Reflection Day 11 (Sensorial Day 2)
--- Discussion on Materials ---
1) Children are designed to enjoy activities that challenge them to experience new sensations and develop new motor functions (level of difficulty in materials) (Sensory Integration and the Child p. 14).
2) Within every child, there is a great inner drive to develop sensory integration (find materials to meet this “drive”) (p. 15).
3) The child uses each activity to develop ‘building blocks’… for more complex and mature developments (materials are building blocks for bigger things like riding a bike) (p. 15).
4) The 3rd – 7th years are a critical period for sensory integration. Nature intended this to be the time when the brain is most receptive to sensations and most able to organize them (the order of materials is important) (p. 24).
“The material we use for the development of the senses of a child has a history of its own” (The Discovery of the Child p. 99).
“To satisfy this need, he should have an exact, scientific guide such as that which is to be found in our apparatus and exercises” (p. 100).
“The sensorial materials comprise a series of objects which are grouped together according to some physical quality which they have, such as color, shape, size, sound, texture, weight, temperature, and so forth” (p. 100).
“Psychological studies have shown that it is necessary to isolate the senses…” (p. 102).
The materials should be:
1) Have a control of error
2) Be aesthetically pleasing to the eye
3) Lend to activity
4) Be limited in quantity
“To direct a child’s attention to a particular shape, one must make it stand out clearly so that it becomes impressed upon his mind” (The Discovery of the Child p. 110).
“Another characteristic of a lesson is its simplicity” (p. 106).
--- Discussion on Materials ---
1) Children are designed to enjoy activities that challenge them to experience new sensations and develop new motor functions (level of difficulty in materials) (Sensory Integration and the Child p. 14).
2) Within every child, there is a great inner drive to develop sensory integration (find materials to meet this “drive”) (p. 15).
3) The child uses each activity to develop ‘building blocks’… for more complex and mature developments (materials are building blocks for bigger things like riding a bike) (p. 15).
4) The 3rd – 7th years are a critical period for sensory integration. Nature intended this to be the time when the brain is most receptive to sensations and most able to organize them (the order of materials is important) (p. 24).
“The material we use for the development of the senses of a child has a history of its own” (The Discovery of the Child p. 99).
“To satisfy this need, he should have an exact, scientific guide such as that which is to be found in our apparatus and exercises” (p. 100).
“The sensorial materials comprise a series of objects which are grouped together according to some physical quality which they have, such as color, shape, size, sound, texture, weight, temperature, and so forth” (p. 100).
“Psychological studies have shown that it is necessary to isolate the senses…” (p. 102).
The materials should be:
1) Have a control of error
2) Be aesthetically pleasing to the eye
3) Lend to activity
4) Be limited in quantity
“To direct a child’s attention to a particular shape, one must make it stand out clearly so that it becomes impressed upon his mind” (The Discovery of the Child p. 110).
“Another characteristic of a lesson is its simplicity” (p. 106).