Stereognostic Bag (presentation one)

What is a Stereognostic Bag?

In the Sensorial area of the classroom, you will find a cotton bag with a drawstring and two slits on each side of the bag with matching objects inside (the bag is usually blue in colour) There are different types of objects placed in the bag, for example, there are solid objects, different sized objects, and objects that are similar in shape.

How is the first presentation with the Stereognostic Bag presented?

Children are encouraged to match the same shapes by feeling inside the Stereognostic Bag. The directress shows the child how to put the string around her neck and have the bag placed on her lap. She puts two hands inside the bag and pulls out a shape without looking, just feeling with her sense of touch. She places the shape on the left-hand side of the mat, she then tells the child that she needs to find its matching partner in the bag. She puts her two hands inside the bag again, using only her sense of touch to find the matching object. The directress usually does two or three shapes on her own and then lets the child have a turn by himself. The child continues in the same manner until all of the objects are matched correctly.

What the first presentation with the Stereognostic Bag teaches the child

This presentation enhances the child’s muscle memory, it is indirect preparation for Geometry that the child will learn later on and it makes the child aware of different shapes in his environment.

Looking for more Montessori activities?

Here is the full list of the Montessori tasks, including Visual and Muscle Discrimination Sense activities, Tactile Sense activities, Chromatic Sense activities, Auditory Sense activities, Thermic Sense activities, Gustatory Sense activities, Baric Sense activities, Olfactory Sense activities, Stereognostic Sense activities, Geometry activities, and Algebra activities. Just click on the activity you want to learn about to go there.