| History of Montessori | Montessori Materials | Peace Education |

Montessori materials are unique and are developed to foster understanding of specific skills and concepts. In particular, math materials provide opportunities for manipulation of concrete objects as a lasting basis for abstract calculations. Some examples of unique Montessori math materials are:

Bead Chains: Mathematical concepts begin with the manipulation of single beads, and later bead chains and cubes, which represent numbers. In a 4 or 5 year old’s hands, these beads and bead chains present an opportunity to practice counting and form different set configurations (counting by fives, sevens, tens, etc.). At the Elementary level, these same materials are used for understanding multiplication and later, squaring and cubing.

Spindle Boxes: A spindle box has spaces designated from 0-9, and appropriately-sized rods that fit into those spaces. Working with a teacher, a young child discovers that the space that says “0” has nothing in it, while a single rod placed in his hand fits the “1” space, two rods placed in his hand go in the “2” space, etc. For a young child, this gives an imprint of both the concept of a “0” as an empty space and the concept of a number as a quantity; ie the “one” feels different in the hand than the “nine,” which may need two hands to hold and put into the “9” spot.

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| History of Montessori | Montessori Materials | Peace Education |