Purpose:

To develop visual discrimination of three linear dimensions: length, height, width.

Age:

2.5 - 3 years old.

Material

There are ten solid wooden pink cubes. The smallest is 1 cubic cm, and the largest is 1000 cubic cm.

Presentation:

• Ask a child to roll out a mat on the floor, and invite her for the presentation.
• Explain to the child that the first four cubes can be carried using one hand, while the rest must be carried using two hands. The cubes are always carried individually.
• When carrying the fifth cube, show the child how to grasp it across the top with one hand, to get the muscular impression of the size. Place your other hand under the cube. Place it on the mat so that no one block touches another.
• After carrying all the cubes to the mat sit down with the child and begin building the Pink Tower.
• Select the largest cube and visibly compare it in size to the other large cubes.
• Place it on the mat in front of the child.
• Select the next largest cube, and carefully center it on the largest cube.
• Continue selecting the correct cubes and build the Tower.
• Admire the completed Tower.
• Dismantle the Tower one cube at a time, and invite the child to repeat the activity.
• When the child is finished working with the Pink Tower, show her how to rebuild the Tower one cube at a time back onto its stand.