Montessori Newsletter 22

Montessori and the Wonderful World of Color 

Colored Tablets

Montessori's colored tablets sharpen visual acuity. Children begin to understand the color spectrum with these wonderful lessons. Color discrimination helps with later learning using logic, classification of similar and different things, groupings and patterns of color in nature. 

Montessori first used colored silk thread tablets instead of our modern painted ones. My first directress went to one of the first Montessori preschools in Holland and experienced this first hand. She explained that the way we present the painted color tablets, holding them on the side and not touching the colored part was because the colored silk thread would soil from fingerprints. She remembered how beautiful the thread spools were, the colors were vivid and very distinct. They were inviting to use, and much easier to match and grade.

I do own the modern colored tablets and they usually work well. But, I have found that some of the colors look too similar. Sometimes, less than perfect shades of color make the task confusing for some children to grade and even match the colors. 

The teachers even had difficulty grading the magentas and reds.  Some of these colors are so similar that it can be frustrating to figure out the correct color group. Also, the painted tablets are so shiny that the glare from the light makes the colors less distinct.

I found by purchasing colored spools of thread, I can do the same exercises with better color selections. Many students found the spools of thread much easier to match. Also, it makes sense to hold to spools carefully so that your don't touch the thread.

You can use thread, yarn, ribbon and any type of thin thread material. Make your own tablets from cardboard,  balsa wood strips , wooden shapes or wooden cubes you can buy from any craft department or store.

Just wind the thread onto the boards or cubes to make your own color boxes.

Provide 2 of each primary color spools for matching. The secondary colors are used for both matching & shading, so you will have to have enough colors to classify from light to dark. 

Here is a great overview and lessons for the color tablets from Montessori World. 

Some good links for color

• The history of names of colors are a great key lesson for the Story of Writing.
• This article has some history about the names of colors. 
• Crayola has a great chronology of names of crayon colors. Changes in society and history have an impact on the era names of crayons. 
• Elizabethan colors reflect their Shakespearean culture and society-here are some of these interesting names of colors. 
• All About Colors has lots of useful links.
• Color-Light-Prisms-Lessons 
• The Story of Colors is a great book to check out at your local library. It's very Montessori with it's history of color. 
• For your daughter, who loves style and fashion, Color Me Beautiful explains about warm and cool colors for the best fashion look.
• Here is a link for a free early reading book about color.
  

 There is such a joy about colors. Color plays such a large part in our lives. Just watching a sunset can be awe inspiring.

There are so many ways to appreciate color. Art is a great creative way to use color. As seasons change, observe the different colors of trees, flowers, grass and grains. Talk about your favorite color with your children. When your child gets dressed in the morning talk about what colors they are wearing. It's a great way to introduce colors to your child.

Wishing you a rainbow of happiness!