The pink tower is probably my favorite original Montessori work! I asked my husband to make one for L, and while he was making it I fell in love with the natural wood look and decided to keep it that way. We painted the base pink so we could still call it the pink tower. We might sell it on my Etsy shop if he ever has time to make more.
The pink tower is a work that requires many different steps that must be done in the correct order to complete the work. First, the child must get out a work rug and carry each cube one at a time to the rug. We call them “cubes,” not blocks. They’re not for building or knocking down (NEVER FOR KNOCKING DOWN!!! MONTESSORI BLASPHEMY!).
When all of the cubes are on the work rug, I ask L “Which one is the biggest?” She finds the biggest cube and we put it on the rug. Then I say, “Now which one is the biggest?” She finds the next biggest cube and puts it on top of the first cube.
We continue to find the biggest cube until they are all built up into a tower. L calls the smallest cube the “teeny tiny cube.”
Once it is built, we ooh and ahh over the beauty of the tower and point out the biggest and smallest cubes.
To clean up the pink tower, L must first take each cube off and place it on the work rug again. Then she repeats the process of finding the biggest cube, but this time she puts it on the base for the tower to put it back where it belongs. Then she rolls up the rug and puts it away! All in all, the entire work takes about 8 minutes to complete. You can watch L do the whole thing (in a quick time lapse video) here.
The pink tower is a sensorial work that teaches size differentiation. It includes a very precise process with a lot of repetition, which builds concentration and focus.
This is super. I love it.
I love the sensorial works for my kiddos that are a little bit hyper and need the constant back and forth movement.
Why can they not knock them down?
Because the purpose of the work is not simply building up and knocking down. The pink tower is a work designed by Maria Montessori herself — knocking it down would be like stomping on a crucifix to a devout Catholic! The purpose of the pink tower is to learn size differentiation and to build from biggest to smallest. The order of then taking it down piece by piece also plays a part in the lesson. We have regular blocks on our shelves that CAN be knocked down, but we always emphasize to L that the pink tower is a special work and she has to use two hands, one piece at a time.
Great Sensory, Fine and Gross Motor, Eye and Hand Coordination, Cognitive, Approaches to Learning
I work with kids with autism and this is awesome for working on fine motor, detail, and concentration. Thanks for the great idea!