Tape Resist Snowflakes

A fun winter art project the kids have been enjoying:

Masking tape snowflake on heavy paper.

The child paints the over the entire paper...

...and peels off the tape when the paint is dry.

Here, are the materials set up on the Art shelf.  It is simply a variation of our painting with two colors lesson, so the children are already familiar with the steps necessary to complete the activity.  The only differences are the addition of another color choice and the circular tray for colors and mixing.

Tape Resist Snowflakes

A Writing Boost

The children in our class have been actively engaged and loving this new, simple writing lesson.    Inspired by the Handwriting Without Tears method of 'Wet, Dry, Try,' I put together the following small tray:

'Wet, Dry, Try' writing tray to be used with the chalkboards.
Small dish for water; sponge; two pieces of chalk (one for the teacher, one for the child receiving the lesson).

This lesson is typically done with a teacher because the first part requires the teacher to demonstrate the formation of a letter, word, or number:

First, the teacher writes the letter ('t') with a piece of chalk. 

Next, the child dips her finger into the small dish with water and proceeds to trace the same letter produced by the teacher.  

Then, the child retrieves the sponge to 'dry' the letter by tracing over using the same motion.

Lastly, the child 'tries' the letter on her own with the chalk.  

This photo, showing a separate lesson, demonstrates the same process only practicing writing words rather than letters.

This lesson has a 'rock star' effect - not only have groups of onlookers been mesmerized by the process, but the student completing the lesson is filled with great satisfaction and sense of pride.   That tiny tray (holding the 'wet, dry, try' materials) surely carries BIG impact!!!

Beaded Snowflakes

One of my student's favorite activities is making bracelets and necklaces with the bead stringing materials.  Periodically, the contents are changed by providing different beads, pipe cleaners, string, etc., depending on the class' topics of study, seasons, or holidays.  Inspired by ideas I found on Pinterest, I decided to provide the children with snowflake pipe cleaners for stringing beads.  As with most creations by the children, there is always a story behind their masterpiece.  To highlight this aspect of the activity, I thought it would be interesting to document the children's thoughts on their art work.

First, the children will gather the materials for creating their beaded snowflake:

Tray with snowflake pipe cleaners; assortment of beads; small tray for gathering beads.

Then, they will place the beads on the snowflake:

Beaded Snowflake

Lastly, the shape is stapled to black card stock and the children are asked if they would like to share their thoughts or make a story about their snowflake.  This will be recorded on the the white paper on the documentation page:

Beaded Snowflake documentation.

Not only do we begin to better understand the child, but we are also allowing them another opportunity to observe the action of writing.  I  also appreciate how the simple step of writing the child's thoughts and ideas brings an entirely new dimension to the child's work.  

Time Flies

This shortened week after the holiday vacation has certainly made for our sense of time to be off balance - it is hard to believe I am posting already about our "week" together.    Despite coming back to school in the middle of the week, we have clearly made use of our three days together:

Always a favorite: Flower Arranging.

Practicing counting, number symbol/quantity, and the concept of zero with the Spindle Boxes.

Sewing with the items from the first sewing drawer.

Practical Life:  Transferring water with a dropper into egg tray ( more challenging that it appears!).

Counting the Decimal System - Golden Beads.

Building words with the Moveable Alphabet.

Checking work with the smallest of the Brown Stair prisms - the last one fits only when the prisms are lined up in order from largest to smallest.

Exploring number combination of 10 with the Addition Snake Game.

A preliminary sewing activity: Transferring pins to a pincushion.  The main emphasis during this lesson is safety and handling the materials appropriately.

Spooning marbles into a narrow-necked bottle.  The kids have been intrigued by this new lesson - I think it must be the beautiful marbles! :)

Static Addition with the Stamp Game.

Patterns of color and size with the Pink Tower and Brown Stair.

Practicing threading a needle - a prerequisite for subsequent sewing lessons...

...such as this one: Sewing on burlap with a running stitch.

Filling water to the line.

Cutting on a straight line.

Parts of a Flower puzzle with control mat.

Story Writing:  "I love the kindness wreath.  I am thankful we have a kindness wreath."

