Exploring Number Rods

Montessori Activities

Exploration is a vital component to Montessori classrooms. Let’s take a look. Watch as she picks up the number rods, carefully balancing them in her hands, meticulously counting,”One. Two. Three.” Glimpse her pointing to the color differentiations, which represent a change in quantity, as she proceeds. Keep in mind that she is exploring the activity, at her leisure, at her own desire. Now, imagine the understanding that she is absorbing. She’s gaining a concrete appreciation for a very abstract concept: numbers! Exploration leads to so much.