Cheerful Festivity

Now that the children are comfortable making independent choices, we are working throughout the work cycles to remember to "leave the work beautiful for the next person."  Using this terminology has been effective in helping to remind the children not only about classroom expectations, but also in building and maintaining a culture of care and respect toward each other.
Looking at the tables during our Montessori work times, one can't help but smile at the cheerful festivity that ensues!

Feeling various objects in the bag, and naming each one before removing it from the bag - using the stereognostic sense with the Mystery Bag.

Transferring with a spoon.

Transferring with small tongs.

'Gingerbread' play dough.

Decimal system work with the 45 Layout.

Making 'trees' with Nuts and Bolts.

Writing practice with our 'Writing Windows.'

Measuring a length of yarn and stringing bead for making necklaces.

Transferring water beads.

Using a whisk for bubble making.

Pink Tower and Brown Stair exploration.

Matching shapes (erasers) to their outlines.

Color and cut activity.

Walking the maze without touching the the sides.

Making a paper poinsettia.

Sorting buttons by color.

Lacing with gold cord.

Adding 'just enough' water using a dropper.

Reading labels and sorting pom poms by size.

Quantity and number symbol practice with the Short Bead Hanger.

Learning the names of the continent with the Puzzle Map of the World.

Preparation of the hand for writing - tracing shapes and naming them with the Geometric Presentation Tray.

Enjoying the poetry basket for our 'Christmas Wreaths' poem.

It must be December!

The shelves are looking so festive and fun, and the children have been enjoying the December shelves.  Our assistant, who is currently completing her Montessori training and internship, was instrumental in creating the lessons currently on the shelves.  It is always so refreshing to have new ideas and variations of lessons available to the children.

Wet transfer fine motor activities for the Practical Life shelves.

Dry transfer fine motor lessons.

Threading and bead work - making necklaces and bracelets.

This art activity invites the children to make paper poinsettias.  They always turn out so beautifully, we usually have this activity out each year.  THIS post goes into more detail about how the children complete the lesson.  

We have also begun learning our 'Christmas Wreaths' poem, which is always a pleasure as the children begin to memorize and recite poetry.  It has been quite a cheerful room with all of these activities, and the children have been both intrigued and delighted with these festive additions.  We are certainly looking forward to watching their continued growth and enthusiasm as we approach the end of the calendar year and greet a new one!

From Apples, to Pumpkins, to Leaves

It is already November, and we have enjoyed many fall themed activities so far this school year.  We began our time together with many apple-themed lessons in September.  This was followed by pumpkins in October.  Now, we are enjoying the beauty of fall with lessons having to do with this beautiful season.  Some of these themes are captured in the collection of photos from the past two weeks.  As always, it is impossible to document every single activity at any given time, but what a delight to review the pictures and be reminded of how far we have come as a group!

Carefully pouring into two vessels.

Reading the 'October' poem with a friend using items from the Poetry Basket.

Distinguishing rough and smooth textures and refining movement necessary for writing with the Touch Boards.

An "Autumn Tree" with the Pink Tower and Brown Stair.

Matching nuts and bolts by size.

The watercolor tray is in constant use!

Purposefully bringing each cube of the Pink Tower to a work mat to begin use.

Finding items from around the classroom for the Memory Game of Numbers.

Practicing tying bows with the Bow Tying Frame

Mixing primary colors to make secondary colors.

Comparing size and height with the Knobless Cylinders.

Sequencing and number symbol recognition with the Math Step Board.

An engaging extension activity with the Second Color Tablet Box.

Reading practice with puzzle (sight) words.

Transferring with a spoon for fine motor practice.

Measuring the Brown Stair prisms with the smallest one...

...and discovering new ways to build!

Practicing writing numbers on the chalkboard.

Exploring designs and patterns with the Constructive Triangles.

Visual discrimination of size and pincer grasp practice with the Knobbed Cylinders. 

Gross motor fun - tossing the bean bag into the basket and jumping  over the rope to retrieve it.

Working through the 45 Layout.

Seasonal math extension actives are always fun to discover!

Refining the sense of touch - paring fabrics by touch.

Pre-reading - matching pictures to their shadow.

Tweezing corn kernels.

Learning the names of the continents with the Puzzle Map of the World.

Leaf matching.