Photos for the Quality of Numbers Block

I've already written A LOT about this block, detailing the why and the how. So here are the pictures!

we start off the block by making Sun Bread

from the book & recipe by Elisa Kleven

punching down the dough

maybe another punch, just to be sure

forming the dough into a sun

golden, delicious, light & fluffy

the Nature table is set with a mysterious scene

Calendula and Plantain, the flower children

the squirrel, waiting under the silk

the elk, waiting behind the curtain

the big oak tree

a silk covers the world they will enter

through the doorway in the oak tree

the green glass bowl, which will hold the rune stones,

is turned upside down to form the mountain they will climb

the green glass dish will hold the symbols they uncover

after solving each riddle

heavy vellum and glitter glue

red for Roman numerals

green for Arabic numerals

VIII  8 is the widest

so if you want all your numbers to be the same size

I suggest making this card first to get your sizing correct

place the card in the dish and then cover with salt

the salt tray for practicing numbers in

today we start our new block!

after hearing the story, and solving the first riddle...

it is time to take the seashell and move the salt

everyone takes a careful turn

they were extremely excited when the glittery numbers

were revealed

this excitement continued throughout the entire main lesson block

they never tired of writing their numerals in the salt tray

either

it was also interesting to see how intently and silently

they watched each other

adding I, 1, and one sun

to the main lesson book

Calendula and Plantain on the mountain top

making the Four Winds

the glue dries clear, making a subtle wavy effect

sampling the Six Edible Parts of the Plant

this was a very colorful and fun activity

in SWI, we find a relationship between < prime >

and Miss Prim from our Numbers verse

the seven rainbow colors and

the seven dwarves in Little Snow-White

Calendula and Plantain solve another riddle,

and are one step closer to answering all ten

if IV is four and V is five...

and IX is nine...

can you guess what ten might be?

I had children keep their predictions to themselves

until the next day.  They were ready to burst.

a new scene is set up on Day Ten, ready to be discovered

once they know all ten Roman and Arabic numerals

it is time to match the stones

everyone works together

success!

the cave door begins to glow

and then swings open

Calendula and Plantain go inside the mountain

everyone is intrigued by the Land of Numeria
when I pull back the purple silk

we will do these stories in the next block

do you see the gems glinting from behind the rocks?

there's even one behind the throne

Calendula and Plantain and the little mole

the Gnome King

it is so pretty

we want to keep the candle lit for the rest of the afternoon

and I love all the hand carved wooden figures

the animals and the children

and the Gnome King, of course,

and the simple beauty of the rocks

This is really a special block.

It's simply a wonderful way to introduce children to the world of numbers. The stories, the solving of the riddles, the mystery of moving the salt, the fun of the movement verses, the beauty of creating the colorful main lesson book pages... no one was ready for it to end. I can't wait to build upon this for the second Math main lesson of the year: the Land of Numeria.

We have the Montessori math materials in the classroom, and those are so helpful for making math computation hands-on. Montessori is all about doable and concrete. But the Waldorf approach focuses on the magic, the specialness, and of making the numbers feel alive in your body and in the world. Waldorf makes it so personal. The numbers feel almost like friends.

It is interesting to watch unfold, and this block clearly appealed to the children, even though they all knew their Arabic numerals already!

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