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 4 sets 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 #5 Hexagonal small box 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
- 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 you are going to show them the fifth constructive triangle set
- 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
- Sit to the right of the child and begin taking the shapes from the tray/box, placing them mixed on the mat, the child may help
- The child may stack the same colours on top of each other
- Now stack all the triangles on top of each other to show the child they are all the same size
- Take the 2 red equilateral triangles and position so the black lines are facing
- Slide together asking the child “what’s this?” (child should answer rhombus)
- Set the rhombus aside to the left of the mat
- Take the 3 green equilateral triangles, positioning them so the black lines are facing
- Slide together, asking the child “what’s this?” (child should answer trapezium)
- Take the 6 grey equilateral triangles, positioning them so the black lines are facing
- Slide together asking the child “what’s this?” (child should answer hexagon)
- Say to the child “I wonder if this rhombus will fit on top of the hexagon?”
- Pick up the rhombus as one single shape and place onto a section of the hexagon
- Ask the child “does this fit?”
- Show the child that 3 rhombi make up the hexagon by separating out the grey triangles, so the 3 rhombi are clearly visible (explaining to the child that when we have more than one rhombus we call them rhombi)
- Take the rhombus off and place back on the mat
- Push the hexagon back together
- Say to the child “I wonder if this trapezium will fit on top of the hexagon?”
- Place the trapezium on top of the hexagon
- Separate out the grey triangles showing the child that 2 trapeziums make up the hexagon
- Take off the trapezium and place back on the mat
- Push the hexagon back together
- Mix all the shapes and invite the child to work with the triangles
Variations
- The child may now work with this set and the previous 4 sets shown
