Sensorial Materials
Essay 15: What is the purpose of the sensorial materials? Describe the essential qualities needed in a sensorial apparatus.
“The first of the child’s organs to begin functioning are his senses....instruments by which we lay hold impressions, and these, in the child’s case, have to become “incarnated”, made part of his personality.” The Absorbent Mind, Chapter 8, p. 84
A child’s journey in life begins as a physical embryo right from the time that he is in his mother's womb, increasing in size and developing his physical structures. Once he is born, leaving the comfort of his mother's womb, he must go through a phase of reconstruction or incarnation, to develop in movement, speech and other areas. However, the child does not possess fixed or predetermined instincts dictating his development like those in animals who are immediately able to walk or even run as soon as they are born. He possesses predetermined patterns of psychic, unfolding. He gradually unfolds to exhibit the characteristic of his kind in movement, speech and actions, being guided by an inner guide. He is not taught by his parents to walk, talk or cry. He is not taught to sing, climb or think. According to Maria Montessori, this is the real identity of the child, the real revelation. "This fashioning of the human personality is a secret work of 'incarnation'. The child is an enigma. All that we know is that he has the highest potentialities, but we do not know what he will be. He must 'become incarnate' with the help of his own will." (The Secret of Childhood, Chapter 6, p.32) Maria Montessori goes on to term the child as a “Spiritual Embryo” because of the work that is going on within him which is one of a spiritual journey of development.
The child, going through this incarnation is provided by Nature with two internal aids namely the Absorbent Mind and Sensitive Periods to assist him in his development. At the same time, there are two external aids provided by the
“The first of the child’s organs to begin functioning are his senses....instruments by which we lay hold impressions, and these, in the child’s case, have to become “incarnated”, made part of his personality.” The Absorbent Mind, Chapter 8, p. 84
A child’s journey in life begins as a physical embryo right from the time that he is in his mother's womb, increasing in size and developing his physical structures. Once he is born, leaving the comfort of his mother's womb, he must go through a phase of reconstruction or incarnation, to develop in movement, speech and other areas. However, the child does not possess fixed or predetermined instincts dictating his development like those in animals who are immediately able to walk or even run as soon as they are born. He possesses predetermined patterns of psychic, unfolding. He gradually unfolds to exhibit the characteristic of his kind in movement, speech and actions, being guided by an inner guide. He is not taught by his parents to walk, talk or cry. He is not taught to sing, climb or think. According to Maria Montessori, this is the real identity of the child, the real revelation. "This fashioning of the human personality is a secret work of 'incarnation'. The child is an enigma. All that we know is that he has the highest potentialities, but we do not know what he will be. He must 'become incarnate' with the help of his own will." (The Secret of Childhood, Chapter 6, p.32) Maria Montessori goes on to term the child as a “Spiritual Embryo” because of the work that is going on within him which is one of a spiritual journey of development.
The child, going through this incarnation is provided by Nature with two internal aids namely the Absorbent Mind and Sensitive Periods to assist him in his development. At the same time, there are two external aids provided by the
Bibliography: Montessori, M., The Absorbent Mind, Henry Holt and Company New York, 1995 Standing, E.M., Maria Montessori, Her Life and Work, Plume New, 1998 Montessori, M., The Secret of Childhood, Ballantine Books New York, 1972 Hainstock, E.G., The Essential Montessori, Plume Book, New York Lillard, P.P., Montessori: A Modern Approach, Schocken Books, New York, 1972 Montessori, M., The Discovery of a Child, Random House Publishing Group, 1972 Montessori, M., The Montessori Method, Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York, 1912. Montessori, M., Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook, Robert Bentley Inc, Massachusetts, 1964