Happy New Year!
Something popped into my life at the end of November that fit in easily, and has been thoroughly fulfilling. A local Montessori school had their toddler lead guide leave with a family emergency, and they needed a fill in. They were able to accommodate my son's school schedule, and his school was able to allow him to stay for lunch so that I could be there for the children's entire work cycle. I began at the beginning of December, and made many changes to the environment, and the students adapted beautifully. A month in and new habits are being nicely engrained: spills are regularly being cleaned up, they get their placements out before snack, put their dishes in the bin after snack, and switch to slippers when they arrive.
Here's a look into our December classroom:
As you enter the classroom to your left you will find a shoe shelf and chair to sit in while putting on and taking off shoes and slippers. On the shelf is a shoe horn for those difficult shoes. Next to that is the care of the the environment shelf and the sensory table. At the sensory table for December we were washing a baby.
Left-to-right on the top shelf (too high for student's to reach), is a candle that spins with the heat of the flame, facing towards the parent observation window is three resources for families to check out: "The Joyful Child" by Susan Stephenson, the NAMTA DVD "What is the Montessori Toddler Community?", and "How to Raise an Amazing Child" by Tim Seldin, and and LED candle.
On the care of the environment shelf is (left-to-right):
Top: "I Can Help" book, plant, watering can
Middle: small broom and dustpan, duster, table washing work
Bottom: flower arranging, hammering tees
Next while walking to the left is a ball tracker. This work has four balls: red, blue, yellow, and green. I took the photo while a student was chasing down the errant three balls :-).
Then we will come to the wagon with jugs to place in and pull around. NOTE: I use thick juice jugs rather than milk jugs. They split less easily when dropped.
Next we come to dropping bells into a jug. The younger members of our community can use a palmar grasp, the older members can use the string on the bell ornaments to drop with a thumb-forefinger grasp.
Next we come to drawing on the window with a window crayon and then washing the crayon off of the window. In the caddy is a squeegee, a spray bottle, and a microfiber cloth.
When we turn we come to our art easel. We are currently using a paint brush and long green construction paper (12 x 18) with red paint to make wrapping paper. I only put about half an inch of paint in the cup each morning and refill as necessary during the work cycle. After the work cycle I clean the cup out. To hang the paper I attached a magnet strip to the easel and I use washers. This is easier than clips for the toddlers.
The other side of the art easel is a chalk work. Red and green chalk and a sprayer and sponge to clean (the cleaning is more popular than the drawing!). You can also see our Rainbow Rocker behind the easel.
Beside our window washing is our art and music shelf (left-to-right):
Top: drying rack, Christmas cactus
Middle: dough work, holiday card making (see below for close-ups of both)
Bottom: Jingle Bells book and bells, drum with drumsticks
Both of these art works are open ended. While I make have a goal in my mind, I do not create a model for the children to follow. I also do not tell them it is a gift for their family. I let them create, then I saved it if they wanted to. Not all students made one and it is not required of them.
Wrapped and finished gifts with holiday cards attached.
Continuing on around the classroom, this is our Peace/Self-Reflection Corner (left-to-right):
Top: meditation jar, desktop fountain (which has been great for learning self-control and how to watch something with hands behind back and not touch), and lavender filled stuffed frog
Bottom: "Guess How Much I Love You" book and stuffed animal
On the science shelf is (left-to-right):
Top: fish feeding, "Let's Have a Pet" book, Golden Pothos cutting, fish book and a stuffed fish for naming parts of the fish
Middle: "Wet Pet, Dry Pet, Your Pet, My Pet" book, fish in water, gluing parts of fish
Bottom: rock exploration (geology), fizzy water (chemistry), Juniper branch (berries removed and placed in a salt shaker for smelling) and pine cones (life science)
Next we come to our calendar. The ornaments we are adding to our tree mimic the bead bars in the casa classrooms. This is an indirect lesson, we are only counting number of days in the month, not each line. We do not have a circle or calendar time, this is a first come first served work and members can also take it apart and reapply as much as they would like.
On the language and math shelf is (left-to-right)
Top: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" book and stuffed animal (it was being loved when the photo was taken), plant, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" book
Something popped into my life at the end of November that fit in easily, and has been thoroughly fulfilling. A local Montessori school had their toddler lead guide leave with a family emergency, and they needed a fill in. They were able to accommodate my son's school schedule, and his school was able to allow him to stay for lunch so that I could be there for the children's entire work cycle. I began at the beginning of December, and made many changes to the environment, and the students adapted beautifully. A month in and new habits are being nicely engrained: spills are regularly being cleaned up, they get their placements out before snack, put their dishes in the bin after snack, and switch to slippers when they arrive.
Here's a look into our December classroom:
As you enter the classroom to your left you will find a shoe shelf and chair to sit in while putting on and taking off shoes and slippers. On the shelf is a shoe horn for those difficult shoes. Next to that is the care of the the environment shelf and the sensory table. At the sensory table for December we were washing a baby.
Left-to-right on the top shelf (too high for student's to reach), is a candle that spins with the heat of the flame, facing towards the parent observation window is three resources for families to check out: "The Joyful Child" by Susan Stephenson, the NAMTA DVD "What is the Montessori Toddler Community?", and "How to Raise an Amazing Child" by Tim Seldin, and and LED candle.
