Montessori glossary · The materials
Pink tower
Ten pink wooden cubes, from one centimeter to ten, built into a tower by the child.
In plain English
What it actually means
It is the most photographed object in Montessori and one of the most misunderstood. The tower is not a stacking toy: the cubes vary only in dimension, and building it requires the child to judge size by eye and hand alone. The mathematical relationships built into it — each cube's volume relative to the next — surface again years later in geometry and cube roots.
Why it matters to you
On a tour
If you see a child rebuild it eleven times, that is the material working.
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Hear these words used properly
Tours run mid-morning, during the work cycle, year-round.