Sensorial is one of the five curriculum areas in a Montessori classroom. In progression it is introduced after practical life. Sensorial comprises of activities and resource materials that are designed to focus on particular senses.
Visual: Most of the activities on the sensorial shelved will have element of visual discrimination to allow the child to classify by size, colour, shape, depth, etc. Examples of these are the Pink Tower, Brown Stairs, Knobless Cylinders, the Red Rods, Colour Tablets and Geometric Cabinet.
Olfactory: Activities that activate the smelling senses such as the smelling jars enables students to identify and math smells to their source.
Thermic: Thermic activities such as the thermic tablets teach the student about temperature and the impact different stimuli (sun, fridge), have on the temperature of different materials.
Baric: Baric tablets are small rectangular tablets made from wood that teach the students about weight. These are three types of wood used in this activity all three progressive weights.
Tactile: In the tactile area, a student will find sandpaper tablets. These tablets have varying sandpaper grit so that students can classify and order the progression from smoothest to roughest.
Auditory: Auditory activities focus on listening skills. The sound boxes (one red and one blue) with colour coded cylinders inside. When these cylinders are shaken they make different sounds. The child collects the matching sound pair (one red and one blue) to complete the activity.
Gustatory: Tasting bottles are an activity that allows the child to classify different tastes (bitter, sour, sweet, salty).
Stereognostic: Is the ability to recognise an object without visual or auditory assistance. The mystery bag is an activity that allows the student to practice this. The student will reach into the bag and identify the object before they take it from the bag to visually confirm.
All of these materials provide the children with the opportunity to engage with wholistic sensory learning experiences.