Mathematics is a subject intertwined in our daily lives. It is a way of thinking and a form of logical reasoning. Dr. Montessori understood this and found a way to unlock the mathematical mind in a young child. She felt mathematics was a way of looking at the world. It is a language for understanding and expressing measurable relationships inherent in our experiences. The child learns at a concrete level clarifying the experience before moving to the abstract when using the Montessori math materials. The materials allow a child to develop a logical thought process of the principles of math. Process comes first and facts come later.
The Spindle boxes are presented after the child has mastered numbers 1-10 using the long number rods and the sand paper letters. The spindle boxes introduces the numeral zero and gives the concept of numerical groupings. The purpose of the material is that the child can see, feel, touch and count material that is concrete bringing together the numbers and the quantity. The direct purpose of the spindle boxes is to clarify the idea that symbols represent a certain quantity of separate objects. It also reinforces the natural sequence of the numerals. Indirectly it reinforces the idea that there are no other symbols other than 0-9. It helps the child to understand the quantities are loose and the numbers are fixed.
The spindle boxes are two deep long wooden boxes with ten compartments marked with the numerals zero to nine in order at the back of compartments. There are 45 wooden spindles in a separate container. The child is asked to read the numbers at the back of the boxes. The teacher than asks the student to take the spindles out and lay them neatly on the work mat. The child using his dominant hand counts the correct number of spindles laying them in the palm of his subdominant hand before putting them in the correct compartment. Once all the spindles have been placed in their compartments, the child discovers that there are none left for zero. The child can now understand the empty set and the concept of zero.
The Spindle boxes are presented after the child has mastered numbers 1-10 using the long number rods and the sand paper letters. The spindle boxes introduces the numeral zero and gives the concept of numerical groupings. The purpose of the material is that the child can see, feel, touch and count material that is concrete bringing together the numbers and the quantity. The direct purpose of the spindle boxes is to clarify the idea that symbols represent a certain quantity of separate objects. It also reinforces the natural sequence of the numerals. Indirectly it reinforces the idea that there are no other symbols other than 0-9. It helps the child to understand the quantities are loose and the numbers are fixed.
The spindle boxes are two deep long wooden boxes with ten compartments marked with the numerals zero to nine in order at the back of compartments. There are 45 wooden spindles in a separate container. The child is asked to read the numbers at the back of the boxes. The teacher than asks the student to take the spindles out and lay them neatly on the work mat. The child using his dominant hand counts the correct number of spindles laying them in the palm of his subdominant hand before putting them in the correct compartment. Once all the spindles have been placed in their compartments, the child discovers that there are none left for zero. The child can now understand the empty set and the concept of zero.
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