Saturday, February 18, 2012

And now, a vacation!

Oh, what an eventful week!  In between bouts of illness and various appointments, we had fun putting the finishing touches on our Valentine mementos, enjoyed celebrating our friendships during our Valentine's Day party, and continued to progress with our Montessori lessons and activities.  Needless to say, we are all ready for our February vacation and a little break! 

Exploration with the Constructive Triangles, Box C.

Land, Air, and Water:  Sorting pictures.

Tracing numbers - We have so many kids who love tracing numbers!

Balancing marbles on golf tees.
On Tuesday, we had a very special celebration for Valentine's Day.  The children were thrilled beyond measure to enter our classroom and see this:

Valentine Balloons!
And after a meaningful exchange of Valentines, we enjoyed a most delicious snack together:

One of our Valentine's Day tables.
Coloring a Valentine-themed mandala.
Working with the turtle puzzle
Geometric Demonstration Tray - sensorial exploration of shapes while preparing the hand for writing.

Reading and matching the Days of the Week.
(Click on caption to learn more about this lesson.)
Dynamic Addition with Golden Beads:  3,466 + 3,557 = 7,023.  I also had a couple of Dynamic Subtraction lessons, and our first Multiplication lesson, but didn't have the chance to take pictures of them...
Extension work with the Teen Beads and Boards.  This photo shows a student making the numbers 11-19 with the beads and board.  Next, she completed a paper where the beads were colored according the number and then the number was written. 

Extension work with the above mentioned Days of the Week lesson.  I especially appreciate the care and attention this student gave to decorating the edges of the work and filling it in with a pattern, clearly demonstrating the child's pride in his own work.
Exciting exploration with the Superimposed Geometric Figures. 
(Click on caption to read more about this material.)


On Friday, when the weather kept us indoors, I placed a basket of yarn with some sewing supplies on a table.  The kids assembled themselves and created an impromptu sewing extravaganza! 
 I'll be taking a small break from posting about our classroom during this much needed week long vacation.  Be on the lookout, however, for some March-inspired fun upon our return!

9 comments:

  1. I was looking through some of your old posts and came across your Continent Folders. Would you mind taking the time to do a post on these so that I may see how to go about making them and what to put inside? I do Montessori at home with my children and don't have the space for Continent Boxes.

    Thank you so much.

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  2. Hi Shelley, Im not sure when I'll get to a post about the continent folders, so I'm just going to explain what they are: They are simply a set of folders, each with the shape (and color) of a continent on the cover. Inside are a selection of ten photos depiticting scenes from that continent - nature, animals, culture, peoples, etc. These photos were purchased many years ago (from Montessori Print Shop I think), but they can also be collected from magazines and books as well. The children in my class use these in a variety of way, namely taking out a mat, the globe, and a folder. Then, they find the continent on the globe which matches the folder and begin looking through the pictures. It is a nice language experience as well as cultural. Older students may wish to write about one or more of the pictures and make a story... Depending on interest from the class, these photos can be rotated periocially.
    Does this help you? Let me know if you have any other questions!
    Thanks,
    Sasha

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  3. This was so helpful! It was just what I was wondering. A while ago, I actually got the Continent Kit from "Montessori For Everyone" so I have quite a few pictures of animals, plants, etc. from each continent. One last question, are their pockets in the folder that hold the pictures? In other words, how do the pictures stay inside the folder?

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  4. Hi Shelley,
    I'm glad my response was helpful. Yes, there are pockets inside each folder where the pictures are held. I'm happy to answer any more questions you may have...
    Thanks again,
    Sasha

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  5. Thanks for you prompt reply. I began making my Continent Folders last night.

    I have another question for you on a different topic. I searched for this information but could not find it. Is there a specific order to introduce the Constructive Triangles and, if so, what is it?

    I hope I don't drive you crazy with these questions. I am not a trained Montessori Guide (obviously) however, I am very passionate about it and am trying to provide a Montessori education for my children at home.

    Thanks again.

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  6. Hi Shelley,

    The order of the Constrstructive Triangles are as follows:
    The first set of (3) boxes, A, B, and C. (Box B triangles are all blue and these are the ones for 'sliding.' Box C are also all blue but are all the same size and are used for exploration.) Next is the Triangular Box, followed by the Small Hexagonal Box. Last is the Large Hexagonal Box.

    I hope I haven't confused you! It is really important to go in order as each box builds upon the last.

    Good luck!
    Sasha

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  7. It is really good to have an activities when you are in a vacation. You can enjoy your vacation having those activities.

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  8. Nice Blog! Good Pictures to be Present.It's provide great ideas.It's really helpfull.Thanks for share with us.

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  9. Great Creation!Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete