Some New Lessons for the New Year

To add some variety and maintain interest in the classroom, most Montessori educators periodically rotate, add, or change some lessons in the environment.  Over the years, I have concluded that too much change too soon can be detrimental to the overall goals of our program.  Changing lessons too often might not leave ample opportunities for children to practice and refine skills.  Too many changes at once can also be overwhelming for children and teachers alike!  It is a fine balance that requires careful observation and noting when children are ready for change or for something new.   Practically speaking, changing the shelves during vacations allows time for thinking about and developing new activities, while giving the children something new to look forward to upon their return.

On this note, we have been enjoying some new lessons on our shelves having returned from our winter break.  Most of the lessons coincide with our ongoing theme of the Montessori Bead Stair, which we began a year and half ago.  We have now reached the number eight which is represented by the color brown.  Here is a sampling of some new Practical Life lessons:

Dry Transfer activities.

Wet Transfer lessons.

Close up of a spooning lesson.  The tray seems to be a big point of interest!

Sorting and tonging.

Using tweezers to place brown pom-poms into each section.   It is encouraging to see the development and practice of  concentration and control while completing this type of lesson. 

Art activities:  The brown tray contains materials for practicing brush strokes.  The lesson on the right with light colored paper is for making snowflakes - perfect for this time of year! :-) 

Other new lessons to share will be coming soon, so stay tuned! :-)