Land and Water Forms

Another one of my favorite materials in the Montessori classroom is the Land and Water Form activity.  We purchased ours from Priority Montessori and they are- by far- the best quality that I've ever worked with. They're made with clay that does not dry out or get ruined when wet.  The children are shown how to be very careful with their nails, so that the clay is not picked or punctured. 

The children pour water into the clay bins, as the teacher describes each form.  This lesson directly teaches the land and water forms, indirectly refines hand/eye coordination and prepares the student for future study of physical geography.

You can see in the above photo, I've extended the lesson with a coloring sheet.  Each pair of forms (island/lake, peninsula/gulf...) is on the shelf next to a basket of these sheets.  The children can draw and color in the forms if they choose.  Another extension is to locate these forms on the puzzle maps.