It's A Montessori Life: 2015

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Bibbity Boppity Boo

We typically go home to participate in the Trunk or Treat at our home church but we decided to stay put this year. Ava HAD to be Cinderella and of course Lucy was our Sweet Strawberry. Our little town had their own Trunk or Treat so we took the girls. There were a few games set up to play to receive candy and then cars with their trunks were decorated and people handed the girls candy. Lucy was satisfied with the sucker she received while Ava played the games and filled her bag with candy. It was nice to see the community come out and participate to make such a nice event for the kiddos.

We Give Thanks

We decided to host Thanksgiving at our house this year. Mom was so gracious to come the day before to help with the kids so Chris and I could clean and get things set up. Ava and mom worked on one of the deserts for the Thanksgiving meal. I went on Pinterest and found this apple cake with maple buttercream frosting and pecan trim recipe. Boy oh boy was it delicious!!! Ava really enjoys helping in the kitchen. She made sure that all the guests knew that she helped too! hehe

Finished Product!

I think the decorations came out nice. We were missing a few special people around the table this year but I am thankful for all of them. Nothing like having the ones you love all in one room.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Painting With Lucy

Lucy has watched her big sister, Ava, paint countless times. The other day she took two paint brushes out of the drawer and went over to the easel and began to mimic what she's seen. The easel is a little tall for her still so I decided to let her paint sitting at a table. I typically like to present painting using the primary colors. The only washable primary paint color that I had was yellow, so that's what we used.

I walked Lucy over to the hook where we keep the aprons. I pointed to the apron and said "apron." I found this great toddler pull-over water resistant apron. I'm sure after a few more times using it she'll be able to place it over her head without any trouble.

I placed the paper, brush, and paint on the table and asked Lucy to have a seat. A great way to control spills with the paint at this age is using something like spill-proof paint cups.

I dipped the brush in the paint slowly, carefully showing how to brush off excess paint. I made a stroke on the paper and said "yellow." I then asked Lucy if she wanted to try and of course she was eager to get started. Some paint ended up on her face and she attempted to taste it. haha All in all I think she had a great time painting for the first time. I plan to make a tray with cut paper, paint, brush, and sponge for spills that way she can access this work any time she wants.

Monday, December 7, 2015

My First Shapes Puzzle

Lucy has already reviewed the circle, square and triangle puzzle individually. Going through another toy box I found this puzzle that Ava used when she was Lucy's age. This puzzle adds the shapes rectangle and oval. I love the large knobs which makes grasping the pieces much easier. I took the puzzle out and Lucy was eager to have a lesson.

I took out one piece at a time and gave her the language for each piece. I placed them in a row and then carefully put each piece back in it's respective spot. After a few days of doing the puzzle Lucy began saying "i-angle" for "triangle" and "urcle" for "circle." She can successfully put back the triangle, circle, and square. Her little mind amazes me!

Cubes On A Vertical Dowel

Lucy is progressing nicely through her early Montessori materials. I decided to take out the vertical dowel with cubes and see if she was interested. I presented the lesson by carefully grasping each cube and slowly sliding them off the dowel. Before I placed the cubes back on I showed her the hole in the first cube. I proceeded to slide each one back on. I asked her if she wanted to try. She immediately took off all the cubes and showed me each one as she did. Lucy then attempted to put the cubes back on the dowel missing the first few times. She eventually managed to get one on and asked for help with the other two.

This type of material encourages your child to practice hand-eye coordination along with finger positioning and grasping.

If need be you can start with just one cube and as your child progresses add another cube.

Do you already have one of these at home? You could easily modify this work by using 1-3 rings and add to it as your child progresses. I have both works on my shelf at home. Remember to begin with it's not about grading the rings. It's more about the concept of crossing the midline in which a child moves an object into place, starting from the beginning point, and then putting the object in its final spot.

This Is A Cube

It's hard to believe Lucy is already 16 months old. She has been a busy bee these past couple of months. We moved from the Imbucare Box with the large cylinder to the Imbucare Box with the cube. I love seeing "the joy of learning" first hand.

The Imbucare Boxes further a child's understanding of object permanence.

The Imbucare Boxes aid the development of hand-eye coordination.

Imbacure Boxes aid in the development of visual discrimination and gives a child sensorial experience with different geometric shapes.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Montessori Christmas List (3-5 Years)

This post is the last of a 3 part Montessori Christmas List Series from birth-5 years. I hope I've been helpful with some of my suggestions. If you're in the store/online and are struggling to decide whether an activity is "Montessori" or not....Racheous made an AMAZING cheat sheet.

Here are some ideas for ages 3-5 years.