Showing posts with label practical life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label practical life. Show all posts

Monday, December 28, 2009

Montessori Monday

Between playing with new Christmas toys...

Practical Life
Baking Bread
Easy Embroidering


Tray ideas
Popsicle stick Snowflake
beads/straws Stars
Free explore with Fraction circles
Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Skull Sewing Idea!

Well, I can at least sew this! We are totally doing this one before Halloween!

http://motherrising.blogspot.com/2009/10/spooky-lacing-skull.html
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Monday, October 12, 2009

Afterschooling

...or in our case beforeschooling, since Josh attends PM young 5's. School is going great for him. He is enjoying it, LOVES his teacher and is actually learning quite a bit! He knows more about frogs then anyone would ever want to know! However, we still feel the need to enrich his learning with more. He is way ahead of his class in both math and reading. They are currently learning to count to 20. He could do that at 3 years old. So here is what we are doing...

Science- (as previously posted!) We have chosen several areas to study and are doing one a month! (September Biology plans, October Physical Science plans)

Geography- Landforms and the Continents using Continent Boxes, Continent books, and any other resources I dig up!

History- Story of the World We are enjoying this but I am having a hard time preparing ahead. I just need to sit down and get things ready for the month in a basket or something so I can just grab!

Music- To our dismay, due to scheduling, Josh does not attend Music at school this year! Therefore, I ordered Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music! and am really excited to get started. We plan to begin tomorrow. (Just got it Friday!)

Practical Life- Remember these? I plan to start back up working on Josh's cookbook. Today was my b-day so I am thinking of having him help make a cake tomorrow (good excuse, right?). We also want to continue working on skills such as...

  • tying
  • cutting with scissors
  • cutting with knife
  • pouring

Math- Our main focus right now is on addition and heading toward subtraction. On our shelf you would find...

  • Addition Strip Board (info)
  • Addition Snake game (info)
  • Hundreds board (video)
  • Other manipulatives such as counters, dice, etc...

Language- This is the easiest and most natural! We have a reading night planned for Tuesday where we all pile into my bed and read to each other until bedtime. However, he reads to us or we read to him every night before bed normally. So I am not really planning anything extra...yet!

Art- Want to work on a few drawing skills and of course we will do seasonal crafts. We are happy with his school's art program so just having fun here for now!

Really though, this seems like a lot. But we have the entire school year and all summer to accomplish these things. Some weeks we do a ton and some weeks (like last week!) we get NOTHING done. Either way, we are not stressing. Our intention is to have school for an hour 4 days a week before lunch. ...but sometimes...the Lego's just need more attention than the dining room table...ya know?

Posted by at 6 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, August 10, 2009

Montessori Monday

Our Practical Life recently has mostly consisted of chores around the house. Josh gets an allowance for extra work he does above and beyond the things we consider his normal responsibilities.

So, for example he does NOT get paid for...
  • Cleaning his room
  • Picking up his toys
  • Putting away his clothes
  • Clearing his dishes
The chores he does get an allowance for ($.25 per)...
  • Putting the recycling in the proper bins in the garage
  • Picking up sticks in the yard
  • Emptying the Soda can recycling bin into a bag(MI gets $.10 refund)
  • Bringing the upstairs garbage cans downstairs
  • Anything extra helpful...e.g. this week he helped with clearing stuff from the dining room before we pulled up the old carpet.
  • Helping to feed the cats

He is currently saving his money for a batmobile we found at Target on clearance. We bought it then and he is paying us as we go. Sort of a rent to own deal. He gets to play with it for and hour every time he gives us $.25, until he gives us enough to total the $10. price.

So, how do you do allowance and chores?

Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: , , ,

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Book Basket

So, I was browsing the library the other day and found the most AMAZING ...uh...cookbook. I mean, it is a cookbook but it is so much more. Here, go check out this link...

The Fairy Tale Cookbook: Fun Recipes for Families to Create and Eat Together by Sandre Moore

The recipes are all based on different famous children's books. Everything from Where the Wild Things are to Alice in Wonderland. And they are intended for families to make together! The directions are really great with breakdowns of what you could let the kiddos do...oh and the recipes are for real food for real meals that you can actually make and eat. Like I said...it is AMAZING and is definitely being added to my wishlist!

Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Monday, May 25, 2009

Butterfly Study

Josh received a Live Butterfly Garden for his 4th Birthday and somehow I am just now, about a week before his 5th, getting around to ordering the caterpillars!

So I want to be ready for their arrival! I plan to just drop everything and totally do everything Butterfly as soon as we get the package.

