Whoops!

It seems I have forgotten to share these photos from the last couple of weeks prior to Christmas break.  There seemed to be a lot of language work out and a few of the children began working with a new set of language phonogram cards (see photo towards end of post).   We also were busy preparing small gifts for the children to bring home for the holidays (and I never was able to get a photo of them!).  In any case here are some classroom photos from before the break:

Organizing materials for the the Metal Polishing activity which build coordination, concentration, independence , and order.

Learning the names of the parts of a flower with a Botany Puzzle.

Writing words with the Moveable Alphabet and making sure the letters are placed on the line.

Matching circles from the Geometric Cabinet to their corresponding cards.

Exploring shape and form with the Geometric Solids.

Transferring pom-pons by size.

Linear counting and number symbol recognition with the Hundred Board.

 Sequencing numbers with the  Math Step Board.

Pre-writing and Sensorial work:  Tracing leaf shapes from the Botany Cabinet.

Working with the Puzzle Map of North America to learn the names of countries.

Langauge development:  Holiday themed matching cards.

Building the Pink Tower.

Number Count and Sort

Phonogram work with three-part matching cards.

Enjoying our poetry basket, "Christmas Wreaths."

Exploring the book Around the World From A to Z and tracing letters.

Skip counting by 3's with the Short Chain of Three.

There has been a lot of map making lately!

Language:  Initial sounds

Collaborative Art - Short Bead Stair: Number Two

Earlier this school year, our class began a year long process of creating art collaborative art pieces based on the Montessori math material called the Short Bead Stair.  In this material, the numbers 1-9 are represented by specific colors that correspond with all other Montessori math lessons.  I invite you to read more about it in the post about our art project for the number one.  The following photos depict the process we used to create the art work for the number two which we completed this week:

First and second days - shades of green.

Third day:  beads, pom-poms, and straw pieces that have been cut to smaller bits.

Close up after day three - very fun!

Day four:  glue and glitter.

So much texture...

Number Two:  Short Bead Stair

Eventually, we will have each of the numbers represented by a collaborative art piece.  We plan to display them down a long hallway which we use on a daily basis to walk to and from our outdoor play area.  Won't it be fun to count forwards on the way out and backwards on the way in as we walk through the hall…?!

Back from the Break

This week was our first week back after the Thanksgiving break.  Often, I wonder how the children will respond in our classroom having been away for some time - What will they need reminders about? Will they remember their lessons?  The pictures from this week show me that I should not have been worried.  Clearly they remembered a lot and came back refreshed and ready to continue:

Sharpening a pencil during the Rainbow Letters writing practice activity.

Painting at the easel.

Labeling odd and even numbers with the Cards and Counters lesson.

Math Step Board:  matching numbers and placing them in sequence.

Fine motor development with Locks and Keys.

Making quantities with numbers and beads, 11-19.

Beginning sounds with the Moveable Alphabet.

Vocabulary building cards.

Counting numbers 1-10 with the colored beads of the Short Bead Stair.

An extension activity for number 1-10.

Counting and one-to-one correspondence with the Number Rods.

Building fine motor control with Nuts and Bolts.

Practical Life: Polishing Glass

Building the Brown Stair.

Pairing colors with the Second Color Tablet Box.

Working with and comparing the  Pink Tower and Brown Stair.

"This is a triangular based pyramid."

"Here is the lake!"

I very much appreciate how this student has set up these materials in order to maximize movement.

Folding the Hundred Chain to make a square of one hundred.

There have been many World Maps being made this week.

"That box is empty because zero means nothing."

Linear and skip counting by tens with the Hundred Chain.

Twas the week before Thanksgiving...

…and all through the class, the students were working and having a blast! :-)

Language activity:  Matching cards of baby animals.

Reading and acting out our "Thanksgiving" poem.

Working with the Cards and Counters math lesson.

Exploring polygons with the Constructive Triangles.

An extension of the Cards and Counters lesson - tracing the number and coloring the quantity. 

Building the Pink Tower.

Counting quantity with the Number Rods.

Writing practice with Sandpaper Numbers.

Puzzle Map of the World

After completing the Puzzle of the Turtle, this student was inspired to trace its outline on a paper and write a story to go along with it.

Careful pin pushing work.

Here, the child has decided to copy the months of the year from our class calendar.

Exploring the Power of Two cube.

Matching rectangles from the Geometric Cabinet.

Constructing and teen numbers with quantity and symbol:  Teen Beads and Boards.

Visual discrimination of size using the Brown Stair.