SE 1.08Knobless Cylinders
The child grades four color-coded sets of knobless cylinders by eye, with no block to check against.
Age 3½–5½Work 8 of 10 in Visual — Dimension
Presentation
- 1
Start with one box. Carry it to the table and remove the lid.
- 2
Take out the cylinders one at a time and place them randomly on the table.
- 3
Choose the largest and place it at the left.
- 4
Find the next largest each time and place it to the right, until the ten cylinders are in a line.
- 5
Look along the line with your eye at table height to check the steps are even.
- 6
Return the cylinders to the box in order.
- 7
Present the other boxes on later days.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Build a tower with the yellow cylinders, largest at the bottom.
- Combine two colors: grade both, then match cylinders that are the same height or diameter.
- Combine the knobless cylinders with the matching knobbed blocks by placing each knobless cylinder on top of its knobbed twin.
- Make patterns with all four colors that show a relationship (such as matching heights across two sets).
- Grade a set with eyes closed by feel.
Control of error
There is no mechanical control; the child checks by eye for uneven steps. For a final check, each knobless cylinder is the same size as a cylinder in the matching knobbed block and can be placed into that hole.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Grades each color set correctly by eye
- Builds combinations of two or more colors and explains a relationship (same height, same width)
- Checks own work without adult help