Shelf Work

[Shelf Ideas] Not to Be Missed Unique & Easy Montessori Spring Activities

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Montessori Tagged With: Seasons, Shelf Work, Spring This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Spring is a time for refreshing pretty much everything in life! How often do you switch up your Montessori shelves? By season? By theme? Here are lots of spring shelf ideas for your Montessori learnign space!

I am always curious and it always amazes me how suddenly children – with a little freshening up of the shelves – re-engage in the works.

Below are five Montessori Spring Shelf ideas to get you inspired in creating your spring shelves in your Montessori environment!

Montessori Spring Shelf Ideas

Spring Scene

I purchased four small pieces of vintage artwork a few years ago. Each picture represents a season cast upon the same house and yard. Place a spring scene on a tray, give the children a prompt to write or to draw about the scene. This prompt leaves space for loads of creativity and imagination suited to the individual child.

Wildflower Research

We love this book as you can see by the worn edges! We leave it out for use at any moment. I challenge my boys to identify the wildflowers in our area. Leave this book on your spring shelves. Have the child choose one of the many flowers within these pages. From that point, invite the child to research the wildflower, trace, and draw the flower.

Trace a Robin

We love our robins here in the Pacific Northwest. Robin are survivors that adapt over the winter. I am always amazed by the survivors. As spring descends upon us, the robin come out in full force hunting for worms and other goodies to eat.

I purchased several sets of these “Bit of Intelligence” cards covering a variety of topics. The back of the cards have all sorts of useful facts about the image. The cards are beautifully illustrated with great detail. The cards make for a perfect tracing work. Invite the child to trace (or to draw on her own) and color in the robin.

Spring Tweezing

Simple is best. Choose the colors of spring and create a sorting work to place on your spring shelves. These discs are wooden and a gorgeous color. Younger children can simply do a hand sort while the older children will be interested in tweezing the small discs.

Spring Pouring

An easy to put together intriguing pouring work for young children. The seeds not only make for interesting colors, textures, and shapes, they also make for a lovely sound when poured back and forth left to right in and out of the small jars.

Seed Mosaic

One of our favorite art activities is a seed mosaic! We did one for Valentine's Day a few years ago. Parts of the Seed is also a fun activity for kids. If you need a wonderful book list, check out this list of children's books about seeds!

With every new month comes new inspiration. Here are a few easy Montessori spring shelf ideas. I like to rotate work out of my boys' Montessori room fairly often.

Cone Cutting Work

The idea for this tray actually came from my 3.5 year old. We had a few nature items around his play area. I watched him walk over to his cabinet to retrieve his scissors. Then he began clipping the cone intently. What an amazing variation for cutting works! I saw the shell and thought it'd be the perfect vessel to catch the scraps. Aims include fine motor skills. Indirect aims include writing.

Woodchip Clothespin Transfer

I saw this wood chips on a recent trip to Lakeshore Learning and had to go for them. Quite simply placed in a green mini pail, the approach requires using the clothespin to transfer the chips to the Tivolo ice cube tray. Aims include fine motor skills. Indirect aims include pre-math with counting and sorting opportunities.

Botany & Zoology

So thrilled to receive our Botany and Zoology puzzles. I purchased these Montessori Zoology Puzzles from Amazon. So they are not from an “authentic” Montessori company but I am really impressed with them.

My sons enjoy them. My 2 year old immediately took to them. Watching my 3.5 year old give his younger brother a lesson on the puzzles was heartwarming. He even including taking out, rolling and putting away the work mats. Sigh.

Our observation of the Life Cycle of a Frog continues this week. It has been about two weeks since we cultivated our little home for the eggs, then tadpoles and now almost polliwogs. The boys are thrilled with the observation. It is exciting for them (and for me too). Other materials we used in learning about the life cycle of frogs include Insect Lore's Frog Life Cycle Replicas, this really cool Tadpole/Frog Reversable Puppet and several books including National Geographic Readers: Frogs!.

Mini Bean Bag Gross Motor Activities

I bought Mini Bean Bags. I am excited for this material because it is so versatile. We worked on gross motor and eye hand coordination by tossing into a vase. I also drew shapes on the floor with painter's tape and we took turns tossing the bags into various shapes. This learning is a lot of fun and involves movement. So, I love it.

“To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.”

