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.

Continuing Progress

The pictures from this week's time in the classroom illustrate the continuing progress of our group.  The children are enjoying our lessons together, building independence, and taking great ownership throughout their environment.  What a joy it is to observe this and be a part of it all!  It brings me much comfort to see these progressions, especially as we approach the date of my departure overseas.  I know our classroom will continue on the same path of learning and growth.

Pouring yellow and blue paint using spoons...

…and folding the paper to create a symmetrical painting while exploring color mixing.

Sorting stones by color.

Writing practice with Rainbow Letters.

Building concentration and fine motor skills through Finger Knitting.

Tearing Paper art collage.

Pouring dry ingredients.

Using a single Cylinder Block to refine visual discrimination skills and the pincer grasp.

Language: Reading Sentences practice.

Tactile discrimination and writing preparation with the Touch Boards.

Tracing shapes with the Geometric Demonstration Tray.

Auditory discrimination: Sound or No Sound sorting.

Matching autumn and Thanksgiving themed language cards.

Circle Drawer:  Geometric Cabinet 

Writing practice:  Metal Insets - two shapes and two colors.

Pairing colors with the Second Color Tablet Box.

Learning numbers 11-19 with the Teen Beads and Boards (quantity and symbol).

Writing:  Rainbow Letters

Using two Cylinder Blocks at a time for an added challenge.

Working sensorially with the Binomial Cube.

Pouring into two vessels - this was a popular activity this week in the classroom!  

Tracing numbers with Sandpaper Numbers.

The ever-present Rock Painting lesson.

Learning names of shapes with the the Geometric Cabinet drawers.

Rainbow Letters

We have been seeing a lot of Sandpaper Letter practice these days and the children very much enjoy this writing activity.

I also want to give my students as much practice as possible for writing and strive to provide lessons with variations that allow them to refine their skills.  To that end, I thought it would be exciting to introduce 'Rainbow Letters' for writing practice.  I had seen a great set of letters HERE and decided to use them for this activity.

I love how these two friends have set up their work next to each other .

A completed 'Rainbow Letter.'  The child is able to practice writing the letter at least six times with the different colors. What fun!

After plenty of practice with the Sandpaper Letter, a student can practice writing with a 'Rainbow Letter."  To complete the activity, a student can retrieve the letter from the file folder box in which all the letters are stored:

The letters are categorized into red, yellow, and blue groups according to the way they are organized on our shelves.

A tray housing two wooden trays for pencils (and sharpeners) fits directly on top of the filing box when not in use.     

Seeing Green

Green is everywhere!  The children have been introduced to some new variations of lessons with a green color theme to go along with our Short Bead Stair number work.  I have noticed many conversations among the children having to do with the colors and numbers of the math materials which is exciting to me - I know these conversations are forming the foundation of a deep understanding of the Montessori math materials.   It is my hope that this awareness will stay and grow with the children during these formative years in the classroom and guide their learning for years to come.

Transferring and sorting pom poms by size (large and small) with small tongs.

Building concentration and building an understanding of magnetism with the Magnet Board.

Transferring water with a  small baster.

Using a Cylinder Block to practice visual discrimination of size (and using the pincer grasp to help with writing).

Opening/Closing Bottles

Fine motor development with colored stones - when placed in the circles they form the number symbol two.

Pre writing activity (tracing) with the Geometric Cabinet shapes.

Using paint strips to practice cutting on the line and building an awareness of shades of color.

Playing "Knock-knock, who's there?" with the Sandpaper Letters - this is a fun game to play while learning to identify letters and their sounds.

Tracing the Botany Cabinet leaf shapes with a small stick...

…and tracing the same shape on the board.  This lesson is a wonderful pre writing exercise as it helps the child practice holding an instrument similar to a pencil.

Creating a collage with the color green.

Science:  Sorting Living/ Non-Living items.

Preparing the triangles from the first Constructive Triangle box...

…and making new shapes with them!

Carefully pouring water.

Sewing with a Lacing Shape card.

Comparing size with two sets of Knobless Cylinders.

Matching objects to their silhouettes - this is a great activity for visual discrimination and language development.

Making a collage with a Tearing Paper art lesson.

Matching various sized circles to their cards with the Geometric Cabinet materials.

Using the first box of Constructive Triangles to explore shapes.