Montesecrets

Check out  this trailer of a recent documentary that hit the screen-Nursery University.

Who would of thought that getting into Nursery school was harder than getting into Harvard?

Is this crazy or necessary? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Materials:

The numerals 1-10

A box of 55 red chips

Presentation:

1. Invite the child to a presentation

2. Lay out the numbers starting at the upper left hand corner of the rug.

3. Point to the number “1″, trace it, and say, “This says one”

4. Take one red chip from the box and place it under the numeral saying, “This is one”.

5. Point to the number “2″, trace it, and say, “This says two”.

6. Take two red chips from the box and place them side by side to make a pair. (See picture above)

7. Continue in the same way for the numbers 3-10. Make sure that you put the odd red chip on the “left” side.

Aims:

1. Introducing the Concept of Odd and Even

2. Reinforce Sequencing

3. Reinforce association of quantity and symbol

Indirect:

1. Preparation for understanding grouping of numbers into multiples.

2. Development of Concentration.

**This activity is very easy to make. If you don’t have the wooden numerals 1-10, you can always use paper numerals instead.

This is a fun sorting activity that we have in our Math area. In my personal experience, I would say this activity is great for a 3 1/2 year old. But your best bet is to “Follow the Child”, as my girl Maria Montessori would always say! You might have a child in your class who is way younger, but has shown signs that they are ready to go on to this activity. As the teacher, it is up to you to observe the child, and follow your instinct.

Get a box and divide it into 10 compartments. Label it 1 to 10. Mix a variety of similiar objects and place them in a basket. (ie. erasers as pictured above) The object of this activity is two-fold

A) Sort each of the objects into separate groups

and

B) Match the quantity with the symbol

In our classroom we use different tiny erasers as our objects. I would of preferred to use natural materials. Montessori believed that children were more attracted to natural objects because they were more aesthetically pleasing then man-made objects. I think the activity above would be beautiful if the objects were switched up with Crystals and Gemstones! How attractive would that be????

For example, you could get a basket of the following:

1 piece of  Malachite

2 pieces of Tigers Eye

3 pieces of Citrine

4 pieces of Amethyst

5 pieces of Kyanite

6 pieces of  Clear Crystal Quartz

7 pieces of Turquoise

8 pieces of Moonstone

9 pieces of Hematite

10 pieces of Rose Quartz

Can you think of any other natural objects children can sort out? I’d love to hear you r ideas! I hope you enjoyed this activity!

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!

“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

-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.

Ok…can someone really please remind me to NEVER procrastinate again? The heat is on! I have two more days until my final Institute, and still have tons of work to do! Arghhh! I feel like I haven’t blogged in ages! (which means 5 days in the blog world!)

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!

Hey everyone! I’m not going to write a lot. I just wanted to let everyone know that my 2nd consultation visit went extremely well. My consultant said she was very impressed with how I ran the class. I was a nervous wreck in the morning, but once I got into the class, everything came naturally. I promise that I will update my blog and add more fabulous ideas. All of those who have commented, I will try my best to answer EVERYONE’s comments during the weekend! Have a wonderful morning/night!

I’m too burnt out to write anything clever today, so I thought I’d post a YouTube video of my new favorite song. I was checking out Montessori schools in Florida, and I came across a school that had posted this song on their website. I admit, I had to play it over and over again because it was so beautiful.

Watch the video to hear Israel Kamakawiwo’Ole sing “Over the Rainbow”.

Who would of thought  a big man like that could produce such a beautiful voice. Like my mama always said…don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

Today I got together with some classmates of mine to work on our albums together.I didn’t realize how much stuff I had to do! Let me break it down:

1. Illustrate all presentations (by hand) in my Language Album

2. Two quotes from each assigned Chapter from our reading log (A total of 26 quotes)

3. A 3-5 essay explaining the rationale behind Language

4. Describing a three period lesson using a language work (including diagrams)

5. An idea page for Nomenclature, Vocabulary Enchancement Cards, Sequencing, Patterns, Lotto, Oral Expression

6. A Language Quiz

7. A Child Development Project based on 2 children in the class which includes a Plan of Action for both children and a summary of the daily observations. (We are required to write down observations of our two children EVERY day)

8. Practice Log sheets documenting all of the Materials I have worked (dates and length of time)

9. A 3 page paper describing the Art area in the classroom with examples

10. Two Music Write ups and examples of different types of Music Activities you can do in the class

Yes, I did have 2 1/2 months to complete all of this, but GEEZ! This is a lot of work. My training center makes sure their graduates are ready and prepared to become Montessori Directresses. Only the strong survive!

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.