Thanks for visiting today.
Marnie

Resources

How Montessori Teaches Math – Ten Board Lesson

By Marnie Craycroft 2 Comments Filed Under: Curriculum, Montessori Tagged With: Math Lesson, Shelf Work This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Let's take a detailed look into teaching math using the Montessori Ten Board.

The Ten Boards are found within Linear Counting and come after the Montessori Teens Board lesson in the Montessori Math sequence.

You can purchase a reasonably priced set on Amazon.

Montessori Ten Board Lesson

Presentation I – Introduction to Quantity

Ask the child: “Do you remember what this is? Yes it is ten.” Slide the bar to the left of the mat.

Place 2 ten bars side by side in the middle: “What do we have here? Yes, two tens. Two tens are twenty. This is ten and this is twenty.” Slide the bars over near the ten bar leaving a slight space between them.

Lay 3 ten bars in front of you: “ten, twenty and thirty. Three tens make thirty.” Slight over to the right of twenty.

Review the names with a 3 period lesson.

Introduce the rest of the quantities in this manner decreasing repetition of the early quantities as the child retains them. Involve the child more and more: “What do you think we should get out next? Can you count that out?”

Play mix up and hiding games to reinforce and make the work fun.

Presentation II – Introduction to Symbols with Ten Boards

Invite the child to learn the symbols for tens. Spread the mat and boards in the same manner as the teen boards.

Be seated on one side with the child seated on the other.

Point to ten: “Do you remember what this is? Yes, it is ten.”

Point to 20: “Do you remember what this is? Yes, it is 20. Can you say 20?”

Point to 30: “Do you remember what this is? Yes, it is 30. Can you say 30?”

Complete a three period lesson on each symbol.

Continue introducing symbols and reviewing old ones. Check the child’s knowledge of the symbols. No need to give a lesson if the child already knows the symbol. Proceed to associate quantity when the child is ready.

Presentation III – Association of Quantity and Symbol

Invite child, spread out the mat and set out boards. Place bead bars at the upper left.

Ask the child to read the top numeral and to place a ten bar next to it. Continue placing quantities and reading quantities.

Try to have the child do most of the work. To reinforce, mix up the ten bars and have the child reorder.

Presentation IV – Counting to 99

Invite child to learn how to count to 99.

Spread mat, get materials and arrange as in previous presentations.

Put a ten bar to the left of the ten: “This is ten.”

Place the ten bar next to ten on the board.

Put one bead beside the ten bar: “This is eleven. Will you count with me?” Slide the numeral one over the zero: “This is how we write eleven.”

Place a second unit under the 1st: “This is twelve. Let’s count to twelve.”

Slide the numeral two over the zero: “This is how we write twelve.”

Place a third unit under the 2nd: “This is thirteen. Let’s count to thirteen.”

Slide the numeral three over the zero: “This is how we write thirteen.”

Continue adding units and changing symbol.

The child should take over at some point.

When you get to 19, ask the child what comes next: “Twenty comes next.”

Pick up the units and place them in their container. Place another ten bar to the right of the first ten bar, touching it: “This is twenty. This is how we write twenty.”

Place a unit next to the right of the tens: “This is twenty-one.”

Continue in this manner up to 99. This may take a few days. Allow the child to take breaks.

Additional Resources

Ten and Teen Board Extension Sheets from Montessori Printshop
Montessori Teen & Ten Boards Set from Amazon

Montessori Lesson: Learn about Golden Beads

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Curriculum Tagged With: Math, Math Lesson, Shelf Work This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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The overview of Montessori golden beads continues the child down the path of learning place value and the decimal system. The goal for the child is to garner a sense of quantities represented in the decimal system, and to see the exchange of quantities as units become ten, tens become hundred, and so on. This lesson is generally for 5 years and older.

Montessori Golden Beads Presentation I

Transition from Bead to Wooden Material

Introducing the wooden material very simply transitions the child from bead to wooden material.

Montessori Golden Beads Presentation II

Explain to the child that this work requires two mats. Have the child help spread the mats. Get the container of the units and begin to count them.

Place the units in a well-spaced vertical line at the right side of the mat.

Put one unit at the top: “one unit”.

Then two units next in line: “one, two units”.

Place three units next in line: “one, two, three units”.

The child takes over at this point.

At nine units explain, “You have nine units. What comes next? Yes, ten. So we need a ten bar instead of ten units. We also move to a new place.”

Get out the ten bars and start a vertical row to the left of the units. Proceed in a similar manner to presenting the units.

