Sensorial - Red Rods
Red Rods
These are ten wooden rods painted/stained red, all of the same thickness but varying in length from 10 centimeters to 1 meter.
If you intend to DIY, the cross sectional area is 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm, and the lengths are 10cm, 20cm, 30cm, 40 cm, ……, 100cm.
My carpenter cousin cut this rods for me, I painted them using the acrylic paint.
Materials:
Red Rods
Floor rug
General Presentation:
1.Invite the child or group of children.
2.Go over to where the floor rugs are kept.
3.Choose a rug and take it over to the floor and unroll it as you have been shown before.
4.Go over to where the Red Rods are kept.
5.Name the material for the child, “Red Rods”.
6.Demonstrate how to carry the rods one at a time by placing one hand on each end (if the child cannot reach that far one hand can hold the end and the other can hold the rod as far down as possible).
7.Invite the child to carry the red rods (short to long) over to the rug.
8.Place the rod on the rug, with the left end of the rod lined up with the top left side of the rug.
9.Continue placing the rods (not in order) until the longest rod has been placed on the rug.
10. Choose the longest rod and stroke the rods with your right hand down the front edge of the rod. When your right hand gets to the end of the rod pick it up with your right hand. Pick up the left end of the rod with your left hand (or as close as you can get down the rod).
11. Place the rod below the last prism lined up with the left-hand side of the rug.
12. Continue to select the next longest rod and place it below the last rod.
13. After the prisms have been graded from longest to shortest, slide your hand, palm side down, over the graded edge of the rods and say, “Longest to shortest”.
14. Invite the child to do the same.
15. Next take the shortest rod and move it up the graded edge of the rods pausing to note that every other rod is even when the shortest rod has been added.
16. Now, take the shortest rod and move it down the “stairs” pausing to note that every other rod is even with the shortest rod.
17. Return the rods to the shelf carrying them properly and starting with the longest rod.
18. Roll your rug as you have been show and return it to its place.
Variation #1 - Memory:
Follow the General Presentation through Step #12. Then, roll out a second rug some distance away from the first one. Carry the longest rod over to the second rug and build the graded rods the exactly the same way as you did on the first rug. This is the first memory exercise called order to order. The second memory exercise should be mixed order to order. The last one should be mixed order until you get to the middle rod and then grade toward the longest rod.
Variation #2 - Blindfolded:
After the rods have been carried to the rug and are in mixed order, have the child use a blindfold. The first blindfolded exercise has the child grade as in the General Presentation.
Variation #3 – The Longest Rod:
Follow the General Presentation through Step #12. Ask the child,
“Which two rods can be placed together to make the length of
the longest rod?” Replace the rods back to order and then
repeat for each rod.
Variation #4 – The Maze:
Follow the General Presentation through Step #12. Then, roll
out a second rug and place it right next to the first one (making a big work space). Say to the child, “We are going to make a maze!” Take the shortest rod and place it in the center of the rug. Picking-up each rod in the appropriate way, going from short to long, place it up against the rod before and make a maze. Walk the maze in stocking feet careful not to touch the rods.
Points of Interest:
1.The relationship of the rods to each other
Control of Error:
1.Visually
Aims:
Visual discrimination(Understanding of size, muscular and visual perception of dimension) which leads to observation and knowledge, order, concentration, coordination, developed small motor skills, prepare for math readiness, sequence and order.
Age:
3 and up
Language:
Long, short, red, rods, prism, maze, etc.
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2 Responses to “Sensorial - Red Rods”
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Just wondering, by using the acrylic paint, does the child still able to feel the wood texture (tacticle sensorial)? Just to compare, most of the wooden toys I bought for my son are sprayed-paint, non-toxic so that the paints wont chip off and the child is still able to feel the wooden texture. Would like to know what kind of wood do you use for most of your materials? I am really thinking of doing the materials myself too! Thanks Leah for sharing :)
The paint covered the grains of the wood, you cannot see the grains but you can still “feel” it’s wood.
I used this type of acrylic paint is because it’s water based. IMHO, it’s easier to handle than an oil based paint. Plus, oil based paint usually need evaporable solvent which can be very volatile or toxic.
Since the acrylic paint is water based, it need to be water proof by painting another layer of glaze or matte.
I used mostly rubber wood, can’t afford any other hard wood:-), they are like gold. You are in Sabah, land that still produce logs, situation maybe different?
You are welcomed!