#tactile discrimination

[themontessoriacademyofarlington]

Early Childhood - Knobbed Cylinders Blindfolded

This is a challenging work when you can see, but completing all four of the cylinder blocks is very challenging while wearing a blindfold! Designed to isolate the relationship between dimension and volume, each cylinder block offers a student ten cylinders, differing in their relative heights and weights. Some are tall and narrow, some are tall and wide, while others are short and narrow or short and wide. The student removes each cylinder from its block by grasping its handle with just three fingers, feeling the weight of each cylinder and strengthening their fingers in the process. Exploring the blocks, using either one, two, three, or all four blocks simultaneously, the student is able to internalize the differences in weight caused by different proportions.

[themontessoriacademyofarlington]

Early Childhood - Geometric Solids

This student is very focused while learning the names of geometric solids! This work enhances vocabulary and language skills as students learn to accurately describe different shapes. all while improving tactile discrimination and fine motor skills as students handle and explore the various solids. Additionally, it fosters spatial awareness and visual perception, helping students understand how shapes relate to one another and to the space around them. By engaging in this hands-on learning, children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they compare, contrast, and categorize the shapes. This foundational knowledge in geometry prepares children for more complex mathematical concepts in the future.

[themontessoriacademyofarlington]

Early Childhood - Pink Tower and Brown Stairs

What a feat! This student has shown great patience and concentration when combining the Brown Stair and Pink Tower to create this amazing tower. 

The Brown Stair is a constant attraction in the Montessori classroom and is frequently partnered with the Pink Tower. These materials share dimensional qualities of diminishing tenths that support the Base-10 system and the proportions of the base of each prism. While the Pink Tower teaches students about the relationship of size and weight, the Brown Stair teaches children to distinguish by thickness. 

Children initially develop their visual and tactile discrimination by building the simple staircase with the Brown Stair material. After mastery, children explore other ways to lay out the Brown Stair, including aligning the thinnest prism in the space created between the height of each of the other stairs. Or they may discover some of the extensions that exist when they combine the stair and tower. There are many ways to build a tower, but only these materials together do so in a way that also reinforces the Base-10 number system and expands on the child's understanding of the relationships of dimension.