It must be December!

The shelves are looking so festive and fun, and the children have been enjoying the December shelves.  Our assistant, who is currently completing her Montessori training and internship, was instrumental in creating the lessons currently on the shelves.  It is always so refreshing to have new ideas and variations of lessons available to the children.

Wet transfer fine motor activities for the Practical Life shelves.

Dry transfer fine motor lessons.

Threading and bead work - making necklaces and bracelets.

This art activity invites the children to make paper poinsettias.  They always turn out so beautifully, we usually have this activity out each year.  THIS post goes into more detail about how the children complete the lesson.  

We have also begun learning our 'Christmas Wreaths' poem, which is always a pleasure as the children begin to memorize and recite poetry.  It has been quite a cheerful room with all of these activities, and the children have been both intrigued and delighted with these festive additions.  We are certainly looking forward to watching their continued growth and enthusiasm as we approach the end of the calendar year and greet a new one!

Inaugural Summer Camp!

The school year went ahead and ended on me!  Where did the year go?  Now, it's time to post about our first-ever summer camp, spearheaded by our energetic, creative, and dedicated classroom assistant.  She has single handedly put together this enriching, Montessori inspired outdoor experience for our campers.  What a refreshing sight to see these lessons in the beautiful light of the summer sun, among the grass so green, and the breeze through our hair:

Transferring water beads with a large spoon.

Fine motor development using outlines from the Metal Inset shapes and small wood pieces.

Outdoor shelves!

An invitation to create and design.

Outdoor water source for Practical Life activities.

Water-dropper transferring.  

Making bubbles.

Thanks to the talents of one of our parents who built this with wood pallets, the children now have this adorable place to make music.

Another side of  the 'Music Wall' which  is actually three-sided.  The last side includes a chalkboard.

Outdoor mats for workspaces.  Don't you just love the burlap with grass…?!  

Birdwatcher's materials.

Visual discrimination of size with tree cookies!

Cornmeal/sand tray for writing practice.

I wanted to stay - it was hard to leave this little piece of Montessori summer camp fun! :-)

I will be back to share more pictures - I couldn't get to everything this time around, so I hope you will check back again! 

Pipe Cleaner Sculptures

This week my Assistants and I have spent lots of time in the classroom reviewing lessons, looking over materials and getting things ready for our 'School Visit' morning.  This is a block of time for enrolled children to come in and get a sense of the classroom.  They find their cubbies, hooks, work bins, the restroom, and other components of their new environment.  During this time, I also set up some traditional play materials such as blocks, trains, and markers for coloring so that the children may identify with familiar materials.  One activity I thought would be exciting for the children to complete is a pipe cleaner sculpture.  This, I thought, would be something simple and fun which the children may take home with them after their visit.  Hopefully by bringing their sculpture home, they can continue dialogue about school with their families and keep the excitement going!

My assistants assembled the activity using remnants from the art closet - this is a wonderful way to use up extra beads or pipe cleaners you may have!  We thought setting it up at a large table would be ideal during the 'School Visit' morning where three to four children may be working together.  A large container holds a batch of play dough - a small piece of this will form the base of the child's sculpture.  A divided tray holds an assortment of colorful beads with many interesting textures.  The eye catching Turkish vase is the perfect place for an array of pipe cleaners.

Beads and pipe cleaners for sculptures.

After placing the pipe cleaners into the play dough base, the child may explore shape and dimension while bending the wires into the desired position.  Meanwhile, they can also thread their choice of beads onto the pipe cleaners to create one-of- kind, multi-dimensional sculptures!

Bending...

...and twisting...

Pipe cleaner sculpture!

We also set up a stack of parchment paper squares on which to place their sculpture and to write the child's name with a Sharpie marker.  It is our plan to have this activity available during the first days of school as well.

So fun and cheerful - just what we want the kids to feel!

Montessori Monday Link-Up

Assistant's Album

I have finally put together an album for each of my assistants in the classroom!  It has only taken me six years to figure out that the best place to assemble my thoughts and wishes for how I want my classroom to run is in a separate album for my assistants... (We are always learning, right?! ) ;-)

This Fall, I will have two Assistants working with me - one who has been with me for several years and another who will be new to my staff.  In contemplating ways to effectively share information and ideas, I thought this would be the perfect time to compile what I want my Assistants to know in their own albums.

The following is a list of material in each album.  I have no doubt that additional items will be added throughout the school year, but here is a start:

• Montessori Quote: "Montessori teachers are not servants of the child's body, to wash, dress and feed him--they know that he needs to do these things for himself in developing independence.  We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself; this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit."
• A brief History of Montessori Education from the AMS website.
• Important Montessori Terminology, also from the AMS website.
• "The Role of the Teacher in the Early Childhood Montessori Class" written by me.
• "The Sensitive Periods" written by me.
• Another paper I wrote, "The Planes of Development."
• An article entitled, "Teach Peace to Have Peace" by Maren Stark Schmidt.
• Polli Soholt's, "Montessorians and Assistants:  A Partnership in the Prepared Environment."
• I also created a document outlining specific information as it pertains to my classroom and school called, "Assistant Teacher Duties."  Here, I have written exactly which lessons the Assistant may present (which can be added to or changed as needed), among other pertinent information.
• General schedule of the day.  
• School information including student names and ages, important dates, etc.

It is my hope that by creating this album, my Assistants and I will have a springboard for clear, consistent communication.  One of my (many) goals is to establish a clear understanding of roles in the classroom and I do not ever want any of my Assistants to feel as if they don't know what to do or where to be.  I think this album is a step in the right direction! :)