the almost-readers...

What do you do when a child knows all her letter sounds and symbols, successfully identifies the beginning, middle, and ending sounds in the words she hears, and is teetering on the verge of actual reading? You practice, practice, practice... and constantly search for ways to keep all that practicing fun and exciting!

I played this game yesterday afternoon with some of my almost reading 4-year-olds. We don't usually use chalkboards, so that in itself was very new and exciting. I named and then placed four cvc objects at the top of each child's little chalkboard. I told them, "I'm thinking about one of your objects. I'm going to give you a clue to help you figure out which one I'm thinking about." The children really enjoyed this - we played it over and over with great success. They also enjoyed writing the word I had written with chalk... although, I have a feeling they enjoyed the erasing part even more! :)


We played a slightly different variation of yesterday's game today. Instead of placing the objects at the top of the board, I had each child close his or her eyes. Then, I hid a different object for each of them in my pocket (I was only playing with 2 or 3 children at a time). I proceeded to give each of them a written clue just like I had yesterday. They LOVED this game! The anticipation over whether or not what was in my pocket was what they thought was written on their boards was nearly through the roof!


Having no objects to look at made this game really abstract and challenging - just right for the almost-readers. :) I loved watching and listening to their word-decoding skills in action!

Feel free to share any games or activities you do with your almost-readers. I would love to learn some new ones!

it's-finally-winter hat #2

I just finished my second cable-knit hat of the season , and I think I actually like it better than the first. Hmmm... maybe it's the buttons - I'm a sucker for cute buttons. Anyway, it's kept me very warm on the playground this week, as-well-as in our heatless house (don't worry, though, we finally got the pilot light lit today). I wish I knew how to explain knitting well enough to post about it - maybe someday!

pumpkin sewing

pumpkin sewing

I feel like I've dropped the ball a little bit this year when it comes to sewing... but, as of yesterday afternoon and today, I feel like everything is getting back on track! Prior to the first day of school, I had set a basket of lacing cards on one of the shelves meant for activities that the children didn't have to have an "official lesson from a teacher" to use. So, they waited, amidst puzzles and baskets of blocks for the children to use them. For the first couple weeks of school, they were actually used quite frequently, but then the novelty wore off, and the children discovered more exciting things like pink towers and mirror washing. As for me, I had actually forgotten how satisfying sewing is to children!


Yesterday afternoon, I got out the pumpkin sewing lesson I had prepared, and presented it to one of my little students. As she sewed her pumpkin, a crowd of silent onlookers quickly formed. After she had finished, the children who had been watching each took their own turn with the lesson. This may sound scandalous to you other Montessori teachers, but I actually never got up from the table! One child after another sat down with me, watched my presentation, and sewed a pumpkin. This went on for nearly the entire work period!





This morning, they were back at it! Threading needles. Sewing pumpkins. There is definitely something meditative about the repetition of sewing. Not to mention, sewing takes excellent precision and fine motor control. :) I'm excited that the children are all so excited - it means I've satisfied a need for many of them. Next week, I might just put out sewing button eyes on a felt jack-o-lantern. Some of them are ready for it!

eee-hee-hee-hee-heeeee!!!!!

the pumpkins and the witch

5 little pumpkins sitting on a fence,
a witch came flying by!
eee-hee-hee-hee-heeee!
I'll take you and make some pumpkin pie!

(then there were, 4, 3, 2, 1, etc...)

0 pumpkins sitting on a fence,
a witch came flying by!
eee-hee-hee-hee-heeee!
eating pumpkin pie!

I got the wonderful idea to use manipulatives during my circle time fingerplays from Laura at My Montessori Journey! For the pumpkins and the witch, I cut shapes out of felt and then hot-glued them to a piece cardboard. The witch's hair is yellow mohair, and her broom is a shish-kebab stick with white yarn hot-glued to one end. Next, I hot-glued round magnets to the back of each piece. The black background that the magnets stick to is just a metal tray from a toaster oven - I don't think it had been used for cooking, so it was a good find!



The children already know this particular fingerplay by heart, so they were really excited about the manipulatives. It was like one of their favorite Halloween stories had finally come to life - a total concrete experience. They counted the pumpkins like they had never counted them before! :) Thanks, Laura!

Montessori the Grate

I'm not sure if grating lessons are typically part of the Montessori curriculum, but they are a HIT at my school. The children literally beg us teachers to present these lessons, and they get lots of use during every work period. I love grating lessons because they require organization and problem solving, and they combine many of the skills acquired from the beginning practical life lessons. The children love them because they are exciting, and they provide a tangible product. :)

Bread Grating

Materials:

• stale bread (place slices of bread on a cookie pan in a warm oven for a couple hours)
• grater with a bottom for catching crumbs
  
• spoon
• bag for crumbs
• brush and pan for "crumbing" table and chair

The child grates bread across the grater, and when he's satisfied with the amount of crumbs in the container, he spoons them into a bag. The stale bread makes a really great sound against the grater, and crumbs fly EVERYWHERE! But, stay calm... the second part of this lesson involves lots of thorough sweeping. I mean, we get down on our hands and knees and peer around for stray crumbs. :) Before, we go on a sweep-a-thon, it's really important to decide what the child is going to use the crumbs for - that way, he'll have something to look forward to after all the hard work. Feeding them to the birds and saving them to put on a salad (or mom's salad) are favorite choices in our classroom.

Soap Grating

Materials:

• large bowl
• large pitcher
• upright grater
• soap on dish (plain Ivory works well, but it has to be dried out)
• eggbeater
• scrub brush
• drying cloth

The child first grates soap into the bottom of the bowl. Then, she fills the pitcher with warm water. Half the warm water will be used for making soap suds, the other half will be saved for the clean-up. The child then uses the eggbeater to whip the soap into suds. With the right amount of soap, warm water, and determination, a child can make an astounding amount of bubbles. When the child is satisfied that her water is sudsy enough, she pours it into the tub we use to wash our snack dishes. The rest of the lesson involves cleaning up. The child pours fresh water into the bowl and uses the scrub brush to wash the grater, the eggbeater, the soap dish, and the ring around the bowl.

Bread grating and soap grating are always out on the practical life shelves, but, seasonally, we also grate crayons, cinnamon, carrots, etc. Actually, a lemon or lime zesting lesson sounds fun, doesn't it? Happy grating!