Life B3.8. Nail Buffing
Shu-Chen Yen's On-Line Montessori Albums

PRATICAL-LIFE DEVELOPMENT ALBUM

CARE OF PERSON

B3.8. NAIL BUFFING


MATERIALS:

Emory board, Q-Tip applicators with orange stick on one end, nail buffing cream, buffer, felt mat, basket to ho]d materials.

PREPARATION:

Child should have experience with other Practical Life activities. Child should have experience with activities involving many steps.

PRESENTATION:

1. Check that materials are available and in proper order.

2. Invite child to do Nail Buffing. Walk to exercise on shelf with child.

3. Using two hands, carry basket to table. Sit down and have child sit on subdominant side.

4. Remove felt mat and unfold so long edge is parallel to the bottom of the table, close to the edge of the table.

5. Remove Emory board from basket and place on left edge of mat.

6. Remove cover from Q-Tip container and take one applicator, placing it on the mat next to the Emory board, and return the lid of the Q-Tip applicator box.

7. To the right of the applicator, place the nail buffing cream, then brace bottle with subdominant hand and open its lid with dominant hand, placing lid behind bottle.

8. To the right of the cream, place the buffer.

9. Observe.

10. Take Emory board in dominant hand and place it against end of thumbnail of subdominant hand, moving it side to side in a straight motion, smoothing the end of the nail.

11. Repeat for all fingernails on subdominant hand.

12. Replace Emory board on mat.

13. Take orange stick in dominant hand and place it under thumb nail of subdominant hand, moving stick from one side of nail to the other, removing dirt.

14. Repeat step 13 for all nails.

15. Set Q-Tip on mat and pick it up so that the applicator will be used.

16. Place Q-tip applicator in cream, rotate end, then remove from cream. Observe cream. If there is too much cream on the applicator, set the end of the applicator against the inside ledge of the bottle opening and scrape cream back into bottle.

17. Place applicator with cream on thumb nail, rotating to leave a small dot of cream on the nail. Repeat for all nails, repeating step 16 if necessary.

18. Return to thumb and rub applicator on thumb, spreading cream evenly over all of the nail surface, using a circular motion. Repeat for all nails.

19. Replace Q-tip on mat.

20. Grip buffer in dominant hand and place suede side on thumbnail. Slide buffer slowly back and forth over thumbnail until all buffing cream is removed. Repeat for all nails.

21. Observe hand and buff any nails that are not shiny.

22. Replace buffer on mat.

23. Close the lid of the buffing cream, bracing bottle with subdominant hand.

24. Return materials to basket in order left to right, excepting the Q-tip.

25. Stand up, push in chair, and pick up dirty Q-Tip. Walk to garbage can with Q-Tip and place it in trash can.

26. Return to table, fold mat and place it in basket, on top of other materials.

27. Return basket to shelf.

28. Walk with child to sink and wash hands to remove any remaining buffing cream.

29. Invite child to do the work.

CONTROL OF ERROR:

1. Leaving dirty Q-Tip in basket.

2. Using materials out of order.

3. No; returning activity to shelf in proper order..

4. Buffing cream left on nail.

5. Buffer not working because of buffing cream excess.

6. Buffing cream on clothes or other inappropriate places.

POINTS OF INTEREST:

1. Appearance of nails before and after: dull and shiny.

2. Appearance of materials, especially cream.

3. Feeling of motion of buffing.

4. Sound of Emory board filing nail.

5. Feeling of smooth nails after activity.

DIRECT AIMS:

Eye-hand coordination, order of activity, lengthening of concentration.

INDIRECT AIMS:

Learning to care for fingernails.

VOCABULARY:

Nail Buffing, Emory board, orange stick, applicator, buffing cream, buffer, mat, basket, shiny, dull, to file, to buff, nail, clean.

AGE:

4.5 and older.


[ Shu-Chen Yen's Homepage | Montessori Albums Index ]
[ Math | Language | Practical-Life | Sensorial-Motor | Administration | Culture-Development ]

Copyright 1995-1999 Shu-Chen Jenny Yen <syen@fullerton.edu>