Winter

Montessori Monthly Themes: Amazing, Fun, & Easy to Do

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities, Montessori in the Home Tagged With: Fall, Holidays, Monthly Themes, Seasons, Spring, Summer, Winter This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

This page includes Montessori monthly themes for preschoolers including Montessori Activities by Season and Montessori Activities by Holiday. I hope this content helps you create amazing Montessori Monthly Lesson Plans! My goal is to add to this monthly content so that you have dozens of Montessori theme ideas for each month of the year!

Montessori Month by Month Curriculum

The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behaviour towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practised to perfection only when working among children. – Dr. Maria Montessori

Montessori Winter Activities

It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it. ~John Burroughs, “Winter Sunshine”

Montessori New Years Activities

Montessori Martin Luther King Jr. Activities

Montessori Valentine's Day Activities

Montessori St. Patrick's Day Activities

Montessori Earth Day Activities

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of each. – Henry David Thoreau

Montessori Spring Themed Activities

Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own. – Charles Dickens

Montessori Mother's Day Themed Activities

Montessori Memorial Day Themed Activities

Montessori Father's Day Themed Activities

Montessori Summer Themed Activities

Montessori July 4th Themed Activities

Montessori Fall Themed Activities

Fresh New Ideas for Winter Montessori Shelves

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Montessori in the Classroom Tagged With: Christmas, Holidays, Practical Life, Seasons, Shelf Work, Winter This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Do you want to know what I truly love about Montessori Practical Life? I will tell you a secret…come a little closer…most trays can be made simply using items you have lying around the home. Variations seem endless and easily adaptable to months, seasons, interests, and holidays. Check out these fresh new ideas for your Winter Montessori shelves.

Montessori Winter Trays

Large Bead Stringing is popular and ridiculously effectively early childhood Montessori Practical Life Work. Easy to cater to the various festive seasons throughout the year, this tray includes green and red large beads with lace for stringing.

This pearl tweezer activity is a perfect winter fine motor activity for kids. Children who have mastered dry pouring, wet pouring, spooning, and tonging are ripe for this work. Plus the sound of the pearl dropping into the small dish is wonderful for young ears.

You can't go wrong with adding this snowflake paper punch to your shelves. We love paper hole punching work. It works fine motor skills and is a great variation on pin poking. Simply include a plain piece of paper and a bowl or bag for collecting the snowflakes to use in an art project or sensory tub. Another idea is to include punch cards for numeration, letters, or sensorial pattern making.

This adorable tray is a simple tweezing activity with a sweet twist. A great precursor to spring works and discussions around bird habitats and winter behavior. I picked this nest and eggs up at Michaels Crafts. Simply set up with tweezers, tongs, or even as a hand transfer.

Take green and red mini jingle bells in a small dish, add tweezers or tongs, and two obvious sorting areas. Invite the child to the work. The kids will adore the mini bells and the sounds of the holiday.

It is difficult to see in this image above but there is a bowl of mini silver jingle bells and a plastic ornament. My 1.5 year old can't get enough of taking one bell and popping it into the ornament. For older children, add tweezers to really work fine motor skills.

I love these mini spools. Not only are they green and red, perfect for the holidays, but they are so versatile. In this tray, we use a tweezer to sort the red and green spools into their respective “napkin rings”. I have also used these spools for small bead stringing.

We adore this tray! There is the isolation of color with white, plus the sorting between soft cotton balls and hard small beads. Adding tweezers or tongs is a nice final touch on the tray but not necessary especially with younger children!

So, what do you think about my secret? Do you like these fresh ideas? I hope so. I will be in touch soon!

Marnie

12 Absolute Must Read Children’s Books for the Holiday Season

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Christmas, Holidays, Reading and Writing, Winter This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Giving a child the space, time, and opportunity to discover reading on his own will achieve that life long love of stories and story telling. Making books and book reading meaningful is part of creating an environment that will ultimately grow life long lovers of reading. Are you wondering how you can raise a rock star reader? Learn ideas on how to create an environment for your little readers including my picks for must read children's books for the holiday season.

We discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

My talented friends, Allison and Amy, wrote an amazing book called Raising a Rock Star Reader that I can't stop referencing since day I received it. This book is filled with 75 accessible tips for parents to help guide their children to becoming lifelong lovers of reading. Inspired by this book, I wrote this post including few of my own tips for raising a rock star reader and my top must read children's books for the holiday season. {I received an early release of the book to review. The book exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend and YOU know that these opinions are 100% my own.}

5 Tips for Raising a Rock Star Reader

Make it meaningful by having a “go to” set of three or five books to read at bedtime, especially
Less is more as mentioned above…don't clutter your child's bookshelves. Choose a few books an stick to them for tradition and
Read out loud even when your child is reading on his own
Listen to books in theme, in the car, in a tent, you name it…
Oral storytelling is a lost art. Children are born story tellers. We should do all we can to nurture that art.

12 Absolute Must Read Children's Books for the Holiday Season

One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey

This book is a classic that only brings warmth to a home and to hearts. I fell in love with this book as a young child.

Twas the Night Before Christmas by Charles Santore

Memories are built upon this tale. I can still hear my aunt's voice reading this story to us, the excitement of Christmas morning bubbling in my belly.

A Chair for My Mother by Vera Williams

A lovely story about a young girl, her mother, and her grandmother. The author draws upon her childhood during the depression. The story she tells is raw and sweet delivering a heart felt life lesson.

Gratitude Soup by Olivia Rosewood

One of my favorite newer reads. This book is magical and will warm your heart. The main character, a young girl, makes a gratitude soup and learns quickly that gratitude is exponential.

d'Aulaire's book of Greek myths by Ingri d'Aulaire and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

My husband introduced my sons to Greek Myths and they were hooked on them. This book is perfect for young children telling the story in an engaging, yet simply way.

Frog & Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel

Such warm and fond memories of listening to these stories on road trips and on our commute. I enjoy Arnold Lobel's warm voice telling the tale of these two friends, sharing a unique friendship and every day antics.

Toot & Puddle – I'll Be Home for Christmas by Hollie Hobbie

What can I say? I am a sucker for these two soul mates. Hollie Hobbie does a fantastic job of taking the reader through many adventures of travel and friendship. Great examples for kids!

Pete & Pickles by Berkeley Breathed

Would you think differently of me if I told you I weep when I read this story to my boys. Such a sweet, raw, endearing, honest story of two unlikely friends.

Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Maybe the perfect holiday movie to share with your kids. Full of suspense and excitement, this story is sure to warm your hearts and get you ready for the holiday season!

Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson

I find this whole series adorable, especially this Christmas story. A story of unlikely friends caring immensely for one another, the author does a terrific job at making the reader see the love these friends have for one another.

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Oh, I love this story! Such a sweet tale that draws the young and old into the journey of a lost mitten providing loads of love and warmth to forest animals.

Zen Shorts by Jon Muth

This book is my go to for birthday presents and special gifts. Such beautiful stories delivering important life messages to our little spirits.

I hope you enjoyed this list of holiday children's books. Definitely check out Raising a Rock Star Reader. You won't be disappointed!

Marnie

Simple Bear Craft for a Winter or Hibernation Unit

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Crafts, Easy & Inexpensive, Life Science, Winter, Zoology This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

This Simple Bear Craft is perfect for an art table. The activity combines sensorial, or pre-math ideas, with the art, too, by utilizing circles only in the creation of this sweet bear.

Kids will have fun making their very own bear and might just want to learn a bit more about the hibernators! A great way to introduce hibernation and fun addition to any hibernation unit.

