Tag: Montessori at home

Montessori Services & For Small Hands – Review

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One of my absolute favorite home Montessori businesses is Montessori Services. As a Montessori teacher, there were so many supplies we would purchase through Montessori Services or For Small Hands to use in our classrooms. While Montessori Services specializes in items for Montessori classrooms, For Small Hands caters to supplies and toys for the home.

Cooking

For Small Hands offers everything you need to help your child be an independent chef at home! In the cooking section, tools are organized into preparing food, baking, serving, snack and lunch, and books. Within each section, you will find items appropriate for different age groups, from toddler to elementary.

Some of my favorites are this wavy chopper, bamboo cutting board, juice pitcher, and sturdy juice glasses. If I were to only buy four items from For Small Hands, these would be it! The chopper and cutting board are perfectly sized “for small hands” and are the perfect intro to basic chopping and food prep.

For snack and meal times, I find the juice pitcher and juice glasses to be essential items. These items are made of glass, which does mean they are breakable. However, I have found the glass to be very sturdy and both the pitcher and glasses have survived small tumbles! Additionally, I prefer glass and ceramic (breakable) over metal and plastic because children really do learn to be more careful.

food preparation
Photo by Daria Obymaha on Pexels.com

Cleaning

While I will not get into the many benefits of children doing chores in this post, will give you a link to find exactly what you need to help your child do a little housework! For Small Hands has a great section for cleaning tools for your child. While there are many options, I will highlight my three favorite cleaning tools my own children use:

A traditional corn broom. I prefer corn brooms over other types of brooms, so this looks most similar to our adult sized broom. These brooms can be used indoors or out, so they are great when my kids need to sweep the porch as well!

A compact brush and dustpan. I love this brush and dustpan set! The handle fits nicely in a child’s hands and it is just the right size for sweeping up small messes. Additionally, I have found the handle on the size of the brush is easier for children to use than the handle on top of the brush (such as this: Whisk broom and dust pan).

Finally, a window washing kit. I don’t know about your children, but mine love to wash windows! Sometimes I think their hand prints are intentional, just so they can wash the windows again. This set comes with everything your child needs to make windows sparkling clean: a spray bottle, cleaning cloths, a squeegee, and a handy caddy to carry it all in. Properly used, your child will not need any more than water in the squirt bottle to clean windows!

Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels.com

Toys!

Of course, children have toys. While I try to limit the amount of toys that enter our home and be intentional with what toys we do have, it can be hard to prevent a doting relative from generously giving children toys. I try to be proactive and let family members know how much I appreciate their kindness, and then steer them in a direction everyone can be happy with.

For Small Hands has many, many toys and activities to choose from! Everything offered has some kind of educational benefit, is a quality item, and sure to be enjoyed by your child. There are simple stacking and sorting activities for toddlers, constructing activities for elementary students, gross motor activities for children of all ages, and everything in between.

As a bonus, I have found that grandparents have been impressed with the options for toys and games available at For Small Hands, as they offer activities that are both lots of fun and educational.

Final Notes

I have only great things to say about this company. The selection of items is wonderful; it seems no matter what home Montessori items I need I can find it here! They have great items for practical life activities, books, arts and crafts, and games. While they don’t supply many traditional Montessori materials, they do have support materials, such as phonetic objects. Customer service has also been great. Luckily I have only had one issue, and they reached out immediately to keep me updated and make sure I was satisfied.

What about you? What has been your favorite find (or finds!) at For Small Hands?

How to Make Your Own Montessori Pin Map

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The Montessori pin maps are one of my favorite geography materials in an elementary classroom. This material is a wonderful way to engage children in learning world geography. Using an atlas for accuracy, children place pin labels on maps to name countries, major cities, capitals, and major waterways. It is a time-consuming activity. Upon completion, children often feel proud of themselves and the work they have done.

Unfortunately, the cost of adding this material to a homeschooling environment is typically too much. The complete set is around $1,000. For our family, this was certainly unaffordable. After some thought, and browsing the internet for alternatives, I decided to try a Do-It-Yourself project. The cost was quite low, and my older daughter became very interested in the process, which was a bonus!

