Threading a Needle

I have a soft spot for Montessori's integration of sewing in the classroom and have always appreciated this Practical Life activity.  The sewing sequence lessons are extremely helpful in promoting the direct and indirect aims of any and all Montessori lessons:  Concentration, coordination, independence, and order (CCIO). In my classroom, however, I've encountered some obstacles while trying to introduce basic sewing lessons - either the child needs too much assistance and becomes disinterested, or more obviously, has difficulty with the initial step of simply threading the needle.  To address this problem, I did what any Montessori teacher would do - I created a new lesson:  Threading a Needle.


To begin the lesson:  The child takes this tiny basket  with a mat to a workspace at a table.  In our classroom, we use placemat sized "table-top mats."  The contents of the basket include: three lengths of yarn in red, yellow, and green; and three children's sewing needles also in red, yellow, and green.  (They are under the yarn in this photo and hard to see).

The mat is unrolled and the basket is placed at the top in the center.  During the initial presentation, the teacher takes out one piece of yarn and shows each end of the string. 



I have placed a small piece of masking tape on the threading end...



...and made a knot on the other end.

 As each end is shown, the yarn is placed horizontally on the mat with the taped end on the left.  Then, the yarn is straightened by following it with the fingers of dominant hand moving from left to right.  This is repeated with each of the yarn lengths, thus helping to train the eye in left to right movement in preparation for reading and writing.


The three pieces of yarn laid out on the mat. 

 Next, the needles are shown.  As each needle is taken out of the basket, the teacher shows the eye and the points to both ends of the needle.  Then, it is placed above the matching yarn on the threading side with the eye on the left:


Placement of needles on the mat.

 Now, the child is shown how to actually thread the needle beginning from the top piece of yarn.  For me, it is most natural to grasp the needle with the right hand and the yarn with the left, threading it through the eye with the left fingers. 



Threading the needle.

Once the needle is successfully threaded, the child is shown where to stop pulling, creating the "tail."  The threaded needle is placed back on the mat, this time with the needle on right of the mat.



The first of three threaded needles on the top...



...and all three threaded needles.

To clean up, the child removes the thread from each needle, beginning from the top, and returns the needles to the basket.  The yarn is then wound lightly around the fingers and placed into the basket on top of the needles.



Lesson completed.

I decided to use the three coordinating colors not just for added interest (the colors match our upcoming 'Apples' theme), but mainly to allow the child opportunities for repetition.  I am excited about this lesson because it will provide my students the chance to practice an important skill which ultimately builds success in future activities while simultaneously enhancing CCIO. 

Montessori Monday Link-Up

One Lovely Blog Award

I am so touched that my blog has been granted an award!  Thank you so much to Eva at Early Education with Antek and Cuba [trans.] who so graciously passed this along to me:

First, the recipient must thank the one who passed the award and link back to their blog.

Now, the recipient must share seven things about themselves...here I go:

1.  I love anything with chocolate and love to eat cake!
2.  Indoor plants make me happy.
3.  I like to be in my Pj's at 6pm!
4.  I studied ballet at a pre-professional level for many, many years and used to teach ballet to children and adults.
5.  Russian is my second language.
6.  I enjoy watching interior design shows after the kids have gone bed (and indulge in #1 on this list).
7.  There is no denying it - I am an introvert by nature and am a self-proclaimed, "homebody."

There, seven things about myself (boy, is it difficult to write about oneself...) and now, I must pass the award to 16 others - each blog on the following list can surely be awarded the "One Lovely Blog Award," as they are are continuous sources of great ideas and inspiration:

1.  The Wonder Years
2.  My Montessori Preschool
3.  Montessori Print Shop Blog
4.  Living Montessori Now
5.  Leptir
6.  Olives and Pickles
7.  About A Girl
8.  The Moveable Alphabet
9.  Montessori Tidbits
10.  Playful Learning Blog
11.  Inspired Montessori
12.  Montessori Candy
13.  Beautiful Sun Montessori
14.  Kathy's Montessori Life
15.  The Magic Onions
16.  This Education of Ours

There you have it, a list of lovely blogs (in no particular order) that have been instrumental in the sharing of all things Montessori.  They are truly worth visiting... and don't forget to visit Eva's blog too!

Name Recognition in our Classroom

It is such a joy to prepare materials for our classroom and recently, I have been doing exactly that!  In fact, I just returned from a morning at school preparing for our Open House and first day of school.  While I had all three of my kids with me and it became a little hectic, I was nevertheless able put some annual aspects of the environment together.  When I've made and assembled all the class lists, cubby labels, snack tags, and name tags, I know that the beginning of school is just around the corner (and it makes me smile!).

