The Montessori curriculum uses a hands-on approach to teach various concepts. Geography is taught to the children through various activities that teach the land and water forms, to help children better understand mapping skills.
Montessori Land and Water Forms
Children first learn to distinguish between land, air, and water. Once they can distinguish the difference, they start to learn the various land and water forms. These are introduced in pairs of opposites. Terms introduced are island/lake, peninsula/gulf, cape/bay, and isthmus/strait. Each term is then clearly defined.
Forms are created either out of some sort of water-resistant material, such as plastic. Areas designated as land are usually colored brown and are raised. The rest of the area, which represents water, is painted blue.
Children learn where water belongs in these formations by literally pouring water into the blue areas, as a more concrete representation. Some classrooms provide little plastic animals or transportation vehicles for the children to place on land, in the water, and in the air.
Create Land and Water Form Cards
Create three-part nomenclature cards to help children learn the vocabulary associated with the land and water forms. These cards consist of two identical sets of cards with a picture and vocabulary term on each card. One set is left in tact as a control card. The second set has the name and picture separated.
Younger children usually match the two-part set of cards to the control set, to practice word recognition. Older children try to label the pictures, then check themselves with the control cards.
Three-part cards for land and water forms can also be definitions and terms. Some choose to use four parts, in which the definitions, terms, and pictures are all matched to a control card.
Montessori Land and Water Form Booklets
Some children enjoy making booklets of their land and water forms. Pictures can be pre-drawn for children to color in accordingly, or they can draw their own. Use the same drawing for the opposites, so children can see how they fit together. Some may wish to also copy definitions into their booklets. These can be copied from the nomenclature cards.
Booklets can consist of all eight terms, each with its own page. Or, an individual mini-booklet can be created for each form.
Creating Land and Water Forms
Encourage children to make their own land and water forms. Put out brown modeling clay with a blue tray. Have the children shape the clay into the landform, then allow them to pour water into the tray.
Abstract Land and Water Work
Once familiar with land and water forms, children can try to locate the forms abstractly on the Montessori globes and maps. Go through atlases and find them there, as well. Laminate small maps so children can circle and/or label land and water forms on them.
Montessori children learn through concrete representations before moving to the abstract. Use of the Montessori land and water forms allows them to understand geographical formations as they experience them through multiple senses. Then, the children can move into the more abstract concepts of mapping them.
Andrea Coventry - Andrea Coventry is a Montessori child, now Montessori educator, with 25 years' experience with children, publishing online since 2007.
Join the Conversation