I love changing the classroom to match the seasons, but I think some teachers go a little too overboard. Putting Pumpkins and Ghosts all over the wall, is not cool! (Believe me, I’ve seen this before!) Remember, Montessori emphasized how important it was for a child to have consistency. You can change some things around (like counters, beans, glasses, ect.) but be carefully not to over do it where your children feel overwhelmed.

In our classroom, we reserved a small place  for “BIG WORKS”  which we occasionally used for seasonal activities. The bottom picture below was a work that we called, “Pumpkin Scrubbing”.

The children LOVED this work! It was amazing to see them  take pride in their work. They really enjoyed cleaning the pumpkin, and were able to follow through with the entire work cycle. If you are looking for interesting and purposeful activities to spice up your classroom, try giving this activity a try. I’d love to hear your comments!

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How do you  transform your classroom into the perfect environment? I underestimated the amount of work teachers go through when organizing their rooms. I know teachers who have spent 2 entire days solely on Practical Life. If you weren’t anal before you took the Montessori training, chances are you’ll become obsessive compulsive by the time everything is over. I remember when I set up my first classroom,  I switched around small glass containers, changed beans, trays, utensils just about 100 times…..

I’m going to try to free up some time so I can document my experiences teacher. I’m sure a lot of people are in the same boat, and if I can offer any tips, that would be cool.

Tip #1

When setting up your classroom, allocate a good chunk of time towards Practical Life. Don’t underestimate it’s simplicity. The Practical Life area is CRUCIAL to the child’s success in the other areas of the class. With that said, it’s important to concentrate on tiny details to make sure that you provide your students with the best possible environment.

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This activity helps a child develop fine motor skills by stregnthening their coordination and concentration.

All you need is some construction paper with various shapes outlined in black. In our class, we use a small piece of carpet to put underneath the paper. The child uses a large pushpin to carefully punch out the shapes!  Voila! A fun and exciting activity!

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-Pablo Picasso

I have to admit, I am a bit disappointed with the current art section in my classroom. It’s just soooooo plain. We have 2 shelves filled with various activities, but not ONE work offers the child a deeper look into Art and Art History.  What’s funny is that the afternoon Lead Directress is an ART MAJOR, and I honestly expected so much more from someone with that type of background. (She’s been there for over 25 years, so I think she lost her “Montessori Modjo”.)

Art is great and we need more of it in our classrooms! Keep in mind, that when I use the term “art”, I mean projects beyond markers and crayons. We can use Art to teach our children about the world around them.

One of my classmates recommend us to purchase the book: GLOBAL ART: Activities, Projects, and Inventions from around the world.

It’s a book filled with a bunch of art projects and ideas from various countries. Each chapter is organized by continents, and teaches the child world art history.

When a child learns about art, they learn to appreciate beauty!

If you want to bring more culture into your child’s life…check this book out!

Above: A picture of a colorful Zambian basket.

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Anyways, I’m taking a quick break from studying and thought I’d post a real fun and quick activity you might want to try with your children!

Land, Water, and Air

AIMS:

• Expose the child to the basic elements of land, water, and air
• Expose the child to the concrete and abstract representations of these elements
• Preparation for cartography and geography
• To stimulate discussion

Materials:

• 3 empty clear glass baby food jars
• water (preferably colored blue)
• soil
• 3 labels-land, water, and air

An example of a presentation:

“We live on planet Earth. The planet earth is made up of three things: land, water, and air.”

Unscrew the lid from the land jar and scoop a bit of the soil into it and say–>”This is land”

Unscrew the lid from the water jar and add water.–>”This is water”.

Unscrew the lid from the air jar and explain that area is all around us and invisible. –>”This is air”

Depending on the child, you can introduce the labels and match them accordingly.

A fun extension: Use old magazines to find different examples of land, water, and air. You can already prepare this for the child, and have them categorize them on their own OR you can let them find the examples themselves. Follow the child!

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Enjoy!

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I had a fun time….Take a look for yourself!

If you want to make your own Obamicon, click here to visit their website!

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There are days when our children or students know which buttons to push to drive us all up the wall! (Mondays and Friday’s are especially the worse!) We are all human and it’s natural to be frustrated once in a while. In Montessori training, we are drilled about the importance it is to be a good observer. It was through countless hours of observation that Maria Montessori was able to base her entire philosophy from. A good teacher is one that is able to observe the negative behaviors of a child, figure out what the problem is, and try to come up with ways on how to cater to the child’s needs.

