood with their names on their backs; the same
    10 triangles cut from paper glued on a cardboard, a container.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Recognizing the triangles and learning the
    nomenclature.
    Variation: Trace around the triangles and color
    with crayons; copy the name and make a 'triangle book.
    Presentation: Collect and spread the mat.
    Collect the cardboard tablet and the container
    with the triangles. Place the container in the topright corner of the mat. Remove all the triangles and put them on the mat. Take the first triangle
    and find the matching paper outline on the cardboard tablet. Place the triangle on the paper
    shape. Take the next triangle and find the matching shape on the cardboard. Continue in the
    same manner to match all the shapes. After all are matched, pause, then return them one by
    one into their container. Return the project to the shelf.
    In another session, introduce the nomenclature by explaining, This is an equilateral triangle,
    all three sides are of the same length. Or, This is an isosceles triangle, two sides are the
    same. This is a scalene triangle, all three sides are different.
    24

    Constructor Triangles
    Materials: 1 purple equilateral triangle, 2 white
    scalene triangles, 3 red isosceles triangles, 4 blue
    equilateral triangles, a box.
    Age: 4-6 years.
    Aim: Interest in geometry.
    Control of Error: Purple triangle.
    Presentation: Collect the box from the shelf and
    place it on the lower-right corner of the mat.
    Remove the purple triangle (which should be on top
    of the other shapes). Place it on the mat and feel
    around its outline with two fingers of your right hand.
    Triangle. Remove the 2 white triangles from the
    box and feel around their outlines. Put them together, so that they make another triangle, like
    the purple one. Another triangle - a triangle in 2 parts. Get the purple triangle and place it on
    top of the white, both are congruent. Get the 3 red triangles, feel around, put them together as
    the purple triangle, A triangle in three parts.
    Similarly, put the 4 blue triangles in the shape of the purple one, A triangle in four parts.
    Pause. Then return the triangles into the box, starting with the blue, then the red, the white and
    the purple. Return the box and the mat.

    Presentation: Collect the box from the shelf


    to the table. Remove the purple triangle,
    This is a triangle. Repeat the construction of
    all the other triangles and name them:
    triangle in 2 parts, in 3 parts, in 4 parts.
    Variation: Transfer the triangles onto a
    newsprint and show how to trace around it on
    the paper. Return the triangles to the box in
    the right order. Color the triangles on the
    paper.

    Puzzle
    Material: Simple puzzle with knobs.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Aim: Concentration, visual discrimination, visual
    memory, pincer grip by holding the knob.
    Variation: Remove only a few pieces.
    25

    Sound Cylinders
    Materials: 12-20 containers containing
    items which make different sounds. Ensure
    that two of them have the same contents.
    The containers have different colored lids,
    half of them have red lids, the others have
    grey lids; a tray.
    Aim: Auditory discrimination.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Presentation: Spread the mat. Collect the material from the shelf, carrying the tray with both
    hands. Place it on the upper-right corner of the mat. Remove all the containers, placing them
    on the mat below the tray in two columns (one column: those with red lids, the other column:
    those with grey lids). Take the first container with the red lid in your left hand and shake it close
    to your left ear. Take the first container with the grey lid into your right hand and shake it close to
    your right ear. Compare the sounds by shaking them one after the other. If the sounds match,
    place that pair in the top-left corner of the mat. If the sounds do not match, put the grey
    container back in its place and take the next container of that column with the grey lids in your
    right hand. Shake it close to your right ear. Compare the sounds of the red one in your left hand,
    and the grey one in your right hand. If they match put them aside; if they do not match place the
    grey one back and try the next grey one. (Keep the red until you find the matching grey one,
    only then should you take the next red container.) When all the containers are matched
    according to their sounds, go through the column with the pairs to control, by shaking the pairs
    of containers again. Then put all the containers back on the tray; mix them up so that the work is
    ready for another use. Return the tray to the shelf, return the mat.

    26

    Chapter Six
    Language
    Language Shelf
    Besides the various projects, the
    language shelf contains papers in
    different sizes and qualities, glue,
    pencils, crayons in colored containers,
    a tray with a sharpener, clipboards to
    put under the paper when writing on
    the floor, chalk and small chalk boards
    with dusters.

    Bookshelf
    Collection of good children's books, mainly about nature and
    technical topics, to explain our world to the children.
    Encyclopedias, children's dictionaries, and picture Bibles are
    found there as well.
    To protect them, use 2 cellotape to cover the pages.

    Picture Story
    Materials: 5 drawings depicting a story, a
    tray.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Aim: To establish the sequence of a story.
    Control of Error: Diagonal line at the
    back.
    Presentation: Collect the tray with the
    pictures. Place the tray on the top-right
    corner of the mat. Remove all the pictures
    and place them at random under the tray. Select the first picture. Describe what it shows: Two
    boys with fishing rods, walking. Place it in the top-left corner. Then select the second picture:
    Two boys fishing at the sea. Place it next to the first one. Take the third picture: Two boys are
    walking. They are holding fishes and fishing rods. Place it. Take the fourth picture: Two boys
    in front of a house cooking fish. Place it next to the others. Take the last one, ask the child to
    say what is on the picture: Two boys eating. Pause and enjoy the picture story. Point to the
    pictures again and repeat the contents. Turn the pictures around. At the back is a diagonal line
    going from the first to the last picture. Turn the pictures again to the right side. Put them back on
    the tray saying, Let's mix them up so that the next child will have fun doing this project.
    27

