Montessori Moments

I remember the very first time I entered a Montessori classroom. What was this? It didn't look or feel anything like the learning environment I was familiar with. My child was intrigued. I was enthralled. Thirteen years later, I still believe that there is something magical about the Montessori way. SO much so, that I wanted to create products that would "naturally" fit onto those Montessori shelves. Clocca "fills" in the gaps and allows teachers to spend their time observing and guiding those intrigued little minds...



Wednesday, July 21, 2010




Coordinate Graph Games for Elementary Students












Clocca Concepts has developed a Coordinate Graph Curriculum for Elementary (6-12) Classrooms. Check us out at www.cloccaconcepts.com. Here are some fun games for the classroom.

Capture the Penguins



This game is designed to introduce elementary students to coordinate geometry. Students roll 2 dice: one regular die and one die marked A-B-C-D-E-F. After rolling the dice, students form an ordered pair and capture a penguin, if there is one on that space. In the simplest version, students place the penguins on the board, and play to see who can capture more penguins. For a more challenging version, see the directions included with the game mat.


Penguin pieces: The penguins pictured to the right were created from clothespins and doll stands, available at craft stores. They were assembled and spray painted black. Later, white and yellow acrylic craft paint was used to add details. A black sharpie pen added eyes. NOTE: Game pieces depicting two different penguins are included with the game mat. These can be laminated and cut out for student use. Please feel free to use any manipulatives to represent the penguins.

To make this game: DOWNLOAD



Clean Up the Money Game
This 2-player game challenges students to toss 2 dice, form a coordinate pair, then collect the coin from that space, if there is one. First students alternate placing quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies on the gameboard. Then students toss a regular die and a special die (A-B-C-D-E-F) to form the coordinate pair and remove the coin from the matching space. Variations of the game are given but students must always find the value of their coins to identify the winner of the game so they get plenty of practice sorting and counting coins. NOTE: Buy wooden cubes at craft stores to create the ABCDEF die or use labels to cover the faces of a regular die.


To make this game: DOWNLOAD


Grab the Candy Game
Students toss two dice (one regular and one A-F) in this fun game that introduces students to coordinate graphing in the spaces. Students form a coordinate pair based on the dice toss and place a marker on that space, if possible. If the space holds a candy, they grab the candy for a quick five points. Create A-F dice using plain dice or purchase small wooden cubes at a craft store to make the dice.

To make this game: DOWNLOAD

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