For the Parents

We are working on R A F M. In Montessori, we work on learning the sound of the letters first. It is easier in the long run to make the transition to reading if there isn't as much "translating" going on in their heads. The child who learns the names of the letters first thinks "OK, that's an R....What sound does R make? rrrrrrr. Oh thats right." The goal is for them to see a letter and automatically think of the sound. Some of the kids already know the names of the letters. When we review letters they say, "Oh thats M." I always say "Yep, and the sound it makes is mmmmm." Just to bring the focus back to it's sound. They are really quickly learning these sounds and we will be making sound books soon to bring home and show off all they have learned.

Spontaneous Montessori

This didn't happen in the preschool, but I couldn't help but share :) I love the way Montessori had the insight to design the materials that children crave to develop skills. They love to practice so much they find ways to practice on their own.
This is my 16 month old son. He found a zip tie on the floor of the garage, inserted it into a hole that was juuuussst the right size. I wish I caught a picture of the smile on his face when he put it through the first time! He did it over and over and over and over. To some adults this might seem like a waste of time, but THIS is the work of childhood. He is developing hand eye coordination and manual dexterity needed for handwriting and all other manual skills. His focus and concentration are improving AND he is gaining self esteem from the thrill of independent accomplishment.

Random Awesomeness

These kids really just blow me away. The way the Montessori materials let you peek into their thought process and almost WATCH them learn is so awesome to me.

October/Pumpkin Works!

Spooning/ Transferring Black Beans

I found the Jack-O-Lanterns at a thrift store. The spoon is from a restaurant supply place, and so is the dish it's all in. This is great for concentration, manual dexterity, and practice completing a task from beginning to end.

Tweezing Spiders

I got this shot when one of the kids was working with it, so I missed the green tweezers that go with it :) But the idea is to pick up the plastic spiders (which I cut off of rings) and place one in each pumpkin with the tweezers.

Apple Printing

Our last apple themed project for this year was apple printing. We cut open an apple, which gave us the chance to talk about all the parts of an apple. We also had Parts of an apple nomenclature cards to go on the language shelf after we saw the real thing. After we talked about it, and all got a chance to touch, we dipped them in paint and made prints. I think the kids had more fun with the process than the product!

September Apple Themed Work

For September I put together a few apple themed practical life exercises and art projects.


This is an apple apron I sewed from this pattern in like 20 min. (thanks to some help ;) )
I plan on using it for red play dough spiked with lots of glitter and apple pie spice. Smells SOOOO good! make sure the kids know NOT to eat it :)
This would also be good for an apple cutting exercise.




















This is apple tweezing with learning chopsticks from Montessori Services. The apples are erasers from the teacher supply store. The tray they are transferred into is a paint palate. I had the litte crate leftover from a Melissa and Doug toy I bought for my kids. I thought it was perfect with the apples!




















This is another version of apple tweezing/transferring. I found the apples at the thrift store, I'm sure you can get them at any art supply place. They have little stems that stick out the top. They are perfectly tricky for grabbing with the toast tongs, which I also got from Montessori Services.




















This is a fun glue-ing activity. In most Montessori classes I have seen, the art projects are set up with a finished example and all the supplies. I haven't found the space to do that yet, so we do our art projects as a group.



















This is an apple tree I drew freehand and then made copies. The "apples" are label stickers from the office supply store.

Ball Shoot

This is what we did for an "opening activity" last week. I got this idea from Family Fun magazine. I bought three 8ft lengths of flexible air ducts and stuck one end through the railings in our deck. Then added 12 or so little white practice golf balls (the kind with holes in them.) The basket at the bottom was for gathering the balls and bringing them back to the top again.