On the care of the environment shelf is (left-to-right):
Top: "I Can Help" book, plant, watering can
Middle: small broom and dustpan, duster, table washing work
Bottom: flower arranging, hammering tees
Next while walking to the left is a ball tracker. This work has four balls: red, blue, yellow, and green. I took the photo while a student was chasing down the errant three balls :-).
Then we will come to the wagon with jugs to place in and pull around. NOTE: I use thick juice jugs rather than milk jugs. They split less easily when dropped.
Next we come to dropping bells into a jug. The younger members of our community can use a palmar grasp, the older members can use the string on the bell ornaments to drop with a thumb-forefinger grasp.
Next we come to drawing on the window with a window crayon and then washing the crayon off of the window. In the caddy is a squeegee, a spray bottle, and a microfiber cloth.
The other side of the art easel is a chalk work. Red and green chalk and a sprayer and sponge to clean (the cleaning is more popular than the drawing!). You can also see our Rainbow Rocker behind the easel.
Beside our window washing is our art and music shelf (left-to-right):
Top: drying rack, Christmas cactus
Middle: dough work, holiday card making (see below for close-ups of both)
Bottom: Jingle Bells book and bells, drum with drumsticks
Both of these art works are open ended. While I make have a goal in my mind, I do not create a model for the children to follow. I also do not tell them it is a gift for their family. I let them create, then I saved it if they wanted to. Not all students made one and it is not required of them.
A wreath ornament from my youngest (19 months old), and my oldest (will be three at the beginning of March). The dough used is Model Magic.
Wrapped and finished gifts with holiday cards attached.
Top: meditation jar, desktop fountain (which has been great for learning self-control and how to watch something with hands behind back and not touch), and lavender filled stuffed frog
Bottom: "Guess How Much I Love You" book and stuffed animal
Next stop the beloved fish tank. Another classroom addition that has been great for teaching self-control and care of living things. Five 25 cent feeder goldfish are in here, saved from being another animal's next meal!
On the science shelf is (left-to-right):
Top: fish feeding, "Let's Have a Pet" book, Golden Pothos cutting, fish book and a stuffed fish for naming parts of the fish
Middle: "Wet Pet, Dry Pet, Your Pet, My Pet" book, fish in water, gluing parts of fish
Bottom: rock exploration (geology), fizzy water (chemistry), Juniper branch (berries removed and placed in a salt shaker for smelling) and pine cones (life science)
Next we come to our calendar. The ornaments we are adding to our tree mimic the bead bars in the casa classrooms. This is an indirect lesson, we are only counting number of days in the month, not each line. We do not have a circle or calendar time, this is a first come first served work and members can also take it apart and reapply as much as they would like.
On the language and math shelf is (left-to-right)
Top: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" book and stuffed animal (it was being loved when the photo was taken), plant, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" book
Middle: matching photos and objects, Frosty the Snowman (see below for details)
Bottom: ornament for calendar, goldfish matching and sorting (using colored Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers), matching photos and shapes
Continuing on, is our cooking station. Depending on what is on the menu, we will use a crockpot, fifth burner,or toaster oven. This month we made wassail and hot chocolate in the crockpot.
Our dishwashing stand and laundry hamper below.
Our broom, sweeping guide, and mop for caring for our community. These are in almost constant use!
On the care of the self shelf is (left-to-right):
Top: box with bangles, tissue box, plant
Middle: velcro frame, large button frame
Bottom: brushing teeth, dressing a baby (see below)
On the care of the environment food prep shelf is (left-to-right):
Top: compost crock, placemats, napkins and silverware
Middle: pouring water, snack item 1
Bottom: snack item 2, making a pomander, bean pouring
Our snack changes daily and we put out the necessary prep and serving materials.
Plates and glasses for snack.
On the sensorimotor shelf is (left-to-right):
Top: rainbow stacker, table work mats, geometric grading puzzle
Middle: geometric lock boxes, disk on horizontal dowel, disk through slot
Bottom: triangle stacker, bead stringing, screw block
Floor work rugs are next to the shelf.
Tree for decorating. Underneath is a recycling bin.
Bathroom waiting and changing area, and of course, bathroom reading material!
Bottom: ornament for calendar, goldfish matching and sorting (using colored Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers), matching photos and shapes
 |
| matching photos and objects |
 |
| Frosty the Snowman |
 |
| matching photos and shapes |
Our dishwashing stand and laundry hamper below.
Our broom, sweeping guide, and mop for caring for our community. These are in almost constant use!
Top: box with bangles, tissue box, plant
Middle: velcro frame, large button frame
Bottom: brushing teeth, dressing a baby (see below)
 |
| brushing teeth |
 |
| dressing baby |
On the care of the environment food prep shelf is (left-to-right):
Top: compost crock, placemats, napkins and silverware
Middle: pouring water, snack item 1
Bottom: snack item 2, making a pomander, bean pouring
Our snack changes daily and we put out the necessary prep and serving materials.
Plates and glasses for snack.
On the sensorimotor shelf is (left-to-right):
Top: rainbow stacker, table work mats, geometric grading puzzle
Middle: geometric lock boxes, disk on horizontal dowel, disk through slot
Bottom: triangle stacker, bead stringing, screw block
Floor work rugs are next to the shelf.
Tree for decorating. Underneath is a recycling bin.
And finally our cubby area.
Bathroom waiting and changing area, and of course, bathroom reading material!
Bathroom cubbies for changing clothes.
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