Through the use of this material, the child acquires not only the knowledge of the various geometric forms, but will also be able to recognize them in the environment that surrounds him
The development material is an integral part of the Montessorian school: the “children’s house” (of which we talked here) and primary school. Maria Montessori, in her books, wants to clarify what its purpose is: the education of the senses.
The importance of sensory material
The means by which it proposes the achievement of this purpose is the sensory materialwho must remain always a means and never become an end. His words, in Scientific pedagogy manualthey manage to explain and make it clear how advantageous the use of this material for boys and girls: “The most important objects of the environment are those who lend themselves to systematic exercises of the senses and intelligence, with a harmonious collaboration of all the psychic and driving personality of the boy, and who gradually lead him to conquer, with exuberant and powerful energy, the most hard learning of the culture: and count. This is the part that makes children become a real school, in the sense of giving the learning deemed indispensable; But it is far from a school, if with this word you want to understand the place of martyrdom and cruel slavery, where we have all had to pass, as for the ordeal that redeem the darkness of ignorance. In the house of children with freely chosen spontaneous exercises, and performed according to the inner dictates of the personality of each, the children, using the material, not only develop intelligence, character, grace; But they acquire skills and attitudes, which push him to new and higher efforts. The learning of writing then becomes an exciting conquest, an exercise of irresistible attraction; and The child overtakes, triumphant and joyful, the feared rock that is located at the entrance of education. The aforementioned “material” is, as a whole, a systemic instrument of psychology, which can compare itself to a gymnastics gym of the spirit; Where the child, exercising spontaneously, progresses in development and therefore also in the purchase of culture ».
The chest of drawers of geometric figures
Very interesting is the “drawer of the flat geometric figures”, a material used in the house of children, from 3 to 5 years old, through which a first variety of shapes is introduced that touch and seen, together, learn to know and recognize. Thus introduces itself Sensory geometry.
«A locker containing six drawers placed on each other. When they are open, they show off each six “frames” of square wood. Almost all the frames have a great geometric figure stuck in the center, colored in Turkish and equipped with a button that serves to take it. Each drawer has the bottom painted in Turkish color, when the geometric figures are removed from their frames, the bottom reproduces exactly the same forms. The geometric figures are arranged in the drawers according to the analogy of form. “
Here through the use of this material, not only the child acquires the knowledge of the various geometric forms, but He will also be able to recognize them in the environment that surrounds him And, through this acquired knowledge, also to represent it by itself.
The original extracts are taken from Maria Montessori, Scientific pedagogy manualIII edition.
For more information and to buy these materials you can visit the Boboto project website.
