Gifts

The gifts are intended to give the child new universal aspects of the external world, suited to a child’s development. The gifts lead to discovery and give insight.

Solids

• Color First Gift
  Six colored worsted balls, about an inch and a half in diameter.
• Shape Second Gift
  Wooden Ball, cylinder. and cube, one inch and a half in diameter.
• Number Third Gift
  Eight one-inch cubes, forming a two inch cube (2x2x2).
• Extent Fourth Gift
  Eight brick shaped blocks (2x1x1/2) forming a two-inch cube.
• Symmetry Fifth Gift
  Twenty-seven one-inch cubes, three bisected and three quadrisected diagonally, forming a three-inch cube (3x3x3).
• Proportion Sixth Gift
  Twenty-seven brick-shaped blocks, three bisected longitudinally and six bisected transversely, forming a three-inch cube.

Surfaces Seventh Gift

• Squares
  derived from the faces of the second or third gift cubes Entire squares - one and a half in. square of one-inch square and Half-squares - squares cut diagonally
• Equilateral triangles
  length of side, one inch, or one inch and a half. Entire triangles, Half triangles - the equilateral triangle is cut in the direction of the altitude, yielding right scalene triangles, acute angles of 60 degrees and 80 degrees and Thirds of triangles - the equilateral triangle is cut from the center to the vertices, yielding obtuse isosceles triangles, angles 80 and 120 degrees

Lines Eighth Gift

• Straight
  Splints of various lengths.

Rings Ninth Gift

• Circular
  wooden, metal or paper rings of various sizes; whole circles, half circles, and quadrants

Points Tenth Gift

• Beans, lentils, or other seeds, leaves, pebbles, pieces of card-board of paper, etc. The child has progressed from the solid to the point.

Occupations

The occupations furnish material for practice in certain skills, the occupations lead to to invention and give the child power.

Solids

Plastic clay, card-board work, wood-carving, etc

Surfaces

Paper-folding, paper-cutting, parquetry, painting, etc.

Lines

Interlacing, intertwining, weaving, thread games, embroidery, drawing, etc.

Points

Stringing beads, buttons, etc.; perforating, etc.

Reconstruction Peas and Sticks

This occupation enables the child to reconstruct the surface and solid synthetically from the point. It consists of softened peas or wax pellets and sharpened sticks or straws.

more about Froebel gifts and blocks

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