Learning to use sharp objects, such as knives and scissors, is important to become cautious and autonomous. Here are some activities to be proposed according to age
The knife cuts, the graffin grater, the fork stings, the scissors have sharp blades, the glass is crushed, with the pencil it is blinded. These are not good reasons not to have a child use these tools. A knife that does not cut or a plastic dish do not teach the child to be prudent, on the contrary, they show him that even if he uses them improperly nothing happens. The baby must instead learn to be careful and prudent, able to handle potentially dangerous objects, using real and functional objects.
Real objects to learn
Maria Montessori teaches us that You don’t have to give a child a plastic glass or a fake grater. It is true that these objects must be small and suitable for their hands, but in nothing else they must differ from those designed for adults. And how do you protect children from domestic accidents due to a bad use of dangerous objects? Allowing them to use them only when they are seriously interested in doing it. The authentic interest generates concentration, close friend of prudence. A child interested in cutting a boiled courgette will be intent on cutting only the courgette. A tired, angry child, in need of running should instead be protected by meeting potentially dangerous objects. A child who acts guided by his instincts and development needs will show himself calm and directed by a constructive energy and will not do imprudent and destructive actions.
The replacement of real utensils with toy tools provides the child in charge of inaccurate. What matters is to be clear the purpose of each activity that is proposed to the child: The preparation of a toy cuisine aims to encourage development in the child of social and relational skills to simulate communication strategies or rework social roles lived in reality. The setting instead of an activity that Maria Montessori calls of “practical life” how to make the juice, peel the carrots, break the nuts, grate bread … it aims to refine the manual skills and thus encourage the autonomy of the child. In the first case, that the knife does not cut has no importance, but it is essential that the knife works in the second case. A sharp knife in toy cuisine could be a danger because it is used improperly, but a toy knife used to cut could generate misunderstanding and frustration.
Here are some proposals for activities with “dangerous objects” (we have dealt with the same topic in the article Montessori method: let’s learn to use needle and wire). Before letting the child begin his business, it is important to get the necessary materials and show calm how to proceed.
Squeeze the orange (or mandarin): activity recommended by 24 months
- Get a tray, a sink (possibly in metal because it is more effective, given the poor strength of the children’s hands), a mandarin or an orange, a bowl (containing the two half of the agrume), a glass glass
- Place half of the agrume on the juicer. Press and turn (amplifying gestures a bit so that passages are clearly visible)
- Place the peel in the bowl
- Pour the juice into the glass. Proceed equally with the other half
- Proceed with the rinsing of the tools
Cut fruit or boiled vegetables: activity recommended for 20 months
- Get a tray, a cutting board, a metal knife with rounded tip, a bowl with boiled vegetables (carrot, potato, courgette) or soft fruit
- Place the vegetables or fruit to slice on the cutting board
- Challenge the knife and make some vegetable chunks
- Place the chunks in the bowl
- Proceed with the rinsing of the tools
Grate the stale bread and cheese: activities recommended by 24/30 months
- Get a tray, a grate with a drawer, a bowl with an old bread, an empty bowl for the crumbs, a teaspoon, a kitchen brush
- Put the grater in front of you
- Take the toilet of bread and, with a slow, vertical and unidirectional movement, grate the bread
- Open the drawer, with the spoon, turn the crumbs obtained in the bowl
- Help yourself with the brush to complete the labor
Take care of a plant: activity recommended by 24/30 months
- Get a wide -length plant, a vaporizer, a cotton ball, a pair of scissors (with rounded tip), watering can
- Vaporize the leaves with the cotton ball to wash them, one at a time. Pour a little water to the base of the plant, in the earth
- Fasters with scissors the dry leaves (or the twigs)
The food should not be thrown: the child at the end of the work can eat or offer to someone. Or it can be kept and used by mom and dad for dinner or snack.
The bread crumbs can be donated to the birds in the lawn or on the windowsill.