    Patterns and Sequence


    Materials: Paperclips, 3 or more samples of patterns
    made with these clips on cardboard, with lines to
    create sections for each clip. A cardboard showing the
    same lines and sections where the paperclips will be
    put (cover all items with celotape); a container, a tray.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Understanding of patterns and how patterns are
    continued from one line to the other, as in the reading
    motion.
    Presentation: Collect the mat, collect the tray from
    the shelf. Place it in the top-right corner of the mat.
    Remove the patterns and select the simplest pattern. Put the others back. Point to the selected
    pattern and say, One big red clip, a small green clip, another small green clip. Get the container with the paperclips and select all the big red clips and small green clips. Put the container
    with the remaining clips back on the tray. Get the cardboard card from the tray and place it in the
    centre of the mat. Place the pattern above the top-left corner of the card, point to the first
    paperclip and find the same clip. Place it in the first section of the card. Point to the next clip,
    select the same clip and put it in the second section of the card. Do the same with the third clip.
    Then move the pattern above the next three sections of the card. Place the clips in the
    described way. Continue in the same manner. At the end of the first row of the card move the
    pattern and place it below the second row, use it in the same way. When all the clips are placed,
    pause and enjoy the visual harmony of the pattern. Then remove the clips one by one and
    place them back into the container, starting with the clip in top-left corner. Put all back on the
    tray. If you want to do a pattern you can collect the project from the shelf. Return the tray and
    the mat.

    Vocabulary Cards
    Materials: 6 pairs of cards of different categories with
    pictures at the front and the names at the back;
    pockets to store the cards.
    Age: 2-5 years.
    Aim: Practise vocabulary, basic understanding of the
    concept of category.
    Presentation: Like matching.
    For different age levels do tasks with increasing difficulty, such as:
    - matching of pictures and naming them;
    - matching of names: picture serves as a control of error;
    - matching pictures and names.
    Mix the pictures of several categories and sort them back into the
    right pocket. The cards also can be used in combination with the
    movable letters to assemble and write words.

    28

    Sandpaper Letters
    Materials: 26 plywood boards (16 cm x 18 cm) with
    5 painted red for vowels, and 21 painted blue for
    consonants; sandpaper cut-outs in the shapes of the
    letters, pasted on the boards: with small letters in
    front and capital letters on the back; a stand for the
    letters made from plywood with 3 cm x 3 cm bars for
    the letters to stand on, glued and nailed to the
    plywood sheet. Boards are fixed to support and
    strengthen the back of stand.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Shape and writing motion of letters.
    Presentation: Collect a letter from the stand. Put it
    on the mat. Introduce the letter by holding the board
    with the left hand and following the shape of the letter
    in writing motion with two fingers of the right hand.
    After completing the motion, say its sound. Allow
    the child to trace the letter and say its sound too.
    Practise the letter motion and sound. After the exercise, return the letter to its place on the
    stand. Before introducing any new letter, repeat the introduced ones first to reinforce and
    practise.

    Picture Cards for Sounds


    Materials: Different cards depicting the mouth while
    articulating different sounds.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Aim: Awareness of mouth/sound formation for
    reading readiness.
    Variation: Combine the picture of the sound and
    sandpaper letters to introduce the letter and sound for
    the first time to the children.
    Presentation: Collect the tray, put it in the top-right
    corner of the mat. Remove the first picture: o. Place it
    in the top-left corner on the mat. When we make our
    mouth like this, we can say o. Do the same with a
    and p. Practise the sounds and letters.
    In a later session, add more of such pictures with
    sounds. Later, when the sandpaper letters have been
    introduced, combine picture and letter.

    Initial Sound Cards


    Materials: For each letter, several cards with
    pictures on the front showing an item starting with
    that letter, and its name on the back; pockets to store
    the cards.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Acoustic discrimination, initial sounds.
    29

    Presentation: First presentation


    Collect the mat and spread it. Choose a sandpaper letter from the stand.
    Say its sound. Go to the initial sound pockets and find the same letter in the
    pocket. Remove the cards from that pocket and bring them to the mat
    together with the sandpaper letter. Put the sandpaper letter on the top of
    the mat. Hold the cards in a stack. Take the first card, look at the picture and
    name it. Place it below the sandpaper letter (here: butterfly). Do the same
    with all the pictures: bat, bucket, bag, basin. Practise by pointing to a
    picture and asking the child to name it.
    After the exercise, put the cards in a stack, take them back to the pockets,
    find the right pocket, and put them in. Return the sandpaper letter to its
    place on the stand.
    Variation: Use sandpaper letter, sound picture and initial sound cards of
    that letter to introduce the letter.
    Game: Cover the pictures with a cloth, remove one without showing it,
    remove the cloth and ask the children which one is missing.

    Presentation: Two or three letters and their initial


    sound cards.
    As described previously, choose 2 or 3 sandpaper
    letters one by one. Collect the cards from their
    pockets and bring them to the mat. Place the letters
    at the top of the mat. Mix up the cards. Make one
    stack out of them. Take the first card, look at the
    picture and name it. Match it with the sandpaper
    letter and place it below that letter. Take the next
    picture and do the same. Continue in the same
    manner until all the pictures are named and the
    cards are lined up in vertical lines below their
    respective sandpaper letters.
    Name all the pictures belonging to one letter.
    Emphasize the initial sound. Turn the picture around. The names behind each picture show the
    same initial letter. Put cards belonging together in a stack and find their pocket. Return the
    sandpaper letters, one by one to their stands.

    Seed Tray
    Materials: Tray with seeds (or sand, ground coffee),
    sandpaper letter or sandpaper numeral.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Aim: Writing motion, first attempts without the risk of failing.
    Presentation: Hold the sandpaper letter with the left hand while
    tracing it with two fingers of the right hand. Say its sound, then
    write the same letter in the seed tray. After showing how to trace
    the letter in the seeds, lift and shift the tray - left to right several
    times - to create an evenly-covered surface again on the tray.
    30

    Letter Puzzle
    Materials: Puzzle of letters in alphabetical order, small lettered
    vowels painted red, consonants blue. The puzzle consists of 4
    pieces which can be worked at separately (to make the task more
    manageable).
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Aim: Practice letter shape and alphabetical order.
    Presentation: See Number puzzle.

