Tag Archives: language

rainbow ball stackers and text copies – what I made this week

I made these little guys, but I’m still not sure what to call them. I thought they looked inviting and they seemed like a good work for the beginning of the year. I see them as a Practical Life work, but I would totally understand if someone used them in Sensorial. They were a pretty easy DIY Montessori material.

rainbow ball stackers and text copies | montessori works

That being said, I don’t really love them. Even though I see them as a Practical Life work, the idea of them in Practical Life kind of bothers me. I am really trying to focus on making our Practical Life as practical as possible, and is practicing balancing colored balls on top of matching pots really practical? I know that having a child use tongs to move the balls to the pots will help fine motor and reinforce how to use tongs (which is how they serve themselves snack) so it does go back to a true practical skill. But, I am still struggling with it as more of a busy work than a true practical activity.Continue reading “rainbow ball stackers and text copies – what I made this week”

many mini book nooks – my montessori corners

The books, oh the books. They’re everywhere – tucked into shelves, under beds, in baskets and bins. I love the variety and the options, but when there are too many choices and no organizational framework, the options are no longer fun but rather overwhelming – for both me and the children.

In a Montessori classroom the space should be thoughtfully organized and beautifully maintained (just don’t check how dusty my moveable alphabet might be okay?). This external organization should make the materials (in this case books) easily accessible to the child, be simple to maintain and be somewhat intuitive, it makes sense to both the child and the adult. While all areas of the home do not have to live up to these same standards, there are some basic ways we can implement the same ideas throughout our homes and spaces. This is my approach to finding a system to both showcase and wrangle all the wonderful books that were overflowing in our house.

many mini book nooks | montessori works

What made the most sense to me was to gather up ALL the children’s books in the house – and I mean all of them. I then found some deeply discounted storage bins, I bought six and I just used five. I labeled each bin, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Winter Holidays. And then I started sorting. I had been rotating books by season for a while, but I never really had a system, it was more of a grab and go situation.Continue reading “many mini book nooks – my montessori corners”

letter writing montessori style

Who doesn’t love mail?

In our house, my daughter is the official mail opener. Any card she receives she rereads daily for weeks, and then hoards it in her specail paper box. Or, if the card is from my mom, it usually sings, and then she and everyone in the family listens to tinny renditions of You Say It’s Your Birthday. So, in a class of preschoolers and kindergarteners, what better work could there be to encourage writing than letter writing, complete with mailbox and delivery person.

.montessori works: letter writing

This mailbox, while very cute, is temporary. I made this one for Imogen about two years ago and it is just on loan. If you are interested, I followed this tutorial. I have a more permanent one planned, I just need to find it and buy it. Continue reading “letter writing montessori style”

writing with the moveable alphabet

If I had to pick, I think the moveable alphabet has to be my favorite work in the class. It is a work that can be modified to fit so many levels, it can be extended to meet the child where they are and you can connect it to the interest of the child.

Montessori Moveable Alphabet

blue, green, red, yellow – writing words describing her metal inset

Work with the moveable alphabet consists of what is called encoding – or spelling. Encoding almost always comes before decoding (or reading), it is very important that the child have a great deal of experiences with encoding before we present any sort of reading. And, since Dr. Montessori was so brilliant, she knew if you took away the mechanics of forming the letters (handwriting), and gave then a set of letters – the moveable alphabet – a young child could easily build meaningful words.

Continue reading “writing with the moveable alphabet”