Introduction - the bamboo eight for focus, balance, concentration...
Author: Karin Stolk-Tangenbergh
Children's practice and mother
Introducing the Motorik-8
This bamboo Motorik-8, also called a lemniscate, is beautiful to behold and can be used in many ways. Since this Motorik-8 arrived in my children's practice Bij Kee, it has been used extensively. Children enjoy playing with it between tasks, parents always find it a challenge, and visitors who come in have to try it out...
How it works
The method of use is self-explanatory. Children take the Motorik-8 in their hands and place the ball in the middle. They gently move the Motorik-8, causing the ball to move, and let the ball roll through the figure-eight track.
Training with the lemniscate
They train quite a few areas with it while they see it as play. They train their concentration, but also, unknowingly, the cooperation of their hands, eyes, and brain hemispheres. The ball crosses in front of the body from left to right, requiring them to use and activate both eyes and brain hemispheres.
I use this Motorik-8 in practice for focus, balance, concentration, cooperation of the hands, brain hemispheres, and eye-tracking movements.
Shape of a lemniscate
The shape, the lemniscate, is infinite; the movement is continuous. While rolling, you can also recite a sentence as a mantra and repeat it over and over.
Material
The Motorik-8 is made of bamboo, which is not only light but also an environmentally friendly alternative to wood, as it grows quickly.
Two sides of this lemniscate
The design has been carefully considered; this lemniscate has two usable sides. One side has several recesses, which slow down the marble so it doesn't go too fast around the bend. This helps the child lose control less quickly, which is useful for beginners and young children.
The other side is smooth, so the marble goes nice and fast, but you have to steer even better to maintain control over the speed.
Balls
Three balls are included in red, yellow, and green, all of the same size. You can, of course, use one ball, but with two or three, a new challenge is quickly found. There are endless variations possible with other balls, marbles, and stones.
Variation
You can use this lemniscate not only horizontally but also vertically. Try playing with it in front of a mirror, looking only at your reflection, or place something in between so you can only look in the mirror!
Learning through movement
Also, use it for learning through movement: give children a sum while the marble keeps moving and let them answer while spinning, practice those tricky words from another language, or recite a multiplication table to the rhythm of the marble's movement – can they do it? You will also notice afterward that the practiced material is retained better because you are using both brain hemispheres.
Challenges for advanced users
For advanced users, there are many variations to come up with: change the direction of the ball without losing it, place one side on the table and use one hand to keep the ball moving, stand on a wobble board or Wobbly, on one leg, with one eye closed, with one hand – you name it!
Cooperative play
When children work in pairs: each holding one side of the Motorik-8 and keeping the ball moving smoothly, passing it to each other while the ball continues to move, letting the Motorik-8 rest only on the (index) fingers while the ball keeps moving – plenty of variations.
Summary
You understand that I would advise everyone to purchase this lemniscate or Motorik-8. It is challenging toy, an excellent addition to a (children's) practice, motorically challenging for young and old, and also environmentally friendly.
If you were to add a simple AI sensor (e.g., a camera or accelerometer) to the Erzi Lemniscaat marble run, what is one specific child learning behavior (e.g., how long they try alternative marble placements before giving up, or how they react when two marbles collide) that the AI could measure and report back to parents or educators to help understand problem-solving development?
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