After the 9^th set of ten bars, “Now, you’ve lined up nine ten bars, what do you need next? Right, hundreds. Where will you put the hundreds. That is right. We have to put them in a new place.”

Have the child bring the hundred squares. Lay out the hundred squares in a vertical row. Introduce in a similar manner as the units and the tens.

After nine hundreds, ask the child what comes next and where it goes. Ask her to bring thousand cubes over to the mat.

Introduce the thousand cubes in a similar manner to the units, the tens and the hundreds. The cubes are stacked on top of one another. Once all the cubes are stacked, invite the child to stand at the bottom

Golden Bead Lesson Variations

Question the child about the place values as he admires the finish work
Ask the child to point out various quantities on the mat
Have the child “teach” another child from the classroom
Child can place quantities “randomly” or two at a time rather than all the units at once

Golden Bead Extensions

Draw or color a sketch of the layout
A child can recreate using other objects

I'd love to see how you present Montessori golden beads in the classroom or at home. Come by the Carrots Are Orange Facebook page to share your presentations.

Thanks for reading!

Marnie

How to Encourage Montessori Writing Development

By Marnie Craycroft 4 Comments Filed Under: Curriculum, Montessori Tagged With: Reading and Writing, Shelf Work This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Montessori's approach to language development is fascinating, intriguing, and, well, effective. If you are looking for insight into Montessori writing development, you have landed in the right place. Welcome. I am going to introduce you to one of the tools to effectively learn how to teach kids to write.

“Genius is eternal patience.” ~ Michelangelo

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Montessori Outlet. All opinions are 100% mine.

Montessori metal insets are one of my all-time favorite Montessori materials. They are by far the most effective I have come across in teaching my son hand coordination to prepare him for writing.

The insets come in the shapes of a square, triangle, circle, rectangle, oval, trapezoid, pentagon, curvilinear triangle, and quatrefoil. They present the child with a wide variety of hand movements to enhance work on control and steadiness while writing left to right. The child will also eventually learn to make a continuous stroke.

Montessori's Metal Insets Teach Kids to Write

The best part is that the insets work on a wide variety of skills. This work primarily focuses on the development of Montessori writing skills, of course. In addition to that, art and math skills are also inherent to the metal inserts as children are making designs and patterns with the shapes. By the way, the insets are the same size as the shapes found in the geometric cabinet.

Keep in mind, though, that the work with metal insets should not be rushed by the adult or the child.

How to Teach Kids to Write with Metal Insets

There are fairly specific presentations with Montessori metal insets. Here is the approach I took with my son, along with some variations.

Introduce the Metal Insets

Present each inset to the child, picking up the inset with a three finger grip, tracing the insets with the dominant index finger, then returning the inset to its template. If the child wants to continue that day, great. If not, put the work aside for another presentation.

Trace the Metal Insets with a Pencil

The next time I brought the insets out, I introduced the tracing paper and colored pencils. We worked slowly together tracing most of the shapes. The work is meant to be done slowly, so when you introduce the work to your child be sure to emphasize that slowness and steadiness. Tracing gives the child an opportunity to learn how to grip and guide a pencil, and feel the pressure on the pencil while writing.

How to Teach Kids to Write – Metal Inset Extensions

Children can make designs on their own.
Present simple designs and ask the child to identify the shapes used to make the design.
Prepare a few simple designs and ask the child to reproduce the design.

My favorite part of this work is the use of the metal insets and colored pencils to create beautiful designs. This part of the work comes after a child has worked with the insets for a bit.

Metal Insets Deliver Results

The wait and work are worth it. When my son was 3.5 years old, he was deep into the sensitive period for reading and writing. Observing him was beautiful. Watching him unfold into his magical self-has always been inspiring and motivating.

I remember thinking when he was about 2.5 years old: “I must be doing something wrong,” because he wasn't interested in my presentations or the materials. He needed to be ready. Patience is truly a virtue, my friends, please keep that in mind on your Montessori journey.

Where are your children or students in their Montessori writing development? What do you think of these metal insets?

Thank you for reading today. I hope that you found this post helpful to you in your Montessori journey.

Warmly,
Marnie

A note about our Sponsor, Montessori Outlet:

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Please take the time to visit Montessori Outlet to browse their affordable Montessori products for your school, classroom or home school. I have been extraordinarily pleased with the selection and quality of materials. The customer service is also top notch.

