Recommended Age: 4 years and onwards
Level of Parent Involvement: Medium during the initial presentation then low once the child has been shown and can work independently. The adult must also make the materials prior to the presentation.
Prerequisites: The child must have worked with the first box of constructive triangles and should be able to name the shapes formed by the triangles. (If the child does not know the names of the shapes they may still work with the second box, ensure you are naming the shapes each time the child works with the second box and continue 3 period lessons with the names of shapes from the geometry cabinet)
Materials
- Set 2 (rectangular box) print from PDF
- Scissors
- Laminator
- Laminating sheets
- Small tray or box to keep the constructive triangles
- A mat for the child to work on (you may use a towel if you don’t have a work mat OR small carpet mats are available from most carpet stores which are perfect work mats for children doing Montessori exercises from home)
Preparation
- Print set 2 (rectangular box) from PDF
- Cut out triangles
- Laminate triangles then trim around the plastic laminating sheet
- Place the triangles in the tray/basket
Steps
- Invite the child letting them know that today you are going to show them the second constructive triangle exercise
- Let the child know they need their work mat, once the child has placed their mat they may bring the tray/basket of triangles to the mat
- Ask the child what they notice about the triangles, the child should notice that the triangles are all blue (they may also notice the triangles don’t have thick black lines like the first constructive triangles
- Take all shapes and place them on the mat
- Invite the child to place all the triangles that are the same on top of each other
- Invite the child to make the shapes as per the first constructive triangles exercise
- Choose 1 shape
- Keeping one triangle still, move the other triangle all the way around the other, stopping each time a new shape is formed asking the child “what’s this?”
- Once you have slid the triangle all the way around, return to the original position
- Invite the child to explore with the shapes and leave the child to work independently
Variations
- Shoe the child how to flip one of the pairs: flipping the shapes upside down, one stays still the other shape goes around invite the child to explore
- The child may now work with the first constructive triangles shown and the second set together