Kindness Wreath

I've seen the following idea floating around Pinterest and the blogosphere for some time now.  After reading an article in Tomorrow's Child magazine about the 'Kindness Wreath', I decided it was time to integrate this wonderful idea into our classroom.  What better time to do so than with the ringing in of the New Year?!

The 'Kindness Wreath' promotes kindness in general while cultivating the notion of doing good onto others in a child-friendly, visible way.  The children in my class are already familiar with our 'Kindness Pledge' which I will use as an introduction to the 'Kindness Wreath':

Kindness Pledge

I pledge to myself on this day

To be kind in every way.

To everyone, both big and small,

I will help them if they fall.

When I love myself and others too,

That is the best that I can do.

We will talk about what it means to be kind and to show kindness.  I will explain that each time an act of kindness is seen, the child who sees it can obtain a piece of paper from the designated tray and bring it to a teacher. The teacher will write down the act of kindness which was observed.  The key thing here is that the child will have had to see another child doing something kind rather than it being about himself.  The paper will then be folded up and placed in the bowl.  After the bowl has been filled, we will gather the group and read each paper.  As each one is read, the child who has done the kindness will choose a ribbon to be tied onto the wreath.  Over time, the wreath will fill up with ribbons representing each act of kindness that was observed in our classroom.

'Kindness Wreath' materials:  tray with papers and pencil; jar with various ribbons to be tied on the wreath; bowl for gathering written acts of kindness observed in the classroom;  behind the tray and jars is a copy of our 'Kindness Pledge.'

The 'Kindness Wreath' hanging on the door above our art gallery and next to the peace corner/reading area - waiting to be filled with ribbons!

UPDATE - April 22, 2013:

As you can see, we've been busy with our Acts of Kindness! :-)

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Thrifted New Year's Treasures

I came across an incredible bounty making an impromptu thrift run on this NewYear's Day:

Thrifted Treasures

Each item cost only pennies - all of this for under ten dollars!  Oh, the inspiration we Montessori teachers find in the aisles of thrift stores...! :)  I take this as a symbol of all the wonderful gifts this New Year will bring - Happy New Year to my readers and followers!  I truly appreciate your interest and support in all of my endeavors and wish you health and happiness this year and always. 

Sewing Drawers

I've really tried to focus on something unrelated to my Montessori life during this Christmas vacation - really, I have.  The thing is, I can find something "Montessori" in just about anything!  Such was the case when, in an attempt to clear my mind of all things Montessori-related, I revisited my old hobby of counted cross-stitching:

Revisiting a favorite hobby - the beginnings of my latest endeavor...

While enjoying the simple quietude of this pastime, it came to me...  sewing drawers for the classroom, of course!  And with that, while removing some of the rustiness of having not cross-stitched in over a decade, I began formulating my plan for some sewing lessons in the classroom.

Enter the sewing drawers - I've started with three, but have ideas for at least three more:

Sewing Drawers

Drawer one:  Sewing with yarn on white shelf-liner.  Embroidery hoop with shelf liner; blue needle is hard to see in this photo, but it is directly behind the two choices of yarn; scissors.

Drawer two:  Sewing on burlap with embroidery floss.  Hoop with burlap; several choices of  embroidery thread wound on clothespins; small sewing scissors; needle.

Drawer three:  Cross-stiching.  Hoop with gingham (ideal for introducing cross-stitch); color choices of embroidery thread; scissors; needle.

Next to the drawers will be three baskets for the child to gather the necessary materials from the drawers and bring to a workspace.  Each drawer is set up so that only one child may be using the materials from any given drawer at a time.  These lessons will come after much practice with the preliminary sewing lessons such as the lacing shapes, sewing block, Threading a Needle as seen HERE, and working with pins:

Transferring straight pins.

I can hardly wait to introduce the lessons in the sewing drawers to my students.  Later, for some variation, I plan to change the yarn, fabrics, and add beads for the children to embellish their sewing creations.  Also, I have plans to add more drawers for learning to sew buttons and make small pillows...  But first we'll start with these first three sewing drawers, and I'll be reminded of how inspiration came to me when I least expected it - I'll let you know when I finish my latest cross-stiching project!

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