General Information, Lapbooks and Activities

ART/Craft Ideas

Lifecycle/Science

Practical Life/Fine Motor

Culture

Math

Language Arts

Posted by at 5 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Everything Easter

I was thinking of doing an Easter lap book this year but I am going to just print out and prepare everything and see how it goes. I am hosting, so things might get a little rough that last week!

CRAFTS
Bunny Napkin Rings These are adorable!
Transparent Eggs This is a great creative, do what you want activity!
Egg Carton Tulips To decorate the table, centerpiece!
Peek a boo Eggs

POTENTIAL LAP BOOK IDEAS
lap book cracked egg template
Easter Basket Grid

SCIENCE
Eggshell Plant Pots

PRACTICAL LIFE
Jell-o Jelly beans directions I already bought Jell-o, not dye free, so....
Maze

MATHS
I bought tiny Easter eggs to use for counting, adding, graphing, etc...
Rabbit dot to dot Josh just loves these right now!
Color by number and count eggs

MISC...
Blank Egg Shapes
Printable Egg Card Maybe he could write cards to a few people and send them out for a Writing activity?
Easter Egg Coloring sheets

CHRISTIAN ACTIVITIES (LAP BOOK IDEAS TOO!)
Christian Preschool Printables I teach Josh about Easter using the Resurrection Eggs every year so this has a ton of fun/useful activities...esp. the res. egg printables, cross math, etc...

BOOKS WE USE AND LOVE! (These are not showing up on your readers! Sorry for the hassle! You can see them if you click over to my blog.)



I highly recommend you checking out Benjamin's Box if you use the Resurrection Eggs (Parenting)! It goes perfectly!
Posted by at 5 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Monday, March 16, 2009

Montessori Monday

Well, tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day so we are planning on celebrating with style. One easy way to make holidays special is by doing a little cooking with your kids.

We will be creating a few fun treats! Including Magic Leprechaun Pudding! and Sweet Shamrocks! We are leaving off the green sprinkles...let's not go crazy... but do what you will! (wink, wink!)

As always, cooking is a great Montessori Practical Life activity and make sure to include a bit of science and math if the opportunities arise.

Shannon

Shop at Amazon.com!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Monday, March 09, 2009

Montessori Monday

Ugh, sorry...apparently I forgot to post last weeks Montessori Monday...I thought I had one scheduled?!






This week we made Crock pot Applesauce from this recipe! As always, cooking is a great Montessori Practical Life activity. I peeled and sliced the apples into wedges, Josh chopped them into pieces. Then we measured and added the ingredients together. While the crock pot did the cooking we
wrote out a new cookbook page!
Finally, we tossed out the cores and skins for our squirrel friends! Check out the picture, can you see the core clenched in the squirrels paws?
Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , ,

Sunday, March 08, 2009

St Patrick's Day Planning

I am planning our next couple of weeks and thought I would share it with all of you! We are going to do a fun Leprechaun/Rainbow unit! Besides, if I post it here, I can plan on my laptop and print easily at the desk top computer...since we still do not have my laptop "printer ready!"

As always, this is just the list of activities I will pick from... not a list of everything we will do. There is no way we could do everything on this list! Besides, we will probably add other activities on days we are not "feeling it!"

Circle Time


Coloring Sheets

Practical Life

Sensorial

Language Arts

Maths

Crafty Ideas

Science

Please, let me know if you find something on here that you use! Or if you find a great activity you will do with your Children!

Posted by at 5 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Monday, February 16, 2009

Montessori Monday

The Practical Life part of Montessori work is all about helping children to learn to do things for themselves, establishing a sense of independence. However, another important aspect of these types of activities are training the hand, with fine motor activities, to be able to write. Josh has not chosen work from this shelf in ages.

So, to spice things up a bit, I am working on developing new works that he "cannot resist"! The first of which is a super cool tea party set like this one. He is through the roof excited to use it and gives us a chance to practice manners, as well as pouring etc...


Please visit Koko's Mama at A Thousand Joys for more Montessori Monday!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Embracing Winter

We are doing a Winter theme right now. I guess I figure if you can not do anything about it you might as well embrace it. (However I did just see it will be a HIGH of 12 next week sooo... we will be embracing it from the indoors!)

Anyway here is what I planned...

LANGUAGE


http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Monthly%20Centers/January/downloads/winterclotheswritinghatscarf.doc


http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Monthly%20Centers/January/downloads/winterclotheswritingcoatboots.doc


MATH

CULTURE

ART/CRAFTS


SENSORIAL


PRACTICAL LIFE


MORE IDEAS

We will work on this for probably the next couple of weeks or until our interest is gone. We will also continue to use our basket of workbooks that he is real "INTO" right now!

