MONTESSORI COLOUR CODED CONTINENTS AND HOW TO USE THEM AT HOME
When teaching geography, we begin with the big picture (the Universe) and narrow in until we are focusing on community, family, home, and ourselves. Developmentally this is more appropriate, and it helps the child understand where they fit into the grand scheme of things.
Geography in Montessori is split into two areas:
Physical geography (how the world is made)
Cultural/political (how humans fit into the world)
When teaching geography, we begin with the big picture (the Universe) and narrow in until we are focusing on community, family, home, and ourselves. Developmentally this is more appropriate, and it helps the child understand where they fit into the grand scheme of things. We start with globes, maps, and physical representations of the earth and gradually move on to the great stories.
When teaching geography in Montessori, we use a colour-coded system for the continents. This helps the children remember each continent easier using visual stimulation. This colour coding system is kept throughout the geography materials, the continent globe, world maps, continent boxes and any supplementary materials.