Category Archives: montessori classroom

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”

sensorial extension cards – what I made this week

One of the most beautiful areas in the Montessori class has to be sensorial. Dr. Montessori designed each material as a means for the child to explore and refine his senses. Each material encourage the child to compare, categorize and make order. These ideas then carryover and the child can use these sensorial experiences to see patterns, compare leaves, describe tactile experiences, etc. The materials provide the child the means to help interpret his world.

The sensorial materials themselves are substantial and impressive and are constantly in use in our class.

Sensorial Extensions | montessori works

I have always had sets of extension cards for the knobless cylinders, and the base matching cards for the pink tower and the broad stairs. My coteacher and I also both know a handful of extensions that we always show the children, especially ones that combine using the pink tower and the broad stair. We decided that we wanted to make a collection of cards showing more  and various extensions to help inspire the children that are drawn to these materials but are beyond the initial lessons.Continue reading “sensorial extension cards – what I made this week”

french knitting

You know when you see something on Pinterest and you can tell it is going to change your life.

Well, life changing may be a stretch, but this was a fabulous addition to our practical life shelf.

French knitting - montessori works

A few weeks ago, this Pin, was on my Pinterest home page. A large, stable looking French knitter, and I knew it would be perfect for the class.Continue reading “french knitting”

that’s a wrap

Today was our last day of school, our kindergarteners graduated, everyone ate some cookies, there were many hugs and some tears. Tomorrow will be full of packing, cleaning, and planning for next year.

There is a final tradition at our school, and it is one that you won’t find in your albums, but is important to us nonetheless – full body portraits.

montessori works - portraits

Continue reading “that’s a wrap”

movement shelf

A Montessori class is full of movement.

You want to do the pink tower?

After the child has placed his floor mat, he makes ten trips back and forth, between the work mat and the shelf where the pink tower is stored. If you count retrieving and returning the floor mat, the child will have moved through the room 22 times when he has completed the work. Not only does setting up any given work take a fair amount of trips through the class, most often there is no straight path to the shelf or to the table – there are other children’s floor mats, other shelves and tables in the way – the child must be able to coordinate his movement as not to step on any other child’s work or run into a table or shelf.

But what do you do when you see there is a need for more movement, especially during the morning work cycle?

You make a movement shelf.

Montessori Movement Shelf - montessori works

Yes, by default a Montessori class requires a child to refine his movements to be able to function in the class, and walking on the line is a wonderful work that enables the child to further practice and hone those skills, but, by providing actual movement works that are skill specific and can be practiced at any time, this is filling a need that needed to be met in our class late this spring.Continue reading “movement shelf”