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, December 22, 2008

Montessori Monday

It is Christmas this week so I just have a quick and easy one today!

After the holidays, cut the picture part of a few of your Christmas cards off and punch holes around the edge with a hole punch. Tie a length of string onto one of the holes. Using a needle, a taped end, or an end dipped in glue and allowed to dry overnight, have your child lace/sew the cards. This is a great activity for practicing early fine motor skills. Save them from year to year, keeping only the best/thickest cards!
Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , ,

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Training Tuesday

Hand washing!!!!!!

AGAIN!

So I noticed Joshua soaping up his hands the other day! I was standing off to the side unnoticed and he was just rubbing and rubbing the soap. I was soo proud, that is, until he leapt off the stool and raced out of the room...you know without using ANY water at all!

Of course, I called him back in and we embarked on the latest Training Tuesday session. Well now he is racing through the hand washing but at least he is using soap and water! If only we could get him to also dry his hands on a towel......

BOYS!!!
Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Training Tuesday?

Remember the days when I was organized? When I used to do Training Tuesday regularly? Well I really would like to start it again...but maybe with a bit more flexibility. I will Blog about it on Tuesdays but do the lesson whenever it happens throughout the week. I think that will work better for us! SO....

We have started with crumbing a table. Last week we had a particularly crumby breakfast in which Joshua excused himself to use the bathroom toward the end of the meal. Which allowed me to see the HUGE mess he had left. I sighed and was about to clean it up when it occurred to my too sleepy brain that he was quite capable. SO when he returned I sent him to get his brush and dustpan. Like this but we paid much less and it came with an upright vacuum! I quickly showed him how to brush his crumbs gently and he cleaned up his mess.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Wish I Had Remembered My Camera

Today we got out the giant bowl of rice I keep packed up under the art table. Josh worked at finding coins and making a pretend cake while I ironed the fuse bead creations we had made. When I finally joined him I realized that the coins were covered in... I do not know... something yucky. So we grabbed the vinegar and salt that I had remembered from Chasing Cheerios (Thanks Melissa!) and we got to work! They shined right up and I had Joshua use the "chopsticks" from Let's Explore to pull them out of the solution one by one. He did great and it was nice to see all the Montessori work paying off in a semi real world setting.

In the midst of all the fun, Joshua says "Mommy this is just like our work in preschool!" Hmmm, just what I was thinking.

Not going to give a bunch of apologies or explanations for our absence...I just needed the break.

Shannon
Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , ,

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Our New Shelves!


This is our Culture shelf. Since we are not really starting anything (subject wise) right now it mostly has work from last year. So while we establish routines, he can choose (starting on the top left)
The globe
Continent cards
Planet cards
Stamping work
Magnifying glass
Magnet building
Magnet work
Land~Water~Air work
Beading work
Pattern Blocks
Watercolor painting
Continent puzzle




Next is our Sensorial shelf, this is the least used...any suggestions?
(starting on the top left)
Geo Solids
Knob less cylinders (need to print extensions still!)
Broad Stair
The not pink tower
Scent bottles
Unifix cubes
Sound bottles
Cuissenaire rods
Color box 2
(beneath)
fabric matching
touch boards
mystery bag




Our Language shelf...
Non metal insets
What doesn't belong cards (association)
Name practice wipe off card
Sand tray
Sandpaper letters
Farm
visual discrimination cards
Stamp word making work
Our pink work is on a different shelf system with the sound bags etc... Will post that soon!




Math shelf...
Base Ten Blocks (instead of golden beads)
New scale!
Tangrams with sheets
Dominoes
Paper chain counting work from Childcare Land!
Geo board work
Our version of the spindle boxes
Money sort
Constructive Triangles
Other math work...like hundreds board and addition snake game will come out later.







