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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-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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Opening Jars and Containers

Direct Aim: Teaching a child how to open up containers

Indirect Aim: Concentration, Fine Motor Movement, Coordination, Control

Get a basket and fill it up with different types of containers.

Lay a mat on the floor or on a table. Take one container and demonstrate how to take the cap off. Let the child feel both pieces. Next demonstrate how to place the cap back on. Allow the child to explore on their own. Only intervene when necessary. Allow the child to make mistakes. Sit back and observe.

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This activity is quite the hit in our class. It’s very simple to make and children love it!

Direct Aim: Teaching children about the primary and secondary colors

Indirect Aim: Concentration, Fine Motor Movement, Coordination

Materials:

A small tray

3 small containers w/ eye droppers each containing the colors red, blue, and yellow

A small sponge

A small mixing tray

Invite the child to do a presentation on color mixing.

**************************************************************************

Here is a sample  dialogue:

Directress: Hello Billy. Would you like to do a work on color mixing?

Child: Sure.

D:  (Directress puts a red drop on the mixing tray). What color is that?

Child: It’s red.

D: Yes, it’s red. What do you think will happen if we mix yellow with it?

Child: I don’t know.

D: Let’s find out. (Directress puts a yellow drop on the red drop) Wow the colors are changing. What color do you see now?

Child: Orange

D: Yes, it’s orange. Sometimes when we mix two colors together, we make a new color. Let’s see what else we can make with red. (Directress drops another drop of red).  Can you give me the blue bottle?

Child: Sure

D: (Directress puts a blue drop on the red drop). The colors are changing again. What do you see now?

Child: I think purple.

D: Yes, this is purple.Sometimes people call this color violet as well.

and so forth…….

*********************************************************************

For more advance learners, you can go more into depth about primary and secondary colors.

PRIMARY COLORS: RED, YELLOW, BLUE

When you mix two primary colors, you get a secondary color.

SECONDARY COLORS: ORANGE, GREEN, VIOLET

PRIMARY + SECONDARY COLORS=BASIC COLOR WHEEL

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When I do this activity with my daughter, I try to teach her the concept of a work cycle. (A work cycle is everything from start to finish, including setting up and cleaning up)

First…..I tell her to get all of the materials together. Make sure that everything is in a place that is easily accessible so your child doesn’t need to ask you for help. The whole point is to encourage your child to be independent.

Have your child lay all of the materials out on the table. Starting with a towel or place mat. Only intervene when necessary. Let your child feel like they are in control. (If they throw everything the ground….this is a different story!)

Show your child where they can get the water and let them do it themselves. Once again, only intervene when necessary.

Let your child choose what colors they would like to add.

When your child is finished, don’t just clean up their mess…have them do it themselves. Show them what they have to do step by step.

1. Dump the water out ( I usually do it in the toilet since it’s easy for them to access).

2. Wipe the table dry.

3. Put all of the materials back on the shelf.

4. Fold the apron and return it back on the shelf.

Repetition and Consistency is the key! Eventually, you’ll be able to sit back, and observe your child complete the entire work cycle by themselves!

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Montessori isn’t just about academics. It’s a way of life. Children in Montessori classrooms learn things beyond math and reading. They learn how to take care of themselves, each other, and their environment.

Table Scrubbing:

This activity is very simple, yet it teaches the child something that will stick with them for the rest of their lives; the importance of taking care of their environment. Get a bin, and fill it with at least a bar of soap, sponge, and a sturdy brush. Demonstrate the correct way to scrub a table using a big circular motion. I was taught to wipe from left to right (this is the direction of the eye when reading, with the exception of some countries). You’d be surprised how children respond to this activity. It’s like they are meditating and in the zone. They really seem to enjoy it! Try it out!

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This is a sorting activity. Once we saw that our children lost interest in this work, we simply changed the basket, added new bowls and objects. It became a big hit. Same concept, new look.

Try changing up the dry pouring by using  different things like beans, rice, pasta, ect.

Do you get my point? Try it out!

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My daughter absolutely loves this activity. You’d be amazed to see how children concentrate so hard while making bubbles. I personally like this activity for selfish reasons- it gives me about 15-20 minutes of “Me” time. I usually can read a book or do some other random thing around the house that I had been neglecting! LOL

This activity is simple and easy. All you need is a clear bowl, a pitcher for water, some liquid soap**, a small egg beater, and food coloring (optional).

**If your child is a little bit older, you can use hard soap, and teach them how to use a grader.

1. Have the child set out the clear bowl, soap, and beater on the table.
2. Show the child where the water is, and have them fill up the pitcher.
3. Take the pitcher with water, and pour it into the clear bowl.
4. Allow the child to squirt some soap into the water.
5. Give the child the egg beater, and let them beat away!
6. Optional: If you have some food coloring lying around, add some color to the water and see what different color combinations you can make.
7. When finished, show your child how to clean and put the materials away.
8. This completes the work cycle!

Enjoy!

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