WALKING ON THE LINE
One of the group activities in a Montessori class is walking slowly around a circular or elliptical line taped on the floor. This exercise helps the children to develop balance and control as they carefully put one foot in front of the other, heel to toe. There are many ways of increasing the difficulty of the activity and challenging the children to perfect the control of their motions while walking. The children carry flags; they balance baskets on their heads; they carry glasses of water without spilling them; they carry little bells without ringing them as they walk. The activity helps them to develop coordination and grace.
THE SILENCE GAME
Another group activity in the Montessori classroom is the Silence Game. Dr. Montessori devised this exercise to help the youngsters develop self-control. The teacher begins the game by hanging up a card with the word "Silence"on it. As each child notices the card, he tries to be as quiet as possible. The children not only refrain from speaking but they also close their eyes and try to remain motionless so that there is no noise at all in the classroom. After the children have been quiet for some minutes, the teacher often whispers the names of the students one by one. As each child hears his name he tiptoes very quickly to the teacher's side. This exercise helps the children to listen attentively and to move noiselessly in the classroom. Their stillness during the Silence Game makes the children aware of sounds that they do not ordinarily hear in the environment. For a few minutes of the day they become intensely concious of the quality of silence.
WHAT ELSE IS IN A MONTESSORI CLASSROOM?
The materials described in this booklet are the basic ones used in Montessori classrooms for children ages 3 through 6. Some of the parallel exercises that reinforce these learning activities are not described here because of space limitations. The use of all these materials naturally depends on whether or not they are available in each individual school.
Although equipment is similar, no two Montessori classrooms are exactly alike. Each reflects the individual characteristics of the teacher and children. Some teachers use only the materials that have been developed by Dr. Montessori. Others develop new materials themselves or adapt other educational equipment to the Montessori classroom. If this new equipment implements the Montessori principles of learning, it can enrich the classroom environment, but it should never supercede the Montessori materials.
Individual work with the Montessori materials is nearly always supplemented with other activities. Group singing, music appreciation, creative art, crafts, a second language, poetry and games can all be coordinated with the Montessori program according to the interests and talents of the teacher.
USING ART CARDS
An example of material added to many Montessori classes is Art Cards. These enable a child to become familiar with the details of beautiful art while refining her visual discrimination. Eliminating the "Don't touch"admonition that usually accompanies a child's first experience with fine art, this cultural activity invites a child to hold postcard-size reproductions of beautiful paintings in her hands and to work with them. She can match identical paintings; pair two non-identical paintings by the same artist; and sort a group of paintings by forming rows of four paintings by each artist.
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