Thermic Tablets are a Sensorial material for comparing how warm or cool different surfaces feel. The activity focuses attention on thermal sensation rather than on differences in the materials’ appearance.
Comparing materials by touch
The set described in the recovered article includes glass, slate, cork, steel, wood, and felt. The child compares which tablets feel warmer or cooler and looks for matching pairs.
Matching two sets
One set is arranged as a control, with a second set mixed up elsewhere on the working surface, usually below it. In the presentation described, the child starts at the left of the control row and presses the left wrist against one tablet.
Using the right wrist, the child tests tablets from the mixed set one by one, looking for a matching thermal sensation. The matching pair is set aside, and the child moves to the next control tablet.
Presentation variations
Presentations vary. Some guides use the pointer and middle fingers instead of the wrist. Other versions use closed eyes or a blindfold so that matching is done without looking. A distance variation separates the two sets and involves walking between them.
