Easter in our classroom!

Every season and occasion brings little extras into the classroom,

which makes things fun and interesting!

Here are a few things we added:

An I Spy - made from a plastic Easter egg and all the goodies that fit the occasion.

Like Barrel of Monkeys - but it Bunnies!

For fine motor and hand eye coordination skills.

Tic Tac Toe - we are using it for sorting, patterns / sequencing and counting

Transferring and sorting with tongs.

Open and closing activity - each egg has a small eraser in it.

Pouring small erasers from one flower pot to another.

Patterns - counting - sorting.

Our little bunnies!

There are probably Kmart coupons available for holiday supplies, to save some money, so check online for next time.

Playing with blocks!

I have at least 5 main types of blocks in my classroom at one time. I often add more, and switch them out, with a variety of other types - styles and textures on a regular basis. Combining a selection of blocks together can enhance this play beyond the simple build a tower type of block play. Not that there is anything wrong with that, as tower building is an important component of block building. After all the 'Pink Tower' is one of the principal pieces of equipment in a Montessori classroom. Essentially block play transforms any day into an adventure in learning.
When I watch the children playing with blocks, I see so many crucial developmental skills being evolved. I watch the excitement when the children transform blocks to  into creations, which in their mind represents what they had intended. The social aspect of block play is of great value. I see children that may not have socialize together, suddenly partner up and create a structure, with a resourcefulness that had not been established before.
Providing the tools for exploration in the classroom is a teachers role in ensuring that the children have what they require for steady developmental growth. Blocks may seem like a common and simple object, but there importance is paramount.

Take a look at the articles on these links for "The Importance of Block Play":

A place of our own

Let kids play

Picklebums

Community playthings

Early childhood news

Sixty second parent

So what type of blocks do you have in your classroom?

 Here are some of the Toddler favourites we have:

Plastic 3D Character Blocks / Clipo Peeka Blocks / Waffle Blocks

Wooden blocks in a variety of types

Wooden Lincoln Logs / Foam Blocks

Duplo Blocks a classic favorite! 





 I can't remember the name of these - but we like them :)
*Thanks to one of my followers on FB for reminding me that these are called Bristol Blocks!

The list could go on and on - there are so many to choose from.

Perhaps we can give our gratitude to Frederich Froebel for the introduction of these wonderful "gifts" in his newly formed kindergarten classroom. His altruistic vision of presenting play with a purpose, by creating occupations, lead the way for teachers to use the child's 'environment' as educational aids.

Watch this video which I made for more information on Frederich Froebel:

 Froebel Video

Be sure to add a variety of blocks to your classroom!



Montessori activity

I found these boxes at the dollar store - I liked the fact that they were different shapes and they had lids. Perfect for a open / closing practical life activity - as well as matching each lid with the proper box bottom. I can't wait to see how the toddlers use this.

Frutti

http://montessorihomes.blogspot.com/2011/06/free-download.html
It all started with this wonderful free download from At Home With Montessori - as posted by Living Montessori Now http://www.facebook.com/#!/LivingMontessoriNow

We introduced the concept 'inside / outside' - as we used our senses to discover the many qualities of fresh fruit. The best part was making fruit salad for snack! :) We used the wonderful photos to open the discussion about each fruit - then we used the real fruit to expand the concepts introduced.

Checking out the pear!

We tried to get all the fruits in the photos so we had all the wonderful tastes, colours, textures and smells in our salad.

Feeling the texture of the orange, outside.

Feeling the texture inside the orange.

We could smell the orange as soon as we cut it!

The salad tasted awesome!

Even if some of the fruit was sour! :)

It was like a party in our mouth!

We all wish every activity tasted so good!

Practical Life Montessori



These are a few of the Practical Life activities that I have in my classroom. It's amazing how popular they are, considering they are not fancy or expensive. Just goes to show you children want to learn new skills and task oriented activities are a great source of entertainment as well.

This was set out at Christmas time - the children used pincer grasp to transfer the pompoms to the icecube tray one by one.

This one is out all the time - the children use the squirt bottle to wet the mirror and then they use the cloth to dry it off

This is also out all the time - ironing and hanging clothes with clothes pegs.

An occasional activity - The children dump the beans onto the tray and then sweep them up with the dustpan and broom.

Dry pouring - I change the containers to match the season or theme, but it's always out as an activity. Here I have used small top hats and rice for St. Patricks Day.

In this activity the children will scoop up the rice with the spoon and then put it through the funnel into the plastic tub. We do this in different variations.