Description

All Montessori activities use concrete symbols, to introduce each new concept to the Child.  This system teaches children to understand the concept of a number, before they transition to the abstract level of written numbers.  This methodology reinforces the aim of the Bead Houses.  They act as a tool, together with the coloured bead stairs, to isolate all possible number combinations from one to ten.

The aim is for the Child to master sequencing of the bead stairs from one to ten, isolating all possible number combinations, to make each individual number.  The next step is to introduce addition.  The concepts of equality, addition and the reverse; subtraction, follow.

Features of the Bead Houses

• the direct objective for the Child;
  • is to isolate all possible number combinations from 1 to 10
• indirectly, the Child;
  • absorbs the look and feel of each bead stair
  • learns how to relate a bead stair to a specific symbol i.e. a number
  • receives an introduction to addition and subtraction
• this material supports, and is aligned to, the Montessori mathematics curriculum

Contents of the Bead Houses

• 10 laser-cut ABS cards, shaped like houses
• each house, color-coded to match the coloured bead stairs
• starting from one, each house ascends in size, to 10
• stored in a transparent, plastic A4 folder

Size:

• the houses range in size from 20.5cm x 10.5cm to 20.5cm x 28cm / (8″ x 4″ to 8″ x 11″)
• folder – 33.5cm x 23.5cm x 2cm / (13″ x 9¼” x ¾”)

Further Reading and Resources

1. Montessori Bead Houses: Learning Math Facts to 10, a blog written by The Montessori Inspired Co.com