How to Present Montessori’s Knobbed Cylinders Lesson

By Marnie Craycroft 3 Comments Filed Under: Curriculum, Montessori Tagged With: Sensorial Lesson, Shelf Work This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Knobbed Cylinders are the first visual sense lesson within the Sensorial area of the classroom. To introduce the work, invite the child to the Sensorial area and identify the material, “These are the knobbed cylinders.”

A look at Montessori's Knobbed Cylinders

There are four different blocks of knobbed cylinders. Block 1 varies in height and diameter, and the tallest is also the widest. Block 2 varies in diameter. Block 3 varies in height and diameter, and the tallest has the smallest diameter. Block 4 varies in height.

To handle the knobbed cylinders, grasp the wooden block with your thumb, against the side facing you, and place your three middle fingers on the opposite side. The little finger acts as a cushion when you set it down.

Set it down slowly and carefully within the child’s field of vision. Using the 3-finger grip, grasp onto the first knob and slowly bring it out of the socket. Pause for a moment once the cylinder clears the socket.

Knobbed Cylinder Presentations

Like most Sensorial works, there are several presentations to the Knobbed Cylinders.

Knobbed Cylinders – Presentation I

Lift all the cylinders out of their sockets and line them up in order on the table in front of the block. Be sure to make eye contact with the child often and pause.

Pick up the first cylinder that was removed from the block. Trace around the base with the index and third fingers. Using the same fingers trace around the edge of the socket opening (for the smallest cylinder, use only your index finger). Slowly lower the cylinder into its socket with one edge slightly lower than the others so that it slips into the socket first.

Repeat with other cylinders, then run index and third fingers across the cylinder tops and the block to make sure all the blocks are in properly.

Offer the child a turn.

Knobbed Cylinders – Presentation II

Cylinders come out of the block in a similar manner, but they are placed randomly in front of the block.

Study the block and show the child the empty sockets. Trace the empty socket on the left. Search for the cylinder that fits, trace its base, and trace the socket again.

Continue with remaining cylinders

Knobbed Cylinders – Presentation III and Beyond

Two blocks in a “V” shape

Three blocks in a triangle formation

All four blocks in a square formation

For an extension, have the child try the exercise blindfolded.

Thank you for stopping by today! Please leave me a comment! I love hearing from you!
Marnie

Simple Montessori Sensorial Lesson Using a Fabric Basket

By Marnie Craycroft 3 Comments Filed Under: Curriculum, Montessori Tagged With: Sensorial, Sensorial Lesson, Shelf Work This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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It's very easy to create a fabric basket to use with a Montessori sensorial lesson. It's a great sensorial and language work for your preschooler. The basket includes same size pairs of fabrics. In our case, the basket is a derivative of the traditional Montessori fabric basket. I included different fabric designs, but traditional Montessori is same color, same size, and different textured pairs.

Fabric Basket Montessori Sensorial Lesson

To introduce this work to your child, first include only one of each pair. Sit with your child and go through each fabric using “economy of words”. So, you would say, “Striped. Spotted.” Then add the other part of the pair and categorize the fabrics by finding the match. Do this step with the child first, then allow the child a turn.

I also prepared fabrics of different textures that to introduce with a blindfold (to isolate the quality). Invite the child to feel each piece of fabric and describe with economy of words, “Rough. Bumpy. Smooth. Soft.”

The Traditional Fabric Matching Work Presentation

This work belongs in the Sensorial area of a Montessori classroom and typically holds the same color and same sized fabrics of different textures. Here is how you would present the traditional Fabric Matching work:

“Today, I would like to show you some new work, fabric feeling. Let’s go wash our hands first.”

Lay the fabrics neatly on the mat in a single horizontal line.

Feel a few fabrics intently. Look away to emphasize that you are doing the work with your hands and not your eyes.

“Now I want to find a match. I want to find two fabrics that are the same. I want to match this fabric using just my fingers, not my eyes.”

Isolate one of the fabrics at the lower left of the mat.

Feel the contrasting fabric, and then put it down. Feel the control, and then put it down. If you have found a match, feel the fabric again and place it next to the control. “These two are the same. They match,” and place one on top of the other.

Move the matched pair to one side and match the rest.

Offer the child a turn.

Have you created your own fabric matching basket for this Montessori sensorial lesson? What fabrics and textures did you include?