Practical Life shelf...
Nuts and bolts
sand pour (just as a refresher! Water in a few days with real pitchers!)
water dropper work
penny wash
rice sweeping
ant tweezing
NEW hammering work
New cutting work
sewing work
Our dressing frames are around but have not found a home yet!
Posted by at 5 comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

Monday, September 01, 2008

A Few New Trays

Culture This is just an air~water~land sort. He puts the jars filled with air (nothing), water (water), land (dirt) on the top of the rug with the correct label underneath and places the mode of transportation cards in the correct column. Practical Life Here we have a bead stringing tray. This is one of Josh's favorites and he does this almost every school day. (Helps him to center and find peace) Generally he makes snakes instead of necklaces, because he gets a kick out of it but between you me it saves beads! I have empty strings in the center with a large bead (head) tied on one end and they have been dipped in glue on the other end. (to assist with stringing...the glue dries hard!) I actually have added a ton more beads to the straw section since the picture was taken so he will be super excited to see the new set up! (I used to use a 3 section tray!)
Culture This is a really neat activity from Kelly's Kindergarten in which the child learns to use a magnifying glasses. The cards have teeny, tiny versions of the larger pictures. You just use the magnifying glass to figure out which match.
Practical Life On this tray is the water droplet activity. He uses the dropper to transfer colored water from the small bowl to the suction cups on the back of the soap holder. Then he transfers it back and wipes up any spills. (Oops...I seem to be missing the small sponge on that tray!)
Practical Life These are from this set of nuts and bolts and are just for practicing to screw and unscrew.
Math Finally, we have a set of Cuisenaire Rods with cards that I made using 1 cm graph paper. He can also make his own designs. I will soon be adding blank graph paper for him to record what he has designed.
(More to come but thought I would start with these...)
*You will notice that I identified in Purple what shelf I have each tray. Often trays will fit into more than one area (Practical Life, Language, Culture, Sensorial, Math). I have just chosen to let you know where I have placed these in our classroom.


On another side note...you will notice a lacking in the sensorial area! That would be because Josh NEVER chooses anything from these shelves and I am still racking my brain to figure out something that will attract him. Currently we have
touch boards
mystery bag
knob less cylinders (he does use these...)
Our not so pink tower
sound bottles
scent bottles
fabric basket
brown stair
...I think that is it...ANY SUGGESTIONS????
Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Our First Week

No...we have not started back to preschool...but we did just finish our first week with our new little one (C??). (Sorry, have not come up with a bloggy name for him yet.)

Anyway, it went pretty well. I built short shelves for our family room Sunday night right before bed. I grabbed several baskets and put some of the Montessori inspired items on the shelves for his use this week. I really did not know what to expect...since I had only met the child once a few weeks ago. But honestly, everything went really smoothly.

I think, once our classroom and outer room are finished...preschool will work okay with both boys downstairs.

FYI...
On C's Shelves right now

  • FP Farm (Language)
  • Basket of FP Farm animals (Language)
  • Basket of different textured/sized/type Balls (Sensorial)
  • Stacking Rings (Practical Life)
  • Basket of Musical Instruments (Sensorial)
  • Basket of Stuffed friends (Language)
  • Basket of Cars (Gross Motor)
  • Basket of Books (Language)
  • Shape sorter (Sensorial/Practical Life)
  • and next to shelf is a FP walker. (Gross Motor)

Tonight, Andrew and I, finished the carpet in the outer room (new Rec room??) and moved in the futon from the classroom. Which will give me a TON more room in the classroom!!! It will also be nice to have it in the room where C's stuff will be.

I have a ton of more work to do but I will post pics of everything very soon!

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Montessori for Infants 2

With a GIANT amount of help from these PLANS!, I have come up with the following...

CARE OF SELF
  • Calming Self to Sleep
  • Feeding Self (pincer grasp)
  • Using Cup

CARE OF ENVIRONMENT

  • Adult Models Cleaning Up and Proper Use of Materials
  • Joshua Models Cleaning Up and Proper Use of Materials

LANGUAGE

  • Wooden Puzzles
  • Please, Thank You
  • Be Gentle, Be Kind, Be Safe (Our Household Rules!)
  • Recognition of their name
  • Adults using action words to describe routines
  • Discovery Basket
  • Book Basket

GROUP TIME WITH JOSHUA

  • Calendar
  • Finger plays
  • Songs
  • Stories/Nursery Rhymes/Poems/Sayings (Core Knowledge)
PRACTICAL LIFE
  • Rings on Pole Work
  • Drop Clothespins in opening
  • Supervised Large Pompoms in Egg Carton (1 to 1 Corr.)
SENSORIAL
  • Musical Instruments (Shakers, clackers, etc...)
  • Discovery Bottles
  • Shape Sort

MANIPULATIVE (CAUSE/EFFECT)

  • Pull Toys
  • ??????

PRE-MATH

  • Ring Stack
  • Graduated Cups
  • Counting, Sorting, etc...

WORK TIME

  • Farm
  • Zoo
  • Book Basket
  • Balls
  • Rings

GROSS MOTOR

  • Cars
  • Balls
  • Tunnel
  • Popper
  • Sandbox

Details and schedule to follow!

Posted by at 7 comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)