Simple Bear Craft for Preschoolers

Materials for Simple Bear Craft

Glue Stick
Marker
Circle Hole Punch
Colored Sticker Dots (optional, just for fun for the eyes)
Scissors
Brown, White, and Black Construction Paper
Circular Shape to Trace

Approach to Simple Bear Craft

Trace a large circle on the brown construction paper
Cut it out (this is the head)
Trace a medium (slightly smaller than the first) circle on the white construction paper
Cut this circle out (this is the face)
Trace two small circles
Cut these two circles out (these are the ears)
Use your handy paper hole punch to punch a few holes in the white and black construction paper
Cut the white circles in half (these are the inside of the ears)
The black circle is the nose
Cut out or paper hole punch two holes in the black construction paper (these are the eyes)
Use your markers to create the remainder of the face
Display!

There you have it. Children can get creative with their bear, or stick to the “template”.

What's Next?

Talk about circles with the children and introduce terms like a semi-circle, diameter, circumference.
Compare various sized circles.
Invite the children to create their own designs with the circles.
Check out these Children’s Books about Bears
Get more ideas from this Montessori Inspired Bear Unit

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The Best & Most Heartwarming Children’s Books about Winter

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Book Lists, Reading and Writing, Seasons, Winter This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Children's Books about Winter

Learning about Hibernators and Adaptors

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner is a lovely story of a father and his child cross country skiing through the winter woods. The illustrations and writing is soothing and melodic as the two explore the winter woods. The book gives us a glimpse into life above and below the snow for wintering animals. The end of the book includes more details on the animals and their secret world under the snow.

Exploring Evergreens and Deciduous Trees

I have written about the book Winter Trees by Carole Gerber in a prior Winter Activity post. We continue to revisit the outdoor adventure that a boy and his dog take during the winter, identifying trees in snow covered forest. The boy uses his eyes and his hands to take a close look at the shape, the bark and the leaves of seven common trees. The book is a celebration of life during the winter.

Creating a Family Outdoor Winter Tradition

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen is calming bring the silence this father and his child are experiencing within the pages of this book. The book teaches about the lovely winter outdoor adventure of Owling. You can hear the crunch of the snow and feel the coolness of the crisp winter air. I am enamored with the tradition of Owling and hope to introduce the experience to my sons soon.

For more Winter learning:

Thanks for reading!
Marnie

Diverse, Unique, & Easy Winter Solstice Activities Kids Will Love

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Montessori Tagged With: Seasons, Winter This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Tomorrow we're having our second annual Winter Solstice get together (a.k.a: a play date) with good friends. My friend and I wanted to find a way to open our children's eyes to the beauty of the solstice from a scientific standpoint but even more so the significance to us human beings and those with whom we share the earth. Here are a few wonderful ideas from my friends around the internet. The idea is to create warmth, spirit and light around this dark (as in little daylight particularly here in the Pacific Northwest) day.

Bring in the Sunshine

Check out these simple yet striking Beaded Suns from Tattooed Soccer Mom Easy, inexpensive and no mess!

Craft Like There is No Tomorrow

Or what about these classic medallion snowflakes from One Dog Woof. My boys are 3 and 4, so their cutting skills are developing as I write. I thought it'd be fun to save one each year to observe how their snowflakes change over the years.

Take Care of Nature

We live in the mountains with lost if animals adapting through the colder months. I find watching these birds, especially, adapt as the seasons change. No matter where you live helping these animals during colder months is always a good thing. Sheri Silver's Orange Bird Feeder is not only unique but it sure looks pretty hanging in the yard! What fun to make too!

Read Fantastic Winter Solstice Children's Books

Reading stories out loud is always a pleasant and heartwarming activity to do with friends, especially around special celebrations like Solstice. Last year I collected several books to add to our collection. Check out the list of Winter Solstice Children's Books!

Move Your Bodies

What better way to bring in the day with the least amount of light than a fun Winter Solstice yoga story time to get our bodies moving? This yoga session for children tells the story of a raven bringing light.

Meditate & Teach Kids to Meditate

I also researched a few short Winter Solstice poems appropriate for children. Long enough to have meaning to the child yet short enough to keep a child's attention. All we want to do is provoke thought and questions. Plant any seed to ignite further learning. Poems are a great way to achieve this goal.

Happy Winter Solstice!

Stay Warm,
Marnie