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Montessori Monday – Geometric Solid Dressing, Wrapping, and Gift Giving (and Receiving)

February 24, 2014 By Deb Chitwood

Geometric Solid Dressing, Wrapping, and Gift Giving (and Receiving)

I’m happy to share some fun extensions for work with geometric solids, including mathematical reasoning, fine motor skills, and even manners.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Spielgaben. All opinions are honest and my own.

Geometric Solid Dressing, Wrapping, and Gift Giving and Receiving (Manners Practice)

The wooden cube, sphere, and cylinder are from the Spielgaben box 2, which consists of two 2-inch cubes, two 2-inch spheres, and two 2- inch cylinders. Rings are attached to one of the sets, allowing the child to suspend the geometric solids from the crossbeam, crossbar and pillars, which are also included. The resource materials that come with the Spielgaben complete set contain many, many more ways to use box 2 than the examples I’m sharing here.

The activities I’m sharing (except for the tray and the manners activity) come from page 22 (“Make your own clothes”) of the 135-page Spielgaben Playguide, Part 1.

Geometric Solid Dressing and Wrapping Tray

Geometric Solid Dressing and Wrapping Tray

Geometric Solid Dressing and Wrapping Tray

This tray contains the materials needed for both dressing geometric solids with paper (I used colored typing paper) and wrapping geometric solids with aluminum foil. You could have aluminum-foil wrapping on a separate tray if preferred.

Geometric Solid Dressing

Dressing a Cube

Dressing a Cube

This is a great activity for giving children a concrete understanding of the relationship between the 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional qualities of a geometric solid. Using colored paper wouldn’t work for the sphere but works very well with the cube and cylinder. After taping on the 2-dimensional shapes, the child can decorate the geometric solid’s dressing.

Geometric Solid Wrapping and Gift Giving and Receiving

Gift Giving and Receiving

Gift Giving and Receiving

In the Spielgaben Playguide, the sphere is wrapped in aluminum foil. If you include large enough pieces of aluminum foil, you could simply have a geometric solid wrapping activity using the sphere, cylinder, and cube. Or, you could use the colored paper for the cube and cylinder and the aluminum foil for the sphere. Permanent markers work best to decorate the aluminum foil wrapping.

Using the foil wrapping, this activity could be extended into a fun way to practice the etiquette rules for giving and receiving gifts. For young children, it’s important to practice the etiquette rules for giving and receiving gifts in advance of a birthday, Christmas, or another event where the child might receive a gift. With practice before an event, children will feel more comfortable and will be much more likely to give an appropriate response when receiving a gift.

At home, you could demonstrate how to wrap the geometric solids with aluminum foil. Then, give your child the opportunity to wrap a geometric solid. He or she could give the “gift” to you, saying happy birthday, merry Christmas, or another seasonally appropriate greeting. You would demonstrate how to say thank you and how to say something nice about the gift. You could either pretend it’s a gift you wanted, or you could think of something you like about the wrapped geometric solid (for example, “I really like that the sphere is smooth, round, and looks like a ball.”) Then you could give your child an opportunity to receive a gift from you.

In a classroom, the teacher would demonstrate the activity during a group lesson, giving the gift to the assistant teacher. The child using the material can choose a friend to receive the gift.The child receiving the gift then expresses his or her thanks for the gift and opens it. Again, the children can either pretend it’s a gift they wanted, or they can think of something they like about the wrapped geometric solid. After that, the gift recipient throws away the aluminum foil and returns the geometric solid to the tray. A child may only receive one gift per class session. If someone tries to give them a second gift, they politely thank the person but say that they have already opened a gift that day. (Adapted from My Montessori Journey.)

For younger children, you could have a simplified version of giving and receiving a gift. For example, in “Wrapping Pretend Presents,” Aubrey from Montessori Mischief (no longer available) has a dialog at Christmastime of

“Giver: Here is a present for you. Merry Christmas!

Receiver: Thank you! (opens) I love it! Merry Christmas to you, too! (hug)”

For more ideas on gift wrapping, see my “Montessori-Inspired Kids’ Gift-Wrapping Activities.” For more ideas on etiquette for receiving gifts, see my “How to Teach Your Child to Say Thank You for Holiday Presents.” You’ll find even more about manners for giving and receiving gifts (and for etiquette rules for ages 2-12) in my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy.

UPDATE:

Special deal for my readers!

Spielgaben offers an extra 10% discount to my blog readers if you mention Living Montessori Now.
 
Not only that, Spielgaben will also offer LayBy Payment Plan if you do not need the product right away. You can make 3 monthly payments, and your order will be shipped as soon as the final payment is made.
 
All you need to do to claim the discount is send an email to in**@********en.com mentioning Living Montessori Now blog.

All My Spielgaben Posts

Many of these include links to free printables! (Click on an image to go to the related blog post. The gallery is ordered according to publication date with my latest post at the top.)