Materials Needed

It took me a long time to settle on the specific materials I would use and how I wanted the map boards to look. Here is what I finally decided on:

Lots of Dots

Since my daughter is interested in studying Europe next, I decided to start with a pin map of Europe first. I opened the atlas to a political map of Europe and got out my printed map. First, I made large red dots approximately where each capital city is located. Since we are using toothpicks for our “pins,” I made sure each dot was larger than a toothpick in diameter. I chose red dots, as many maps use red dots and stars to designate cities.

Next, I made large black dots for placing the name of the countries. I chose to do this after the capitals to make sure I did not place a black dot where a red dot should have been. Once that was completed, I made blue dots on the major bodies of water. If you have a map that lines major rivers, that would be great! I did not have one on hand so I stuck to seas in and around Europe.

So. Many. Dots.

Creating the Board

Once I got all those dots filled in (and double-checked to make sure I didn’t miss any!), I glued the paper to one of the cork boards. I placed the paper toward the bottom, so there were a few inches above the map. This way, my kids could place the toothpicks in the cork to be ready before they need them, making it easier to find each name.

While The cork board was set to the side to dry, I printed and cut labels. To help the children sort the different flags, I put a black, red, or blue dot on each flag, front and back. I wrote the name of the country, capital, or water body on the front. On the back, I have a small color image of the continent (e.g. a red image of Europe) and the word country, capital, or water body. I folded in half and glued them onto toothpicks.

The finished product!

After the map was completely dry, I used a toothpick to pock holes in each of the dots on the map. Ideally, each dot was larger than the toothpick, so the color is still visible with the hole. I had to make a couple dots larger, which I felt was important because I wanted the children to be able to match the colored dots on the label to the one on the map.

I keep the pins in a small food storage container when the map is not in use. The pin maps are stored on a shelf, stacked neatly. I may label the front of each map to make it easier to find the one they want, but I have not done that yet.

This was a time-consuming project- probably over an hour for one map, but it was worth it to us. I enjoyed working on it and I liked the involvement of my children. I hope you found this helpful and maybe even inspirational – even if the inspiration was to buy them already made!

Birds

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As spring is coming ever so slowly, we’re seeing more and more birds around, much to the delight of my toddler. For Christmas, she got a bird feeder and diligently feeds the birds. I keep an eye on it to make sure it’s filled, but most of the time she’s ready to refill it as soon as it gets low!

Supporting this interest in our homeschool room, we have a few shelves of bird activities. Some are old, some are new, and all are loved. From top to bottom, left to right, we have:

My toddler’s favorite activities is matching the bird figures to the cards. Normally, when I do matching activities for toddler and primary aged children, I prefer to make the images match the objects. So when I do a Safari LTD TOOB, I take photos (or find them pre-made) of the TOOB objects. In this case, I used photos of the birds. I went this route because many of the birds we have seen and will continue to see, so there is more real life experience. She can hold a figurine of a Blue Jay, look at a photo, and see them in the yard.

Sibley Flashcards and Matching

We have enjoyed going through the many cards in the flash card box set. The birds are divided into three sets: Western US, Eastern US, and Common to all. Since my children are younger and there are SO many cards, I pulled out the cards for birds we don’t have. Sometimes my children will sit quietly and look at the pictures, which are beautiful and drawings. Sometimes we use them as a resource, either wondering more information about a bird or for identifying new birds we see.

Personally, my favorite is the memory game. My toddler uses this material as a matching activity, which is great. My older daughter likes playing Memory. The cards are thick cardboard with the name and image of the bird. The images match the fact file cards, which is great for when we come across a bird we haven’t actually seen before.

Sibley Memory Game and Sibley Fact Cards

Last, but not least!

Of course, I included the Montessori Parts of a Bird puzzle in the mini bird unit. We have a complete set of parts of animal puzzles, which my kids love. A favorite is the horse puzzle, so this was a good opportunity to remind them about the bird puzzle! Now that it is sitting displayed on the shelf, it is definitely getting more use.

