Our Week

We spent a lot of time doing work outside on our deck this past week to take advantage of the sunshine. Here are photos of some of the work happening inside and outside the classroom lately.

Variation of the numerals and counters materials for 1:1 correspondence 

Practicing coordination and grace and courtesy for Mother's Day Tea

Transferring tiny eggs from a nest using tweezers

making a hanging bead stair 

addition with the decimal (base 10) system materials, also known as the golden beads

working with the positive snake game

Researching the definitions of the parts of a caterpillar

addition with the number rods

making a diagram for the parts of an insect

push pinning a triangle traced from the triangle metal inset, a writing preparation material

examining a blue jay feather in the nature basket

decorating invitation for Mother's Day Tea

New Year

"Only through freedom of experience is it possible for human development to occur."- Maria Montessori

The prepared environment of the Montessori classroom is tended to with great care  It is essential to a child's development. Dr. Montessori observed that the child's environment greatly effects how he/she learns. The Montessori classroom environment meets the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of each child. The classroom environment is regularly maintained, but it was so lovely to come back to the classroom in the new year with everything fresh, beautifully organized, and new once again. This feeling was evident amongst the children as they came into their familiar classroom after the break. A calm and peace was observed as the children chose their work for the morning. 

The peace place gives children a place to go when they need time to alone, need some inner quiet, a break from classroom work or need a soothing place to go.

 The care of environment materials allow the children to develop coordination, concentration, a sense of order and independence. Taking care of their environment also helps to develop a sense of responsibility to the community and a respect for the classroom environment.

 The practical life area of the classroom is the core of the Montessori curriculum. Through the practical life materials a child learns coordination, concentration, independence, and order.

 The snack area is placed next to the practical life area of the classroom because the work of practical life extends into care of self. The snack area is set up so that the children can independently prepare and serve themselves snack and clean up after so the table is ready for the next child.

 The Sensorial materials are organized by the sense that the material isolates. The materials are further sequenced within each sense.

 The language area includes the book nook for quiet reading or reading to/with a friend.

 The math shelves are organized in sequence. The materials of the decimal system and passage to abstraction are not shown in the photo.

 The geography shelves introduce the child to his/her place in the world, then to the properties that make up Earth, to the study of landforms, the continents, biomes and the cultures of the people around the world