Brown Stairs ~ Visual Sense
Material
10 brown wooden prisms of the same length, but differing in 2 dimension (breath and height)
The prisums increase by 1cm - largest prism is 10x10x20 cm, smallest prism 1x1x20
Direct Aim
Visual discrimination of differences - 2 dimensions
Indirect Aim
Preparation for Mathematics; movement of 10 - size - volume
Muscular education of grip
Refinement of the voluntary movement- place the brick directly on top of each other.
Age
Starting at 3yr after lots of practical life
How to hold
Hold each prism by grasping it around the middle of the prism.
Presentation
Show the child how to pick up the smallest prism and then invite the child to pick it up the next one, together take it to the mat
Invite the child to bring all the prisms one at a time and place them at random on the mat.
Tell the child you will build the brown stairs.
Isolate the thickest prism, by placing it on the left-hand side of the mat.
Look for the next thickest prism and carefully place it in front of the thickest one
Run your hands along each side to ensure the prisms are in line.
Continue to build the brown stairs in this way.
Occasionally compare the size of 2 similar prisms
Once the stairs are built, Invite the child to view the stairs from each side
Dismantle one at a time and then invite the child to build
Once you see the child is finishing or losing interest show them how to put the prism away in the same way as you took them out.
Roll up the mat and put it away.
The child activity is as shown in the presentation.
Follow up Exercises
Showing the unit of difference.
Once the child is able to build the brown stair. Take the thinnest prism and place it carefully on top of each prism, placing it against the ledge of each successive cube, Ensure that the sides are inline.
This is to show that the high difference is the same as the smallest prism for each one.
Control of Error
The child's visual perspective.
Language
The following language are offered by means of the three-period lesson. Once the child has had a good experience with that cubes:
Thick - Thin
Comparatives and superlatives; Thinker - thickest, Thinner - Thinnest
Games
Game 1 - building at a distance
Take 2 mats and place them on the opposite side of your room.
Put all the prism on one of the mats.
Find the thickest prism and carry it to the other mat.
Continue in this way until the stairs are built on the other mat.
This game can be started together and then the child can continue on their own
Game 2a - Thicker and Thinner
Take 2 mats and place them on the opposite side of your room.
Put all the prism on one of the mats.
Find the thickest prism and carry it to the other mat.
Ask the child to find a prism that is thinner than the prism on the mat
When the child brings you a different prism place it on the mat next to the thickest prism and compare.
Move the thickest prism to the side of the mat so the other prism is only in view.
Ask the child to find a prism that is thinner that the one on the mat.
Continue in this way asking for either a thicker or a thinker prism each time.
Game 2b - play in the same way as Game 2a, but using the language Just larger and Just smaller
Language
The following language is offered by means of the three-period lesson. Once the child has had a good experience with building the stairs.
Thick - Thin
Comparatives and superlatives; Thinker - thickest, Thinner - Thinnest
