MECR 2015 PWest
Pouring Rice
Materials:
1. Small dark plain colored tray
2. 2 identical pitchers
a. Light, fragile, pour easily through spout, with straight sides
3. Rice (left hand pitcher ¾ full)
Preparation: Previous exercises for control of movement, esp. carrying a tray
Age: 2-3 years old
Direct aims: the development of OCCI
Indirect Aims:
1. A Preliminary Exercise to that of pouring water
2. Indirect preparation of the fingers by picking up the grains of rice
3. To practice crossing the midline
Presentation:
Vocabulary: none
Points of interest:
1) Pouring the rice without spilling any.
2) Beauty of pitchers and attributes of material to be poured.
Control of error:
1) Material, if spilled, should be visible on the tray or table.
2) Pitcher is breakable if dropped.
Variations:
Vary the size of the pitchers.
Vary the material to be poured ( rice, millet, small beans or beads, etc.)
Use opaque instead of clear pitchers.
Extensions:
Pour from a large pitcher in to one or more pitchers.
Introduce vocabulary: pour, spill, name of material to be poured, full, empty
Notes:
1. If any rice spilled, show child how to pick up one grain at a time with right
hand
pincer movement
2. Spooning exercise can be preliminary to pouring rice. Not for every child but
for one who has not yet had opportunities to use his hands. Should be quite
unstructured since main purpose is to transfer from one vessel to another
MECR 2015 PWest
without spilling. Main points are holding spoon correctly and replacing it
carefully on the tray.
MECR 2015 PWest
Pouring Water
Materials
1. Small white or light colored tray
2. Pres. I- 2 identical pitchers (left hand pitcher ¾ full of colored water)
Pres. II- small glass, pitcher holding colored water (more than glass will hold)
3. Small cloth or sponge
Age:
2 ½ - 3 ½ years old
Preparation: Pouring Rice
Direct aims: the development of OCCI
Indirect aims:
1. To teach child how to pour water from one vessel to another without spilling
2. To make child aware of the necessity of the neatness of an action
Presentation I:
Presentation II:
Points of Interest:
1. Waiting to see last drop fall
2. Seeing that no drop is spilled
Control of Error:
Water, if spilled, is visible on tray or table.
Pitchers and glass are breakable if dropped.
Variations:
Vary the size of pitchers or glass, color of water; use opaque vessels.
Extensions:
Pour from one to several pitchers or glasses; introduce language: full, empty, pour, spill
Notes:
1. Some children may need a line drawn on glass for Exercise # 2
2. Basic exercises always included in room and others are rotated according to
difficulty and/or need
MECR 2015 PWest
Watering a Plant
Materials: 1. Tray large enough to hold:
Small pitcher with line marked
Sponge on small tray
Small container for stakes
2. Plant from the environment (stake identifies need to be watered)
Preparation: Pouring and sponging activities
Age: 2 ½ years and older.
Direct Aims: The development of order, coordination, concentration and independence
Indirect Aims:
1.To learn how to water plants
2.To encourage an appreciation of nature.
Presentation:
Points of Interest: Carrying the potted plant carefully.
Touching the soil before and after watering.
Seeing the water be absorbed by the soil.
Control of Error: Seeing soil or water spilled on the tray.
The water level line in the pitcher
Variations: Set beside a plant too heavy or large to carry to a table.
Do the activity by placing the stake in the pot after watering the plant.
(For younger child) Simplify by placing a very small pitcher on a small tray
beside plants.
Extensions: Water plants in the ground outdoors.
Add spray bottle and cotton pads on tray for cleaning leaves.
Introduce vocabulary such as: wet soil, dry soil, name of plant or shape of
leaves.
MECR 2015 PWest
Folding Cloths
Materials
1. Flat box attractively decorated
2. 4 folding cloths 6-10” square (same color and size, plain fabric, neatly folded)
with fold line sewn in a contrasting color. The cloths will either fold on:
a. Single median (Pres. I) or
b. Single diagonal (Pres. II)
Age:2 ½ - 4 years old
Preparation: Exercises for control of the hand, including Pouring Rice or Water
Direct aims: the development of OCCI
Indirect Aims:
1. Training in exactness
2. Indirect preparation for geometry by subconscious absorption of dividing
lines
Presentation I (Single median line):
1. Invite the child to the lesson.
2. Walk with the child to the shelf and name the exercise.
3. Pick up the box and carry it with two hands to an empty table.
4. Place the box on the table in front of your chair.
5. Move a chair next to yours on your sub-dominant side and invite the child to sit
there to watch the presentation. Be seated.
6. Lift the cover of the box (if a loose lid, place in the corner of the table, turning it
upside down so the box can be placed in it).
7. Remove the folded napkins from the box, using a hand on each side of the napkin,
and place them from left to right on the table. The fold should be toward you.
8. Indicate the three-finger grasp with an open-and – shut movement of fingers (both
hands at once) and then lift the top corners of the left-most napkin to unfold it.
9. Unfold the napkins from left to right in the same way, until all are lying flat on the
table.
10. Beginning again with the left-most napkin, trace the top edge by placing 1st two
fingers of left hand on the left corner and sliding the same fingers of the right
hand across the edge from left to right.
11. Repeat step 10 for the bottom edge.
12. Carefully refold the napkin by reversing the process in step 8 to bring the bottom
edge to the top edge.
13. Smooth the napkin with the flat of your hand, then run your right index finger
along the crease at the bottom to insure that the stitched line is at the fold.
14. Repeat steps 12-13 for all napkins as before.
15. Replace each napkin in the box, as before left to right.
16. Invite the child to push in his chair and go with you to carry the tray back to the
shelf.
MECR 2015 PWest
17. Push your chair in and walk to the shelf.
18. Replace tray back in its original spot on the shelf.
19. Invite the child to do the exercise, (in the future if child does not want to do it
immediately).
Presentation II (Single diagonal line):
Points of Interest: Discovering various ways of folding.
Control of Error: The fold lines.
Variations;
Folding napkin vertically; folding cloth napkins or mats for use in classroom; folding
paper in half
Extensions:
Different sets of folding patterns; add vocabulary: folded, unfolded, names of shapes
created by folding.
Notes:
1. Give exercise when children have some hand control.
2. For indirect preparation for geometry, compare with the Geometric and
Fraction Insets.
3. For double fold, rotate napkin 90 degrees for 2nd fold.
Sequence: Horizontal median line; Horizontal and vertical median lines; Diagonal line;
Two diagonal lines.
MECR 2015 PWest
Dusting
Materials:
1. Basket containing: small soft brush; flannel cloth
2. Object from environment
Age: 2 ½ - 4 years old
Preparation: Folding and other exercises for control of the hand
Direct Aims: The development of order, coordination, concentration, and independence
Indirect Aims:
1. Care of environment
2. Make child aware of accumulation of dust in environment
Presentation:
Points of Interest: Dust on the dusting cloth
Control of Error: Looking for dust on surface
Variations: Carry the basket to the shelf and dust the objects on the shelf one at a time.
Open a box at the table to dust the components within. (If intricate, show child
how to
dust one compartment at a time i.e. Alphabet, geometry cabinet).
Extension: Place the objects on a shelf or table on a mat or rug on the floor, and dust the
surface of
shelf or table.
Notes: In another basket, place several cloths to be used as a group or collective lesson.
This is a good settling exercise for beginning class.
MECR 2015 PWest