9 Never Fail Name Games and Songs for Circle Time
As a Kindergarten teacher, I spent years collecting circle time songs and name games that always broke the ice with new classes. Here are nine never-fail favorites.
20 Montessori Water Activities For Your Practical Life Shelf
Let's get some Montessori water activities on your practical life shelf! This shelf can be either real or hypothetical...
The Crow and the Pitcher: Science + Literature Lesson
When you enter a Montessori classroom, you will likely first notice how pretty the shelves are with the "works" displayed in simple trays or baskets. If you stay and watch, you will notice that many...
I Can See With My Hands: A Sensory Lesson
Today's Montessori Stereognostic challenge: Select a few objects from around the house and lay them on a rug. Get a blindfold, dishcloth, bandana, playsilk, or scarf. Tie it around your head so...
The Continent Song
One of my favorite things about teaching the 3 - 6 age group using Montessori philosophy is the heavy focus on cultural studies, including geography...
Your Child Can LOVE Learning to Write…Just Start With Sand!
Whether on the beach, in a box, or on a tray, sand provides an unforgettable tactile experience for all ages. Help little ones learn to write with this free Montessori-inspired lesson that uses sand.
You're Doing it Wrong: the Apple Slicer
Do you have an apple slicer? Me, too! I use it all the time, and I always loved letting kids in the classroom help me prepare apple snacks this way. It takes quite a bit of effort for a small child, and I would put...
The Garlic Peeling Work: A Lesson in Mindset
If you ever find yourself wanting to practice patience, I suggest no greater classroom than a house with a toddler. Case in point. One morning, as I sleepily stirred oatmeal on the stove, I glanced over to...
Want to Build Fine Motor Skills? Get Nuts.
When I was a kid, my parents took me to a restaurant where you were not only allowed to throw peanut shells all over the floor. You were actually encouraged to. Sure, it may have just been a marketing...
You Can Make a Nearly Perfect Learning Tool For Pennies
Playdough is great. It feels so good to kids because it stretches and strengthens their wrists, their hands, their fingers. But you know what's better? Real dough...
This Is the Way We Wash a Wall: The Montessori Way!
An hand-crank eggbeater utensil, a bowl, and a drop of concentrated soap is an activity any toddler or preschooler will enjoy….and after the fun inside the bowl, why not have a cleaning frenzy?
The Art of Baking Bread With Children
Yeast and gluten are magical. When working with a piece of dough, it feels alive. You knead….