Nature Card Inspiration and First Grade Position and Direction Work with Spielgaben
Working with or Reviewing Addition Facts with Spielgaben
Number Writing Practice along with Spielgaben Hands-on Activities
Cube Building with Montessori and Spielgaben Materials
Montessori-Inspired Moon Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
Spielgaben STEM Challenge - Build and Fly a Magnetic Airplane
Montessori-Inspired Symmetry and Spinner Activities with Spielgaben
Montessori-Inspired Flower Activities with Spielgaben
Montessori-Inspired Weather Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
How to Get Started with Spielgaben Educational Toys
How to Have a Fun Fraction Party for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Montessori-Inspired Phonics Activities Using Wooden Cubes and Free Printables
Ten Apples Up On Top Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
How to Use Spielgaben for Montessori-Inspired Homeschooling or Afterschooling
Fine Motor Fun and Exploring Shapes with Spielgaben Set 8
Quick and Easy Spielgaben Activity Bags
un with Matchstick Puzzles for Multiple Ages {Free Printables}
Montessori-Inspired Spring Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
Telling Time Activities with Wooden Sticks and Dots {Free Printables}
Montessori-Inspired Winter Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
How to Prepare Montessori Sensorial Extensions with Spielgaben
Montessori-Inspired Fall Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
Montessori-Inspired Train Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
https://livingmontessorinow.com/montessori-monday-montessori-inspired-addition-activities-using-dots-free-printables/
Toddler Fine-Motor Activities with Spielgaben
Montessori-Inspired Summer Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
Montessori-Inspired Color Activities for Toddlers {Free Printables}
Montessori-Inspired Easter Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
Montessori-Inspired Rainbow Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
Montessori-Inspired Valentine Activities with Spielgaben
Montessori-Inspired Color Games {Free Printables}
Montessori-Inspired Christmas Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
Montessori-Inspired Phonics Activities Using Dots {Free Printables}
Montessori-Inspired Sphere, Cube, Cylinder Activities
Montessori-Inspired Activities Using Spheres
Montessori-Inspired Activities for Babies and Toddlers Using Yarn Balls
Montessori-Inspired Math Activities Using Cubes and Free Printables
Montessori-Inspired Age and Birthday Activities
Are Spielgaben Educational Toys Worth the Price?
Using Montessori-Inspired Activities for Elementary-Level Learning
Geometric Solid Dressing, Wrapping, and Gift Giving (and Receiving)
Montessori-Inspired Color Activities Using Yarn Balls and Free Printables
Montessori-Inspired Geometry Activities Using Wooden Shapes and Free Printables
Montessori-Inspired Math Activities Using Wooden Beads and Free Printables
Montessori-Inspired Color Activities Using Wooden Toys and Free Printables
Spielgaben Educational Toy Review

Version 4 of Spielgaben Educational Toys 

I highly recommend Spielgaben as an amazing educational material for home or school. Even though the toys aren’t inexpensive, they’re definitely worth the price because of the high quality of materials and number of years your children or students can use them.

Spielgaben Version 4

Spielgaben Version 4

Special deal for my readers!

Spielgaben offers an extra 10% discount to my blog readers if you mention Living Montessori Now.
 
Not only that, Spielgaben will also offer LayBy Payment Plan if you do not need the product right away. You can make 3 monthly payments, and your order will be shipped as soon as the final payment is made.
 
All you need to do to claim the discount is send an email to in**@********en.com mentioning Living Montessori Now blog.

Deb - Signature
Montessori at Home or School - How to Teach Grace and Courtesy eBookLearn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!

If this is your first time visiting Living Montessori Now, welcome! If you haven’t already, please join us on our Living Montessori Now Facebook page where you’ll find a Free Printable of the Day and lots of inspiration and ideas for parenting and teaching! And please follow me on Pinterest (lots of Montessori-, holiday-, and theme-related boards), Instagram, and YouTube. You can find me on bloglovin’ and Twitter, too.

And don’t forget one of the best ways to follow me by signing up for my weekly newsletter. You’ll receive some awesome freebies in the process!

Filed Under: Activities - Practical Life, Activities - Practical Life - Grace and Courtesy, Activities - Sensorial, Montessori Monday Tagged With: geometric solids, grace and courtesy, Montessori-inspired Spielgaben activities, resource review, Spielgaben, Spielgaben educational toys, Spielgaben toys

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Roksi says

    March 17, 2014 at 6:30 pm

    Find Unique, Custom, Personalized T-Shirts, Clothing, Bags, Stickers, & More. Gift Ideas for Men & Women. Customize Your Own Design or Photo on anything.custom gifts

  2. Carrie says

    March 7, 2014 at 6:07 pm

    What great activities and I love the idea of practicing gift manners. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!

  3. Renae says

    February 25, 2014 at 11:57 am

    Great job tying together manners and social skills with a gross motor activity. And, so sensory sensitive! Well done!

    Renae

  4. Anastasia says

    February 25, 2014 at 6:12 am

    great collection, Deb! thank you for inviting to share!

  5. Krysta says

    February 25, 2014 at 6:03 am

    Hello! This is the first time I join this linky. Can’t wait to check out all your posts!!

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The activities shared on this blog require adult supervision at all times. You know which activities are appropriate for your children and/or the children under your care and are responsible for those children's safety.

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