Toddler Theme Tuesday: Apple Unit

Crisp Autumn air, crunchy leaves, eggnog in the stores: this is my favorite season of the year! I have some fun plans for Little E next week.

I have been trying to find some inexpensive activities that Little E will be interested in. Here are a few things I found:

Little E loves getting his hands in paint and Duck Duck Souper Mom has a cute handprint tree:

There are lots of great ideas on The Adventures of Bear. I especially like this one for identifying parts of a tree:

This activity from My Montessori Journey uses a song to the tune of Bingo:

1+1+1=1 has lots of activities for the younger crowd, including this simple three piece puzzle.

I can't wait to try this yummy looking apple cider slushie from Little Wonders' Days.









Another one from My Montessori Journey, this playdough is scented like apple pie!









I think Little E will really like this Practical Life activity from Making Montessori Ours, cleaning and peeling apples.











Preschool Alphabet has a unit around 10 Apples on Top, including these beanbags that I want to use for counting practice.

Montessori Monday: Guiding Principles

So, I hope you don't think this post is a cop-out, but we've been sick at our house lately. Hopefully we're over it just in time for the autumn flu/cold season.

While I have been interested in Montessori education for quite some time, I didn't know much about the basic philosophy. These are some resources that helped me understand the basics, the guiding principles, of Maria Montessori's philosophy.

Montessori Print Shop - Eight Principles of Montessori Education

Simple Homeschool - Montessori At Home: 8 Principles to Know

Montessori Candy - Major Points of the Montessori Method

Maria Montessori - Overview

Montessori Monday: Practical Life

The child can only develop by means of experience in his environment.

We call such experience work.

—Dr. Maria Montessori

If you have a two year old, you might have heard the following phrase in some form: “Me do it myself!” We are certainly hearing this often around our house these days. Using the Montessori practical life is a great way to fulfill the needs of young children to feel independent.

What is practical life?

Family life is practical life. Small children love to imitate. When given opportunity and encouragement they often choose real work over imaginary play. Allowing children to participate in family work teaches them that we value and respect them and that they are a part of the family. Practical life is generally divided into three areas. I have given some examples for each.

1. Care of Environment – folding washcloths, dusting, setting their place
2. Care of the Person – washing hands, zipping coat, pouring own water
3. Grace and Courtesy – introducing themselves, saying “please" and “thank you”

“The purpose and aim of Practical Life is to … help the child to gain independence and adapt to his society ... Practical Life Exercises also aid the growth and development of the child’s intellect and concentration and will in turn also help the child develop an orderly way of thinking.” - www.infomontessori.com

Remember

• Demonstrate first (Teach by teaching, not by correcting)
• Break the task into small parts
• Use everyday activities (washing dishes, sweeping, preparing food)
• Provide “real” tools

What do they learn?

• To concentrate and finish an activity
• Respect for environment, self and others
• To contribute to the family in a meaningful way
• Hand-eye coordination
• Working in a social group

Further Links

Explanation of Practical Life from Michael Olaf

· Table Setting from Living Montessori Now

· Ideas for Using What You Have from MontHome

Montessori Monday: The Prepared Environment

One of the most basic principles Maria Montessori taught was the "prepared environment." Simply, living space is carefully planned and prepared to meet the needs of all who use it, including the little ones. A prepared environment encourages independent learning and exploration in children.

"The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult"

- M. Montessori, The Secret of Childhood

Why focus on independence? Children develop a sense of inner worth and initiative when they are allowed to explore and do things for themselves. By providing a prepared environment we are telling our children: "You are important in this family. You are a capable person."

Elements of a Prepared Environment:

• Freedom - Is the area safe and accessible?
• Order - Do things have a place?
• Beauty - Does my child's environment deserve respect?
• Nature and Reality - Are there "real" things my child can work with? (Child-size "adult" items)
• Social Environment - Does the environment encourage myself and others to interact with my child?
• Intellectual Growth - Are there opportunities for my child to learn and grow?

We are still working on making our house a prepared environment. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures soon. In the meantime here are some examples from others:

Our Montessori Home

Sew Liberated

Peaceful Parenting

Teaching the Toddler: Sensory Activities

One of my favorite things about Montessori is that although you can purchase some beautiful, useful products, you can also do so much for free or at least very close to free!

Little E is very interested in using his senses to discover the world. Here are some of the fun, free sensory activities we did today:

Beans: I poured some dried kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, and peas into a bowl. I cut off the lid of an egg carton. Wow, easy and Ethan loved it. He tried using a spoon, but preferred his hands. Mommy needs to remember to give Little E something to define his work area (a tray or placemat) because our beans went everywhere!



We went to the park and played in the "river." He kept telling me, "Mom, the river is nice."


At the park we collected sticks, leaves, pinecones, and bark. For the rest of the day Little E kept asking to play with his leaves.

We compared texture, sizes and shapes together and pretended we were trees waving in the wind.

Then I let him play however he wanted. He told us all about the "great big" leaves that were the mommy and daddy and the tiny leaf that was the baby. He made the parent leaves take turns holding the baby, driving it in the "car," feeding it green beans (Little E's favorite food right now), giving it a bath, and putting it to sleep.

Oh, What Do You Do In the Summertime?

My aunt used to have a room in her house she called the "gangrene" room, a place where stuff accumulated and that had no dedicated purpose. Little E's room has become like that:

With Squirm the Second arriving in November I have had a renewed desire to get the boy's room looking more like a kid's room and less like a random place to store junk. In our tiny two bedroom space is at a premium, but I think I can clear most of the things out and make this room look inviting and interesting.

After considering lots of cute options for a theme, I think we are going to do woodland animals.

Some of the projects I will be working on:

1. Clear enough space for a recliner or armchair for nursing Squirm the Second
2. Put up thermal blackout curtains in a chocolate color
3. Make a Montessori-style floor bed frame for Little E:
4. Refinish the crib with a dark stain
5. Number branch like this one, but in the shape of leaves:
6. Owl mobile for Squirm the Second's crib:
7. Make some cute bedding for the boys

It's a lot to do, but I'm excited to get started!