Leaf/Botany Cabinet
Materials:
A three-drawer cabinet with 18 leaf forms: aciculate, elliptic, cordate, obcordate, linear, ovate, obovate, lanceolate, reniform, spatulate, deltoid, orbiculate, hastate, sagittate, peltate, oblong, cuneate, fan-shaped
Orange stick
Tray covered with black paper
Real leaves in a baske
3 series of matching cards, as in the Geometry Cabinet
Purposes:
To become aware of the different forms of leaves
To stimulate the child’s interest in nature study
Visual discrimination of form (shape)
Indirect Preparation for Writing
Indirect preparation for botany
Age: 4
Preparation:
The child has had the presentation Watering a Plant
The child has worked with the Geometry Cabinet one drawer at a time
Presentation of the Leaf Cabinet and Cards without Real Leaves
Present the insets one drawer at a time, just as you did with the Geometry Cabinet except you will not trace around the inset with your fingers. Instead, you will use an orange stick held like a pencil.
Follow the same progression of following exercises of the Geometry Cabinet.
Present the cards just as you did the geometric cards.
Extension: The Leaf Cabinet with Real Leaves
As the real leaves are not absolutely identical to the material in size and somehow in shape, it is necessary first that the Guide brings various leaves of the same kind into the classroom. The specimens brought into the classroom should be chosen very carefully so that they can be matched with the corresponding shape.
The Guide should prepare the environment by having in the classroom some plants with leaves that the child can then match to the shapes.
The child should have the opportunity to bring in leaves from the outdoors to match to the cabinet
Note: For leaves with lobed margins, have the child trace it onto paper, place dots on each extreme point, and connect the points to reveal the shape that would correspond.
Control of Error:
Mechanical: the shape will only fit accurately into one frame
The child’s own judgment/visual discrimination of the shapes
Language:
Names are given to real specimens in association with the material:
Articulate, linear, lanceolate, elliptic, ovate, obovate, spatulate, deltoid, cordate, obcordate, reniform, orbiculate, hastate, sagittate, oblong, cuneate, fan-shaped
Memory Games:
Same as Geometry Cabinet
Pedagogical Notes:
Prepare the leaf tray with new real leaves frequently enough to introduce the child to a variety of leaf shapes and names.
We use the orange stick because it adds a muscular impression to the visual impression. The small spaces in the leaf shapes make it difficult to get a clear muscular impression when tracing with the fingers.
Leaf sorting can be a fun activity.
Consider including a leaf press in the classroom so the children can make a book out of the leaves they find.