Saturday, September 29, 2012

Montessori in Action

It appears that the class is settling in and there is no doubt about it - Montessori is in action!   We are at the beginning of our journey, and some days are smoother than others, but I am encouraged by the progress we have already made.  Here are some pictures to share from this week:

Exploring the Land and Water Globe.

Understanding the concept of 'zero' and numbers to nine with the Spindle Box.

Introduction to the Decimal System Cards.

Counting the Decimal System Cards.

Pink Tower exploration.

Learning about odd and even numbers with the Cards and Counters.

The Bow Tying Frame.
A variation of the Number Rods and Cards.  Here, the student is using a smaller version of the Number Rods - a meaningful point of interest which makes the work "new" again.

Look at this giant sunflower one the students brought in from their yard!  The children very much enjoyed exploring this tremendous specimen.

No caption necessary - this picture speaks for itself!!! :)  A true 'Montessori' moment...
Number writing practice on the chalkboard.

Exploring magnetism.

Writing words with play dough.

Fine motor practice and creative expression with our collage/gluing activity.

A Sensorial lesson with the Color Tablets Box 1.

Counting by tens with the Tens Board.
Painting with water on rocks - this pre-writing exercise has fast become a classroom favorite.

Number writing practice with the Sandpaper Numbers.  Here,  the other numbers are turned over because  we were playing the 'knock-knock game."  The child knocks on the back of a Sandpaper Number and turns it over to reveal the number...

Decimal System Cards and Golden Beads.  Here, the child has retrieved five tens and seven units and is in the process of counting them on her tray.

Metal Polishing activity.

A lesson with the Touch Boards.  This material promotes lightness of touch needed for writing as well as helps train the eye in moving from left to right in preparation for reading and writing.

Direct preparation for writing with the Metal Insets.

6 comments:

  1. What a beautiful busy!! That sunflower is huge. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. The children are doing do well and are enjoying the comforts that come with settling in... Thanks for reading! :)

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  2. I love the "painting the rock" activity! I will have to try that! :) Thanks for sharing your ideas!

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    1. Oh, they LOVE the rock activity! And, I love how many skills it helps them practice!! Enjoy!

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  3. I love reading your blog. I'm homeschooling my preschool aged children and really like getting ideas from here. Quick question, what do you think is the best way to teach kids counting and number recognition. My son can count, but can't figure out how to associate it with the right number.

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  4. Thanks, Jennifer. Have you worked with the Number Rods with your child? Once he can count with one to one correspondence and can identify the number symbol (Sandpaper Numbers or Number Cards), have him put the two together - matching the number symbol with the Number Rod.

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