PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES.

Kitchen- Helping while Cooking

Aim: This activity helps the child to learn cleanliness and control the environment in which they live and work. They get to learn in this activity how to help while cooking food and to maintain cleanliness in the Kitchen. This activity develops motor skills and co-ordination as well as enriching his vocabulary and builds up his self esteem and makes him feel worthwhile. Material Required: Collection of materials of different types of items used in kitchen, like utensils, gas stove, cooking platform, pressure cooker, cooking pans, dining table dustbin, mops, floor cleaning soaps, brooms and vacuum cleaner, swabs, water bucket. Procedure: This activity takes place in the practical room of the Montessori school. The children are asked to name and identify the different materials seen in the room which are useful in the kitchen.

The directress invites the child to help her in this activity involving kitchen helping while cooking with real demonstration given to the children. The child performs these activities like chopping, sweeping and cleaning under the guidance of the directress. Ask the child where he has seen this activity being performed. Encourage the child to do the same at home.

BUTTONING Aim:
This practical activity develops the motor skills and coordination, as well as enriches his vocabulary and builds up his self esteem and makes him feel worthwhile.This buttoning activity helps the child in learning to use buttons and learns to dress him self. This aims in developing the childs concentration, coordination, order, independence, developing positive self-concept.

Materials Required:
Button dressing frame

Procedure:
This activity takes place in the practical room. Invite child when materials are ready. Name activity. Show child where material is located. Ask the child to place the mat in front of the table and sit on it. Bring frame to table and sit down. (Top flap is on right side). Point to top button. Using index finger and thumb of dominant hand grasp right side of button. Grasp material near buttonhole (sub-dominant hand) with index finger on bottom, and thumb on top near button. Pull material, buttonhole to left and button to right. Twist button, so it is half way in, just "peeking". Release hands. Change hands so, dominant hand is holding material near button, index finger on tip and thumb on bottom. Grasp button with sub-dominant hands using index finger and thumb. Fold back material and buttonhole to right, at same time pulling button to the left. Repeat the previous 4 steps for remaining buttons. Replace the frame. Invite child to repeat. Ask the child to roll the mat and keep it back into the rack.

SHOE LACING Aim:

This activity helps the child in learning to lace and unlace shoes. This aims in developing the childs Coordination, concentration, order, independence, developing fine muscle control, developing eye-hand coordination.

Materials required:
Shoe lacing frame.

Procedure:
Invite child when materials are ready. Name activity. Show child where material is located. Ask the child to spread the mat and sit on it. Bring frame to table. Bow is at bottom of frame. Untie bow as in bow tying frame. Hold down flaps with sub-dominant hand, spreading fingers to hold both flaps. Hook index finger (dominant hand) under first lace on top. Pull up with finger pulling lacing out of hole. Hold lace running fingers to tip while pulling out. Repeat the above last 2 steps for lace that is crossed. Stop at top, when you reach last pair of eyelet. Hold flaps down. Pinch lace in center of flaps. Pull lace up and out of both eyelet. Place lace at top of frame. (Folded in half). Open flaps. Trace. Close flaps. Grasp lace tip with index finger and thumb (dominant hand). Pull lace through hole. Smooth lace out to left. Pull lace tip out with dominant hand. Smooth lace out so it lays diagonally to right. Continue in this manner. Sometimes laces will be on either side and sometimes on same side diagonal to each other. Tie bow at bottom as described in bow tying. Replace frame. Invite child to repeat if task is not accomplished. After the task ask the child to fold the mat and replace it back into the rack.

VISUAL SENSE PINK TOWER Aim:

To develop the child discriminate visually the differences in three dimensions. To help the child to develop fine muscular coordination, the concept of numbers in demonstrating the unit of difference in distance between the edges of the 10 successively large cubes

Material:
Ten pink wooden cubes varying in size from one cubic centimeter to one cubic decimeter and differing equally in all dimensions by increments of one centimeter.

Procedure:
This activity takes place in the sensorial room Ask the child to bring the mat and place it in front of the pink tower Name the pink tower and show where it is kept Show them how to carry the cubes singly, lifting each with one hand, holding it from above and show how to place them in the mat with random arrangement Look over the cubes intently Select the large cube, compare it with one or two cubes in size holding it next to them to be sure it is the largest Look over the remaining cubes intently and select the smaller cube Look over the remaining cubes intently and select the smaller cube Repeat the same until you have built the tower that is consistently narrowing With the child excited, examine the completed tower from all sides and above Dismantle the tower gently removing the cubes one by one lifting each cube with one hand holding it from above Offer the child a turn. If the time is up, ask the child to replace the pink tower back to its place He should roll his mat and place it back in the rack

Repeat the activity till he perfects it

AUDITORY SENSE SOUND BOXES Aim:

To develop the childs auditory sense, especially the perception of the relative loudness or softness of sound

Material:
Six pairs of plastic sound boxes. Each pair of box filled with equal amounts of uncooked grains. These materials should make different volumes of sounds from the lowest decibel to the highest decibel when shaken. The contents of the box in one box precisely match those of the other box.

Procedure:
Ask the child to bring his mat in the sensorial activity room and place it in front of the didactic material Name the activity to the child Place the six boxes in the 1st row from the left to right and another 6 boxes in the 2nd row it should be in shuffled from the first row Ask the child to shake well each one from the 1st row and one from 2nd row and pair the same Show the child how to grade the set of six boxes Repeat the same from loudest sound to feeblest to the loudest The child independently pairs the plastic boxes of sound as in the presentation Gives 3 stage lessons of the following relative term for the auditory perception of the volume of a sound. It introduces the concept of LOUD & SOFT and later gives lesson on the comparatives of these terms - loud, louder and loudest

 After the child is completed ask the child to place back the material and roll his mat back into the rack

TACTILE SENSE TOUCH BOARD Aim:

Refinement of tactile sense. It enhances the feeling of touch in a child and makes him aware of different textures

Material:
Seven pairs of rectangular pieces of different gradation of sandpaper from smooth to coarser.

Procedure:
Ask the child to roll his mat and be seated Show the didactic material Name the sandpaper and show that it is kept here Then place the sandpapers in the row from left to right and as same kept in the second row also. Sensitize the fingers of the child Take one piece of sandpaper and ask the child to feel the same Do and repeat the same with all others Keep the same in one side from the second row do the same Do it for all sandpapers in second row Then take different sandpapers and ask the child to find the difference one by one and pair the same Ask the child to compare between the sandpapers and difference between the pairs

 Ask the child to do it for two sandpapers with closed eyes. Repeat this activity till the child refines his tactile sense and he knows the term smooth to rough

GUSTATORY SENSE Aim:

To develop the childs perception of taste to introduce the five basic tastes sweet, salty, bitter, sour and hot.

Material:
Five pouches of boxes with materials having different taste are arranged in a column. Sweet sugar; salty salt; bitter fenugreek seeds; sour tamarind; hot black pepper

Procedure:
Invite the child to the sensorial activity room Ask him to bring his mat and be seated Prepare the material as described above. Name the tray of tasting packs and show them where it is kept. Place on the table, the tray with five pouches. Invite the child to taste the five different tastes in the same way. But make sure that the sweet one is tasted first. Ask the child to continue with another one of the remaining things, afterwards. With that ask the child to pair the tasting box. Continue comparing the tastes until you find a matching pair, and say these tastes are sour, sweet, bitter, salty and hot. After this activity, the child is well aware of the different tastes in our food Ask the child to compare these tastes with the different food he eats that day When the activity is completes, ask the child to place back the material and keep back the mat in the rack

THERMIC SENSE
THERMIC TABLETS Aim:
To help the child, develop thermic sense by touching. Dense materials like stone, steel feel cool to touch and porous organic materials such as rubber, wood feel warm to touch. Surfaces feel cool to touch to the touch are generally perceived to be difference in composition from surfaces that feel warm.

Material:
A covered pack divided into five pouches compartments, each of which contains an identical pair of tablets all of the same size and shape, each pair made of a particular material. The materials are pebbles, metal, wood, wool and rubber.

Procedure:
Instruct the child to spread the mat and be seated Name the thermic tablets and show where it is kept. Take one of the pair of stone, place the palm of one hand down flat upon the stone, hold it there for few seconds and lift it off again. Keep it on left side. Do it with other tablets and feel the difference. Ask the child to do the same. One may be cooler, one may be warmer. Ask the child to take other five tablets and show the difference and pair the same. Repeat the concept if the child has not understood it

Ask the child to place back the materials carefully and keep the mat back in the rack

OLFACTORY SENSE SMELLING BOTTLES Aim:

To refine olfactory sense, and to make the child aware of the variety of odours and fragrances in the environment.

Material:
The contents in each set, includes six different natural substances with distinct scents. Common examples are tea, coffee, cardamom, cinnamon, and asafetida.

Procedure:
Name the smelling pouches and show where they are kept. Ask the child to spread the table mat and place the pouch on the mat. Select one of the pouches to know what smell it is. Ask the child to hold the pouch in front of your chest and breathe your nose deeply while moving the pouch left to right. Select the second pouch with a different scent from the other pouch, smell it as above. Offer the child a turn. Ask the child to select another pouch with a smell that is different from the other pouch. Smell each pouch in turn from far to near and tell the child to repeat the same. Separate the six pairs of pouches in to left and right groups as before and offer a child a turn at pairing them.

After this activity is completed, ask the child to place back the material and keep back the mat into the rack

STEREOGNOSTIC SENSE MYSTERY BAG Aim:

To give the child an opportunity to apply the stereognostic sense to the exploration and identification off unknowns.

Materials required:
A cloth bag with a cord tie contains eight small tiny shapes like circle, triangle, square, rectangle, oval, semi-circle, star and diamond. These shapes are cut out of cardboard and painted on both the sides. The name of the shapes should be written on the cardboard with the help of a sketch pen.