    Tracing and Coloring Shapes


    (For lack of metal insets, use the shapes of the shape puzzle.)

    Materials: Shape puzzle, plain paper, pencil, crayon,


    writing board.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Aim: Indirect preparation for writing.
    Presentation: Collect the shape puzzle, the writing
    board, paper, pencil, and crayon to the mat. Put the paper
    on the writing board. Remove the first shape from the
    puzzle, holding it at its knob, and place it in the top-left
    corner of the paper. With your left hand, place the pencil
    in the right hand. Then hold the knob of the shape with the
    left, while tracing around shape with the pencil. Put the pencil on the mat and the shape back
    into the puzzle board. With a crayon color the inside of the shape. One by one return the
    puzzle, the crayon, pencil and board. Fold the paper, put it in your pocket and take it home.

    Stencils
    Materials: Plastic letter stencils, pencil,
    plain A 4 paper, crayons: blue, red, green.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Practise how to write letters and
    numbers.
    Presentation: Collect the tray with the
    stencil, 1 sheet of A4 paper, a pencil, blue,
    red and green crayons, one by one, and
    take them to a table. Put the sheet landscape on the tray. Write your name on top of the sheet.
    Place the stencil on the paper, make sure it is in the right direction; take the pencil in your right
    hand and hold the stencil with your left. Trace the letters and numbers one by one with the
    pencil. Then remove the stencil and take the red crayon and write over the first letter A which is
    a vowel, and is therefore red. Put down the crayon, take the blue and write over B, then C and
    D. Write the vowels in red, the consonants in blue, the numbers in green. While writing over
    the pencil letters, it is important that the correct writing motion is observed and that the gaps the
    stencil created are covered. After the exercise, return the pencil and the crayons; return the
    tray with the stencil, fold the paper and put it in your pocket.
    31

    Name Strips
    Materials: Cardboard strips with the
    name of each child, if possible with a photo
    of that child, the letters written in red
    (vowels) and blue (consonants); strips of
    transparent paper or plastic, same size as
    the cardboard strips; 4-6 paper clips in a
    container; markers (blue and red),
    basket/box for the strips to be stored
    (standing with the names towards the
    children so that they can flip through to find
    theirs).
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Writing their own names.
    Variation: Name strips can be used also to recognize/read the names, and in many different
    ways.
    Presentation: Find your name strip in the box on the shelf and take it to the table. Collect the
    paper clips, transparent paper and the markers to the table. Place the transparent paper over
    the name strip and fasten it with the paper clips. Use the markers to trace the letters, which are
    very visible through the transparent paper. Start at the left side with the first letter, one by one,
    using the respective color. Make sure the lid is always placed on the marker after each use.
    After the name is traced on the transparent paper, remove the paperclips, fold the paper and
    put it in your pocket. Return the markers, the paper clips and the name strips.

    Movable Letters
    Materials: Individual letters on cardboard, or plywood
    pieces of the same height, with lines (base line); several
    sets are necessary to assemble different words.
    Pockets or a box with compartments to store the letters.
    In this example, the movable letters are combined with
    initial sound cards.
    Age: 4-5 years.
    Aim: Assembling words.
    Variation: Whatever children are interested to
    write/communicate can be done with the movable
    letters. Children can copy it in writing on a paper.
    Presentation: Choose a picture with its name and place
    it on the mat. Collect the necessary letters from the
    pockets and assemble the word.

    32

    Puzzle: Capital and Small Letters


    Material: All the letters of the alphabet with small and
    capital letters on cardboard or plywood; box/tray.
    Age: 4-5 years.
    Aim: Capital and small letter recognition.
    Variation: Fewer pairs, and/or those that look very much
    alike (S s, O o, Z z, X x); or pairs of letters that can be easily
    confused: d, p, b, q, a.
    Presentation: Collect the mat and spread it. Get the tray
    from the shelf and place it in the top right corner of the mat.
    Remove all the pieces and spread them with the letters
    visible below the tray on the mat. Sort the letters: small
    letters on one side, capital letters on the other side. Starting with the small letters, make a
    vertical line at the left side of the mat. Then take the first capital letter, compare it with the first
    small letter of the line, then the next until you find its match among the small letters; name them.
    Continue in the same manner, matching all the capital letters to the small ones. After the
    exercise, put all the letters back on the tray and return it to the shelf. Return the mat.

    Three-Part-Cards for
    Phonograms
    M a t e r i a l s : C a r d s f o r d i ff e r e n t
    phonograms, example, words that have
    the 'sh' sound at the beginning or at the
    end. For each word in this example,
    there should be a card in three parts.
    The first part has the picture and its
    name at the bottom; the second part
    has the picture only; the third part has
    only the name. Tray, 3 rubber bands.
    Presentation: Collect the tray with the
    material to the mat and place it in the
    top-right corner. Take the biggest cards - the ones with the pictures and the names. Remove
    the rubber band and put it on the tray. Place the cards in a vertical line - if necessary make
    several lines. Starting from the top-left corner, place the card and name the picture.
    Then take the second part of the cards, those with pictures only. Remove the rubber band and
    put it on the tray. Take the first card from the stack and compare it with the first card on the line.
    If the pictures match, place the picture on top of the picture of that card, if not, find its matching
    card by comparing with each of the cards following the line. After all the pictures are matched,
    take the stack with the name cards. Remove the rubber band and compare the first name with
    the name of the first card in the line. Match the name cards to the names of the cards, placing
    them on top.
    After all are matched, go through the cards again, mentioning the names of the pictures.
    Collect all the name cards and make a stack holding them in your left hand. With the right hand
    take the rubber band and put it on the mat. Put one corner of the cards in your left into the ring of
    the rubber band. With the right hand the rubber band is pulled over the stack of name cards. In
    the same manner, put rubber bands around the other two stacks of cards, place them on the
    tray, return the tray.
    33

    Chapter Seven
    Science
    Puzzle: Body Parts
    Materials: Plywood puzzle with 9 pieces.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Awareness of parts of the human body.
    Presentation: Collect the puzzle from the shelf and place it
    in the centre of the mat. Remove the pieces and put them at
    random on the mat. Take the first piece, preferably a prominent piece like the head, and try to find its proper location in
    the puzzle tablet. Place it there and go over it with two fingers
    to feel whether it fits properly. Then take the next piece and
    place it as well. Continue till all the pieces are in their places.
    Variation: Remove only a few pieces.