In our class, as I mentioned in a previous post, we have a handful of kids with special needs who require special attention. We have two children in particular, who have Sensory Integration Disorder. My supervising directress does a wonderful job at catering to these children. She understands what they’re needs are, and tries to create a classroom that provides them with different opportunities to help them relax and calm their bodies. Apart from the jumping circle (see post here), we have another secret weapon…….

Wanna know what it is????? FIGITS!

What are figits? Well, take a look.

These little balls may look simple, but they are highly effective. We keep a basket of these right next to our “jumping circle”. Anytime we feel that one of our students is on the verge of acting up, or they are having difficulties controlling their bodies, we either invite them to the jumping circle or offer them a fidgit. A lot of times, children with special needs have problems controlling their bodies and need an outlet to relieve some of their pent up energy. The figits for some reason calms children down because they are focusing all of their attention on one thing and are still able to move their hands around addressing their inner desire for movement.

Teachers…read here…If you have a child who refuses to particpate during line time, or has difficulties controlling their bodies whenever the class gets together, try giving them a figit and see what happens. It may not work for everyone, but it’s worth a try. Make sure the child doesn’t use it to harm themselves or their classmates. It’s been known to happen!

Parents…read here…If you have an over active child, you might want to give the figits a try. It might give you 10 minutes of peace in the car or at home! You never know!

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, nor do I claim to be one. If you feel that your child requires special attention, you should consult your family’s physician to discuss different plans and treatments available for your child. I only can provide you myown personal advice based from my experiences in the classroom and with my own daughter. Use the material you read on this blog at your discretion.

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Continent maps are a great way to introduce children to geography. Unfortunately, they can be super uber expensive. Ideally, I’d love to have the real Montessori continent maps because they were carefully designed by Montessori herself. They are durable, made of natural wood, and highly attractive.  If you don’t have the resources to purchase a continent map, there are alternative ways you can introduce the concepts to your child, without putting a huge dent in your wallet!

Creating a felt continent map is very easy. Go to your local fabric store, and get the following colors:

Orange=North America

Pink=South America

White=Antartica

Green=Africa

Red=Europe

Yellow=China

Brown=Australia

Blue=Oceans

**I recommend purchasing scissors especially made for felt. Regular scissor often tear up the felt.

Go to google and search for: “outline of continents” or “continent maps”, and you should find a bunch of different options. Trace each continent on the appropriate felt color.

After all the continents are cut out, trace two large circles on the blue felt. Cut them out, and those pieces will be your oceans. Lay the continents on top (in the appropriate place ofcourse!) and VOILA! Your Continent Map!

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This is an easy work to make, and the best part is you don’t have to be a Crafty Cathy to make it! It’s simple and fast! All you need is different color felt and sharp scissors!

Cut out 4 RED shapes that represent the corollas (petals)

Using GREEN felt, cut out the calyx

Using the YELLOW felt, cut out the stamen pieces.

Finally, using the rest of the GREEN felt, cut out the pistil.

Make labels for each of the parts, including a label for the Flower.

Ta-da! Parts of the flowers!

There’s not doubt that children absolutely love nature. Once you have presented them the parts of the flowers, go outside (if appropriate) and find examples of each of the parts. If you have a microscope, have the child examine the different parts closely.

OPTIONAL: USE THIS WORDING WHEN PRESENTING TO THE CHILD

THE FLOWER IS USUALLY BRIGHTLY COLORED. SEEDS DEVELOP WITHIN IT.

THE COROLLAS (OR PETALS) ARE THE BRIGHTLY COLORED OUTSPREAD PARTS OF THE FLOWER.

THE STAMENS SURROUND THE PISTIL. EACH STAMEN BEARS A LITTLE POLLEN SAC.

THE PISTIL IS IN THE CENTER OF THE FLOWER. IT HAS AN OPENING IN THE TOP AND A TUBE TO CARRY THE POLLEN DOWN TO THE OVARY WHERE THE SEEDS DEVELOP.

THE CALYX IS THE GREEN PART THAT HOLDS THE FLOWER ALL TOGETHER.

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