Visual Discrimination and Sensorial…
Work mats litter the floor, all covered with brightly colored 2 and 3 dimensional shapes. The
Sensorial works combine cognitive problem solving with sensory discrimination. Some of these works are as simple as a puzzle made up of different types of triangles to a more challenging work where the children match knobs based on the feel rather than what they look like.
One girl works on a puzzle cube made up of 27 different blocks that can be put together to build a cube. Each layer of the cube is made up of 9 blocks. She examines the lid which shows the layout of the layers. Carefully, she matches blocks of the same color and shape to the lid. At one point, she lies down on her side next to the blocks, examining the height and ensuring that the heights of all the blocks on the lid are the same. As she finishes the second layer, one set of blocks along one side of her structure get accidentally knocked down. She begins to rebuild; during the rebuilding, she creates a new way of making the second layer of the cube. Suddenly, she pulls all of the blocks onto the floor and begins to explore new ways to use the blocks to build the Trinomial Cube. Through these materials, the children explore geometric and spacial problem solving as well as a sensory experience.