    Puzzles
    Puzzles differ quite a bit in their qualities.
    Knobs for holding the pieces are important. Here, the knobs
    are made from local seeds with nails.
    Puzzle pieces should not be too small.

    Whole-Piece-Puzzles:
    Sequences of developmental stages
    Materials: Two puzzles with 4 pieces, each piece
    representing an animal.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Visual discrimination, reinforcing developmental
    stages in butterflies and chickens.
    Variation: Trace around the pieces, color and make
    your own 'book'/paper.
    Presentation: Collect one puzzle. Name the different
    parts: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly.
    Remove the pieces, holding them at the knobs, and
    place them at random around the puzzle. Feel the first
    empty space with the forefinger of the right hand, find the matching puzzle piece. Continue in
    the same manner with the other pieces. Return the puzzle.
    34

    Three-Part Card: Fish


    Materials: A card in three parts for each
    part of the fish (head, trunk, fins, tail, gill
    cover). The first part has the picture
    with a part colored and its name at the
    bottom. The second part has the picture
    only. The third part has only the name of
    the respective body part; a tray, 3 rubber
    bands.
    Presentation: Collect the tray with the
    materials to the mat and place it in the
    top-right corner. Take the biggest cards - the ones with the pictures and the names. Remove
    the rubber band and put it on the tray. Place the cards in a vertical line - if necessary make
    several lines. Starting in the top-left corner, place the card and name the body part which is
    colored. In another session, practise the names of the body parts of the fish.
    Then take the second part of the cards, those with pictures only. Remove the rubber band and
    put it on the tray. Take the first card from the stack and compare it with the first card on the line. If
    the pictures match, place the picture on top of the picture of that card; if not, find its matching
    card by comparing with each of the cards following the line. After all the pictures are matched,
    take the stack with the name cards. Remove the rubber band and compare the first name with
    the name of the first card in the line. Match the name cards to the names on the cards, placing
    them on top of it.
    After all are matched, go through the cards again, mentioning the names of the body parts.
    Collect all the name cards and make a stack, holding them in your left hand. With the right
    hand, take the rubber band and put it on the mat. Put one corner of the cards in your left into the
    ring of the rubber band.
    With the right hand, the rubber band is pulled over the stack of name cards. In the same manner, put rubber bands around the other two stacks of cards, place them on the tray; return the
    tray.

    Globe/Continent Puzzle
    Materials: Inflatable globe with the continents painted in different
    colors (sand can be added to the paint to give a tactile impression
    of the continents); continent puzzle.
    Age: 4-5 years.
    Aim: Recognition of the shapes of the continents and their names
    and positions.
    Variation: Make your own world map by tracing and coloring the
    continents. In addition, with a push pin, a perforation can be made
    on the outline of the continents. This perforation can be torn
    carefully and the continent glued on a blue paper.

    35

    Flag Puzzle
    Material: Simple puzzle showing the flag of your nation.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Recognition of the flag.
    Variation: Flags of neighboring nations.
    Puzzles of the map of your country can be made simply
    (often cheap charts are sold, which can be mounted on
    cardboard or plywood, then cut in pieces - don't make the
    pieces too small).

    Electric Circuit
    Materials: Torch bulb, bulb holder, battery (4.5V), cables with
    clamps, push pin, wooden tray, container, paper with
    instructions.
    Age: 4-6 years.
    Aim: Basic understanding of electric circuit.
    Variation: Sorting: conductors/insulators.
    Presentation: Look at all the pieces and find their
    representation on the instruction paper. Demonstrate how to
    put the bulb into the holder (lamp). Fasten the holder with the
    push pin at its place on the tray; place the battery according to
    the instruction paper. Connect the cables following the lines
    on the paper from the battery to the lamp - from the lamp back
    to the battery - the light shines. Remove the cable, the bulb
    and the battery and place all the pieces in the container.

    Magnet
    Materials: Magnet, different items to be sorted in a
    container, a tray; labels: 'magnetic', 'non-magnetic.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Basic understanding of magnetism.
    Variation: Different types of magnets.
    Presentation: Collect the tray from the shelf and place it
    on the top-right corner of the mat. Remove the magnet,
    the labels and the container with the items. Take the
    labels and hold the magnet towards them. Place both
    labels on the top of the mat next to each other. Now take
    the first item and hold it towards the magnet. Items
    attracted are placed below the 'magnetic' label, those
    not attracted are placed in a vertical line below the 'nonmagnetic' sign. After all the items are sorted, name the different things which are magnetic and
    those which are not magnetic. After the exercise, put all the items back into their containers one
    by one; place the labels and the magnet on the tray together with the container. Return the tray
    to the shelf.
    36

    Chapter Eight
    Mathematics
    Number Rods
    Materials: 10 sticks, 10 cm to 100 cm in length, in
    blue and red.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Purpose: Concept of length, association quantity
    and name.
    Presentation: For the first presentations with number rods, only the first and second rods are
    used. Collect the mat, collect the first rod, carrying it with both hands; holding each end of the
    rod, place it on the mat. Collect the second rod in the same way. Pick up the first one saying,
    one, then put it back. Take the second rod and say, two, put it back. Repeat the process
    several times, if necessary. Take the one, say one and measure the two with it, saying one,
    two. Ask, Show me two; Show me one; Give me two . Next ask, What is this? pointing
    at one of the rods, then at the other.
    When the child has known one and two, present the three and four rods in a similar way. Always
    go back to one before introducing a new number. As each rod is introduced, it is placed in
    sequence on the mat. After the exercise return the rods, starting from the longest, one by one,
    holding the ends.

