Math Activities
Key Activities
Our friends over at Montessorium have put together some great summaries of the key activities from each of the curriculum areas.
We hope this sparks your interest even more about Montessori, you can also join us on our regular information evenings where our Directress' go into much more detail about each of the areas.
Addition Snake Game
The goal of this work is to turn the colourful snake into a golden snake by counting to ten! The child feels a lot of excitement when they are able to work with the Snake Game! It helps them identify sets of 10, which will solidify their knowledge of basic addition facts, such as 4+6, 7+3, all equalling 10. The world of math unfolds before them, and they are able to embrace it without hesitation.
Number Rods
The Number Rods are a natural progression from the red rods, naming the quantity shown on each number rod with red and blue demarcations. Using the 3 Period Lesson, the child and guide will name and count each Number Rod, typically separating them into four groups: 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 8-10. The Number Rods are a great way for the child to gain a concrete understanding of the differences of quantity. This foundation will serve them in every math activity they attempt moving forward!
Intro Tray: Decimal System
The Intro Tray is an elegant, beautiful, and enticing introduction to the decimal system. An important aspect of the Intro Tray is allowing the child to feel the dimensions, weight, and size difference of each quantity. The unit feels very different than the 1 thousand cube! The golden beads, perfectly strung onto the gleaming metal rods, invite the child to learn the foundations of math. The same foundations that will carry them through every other math material in the classroom and beyond
Spindle Boxes
The spindles themselves are wooden rods with no markings or colouring on them. A child carefully arranges the two boxes on a table, and begins counting! One spindle in the one compartment. Two spindles in the two compartment. And so on! A natural control of error occurs when a child finishes counting. If there are too few or too many spindles, the child knows he or she has made an error somewhere along the way. The child isn’t dependent on a teacher or guide for confirmation that he or she has done the work correctly. It’s just another way that independence is fostered in the Montessori classroom.
Cards and Counters
The Cards and Counters bring the abstract to the concrete, allowing a child to feel the units as they count. It consists of 10 number cards, 1-10, and 55 round, red counters.
First, the child places the cards in numerical order, then it’s time to start counting. The red counters each represent one unit, and this emphasises for the child the fact that each number is made up of different quantities. There are specific places for each counter. The even numbers are placed in rows of two, stacked upon one another. Odd numbers, like 5, the odd counter sits centred below the last even row of two. Indicating the difference between odd and even numbers is one of the direct purposes of the Cards and Counters.
Sandpaper Numerals
Sandpaper Numerals help form the building blocks of numeracy, leading to bigger math work.
Similar to the other sandpaper materials in the Montessori classroom, this math material invites a child to begin exploring the world of numbers.