3-6 Observations

Recently, I was guest at the Mikailova Montessori School and was fortunate to observe in two beautiful classrooms.  The first part of my visit was in a primary (3-6) classroom followed by an enlightening hour in a toddler class.  I had so many pictures from my visit that I have decided to post the toddler pictures separately in a future post.  The following photos are from my observations in the 3-6 room:

Somehow, I think this photo best illustrates the overall feeling of warmth and genuine happiness of this Montessori classroom.  The sun was shining (it was actually the first sunny day we have experienced in St. Petersburg in many, many weeks!) and felt so bright and cheerful in the classroom.  Those curtains added a perfect touch and I couldn't help but notice the birch plant stand which was such a beautiful detail. 

A basket of crocheted goodness for the children to create and explore.  Seriously, how could I have gone this long without thinking of this?!  I now have a wonderful way to use up my yarn stash at home!

I found the Pink Tower and Brown Stair like this on the shelf.  Later, a child came and separated them and put each it's place.  I admired the small bowl for the marble - what an inviting way to promote extension work!

Labeling the Classroom - Like in my classroom, the children are introduced to printed letters in reading activities and cursive letters for writing lessons.

Here are the Sandpaper Letters beautifully displayed on a custom stand.

I noticed that this tray of Superimposed Geometric Figures contained a sampling of shapes rather than the entire set.   This might be a great idea if students have been newly introduced to the material as the whole set can be quite overwhelming.  The box behind the tray houses various cards for constructing designs with the shapes.

This is extension work to complete with the Geometric Solids.  I appreciated that the tray and other materials for this activity was next to the solids on Sensorial shelf rather than housed in an Art area.

Another, "Why didn't I think of that?" moment.  Such a simple set up with basic card stock for sewing the letters.

I always am drawn to handmade extension materials.  Here,  children use the reading cards to construct phonetic words with the stones.

This poster invites children to practice tracing numbers.

Several tracing posters were placed in various places throughout the room to promote handwriting practice.

The class was studying planets and the cosmos.  Student created artwork adorned the classroom and was used in various group lessons.

The blue gem on this spoon for this transferring activity definitely caught my eye - imagine its effect on the students!