| Maria Montesori's Sensory Blocks | |
|---|---|
|
Origin |
Maria Montesori |
|
Type |
Toy Blocks |
|
Effects |
Intensifies sensory proprioception |
|
Downsides |
Regresses one to their childhood self with autonomy and cognition intact |
|
Activation |
Playing with above the ground |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 13 |
|
Section |
|
|
Date of Collection |
April 12, 1993 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori (31 August 1870 – 6 May 1952) was an Italian physician and educator best known for her philosophy of education (the Montessori method) and her writing on scientific pedagogy. At an early age, Montessori enrolled in classes at an all-boys technical school, with hopes of becoming an engineer. She soon had a change of heart and began medical school at the Sapienza University of Rome, becoming one of the first women to attend medical school in Italy; she graduated with honors in 1896. Her educational method is in use today in many public and private schools globally.
One of Montessori's many accomplishments was the Montessori method. This is a method of education for young children that stresses the development of a child's own initiative and natural abilities, especially through practical play. This method allowed children to develop at their own pace and provided educators with a new understanding of child development. Montessori's book, The Montessori Method, presents the method in detail. Educators who followed this model set up special environments to meet the needs of students in three developmentally-meaningful age groups: 2–2.5 years, 2.5–6 years, and 6–12 years. The students learn through activities that involve exploration, manipulations, order, repetition, abstraction, and communication. Teachers encourage children in the first two age groups to use their senses to explore and manipulate materials in their immediate environment. Children in the last age group deal with abstract concepts based on their newly developed powers of reasoning, imagination, and creativity.
Based on her observations, Montessori implemented a number of practices that became hallmarks of her educational philosophy and method. She replaced the heavy furniture with child-sized tables and chairs light enough for the children to move, and placed child-sized materials on low, accessible shelves. She expanded the range of practical activities such as sweeping and personal care to include a wide variety of exercises for the care of the environment and the self, including flower arranging, hand washing, gymnastics, care of pets, and cooking. She also included large open-air sections in the classroom encouraging children to come and go as they please in the room's different areas and lessons.
Effects[]
Activates by playing with several inches above the ground or horizontal surfaces to mimic the usual height a child’s stature can reach. Increases one’s sensitivity of stimuli, their surroundings and own body positioning. Makes sensations that were dim or indiscernible from another previously become clearly distinguished. Allows one to recognize what’s going around their immediate vicinity with higher clarity, and be able to understand how their body moves through space without confusion. Greater feats of coordination become common such as unflappable balance.
Shrinks the person back into their younger self, anywhere between toddler age to pre-teen. They look the exact same as they did at that stage, although no changes from age such as surgery or injuries revert back. They just exist as a miniature version, sometimes being treated just as a child by having their independence ignored.