Friday, January 28, 2011



THIS is what its all about! The boy who did this work took a good majority of the classroom time to construct this in the correct order. He struggled, he started over, he wanted to quit, he said he was finished. I told him I KNEW that he could do it. I sat and watched him. The rest of the class gathered to encourage him (and count along.) He stuck with it until it was done and when it was, everyone cheered! High-fives and hugs all around! He was so proud!!
This is what happens when a child is allowed to challenge themselves in their own time and space. They intuitively know when they are ready. The Montessori classroom gives them space to challenge themselves without pressure. The mixed class gives them exposure to lessons they might not quite be ready for. Watching a just older child complete a task makes it seem that much more possible, and one day THEY DO IT THEMSELVES!! They take that with them for the rest of their lives. They OWN their education! The accomplishment is all theirs! That is what I love about Montessori.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Quantifying Practice



I made this work after seeing it on My Montessori Journey (Love that blog! I get so many great ideas there.) The numbers are hard to see in these pictures, but they go from 0-9. I hand embroidered them with contrasting stitching. These are a spin off of the Montessori Spindle Box, which introduces the concept of zero and quantifying. This helps the kids see object to number relation easily. I have noticed especially with the younger students, they have learned to count to ten 'reciting' it like it is one big word 'onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineten.' This helps them slow down and realize that each number has a meaning and a corresponding amount.

Friday, January 21, 2011

SNOW!!


Glittery "Snow" Playdough
The animals make footprints in the snow.
We have been reading this book:

and it goes along with it perfectly.



Blue Dropper Transfer



"Snowball" scooping and transfering



Snow Scene Art



We made "snowflakes" for a snack. We used kitchen scissors to cut a tortilla into snowflakes, brushed them with oil, and sprinkled them with cinnamon-sugar.