    Matching Quantities
    Materials: Dice, 6 bottle tops (or other counters), container.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Purpose: Concept of quantity.
    Variation: Two or more children can work together and take turns.
    Point of Interest: Dice.
    Presentation: Collect the work mat and spread it. Collect the
    container with counters and dice with both hands. Throw the dice,
    count the eyes. Place the same number of bottle tops, first in your
    hand, then on the mat, while counting them: one, two, three .
    Pause, put the bottle tops back into the container. Throw the dice
    again, count the eyes, count the same amount of bottle tops . Put
    the dice and counters into the container and return it to the shelf.

    Matching Numbers
    Materials: Numbers of any kind 1-9.
    Age: 2-4 years.
    Aim: Familiarizing with the shape of the numbers.
    Presentation: Matching exercise, like the matching of sensorial
    materials.
    37

    Puzzle: Matching Quantities


    Materials: Puzzle, box or tray.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Purpose: Concept of quantity.
    Control of Error: Puzzle.
    Point of Interest: Puzzle.
    Presentation: Collect the work mat, spread it. Collect the box with
    the puzzle and place it in the lower right corner of the mat.
    Remove the first piece from the box and place it in the upper-left
    corner of the mat. Take the second piece and compare it with the first
    piece. Count the dots. When it is the same amount, place it next to
    the first, when it is a different amount, place the second piece below
    the first piece. Take the third piece and compare it with the first, then
    the second piece. Count the dots. Continue in the same manner until all the pieces are
    matched. Pause and enjoy. Place all the pieces back into the box, one by one. Return the box,
    carrying it with both hands.

    Matching: Quantities and Numerals


    Materials: Puzzle - 12 pieces, box or tray.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Purpose: Concentration, concept of matching quantity
    and symbol.
    Control of Error: Puzzle.
    Presentation: Spread the work mat, collect the box with
    the puzzle pieces, and place it in the lower-right corner of
    the mat. Remove the pieces - sort: those with dots, those
    with numbers. Place the pieces with dots in a vertical line,
    starting from the top-left corner of the mat. Count the dots
    of first piece, find the matching piece among the pieces with numbers and match the two
    pieces. Continue in the same way. After all the pieces are matched, return them into the box one
    by one. Return box and work mat.

    Spindle Box
    Materials: 5 equal containers mounted on a board, with
    numbers 1-5, 15 sticks (spindles) for counters.
    Variation: Box with regular sections, from 0-4, another board
    with 5-9.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Control of Error: No spindle left over.
    Point of Interest: Putting something in a container.
    Purpose: Association quantity and symbols 1-5.
    Presentation: Collect the mat and spread it. Collect the
    material from the shelf, using both hands. Place it in the
    centre of the mat. Remove all the spindles and place them in
    front of the board. Point to the numbers and mention their names. Go back to 1, point to the
    number and say 'one. Take one spindle and place it in the 'one' container, saying one. Point to
    the numeral 2, say two. Count out two spindles, one at a time, saying, one, two. Put the
    spindles into the correct compartment, one at a time, saying, one, two. Continue in the same
    manner with all the spindles. Return the material to the shelf, return the mat.
    38

    Number Matchboxes
    Materials: Tray, 6 matchboxes covered with manila paper
    and cellotape, with numerals 0-5 on the top, dots drawn
    inside 0-5, 15 counters to fit into the boxes.
    Variations: Different types of boxes, different counters,
    more boxes 0-10.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Point of Interest: Boxes.
    Control of Error: Dots inside.
    Purpose: Concept of zero, matching quantity and symbol.
    Presentation: Collect the mat and spread it. Collect the
    tray, carrying it with both hands. Place it on the mat in the
    lower-right corner. Remove all the boxes from the tray. Take the first box with your right hand
    and put it in your left palm. Open the box by pushing it with your forefinger, and remove the
    counters one by one; place them on the tray. Close the box and place it in the upper-left corner
    of the mat. Do the same with the second box, place it under the first so that the boxes will form a
    vertical line. When all the counters are taken out of the boxes and the boxes are placed, read
    the number shown on the first box (e.g., 'Three'), place the same amount of counters into your
    left hand while counting (one, two, three), then place the counters next to the first box, while
    counting them again. Do the same for all the boxes. For 0, say, Zero is empty, zero means
    nothing. After matching the counters to the numbers shown on the boxes, open the first box
    and put the counters back into it. Place all the counters in their boxes. Place the boxes on the
    tray and return it to the shelf. Return the mat.

    Sandpaper Numerals
    Materials: 10 pieces of plywood or cardboard, about
    12 x 15 cm, with dots cut from sandpaper on the back
    and numerals 0-9 from sandpaper on the front, counters in a container, a box.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Purpose: Association of quantity and symbol, writing
    motion of the symbol.
    Point of Interest: Esthetics of the boards.
    Presentation: Collect three boards from the shelf,
    one, two, three, place them on top of each other on the
    mat. Collect the container with the counters, place it on
    the mat. Point to the one dot of the first board and say, one. Take one counter, say, one, and
    place it on the dot. Place it in the top-left corner of the mat. Then continue with two in the same
    way. Then three. After the exercise, return the counters to their container one by one. Return
    the boards and container with the counters to the shelf. The number of boards you use in
    demonstration will depend on what the child has learned before.
    39

    Presentation: Place the boards with the numbers one,


    two, three on the mat. The boards are in a stack with one
    on top. Hold with your left hand the left side of the board,
    while tracing the sandpaper numeral in writing motion
    with your right hand. Then say, one. Repeat, then place
    it in the top-left corner of the mat. Do the same with two
    and three. Practise by saying, Show me ; What is
    this? etc. During the following sessions, introduce more
    of the numerals, always starting from one. The zero
    should get an extra lesson.

