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The Materials The materials that make up “Practical Life” are reflective of the child’s culture. The buckets, pitchers and towels for table washing will appear very American in the United States. In a Swiss or Taiwanese Montessori school, the trays and bowls for spooning will reflect those cultures.
The many other classroom materials are unique to Montessori schools. Beautifully hand-crafted and very expensive, therefore respect and care of the environment are an integral part of what the children learn. Each of the materials has a purpose for appearing on the shelf. From the ten cubes of the pink tower, the child learns the concept of grading from large to small. The brown stairs provide an opportunity for the child to explore the concept of thick to thin, and the red rods provide an introduction to the concept long to short. Many of the materials also have a control of error which is a way that the child can see whether he has completed the task correctly or not without being told. This control of error protects the child’s self esteem and encourages his independence because the child feels that he “taught” himself how to do it.
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