Canvas Mats
Canvas mats evolved as a very hands-on way that children can engage in the study of the biome curriclum and geography. Images are transferred onto fabric in a process called heat sublimation that is virtually indestructible. The image is framed and backed with canvas. Two ends of the mat have pockets for wooden dowels with knobs on the ends so that the mat can be rolled and unrolled like a scroll. The mat comes with a canvas bag with a small version of the image stitched on the outside along with the name of the mat. We suggest that you hang the mats on hooks in the classroom and have the supporting materials on the shelf with a picture of the mat to retrieve from the hook.
Seasons Mat »
The Seasons Mat is framed and backed in canvas with wooden dowels to form a scroll. It illustrates seasonal changes in plant and animal life and can be used to demonstrate how, in the northern hemisphere, the rays of the sun are less direct in the winter than in the summer due to the tilt of the earth on its axis. It includes wooden seasons labels. It can be used with the celebration sun to place the month labels in the appropriate seasons throughout the year. It is also used with the sun to celebrate children’s birthdays. Size 36"x36".
Grammar Mats »
Grammar Mats
Developed as an extension of the Montessori farm for elementary classrooms, children use cards color-coded to the parts of speech to label things and places, then describe them with adjectives and introduce them with articles. Verbs, prepositions, adverbs, and conjunctions follow to make exciting sentences to be symbolized. Words are chosen to relate to the aspect of the biome curriculum illustrated on the mat. These materials includes a lesson outline, a box with dividers for the cards, and the same word cards on white paper for greater challenge.
Geography Mats »
Geography mats are used to allow the children an interactive experience with some aspect of geography. Younger children in of 3 to 6 years participate in a kinesthetic exercise of placing animals in the land, air or water or on a specific continent named. Older children use language to read command cards on three levels of difficulty and perform specific actions. The Montessori three-period lesson is employed where children point to something before named before supplying the name of something indicated. In addition, Bloom’s Taxonomy is used in the command cards to challenge children in the second and third levels.