    Variation: The matching amount of


    counters can be placed next to the
    sandpaper numeral; the back with
    the dots serves as a control of error.

    Number Puzzle
    Material: Wooden puzzle.
    Age: 3-4 years.
    Control of Error: Pieces not fitting.
    Point of interest: Empty holes - need filling.
    Purpose: Visual discrimination, memory of shape
    outline.
    Presentation: Collect the puzzle from the shelf by
    carrying it with both hands. Place it in the centre of
    the mat. Remove the first piece (number one).
    Hold it in your left hand and feel its shape with the
    fingers of your right hand, then place it on the mat
    at random. Take all the pieces out in the described
    way. Feel the hole of the first piece with 2 fingers, then find the matching piece and put it back.
    Check if it fits properly by feeling the surface. Find and place the other pieces alike. Return it to
    the shelf after use.
    40

    Lacing Numbers
    Materials: 10 cardboard or plywood boards, 12 x 15
    cm, with numerals and holes for lacing, following the
    number; 10 nylon strings, with a knot at one end and
    melted at the other end (or shoe laces); a box, container
    for laces.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Purpose: Following the writing motion of the numeral in
    a slow way, lacing it, for more absorption of the numeral
    shape.
    Presentation: Select one board from the box and take
    it to the mat. Collect 1 string. Point to the arrow on the board which indicates the starting point.
    Pick up the board and hold it in your left hand. Pick up the string with thumb and forefinger of the
    right hand. Push the pointy end of the string through the first hole indicated by the arrow, from
    front to back. Turn the board and find the next hole through which the string must go. Continue
    until the whole line is laced. Go over the laced line of the numeral feeling it, following the writing
    motion. Pause. Remove the string, starting from the last hole to the first hole. Return the board,
    fold the string, and return it to its container.

    Number Rods
    Materials: 10 sticks, 10 cm to 100
    cm in length, painted blue and red;
    labels with numbers.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Purpose: Concept of length,
    association of quantity and symbol.
    Presentation: Collect those rods
    and numbers which the child has
    learned. (It is not necessary to wait with the introduction of the numerals until all the ten rods
    have been learned. Many of these exercises for practising absorption go parallel.) Place
    numerals and rods on the mat. Match numerals and rods, while saying the name of the number.
    Mix the rods and numerals and invite the child to match and name them. Arrange the rods in
    sequence and name them. The child matches the corresponding numeral with the rod and
    names them.
    Variation: Place the numerals in sequence and ask the child to match the rods with the
    numerals. Say a number and ask the child to match corresponding numeral and rod. (There are
    many more ways you could think of and devise.)

    Bead Stair
    Materials: Beads/Seeds stringed on strong thin wire (1-10),
    tray, numbers 1-10.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Variation: Bead materials are used in many ways.
    Control of Error: Symmetry of the bead stair.
    Purpose: Absorption of quantity and symbol, base ten.
    Presentation: The bead stair is similar to the number rods,
    just smaller in size, so its use is much like the number rods.
    41

    Puzzle: Sequence 1-10


    Material: Puzzle, counters, numerals, box.
    Control of Error: Interlocking pieces, dots.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Purpose: Sequence 1-10.
    Variation: Start with few pieces according to the
    child's level.

    Numbers and Counters


    Materials: Any kind of numbers; any kind of counters,
    containers.
    Aim: To reinforce the association of quantity and number
    without control.
    Age: 3-5 years.

    Memory Game of Numbers


    Materials: Papers/cards with numbers 1 to 10 (you can use the numerals of the number rods) and
    different counters (bottle tops, stones, sticks).
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Exercise: Give each child a number and ask him to look at it; ask them to bring that many objects and
    place them on the mat. When all the children have brought their objects, they may take turns mentioning
    their numbers and counting their objects. Children may even describe what they have brought, e.g., I
    have three shells.

    Combinations of Ten

    Age: 4-5 years.


    Aim: Basic concept of addition.
    Presentation: Place the rods in sequence on the mat. Point out the ten, then the nine. Take the
    one and place it next to the nine. Say, Nine and one makes ten. Point to the eight, take the two
    and add it to the eight: Eight and two makes ten. Make all the pairs alike, allow the child to try a
    pair as well. For the five and five, flip the rod to demonstrate it. Return the rods after the exercise
    one by one, holding their ends.
    Variations: Combinations of nine, eight, seven, six, etc. Use the rods to introduce concepts
    greater than and less than.
    42

    Introduction of the Symbol + for Additions and for Equals


    Have small cards with these symbols and introduce their names and practise.
    In another session, using the combinations of tens, introduce the symbols with the numerals.
    Place the symbols with the number cards: 9 + 1 10. Say, Nine and one makes ten, or Nine
    plus one equals ten. Demonstrate the other combinations of ten in the same way.
    In another session, apply the same to the combinations of nine (eight, six, whatever is appropriate in your child's case). Show how it can be written, and allow the child to write the combinations for himself.

    Introduction of Subtraction
    With this material, the concept of subtraction can be demonstrated as well. (In an earlier exercise the number rods in sequence can be used for counting backwards from 10 to 1.) Point at
    the ten rods, then at the combination of nine plus one which makes ten. Remove the one bar,
    saying: Ten take away one equals nine. Continue with ten take away two, ten take away
    three.
    In another exercise, the symbol for take away or minus () will be introduced and used
    together with the numerals: 10 - 1 = 9, 10 - 2 = 8, 10 - 3 = 7, 10 - 4 = 6, 10 - 5 = 5.