Bird Egg Tonging

The final activity I added to the shelf was bird egg sorting. The eggs are wooden eggs I had. I don’t remember where I got them, but I’m sure you could find them in a craft store. I painted them with acrylic paints, and my daughter loved splattering the black paint to make them look speckled! The little nests, from Amazon, each hold four eggs nicely. The tongs are a bit tricky for my toddler, but it’s great practice for my older daughter.

Side Note: Illustrations versus Photos

Sometimes I see parents questioning whether or not a material is “Montessori” because it uses illustrations rather than photos. This comes from the idea that we want to always show children what is real rather than pretend images. It is an excellent point, but sometimes misguided. In my classroom and in my home, I strive for realistic representation when learning about something. When choosing a book or material, rather than limiting myself to photos, I want to see that images are accurate and beautiful. Sometimes this means photos and sometimes it means illustrations. So, you’ll see we have a mixture of both on our shelves currently.

A Prepared Environment, What It Is, and How to Bring it Home

What is the Prepared Environment?

You may have heard Montessorians talk about the prepared environment. But what exactly is the prepared environment and how do you do it at home? (Jump to just that section)

The prepared environment means everything in the space is ready for the child’s use and exploration. We begin with child sized furniture and tools, open shelving for the children’s activities, and and supplies the child may need for the day. There is also a dedicated space for everything in the room and for the child’s belongings.

A child can enter a Montessori classroom, hang his coat, and complete any number of activities independently. There is a child-sized location to wash hands, use the restroom, and have a snack. Everything the child needs is in his reach.

The Final Touches

Before class starts for Montessori children, you can find Montessori guides and aides going about the classroom, making sure everything is ready. This may mean placing chairs at a table, getting foods out for food prep, or sharpening pencils. When children enter a Montessori classroom, we want them drawn to the materials. Everything the child needs should be ready.

After the children have left the classroom for the day, guides and aides go through their classrooms and clean up items that need to be put away. A forgotten work rug, a material or a piece of an activity. We tidy up and replenish whatever needs to be done. The shelves should be orderly, both visually and everything in the proper location.

But what about the children’s responsibility, you may be wondering. Aren’t Montessori children supposed to clean up after themselves?

Yes, and they do. But as adults we understand children are still learning. We assist in this as much as possible during the day and know there were be little things for us to tidy regardless. Some parents prefer to leave items as they lay for the child to notice the next day. With older children, this may work. When a young child returns to school and sees materials still out, forgotten, or work rugs haphazardly piled together, she does not learn respect of the materials. When materials are not in the proper location, she may not be independent in getting the material she now has to hunt for.

Adults show the children how we respect the materials and keep the space organized by ensuring it is that way at the start of the day.

Prepared Home Environment

The first step is to make your what your child needs more accessible in your home. More on that here. The next step is to make sure everything your child needs has it’s “home.” That is, each item should have one place it always belongs. A bin for shoes by the door, a cabinet for dishes, a shelf for the puzzle, and so on. New toys

On a daily basis, it is great for your child to see you cleaning up. Children are naturally observant and will notice that you always clean up the breakfast dishes in the morning and pick up miscellaneous things around the living room. The other piece is to help your child clean up their own things. With toddlers, it helps to show them the new activity, do it with them, and model putting it away. As they get older, I try to notice when they are finishing up and remind them to put the activity away. Work rugs/play mats are a huge help with this! You can check out my post on them here. At this point, my five year old benefits from reminders but she does not always need them.

When the kids aren’t around, I put the finishing touches on cleaning up. While I’m with them, I’ll help direct and assist as needed, but I know while they’re still learning, it’s going to be “kid clean.” Things may be put back on the shelves willy nilly, their jacket on the floor under the hook, or maybe a toy completely forgotten about. That’s OK! I pick the last few things up.

In the morning, my children will see how beautiful everything looks. It will help them remember their belongings are important and to be cared for. As they get older, they can assume more responsibility for this. For an older child, you may want to do a quick sweep of the are after they’ve cleaned up. You can point out the things that are disorderly, left out, or missing and help them finish up as needed.

Where do you struggle with the prepared environment? How does this affect your child? What are you doing well, and what can be improved?

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