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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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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Enjoy!

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One of the works that I saw on the shelf that caught my eye was a basket filled with cards and a small red ball. Each of the cards had pictures of the ball in different positions on the basket.  ( above the basket, behind the basket, inside the basket, ect.)

The object was for the child to use the basket and red ball to replicate the positions that were being shown on the picture cards. Here take a look….

For example:

The child chooses a card similiar to the one above out of the basket.

The child then gets the object (in this case it’s an apple) and places it in the appropriate location next to the basket. In this specific example, the child is learning the word “besides”.

Now,  the child choose another card. This time they have a picture representing “on”.

The child uses the basket and apple to represent the preposition “on”. And so forth…

I think this is such a cute and creative way to teach your child new vocabulary. My child is only 21 months, and I’ve already started to practice this with her. If you have a child that’s younger, you might want to start with 2 or 3 cards and work your way up.

FREEBIE! FREEBIE! FREEBIE! FREEBIE!

I spent all day creating a PDF file for this activity. (No wonder my Montessori albums are not done! Yikes!) You can download the Montessori Preposition Cards for free!

All you need to do is cut the cards out and laminate them. Find an empty basket lying around and an apple. If you don’t have an apple, you can use another object like a small action figure, or rock…be creative.

I’d LOOOOOOVE to hear your thoughts and experiences with this activity! Enjoy!

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DK Publisher produces some of my favorite books. Hands down!  They use real life pictures, and the quality is great! I found “My First Touch and Feel Picture Cards”  a while back, and my daughter absolutely loves them! She has learned so many new words, and a lot of my friends and family are quite impressed by her big vocabulary. What I especially like about these cards is the fact that they have added texture to the pictures. For example, when you touch the corn, you feel something bumpy that resembles the kernels. If you touch the cats belly, you will feel fur, ect. Children, especially toddlers are sensitive to touch. They enjoy feeling new textures and are really attracted to the cards. Also another added bonus behind the cards are the vocabulary words in different languages. So if you have an extra bright kid, try teaching them a few words in a foreign tongue. Children are like sponges and love learning new things!

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For younger children

All you need is a basket filled with fruits. Ideally, real fruits would be the best bet, but plastic fruits that look life-like will do just fine. Take three fruits out, and introduce the vocabulary to the child.

Use the three period lesson:

1. Introduce the language to the child.

This is an apple. This an orange. This is a banana.

2. Give the child verbal clues and have them point to the fruits.**

Can you show me the apple? Can you show me the banana? Can you show me the orange?

**If the child has difficulty during the second period, you will have to go over the first period again.

3. Test the child’s understanding

(Point to the apple) What is this? (Point to the banana) What is this? (Point to the orange) What is this?

Once the child has mastered the three new objects, introduce 3 more fruits or veggies.

For older children:

You can include labels with the names of the fruits and have them match each label to the appropriate object.

You can also have the child separate the fruits and vegetables by category.

Fun Game: After the child has a solid understanding of the fruits and veggies, invite them to play a game. Select 3 or 4 veggies and place them on a small place mat or rug. Tell the child to close their eyes. Remove 1 of the veggies or fruits from the mat and put it behind your back. Tell the child to open their eyes, and ask them to tell you which fruit or veggie is missing. Repeat the same thing, this time removing another fruit or veggie. THEY ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS GAME AND CAN PLAY FOR HOURS!!

Free Resources! Free Resources! Free Resources! Free Resources!

Click below to download a Free PDF file of various extensions you can use for this activity

Fruits and Veggies Extension

First page: Control Chart (leave as is)

Second page: Matching picture cards (cut each card out for a total of 12 pieces)

Third page: Matching word cards (cut each card out for a total of 12 pieces)

Fourth-Seventh page: Individual labels w/ pictures (12 pieces)

Laminating the paper work extension is highly recommended!

ENJOY!!!

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