    Decimal System
    Materials: Beads in quantities of 1, 10, 100, 1000;
    labels, a tray.
    Age: 4-6 years.
    Purpose: Learning to match quantities and symbols
    of the decimal system; visual and tactile perception of
    the quantities.
    Variations: Many different ways of introducing place
    value, and the composition of numbers.
    First Presentation: Presentation of quantity
    Collect the tray with the one unit bead, one ten bar,
    one hundred square, one thousand cube and place it in the lower-right corner of the mat.
    Introduce the one unit and the one ten and practise. Pick up the one unit saying, This is one
    unit. Put it down and pick up the ten bar: This is one ten. Show the relationship between the
    unit and the ten by placing the unit next to the ten bar, counting, One unit, two units, three units
    ten units. Ten units make one ten. Continue by practising, Show me one unit, give me one
    ten, . Find out whether the child has understood and remembered by asking, What is this?
    pointing to one of the two. Depending on the child, all three can be introduced in the same
    presentation: units, tens and hundreds.
    In another session, the thousand is introduced in a similar way.
    Presentation of symbol:
    For the presentation of the symbols, only the labels with the numbers 1,10,100 are used.
    Collect the labels from the tray and place them on the mat, with the one unit on top of the stack.
    Show the unit label and say, This is one unit. Show the ten label saying, This is one ten. Point
    to the unit card, One unit; point to the ten card, One ten. Continue in the same manner as the
    quantity was introduced.
    43

    Association of Quantity and Symbol


    Bring the tray with the quantities and the labels:1,10,100,1000. Place it on the mat. Pick up the
    unit bead and the unit label and match them on the mat, saying, One unit. Take the ten bar and
    the ten label and match them. Say, One ten. Do the same for the hundred and the thousand.
    Practise by showing the child the quantity and asking him to match the corresponding label.
    Show the label and ask the child to give you the corresponding quantity. Find out if the child has
    got it by mixing the quantities and labels and asking the child to match and name them.

    Introduction to Place Value: Presentation of Quantity


    Units: One to nine;
    Tens: One ten to nine tens;
    Hundreds: One hundred to nine hundred.
    Ask the child, Give me two units, and have him give you the correct quantity. Continue in the
    same way, asking for different quantities of units and tens. After some practice, add quantities of
    hundreds. Test the child's understanding by giving him quantities and asking what he has got.

    Introduction of Symbol
    Have labels on a tray on the mat: 1 to 9, 10 to 90,
    100 to 900, 1000. Begin with the units. Show the
    cards and say each name as you lay them in a
    column on the mat: One unit, two units .
    Proceed in the same way with the tens, placing the
    cards in a column to the left of the unit cards. Do
    the same with the hundred cards, naming and
    placing them on the left of the tens column. Name
    and place the thousand card left of the one hundred card. When all the cards are placed, ask the
    child to show you the card for 3 units, 6 tens, 4
    hundreds . When the child has had sufficient practice, point to several cards and ask him to
    name them. (The names for 2000 to 9000 are introduced in another session.)
    Variation: Allow the child to practise matching labels and quantities.
    Age: 4-6 years.
    Purpose: Preparation to understand the place value of the decimal system; broadening the
    understanding of numbers.
    Presentation of a more abstract form of quantity:
    Materials: Wooden squares, same size as the bead - squares; wooden cubes, same size as
    bead cube with dots, 100 on each side, representing the quantities.
    Present the hundred square in beads, asking, What is this? Then present the wooden square
    for one hundred. Place one square on the other. Show the child the wooden square saying,
    This is one hundred. Compare the two squares. Count the tens in the wood square, let the
    child feel its weight. Present the thousand cube in beads and the wood cube alike, allow the
    child to compare. This is one thousand. Count the hundreds on the wooden cube.
    Association of quantity and symbol:
    Have quantities of nine units, nine tens, nine hundreds, nine thousands and the cards 1 to 9, 10
    to 90, 100 to 900, 1000 to 9000 on stacks on the mat. Starting with card 1, place it in the upper
    right corner of the mat, then place 1 unit bead next to it (its right side), say, One unit. Do the
    same with the 2 place it under the 1. Take the one unit bead and move it to the 2 card, then add
    another unit bead and count, One unit, two units. Continue with 3, placing the card, moving the
    bead units and adding another, then counting. In the same way, continue up to 9. After the units
    do the same with the tens (place the card, then ten bar, counting, then next card moving the ten
    bar, adding another, count ) placing them left of the unit column. When the child is ready
    proceed to the hundreds then thousands.
    44

    Compositions of Numbers
    Age: 4-6 years.
    Presentation: Bring the bead materials and the number
    cards to the mat. Say, Let's make 1 thousand - 3 hundred 5 tens - 4 units. As you say the number have the child give
    you the corresponding cards. Place the cards on top of each
    other with the left edges even. Then slide the cards over to
    make 1354. Ask the child to match the beads with the number (1 thousand cube, 3 hundred squares, 5 ten bars, 4 unit
    beads) naming them as he matches. Practise this several
    times.
    In a later exercise, introduce the 0 in the numbers (example:
    2406). This requires making unit, ten, hundred, and thousand cards with 0.

