Back to basics: Number rods

E has been 'experiencing' the various Montessori materials plus others we have here at home for quite some time now and I have allowed him to familiarize himself with them as he randomly chose the materials he wanted for the day. So, he now has a pretty good idea about them and what you can generally use them for. I have also been learning and now think I have a better head about most of the materials (which were overwhelming to me at first) as I have spent worthwhile time 'absorbing' the albums. In view of this and now that E is almost 3-1/2, I have decided to do lessons proper with him on all subjects. We've done lessons with them all but now feel that we can take them further from start right up to further extensions.

Last evening saw me preparing the number rods for presentation and lessons this morning. E had a sneak peak and was totally excited about them. When morning came, I had no problems with E accepting my invitation to work with the number rods. He did want to stand them up instead of keeping them laying horizontally on the table but did not persist with his request. Quite unusual of him actually.....:-) (I thought he might have been bored because he already knows how to count from 0 up to 100 at least but he wasn't! Yay! That's how much thought been given Montessori materials that children easily love working with them.)

First, we laid all the graded rods in order from 1 - 10 with their left sides touching the next rod.

To present, I slid number rod 1 down, place my pointer finger on its' side and slid down the length of it to give a 'sensorial' experience of number rod 1 which is 10cm. Then, E did the same and proceeded to return number rod 1 to its position. Then, he slid number rod 2 out and slid his finger over the entire first section and said, "one" and then slid from one to two and at the end of that action said, "two" and so on he went up till 10.

As a variation, we sat a nearby rug away from the table and I asked E to bring me number rod 1 then 2, 3........10. He placed these on the rug as he brought them and arranged them in correct gradation. Also, he had to count each rod each time he brought one to the rug (before he laid it down to arrange) as a counterchecking activity.

Another variation, I asked him to bring me random number rods this time and he had to do as he did previously except that this time he had build around the random number. e.g. 6

E did pretty well. We stopped here as we've been snowed in and my other sons (they had no school since Mon.) needed mom's attention too!:-)

What's also great about the Montessori methodology is that the child learns independence from young. When I am doing work around the house, E never hesitates to pitch in, and so when I was busy cooking/making lunch this noon, he practiced writing 'H' and some numbers as well as drawing and doodling.

Oh and I almost forgot,,,,right after his bath, he played a memory game. I would flash a shape to him and put it away, then he would draw from memory what he saw. Simple, effective and fun!