One of the first concepts a child encounters at school is name recognition.  At my school, this is encouraged and incorporated in many areas of the classroom.  As simple as it may sound however, I put a lot of thought into how this will be presented.  The main reason I have to put extra thought into this concept is because I teach cursive writing in my classroom.  Therefore, I need be sure that enough opportunities are available for the child to see their name not only in print, but also in writing (cursive). I follow a simple self-imposed rule in my classroom:  Anything I write with my own hand is in cursive and everything else is in print.

Upon entering school, a child is greeted with their name on their cubby:


Children's cubbies:  Names in print, made on Word....

Next, they see their names as they hang up their backpacks, and snow pants (later in the year), on their individual hook:



Individual hook labels made using Montessori-friendly Clip Art with names written by me - in cursive.

  Now, the child enters the classroom and 'checks-in' by sliding their name over to the right, under the tag reading, "Hello!, Check-in."  When they leave, the slide their name back over to the left under the tag which reads, "Good-bye!  Check-out."  The photo shows these tags with handwritten letters which I wrote.  Periodically, I flip these cards over where the same words have been produced in print on the computer.  The children always look to see which side it is on and love when I change it up a bit....


Check-in/Check-out Board:  Name tags created by computer (and printed on watercolor paper which I painted myself...I just couldn't find what I wanted in the stores....)

Within our Montessori work time, the children have additional opportunities for name recognition, reading, and writing.



Snack tags:  The children each have a tag to set up with their snack.  Again, the images are from Clip Art with the names written by me, so they are cursive.  The images are of typical foods we enjoy for snack, but they are also intended to stimulate conversation!  Moreover, these tags are a helpful management tool - we can tell who has had a snack or not by  placement of the tags.  Those who have finished snack place their tag in a nearby basket while those who have not remain on the shelf, as in the photo.

   Whenever a child wishes to write his name or the names of classmates, we use our basket of name tags:


Name tags for writing:  This is a material specific to writing, therefore the tags are written in cursive.  This basket is kept in a special spot in our Language area near other writing materials.

Another opportunity for name recognition includes the use of our 'place-holders'.  These tags are used throughout the mornings if someone has to leave their work for various reasons - bathroom, break, end of the morning etc. These are helpful because oftentimes, a child will be in the midst of a large activity at the end of the day and the tags provide great way to give the child an option to finish when they return to school - it also helps me remember who had the work out! ;-)  The child retrieves the tag from the basket and places it on the work space. Doing so indicates to others that he is still working on this particular lesson and will get back to it soon.


'Place-holders.'  This year we are using American flags.  Last year, we used star shapes.  I try using an eye-catching shape for these tags because they can easily be seen on a mat or table where someone is working. 

Additionally, when school begins in September, I will take a photo of each child, print their name (on computer) and birthday, and mount on cards to make a birthday graph.  This will give the children another chance to see their names in print as well as make associations with the pictures of classmates.

By allowing children these varied opportunities throughout the environment for name recognition and practice, I feel they will experience a well-balanced approach to the concept.  I would be most interested in hearing what others do in their classrooms and welcome any thoughts and ideas you may have!

100th Post!

It hardly seems possible that this post marks the 100th entry on my little blog!  To celebrate this somewhat momentous event, guess what I did?  I joined Facebook!  Let it be known, however, that I am feeling a bit clueless as to what Facebook is all about.  In fact, I set up the account under my name when I really wanted it to be for my blog.  I am not even sure I set it up correctly!  You can check out my page by clicking below.  Once there, you can see a group entry entitled 'To the Lesson' where I attempted to create a page.  Maybe you will 'like' it...

In any case, thank you so much for reading my blog and sharing information!  I so appreciate your ideas, input, and comments and look forward to more! 

General Record Keeping

Some of you may be interested in knowing how I keep general records of lessons and observations in my classroom.  As we know, keeping notes and information regarding children's activities is paramount not only to the success of a Montessori educator, but also to the child's overall experience in the prepared environment.  As mentioned in this post about record keeping specific to Sandpaper Letters, I have experimented various methods of general record keeping as well.  Last year, I changed my system to a table format (made using Word) and is easily accessed on my clipboard (which is pretty much with me at all times during our work periods).


A blank table:  Each page is divided into the five major curriculum areas with enough space for six students.  The names are written in the far left column.  The small space above the names is where I write the month - I usually start a new table every month or so...



As you can see, it gets a lot of use!  Please excuse the lovely red art - compliments of my Little Miss, who evidently enjoys taking notes too! ; )  You will notice the pen and red pencil on the far left under the clip - they are always there to eliminate me having to search for them.  The red pencil is used to make red dots next to a newly introduced lesson (it's a little hard to see it in the photo...)