    Ten Board
    Materials: Two long wooden boards divided in five sections by
    wooden strips. Set of wooden tablets with the numbers 1-10,
    10 tablets with number 10; bead stair, 10 ten bars, trays.
    Age: 4-6 years (introduce it to children who know units 1 to 9
    and tens 10 to 90).
    Purpose: Recognition of numbers eleven to nineteen.
    Reinforce concept of place value.
    Variations: Other ten numbers can be represented in the
    tablets 20, 30, etc.
    Presentation of Quantity: Start by working with the bead
    stair, take the bars from the tray, mix them up and ask the child
    to name the various bars, and put them together in sequence
    in the stair. Take a ten bar from its container and place it on the
    top of the mat. Place the 'one' at its right side and say, One ten and one unit make eleven. Take
    another ten bar and place it below the first. Then place a bar of two beside it: One ten and two
    units make twelve. Practise with the child by asking him to show you 12, 11. Continue with as
    many combinations as you see appropriate for the child at this time. At the end of the session,
    mix the different bead bars and ask the child to assemble the numbers and name them.
    Presentation of Symbol: Present the ten beads to the child who has learned the quantity in
    beads. Remove all the tablets of the board and make two stacks (one with the 1-9, the other with
    the tens). Slide the 10 into the first section, then the number 1 to cover the zero saying, Ten and
    one make eleven. Continue with Ten and two make twelve. In the same way, go up to nineteen. When all the ten numbers have been formed, point at each of them as you say its name.
    Remove the symbols, place them on the mat and ask the child to make ten numbers as you say
    them. In the last step, ask the child to name the numbers as you assemble them.
    For the association of quantities and symbols do so in the same manner as the place value
    exercise.
    45

    Writing Numbers
    Materials: Number cards, paper strips with 9 equal sections for

    the numbers1-9, plus a section for gluing the strips together;


    paper strips with 10 sections for the numbers with 2 digits, plus
    a section for gluing the strips, crayons in the color matching
    your numbers; glue, tray, writing board.
    Purpose: Reinforcing the composition of numbers, practising
    the writing of numbers.
    Age: 4-6 years.
    Variations: Have strips for 3-digit numbers.
    Presentation: Demonstrate by placing number 1 on the mat,
    then writing it in the first section of the paper strip. Return the 1
    into the box. Take 2, place it, write it into the next section, return
    it. Do this with all the numbers up to 9. Take number 10, show
    the 2 digits and explain that a double strip is needed. Show
    how to glue the next strip to the first strip. Continue by writing
    the 10 on the first sections of the 2-digit strip (use the color you
    chose to color-code your ten cards (here: red). Continue by composing eleven with the ten and
    one cards and then write the number on the strip with the respective colors. Continue in the
    same way. After 19, a new strip is glued on for the numbers 20 to 29. Some children like to make
    very long strips with several hundreds, so keep the work at a safe place for continuation
    another day.

    Linear Counting
    Materials: String with 100 beads, labels to hang
    into the string with numbers 10, 20 to 100,
    container for the labels, tray.
    Age: 5-7 years.
    Purpose: Counting to 100.
    Control of Error: No left over beads.
    Variation: A bead chain made of 10 ten bars
    hung together by their wire loops.
    Presentation: Collect the tray with the material
    to the mat. Remove the labels from the container
    and spread them on the mat. Take the bead chain
    and ask the child to join you in counting the
    beads. When you reach ten, hang the tag with 10
    into the chain after the tenth bead. Continue
    counting until twenty, where you hang in the 20 tag. Continue in the same manner up to 100.
    Show that there is no bead left. The chain has 100 beads. Pause and then remove the tags one
    by one and place them into their container. Place the container on the tray, then the chain.
    Return the material to the shelf.
    46

    Multiplications
    Materials: Beads strung on wire in bars of one (55),
    two, three to ten @ 55 bars. Corresponding labels
    1 x 1, 1 x 2, 1 x 3 to 1 x 10 on one side, on the other
    side: 1, 2, 3, to 10: 2 x 1, 2 x 2, 2 x 3 to 2 x 10, with
    the results: 2, 4, 6, 20 at the back.
    Aim: Basic concept of multiplication.
    Age: 4-6 years.
    Presentation of Quantities: Collect the units from
    the shelf and lay them out while saying: One unit times one makes one; one unit times two
    makes two, one unit times three makes three.
    In another session, you can introduce the multiplication with the tens, One ten times one
    makes ten, one ten times two makes twenty. One tens times three makes thirty. In another
    session, the two and its multiplications are introduced, Two times one makes two, two times
    two makes four, two times three makes six, etc.
    Presentation of Symbols: After each number that is introduced with its multiplications the
    symbols follow before introducing another number. Lay out the labels in a column saying, one
    times one equals one (turn the label and show its back). Turn the label back to its front and
    place it on the mat. Continue in the same manner: One times two equals two; turn the label
    show the 2. Continue with the next label, 'Two times two equals four' up to two times ten equals
    twenty. The labels for the other multiplications are presented alike.
    Combination of Quantities and Symbols: After the multiplications of a number and its symbols are introduced separately, the two are combined. Place the label with the front on top of the
    mat 3 x 1, say, Three times one, then find the matching quantity in bead bars. Count the beads,
    if necessary, Tree times one equals three, turn the label to control. Continue with the next
    label: 3 x 2, and say, Three times two; match the quantity of bead bars, and say the multiplication again: Three times two equals six. Turn the label. Continue in the same manner up to
    3 x 10.

    Puzzle: Fractions
    Material: Puzzle with 5 circles cut in fractions of two halves,
    three-thirds, four-quarters, five-fifths.
    Age: 3-5 years.
    Aim: Basic understanding of fractions.
    Variations: Other ways of representing fractions.
    Presentation: Collect the puzzle from the shelf. Remove
    the whole circle hold it in your left hand and feel around its circumference with the index finger of
    your right hand. Say, This is a whole circle. Allow the child to feel it. Put it on the mat. Then take
    the two halves from the puzzle and feel it. Say, This is one-half and this is one-half. Put them
    on the mat and slid them together, Now it is a whole circle, one half and one half make a whole
    circle. Continue with the thirds in the same manner, then practise. After the exercise, return the
    fractions into their respective places in the puzzle tray and return the puzzle to the shelf. 'Fraction books' can be made by tracing around pieces, colouring them and writing the fractions into
    them.
    47

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