Procedure:
Name the mystery bag, show where it is kept and ask the child to spread a tablemat and place the bag on the mat. Position the bag with the open end facing you and carefully untie its cord. Reach one hand in to the bag and grasp hold of one shape. Excitedly say what item you got hold on and examine the shape. Remove the shape to find whether the guess is correct. Do it for all shapes and shares in the surprise and help to sustain interest. Invite the child to repeat the same in identifying the shapes in the bag in the same way. When finished, refill the bag with another set of eight shapes and offer the child a turn.

SOLAR SYSTEM

Aim: This activity enriches the childs knowledge on the Universe and also helps them to have better understanding of the Solar System and Universe. Material required: A set of eight cards each with a picture of a different planet of the solar system. Another set of cards with names only. Procedure:
Show the children where this activity is placed and explain to them

what it is. Ask him to place the mat and sit comfortably.
Explain them about our universe and the solar system in detail. Teach

them about the eight planets and show them to the children. The younger child should just match the pictures and you can tell her about the different planets. Later when she can read ask her to match the names on the reading cards with planets and place them below the corresponding planet. At the end of the activity, the child should place back the material and the mat back into the rack.

GEOGRAPHY Aim: This activity helps the child to develop the awareness of how other people live in various regions of the world.
Materials required:

A collection of pictures of different types of houses such as igloo, a house boat, a bamboo house, a mud house, a stone hut, pueblos and etc. Procedure: Ask the child to be seated on the mat spread out by him.
Name the different types of shelters to the children and describe what

each houses are made of, where they are found, how are to be found, how old they might be, what they are called. The shelters differ based upon the climatic condition of the place of dwelling.

Science. Body Parts.

Aim: It will make the child more aware of the body parts and how they work. This will help the child to think about his own body functions. Materials Required: A large white card board with outline of a child and six small similar pictures of the same outline with the essential body parts being highlighted marker pen. Procedure: Ask the child to bring the mat and be seated.
Talk to the child about human body and all there different parts and

ask the child which part he can move and which part he can not.
Explain him what a joint is and ask him to find all the joints in his

hand, arms, legs, feet and so on.

Draw an outline of picture and explain about the parts and also ask

him to point out the hands, legs etc., and draw the outline of the same and explain about the part.

Introduction:
Dr. Maria Montessori was bright and brilliant humble and humanitarian doctor who turned into an original education and peace loving socialist. She had knowledge in all most all fields of life and contributed a lot, through her innumerable writing lectures and training. Having back ground as a doctor psychologist and an anthropologist her contribution in the field of Education in indeed is unique. She has brought a sea change in her educational principal, philosophy and practice. She brought revolutionary changes in education to bring out the original inborn potentially of man from birth till end of life. Her education is life long based on basic tendencies of mankind. Her educational system focused completely on the child, the most important element. 1. The first and foremost is focus on the child and his observing, self learning qualities. To prepare the environment for the practical sensational language, mathematic and central activities. 2. There are five main activities that children learn like, exercise in practical life, sensorial, science, history and geography.

INDEX
1. PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES
KITCHEN, HELPING, WHILE COOKING BUTTONING SHOE LACING

2. SENSORIAL ACTIVITIESVISUAL SENSE - PINK TOWER VISUAL SENSE-- COLOUR TABLETS

3. AUDITORY SENSE-SOUND BOXES 4. TACTILE SENSE-----TOUCH BOARD 5. GUSTATORY SENSE-TASTING POUCHES 6. THERMIC SENSE-THERMIC POUCHES 7. OLFACTORY SENSE------SMELLING POUCHES 8. STEREOGNOSTIC------------MYSTERY BAG 9. SCIENCE-BODY PARTS SOLAR SYSTEM

10. 11.

HISTORY------------NATIONAL LEADERS GEOGRAPHY----------TYPES OF HOUSES

COLOUR TABLETS
Aim: It will make the child perceives colours including differences in hues and intensities, indirectly to prepare child for later techniques in visual arts. Materials Required: Seven identical pairs of rectangular pieces consisting of primary and secondary colors and the last piece should be black. Procedure: Invite the child to the sensorial room, ask him to bring the mat and place it in front of the color tablets. Name them as colour tablets to the child.
Mix all colour tablets, teach the child each every colour separately,

then ask the child pair each one, repeat the same for different colours using all seven tablets. After the activity is completed, ask the child to replace the color tablets and keep back the mat into the rack.

NATIONAL LEADERS
Aim: To know about different leaders. Material required: A set of six cards each with a picture of a different leaders are pasted. . A set of cards with their names underneath the leaders are pasted. Procedure:
Explain the children about the great leaders along with their names. Explain them about their role and importance and what good they do

to our society.
We can juggle the names and picture and if the child is little older and

able to read, he can match the corresponding picture and name correctly.