 I find this method is beneficial for several reasons.  First, I can easily record lessons as the are given and mark (with a red dot) new lessons a child receives.  The table is also where I record activities during general observations giving me insight into a particular child's proclivities in the classroom.  For example, I will notice which works to which a student has repeatedly returned.  Also, after a period of a week or so, various trends of the classroom will reveal themselves on the table - I can immediately see which parts of the classroom have been busy with activity because my notes will fill in under that particular heading, i.e. Sensorial.  Likewise, it becomes evident which areas of the classroom might not be as active because there will be fewer notes under that section in the table.  This information is critical to me as it allows me to zero in on any individual child's activities and lessons while still showing me the "big picture," of the classroom.  With this data then, I can determine if changes need to be made either individually or as a class.

Other reasons why I enjoy this method of record keeping include ongoing opportunities for me to model writing!  The kids love to see me writing - especially something about them!  Oftentimes, they want to see for themselves which lessons they have completed, allowing the chance for them to scan the table for their names and read the lessons.  Also, I use these notes when redirecting children, if needed.  For example, if a child needs guidance choosing an activity, we will look at the table together and see what that child has already completed.  From there, he can choose what he would like to do next.  This is particularly helpful because the child is still able to make his own choices,  a key component in the Montessori setting!

The notes gathered through this table are also used to transfer  information to my students' records at M.O.R.E. Montessori.  This is an excellent, free, web-based Montessori record keeping program.  I will say, however, that it takes some time getting used to its formatting - I recommend checking it out if you are interested.  It is a resourceful tool in creating school forms, keeping documents, and overall curriculum data for each child.  I have found the ability to create individual newsletters highlighting a student's Montessori lessons especially helpful in sharing information with parents. 

I would love to make my simple table available for you to download, but I do not know how to do that!  If anyone would be so kind as to explain to me how to provide downloads, I would be very grateful.  In the meantime, I can always send an attachment if you email me directly...

A Simple Sound Lesson

The idea for this lesson came to me one day after realizing that my students could benefit from more practice fine tuning their listening skills.  Initially, the thought occurred to me to simply introduce the Sound Boxes to more children or play the Silence Game more often with the entire class.  Given that the school year begins in September with many new members of the class however, I thought it would be the ideal time to put together a very simple sound activity.  Not only does this lesson promote auditory awareness, but also prepares the child for future work with the Sensorial and Science materials.


Inside a wooden caddy:  rolled piece of black felt held together with a napkin ring; Sound/No Sound labels; six small boxes - three are empty and three are filled with beads.



A closer look at the labels.  I made them in Word using clip-art and simply used a red marker for the 'X' - critical for the success of pre-readers using the material.

To do the work, the child unrolls the felt and places the labels at the top.  Then, one by one, he picks up a box, shakes it, and listens for any sound, and places the box under the corresponding label.


Lesson completed.

I feel this lesson emphasizes an important skill needed before working with Sound Boxes or attempting the Silence Game.  Additionally, it prepares my students with the organization and use of materials specifically in our Science area - subsequent work with Living/Non-Living; Magnetic/Non-Magnetic, etc. are presented and utilized in the same manner.  Following Montessori's idea of isolation of concept, identical boxes were used for those making sound and those that did not.  In this manner, the child uses only his hearing in determining sound (rather than by sight if the boxes were marked).  Furthermore, the boxes that make sound are identical in their sound, enhancing the isolated concept of determining sound or not.  Sound matching and grading will follow later with the Sound Boxes... For control of error, I placed colored dots on the bottoms of the boxes. 

Such a simple lesson, yet provides so much for the youngest, newest members of the class!

Phonogram Booklets

These summer days afford me more opportunities for one of my favorite pastimes as a Montessori teacher - making materials!  Recently, I made small booklets for keeping record of Sandpaper Letter lessons.  Now, I've made two sets of Phonogram Booklets to enhance our Language area in the classroom.  It is exciting to share with you these charming booklets as I believe they add much meaning to the learning of phonograms.

I purchased Phonogram Booklet Sets 1 and 2 from Montessori Print Shop and readily got to work printing, cutting, and laminating.  It was critical to me that the booklets remain visually appealing while imbuing a sense of importance for the child.  For this reason, I decided to have the booklets bound with special wire rather than simply stapling them together.  To me, this somehow may indicate to the child that this booklet, while small in size, is nevertheless an important tool for learning. 

Although it should not matter if the sets get mixed up, some children may want to keep track of the booklets they have read and used.  Consequently, I placed purple sticker dots with the numbers 1-12 on the backs of first set and green sticker dots with numbers on the second set (each set includes 12 booklets).  Also, it allows an easy
way for me to keep record of which booklets the child has been introduced to.

I plan to introduce these booklets after the child has made phonograms with the Small Moveable Alphabet.  First, the child will read the booklet of a known phonogram.  Next, they can make the words with the Small Moveable Alphabet by reading the word in the booklet, turning it over, then making the word (with the moveable alphabet).  Lastly, they may check their work by comparing their word with the booklet.  The child can also read the booklets to me or to each other. 

The Montessori dreamer in me is envisioning a classroom full of children reading these booklets to each other....!