DIY Color Matching Game

I saw this in my colleague's classroom.  I love how simple it is!   Easy peasy.  This is a great activity to have in a basket like the photo below or you could set it up like a Montessori tray.

 What you will need:

• paint samples (2 of each color you use)
• clothespins
• tacky glue

 One paint sample strip will be the base that the children clip on the matching color.

With the second strip of the color sample - cut a square and glue it to the clothespin.  Let dry.

 The children then clip the clothespin to the color square it matches.

So easy.  Such goodness.  

Thank-you Lauren for sharing this with Fairy Dust!!

DIY Sand Blocks

It is super simple to make your own sand blocks - and on the cheap!  These are wonderful for a Music center.   You can do group music as you can make a class set for under $25.  Woo hoo!

What you will need:

• 60 coarse grit sand paper
• wood blocks (wood craft section of Hobby Lobby or Michaels - I watch for sales)
• wood glue
• wood ball knobs 1 1/2"
• wax paper

I prefer the wood blocks with the beveled edges for a more professional look.

These cost 79 cents each.  (Watch for your favorite craft store to put the wood crafts on sale!) For super cheap - buy the wood slats (6 per bag).

 1.  I cut the sand paper to fit just inside the wood area.  

I like to use my paper cutter for a clean cut.

 2.  Spread a thin layer wood glue on the face of the wood block. 

Smooth the sand paper into place.

3.   Place a layer of wax paper on top of the wood block.

Put a heavy book on top.  Let dry.

(Tip - be careful to place book carefully as not to move the sand paper out of position)

4.  Add a wood ball knob to the back of each block with wood glue.  Let dry.

These knobs make it easier for small hands to hold the blocks during playing.

Ta Da!!  A Pair of Sand Blocks - cost $2.00  (less if wood is purchased on sale!)

(This set costs under a dollar if done with plain wood blocks!)

Buy a set like this in a store and you will pay  $4.00 to $5.95.

I love DIY!!!

5.  Play play play!  

Here is a fun song to sing and play with your sand blocks:

The Blocks On The Bus

  (tune: Wheels on the Bus) 

The blocks on the bus go scrape, scrape, scrape, 

Scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape, 

The blocks on the bus go scrape, scrape, scrape, 

All through the town. 

Patty's Room: Practical Life

Today I am bringing a series of photos of Patty Eaton's classroom - an amazing early childhood educator/expert in my area.  It is a blend of Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Constructivism.  It is wonderful!

Patty has agreed to co-teach an eWorkshop with me online - - -and it will happen next month!  Woot!  Stay tuned for the wonderful details!  It will be all about creating dynamic classroom environments.

Here are a few of the trays in Patty's Practical Life center.  I love the mix of basket, tin and silver trays for the work.

These trays provide the following benefits for children:

• it develops concentration
• it develops fine motor skills (to ready children for handwriting)
• it builds eye/hand coordination
• it builds dexterity
• develops control of movement
• and more.

 Wide tongs to pick up small wooden blocks from one basket to another.

 A wooden box of flour to spoon into the bowl.

 A flour sifter.  (Love this!)

 A bowl of rice to scoop with a little ladle into a silver bowl.

 Two containers with cotton balls to pick up with the tongs.

Two baskets of nuts and bolts.

 Colored water mixing tray.

Turkey baster to squeeze colored water from one container to another.

Tomorrow I will share Patty and Jenni's amazing art center.  So rich!!!

The "Living" Dollhouse. . .

So dang sweet, it is!  It could be called a large fairy garden but I love calling it the "Living" dollhouse because I put dollhouse dolls and furniture in it. 

Here's how I did it: I used a large box that I cut down to just 6 inches tall.  I lined it with a plastic trash bag and poured in potting soil.   Next we built a pathway with stones, planted flowers, grass seed (not yet sprouted), added wood stumps and a way we went!

Don't you love the mushroom/fairy furniture?  Found it on Amazon on clearance!  Score!

Shhh . . . I put a vacated wasp's nest in as a carpet!  Ohhh - so fun!

I think is so rich and full of live to provide a dollhouse setting that has flowers and grass growing and elements of nature.   We will continue to add to this dollhouse "landscape" until school ends. 

Learning links:  Next week I will begin telling stories with the little dollhouse people to demonstrate how to spin a story with these props.  We will discuss the beginning, middle and end of my stories.  I will offer storytelling for the children to do for the class much like a puppet show.   Finally, Thursday and Friday I will ask the children to write about it.  It is a full vibrant experience to take to paper.

The Peace Table

One of the best gifts from Montessori education has to be the concept of the Peace Table.  The Peace Table is a conflict resolution tool for the classroom.  Traditionally, there is a peace rose that the children can present to a child they have a conflict with and "go" to the table to work it out.  I have adapted the process for my classroom and circumstance and am using a little heart stone a friend gave me.  My Peace Table is small and easy to sit on the floor with. 

 The child who is upset brings the issue to the Peace Table.  Holding the stone, they state the problem.

I coach the child to state the problem as "I did not like it when. . . ."

Then from that point on it is a "I feel ______ when _______" statement. (I statements!)

 The other child has a chance to say what they are feeling as well.  The peace stone goes back and forth until the children have expressed all their feelings and the issue is resolved.

What is amazing about the process is that the children are given a chance to safely express their feelings to a peer.  There is the tool for "talk turns" - the peace rose or stone.  It eliminates tattling as I just send them to the Peace Table.  Nine times out of ten, the problem is resolved by the very act of communicating their feelings.  The children who have trouble with their peers need help with this process - but it is a great forum to do it!   

Wish we could have a global Peace Table for big people. . . .and it worked like this does!!!

Crack! Yum!

I have an old nutcracker - I think it came from my grandmother.  Every fall I put it out as a center choice.  I first check to be sure there are no nut allergies and make all the necessary precautions.  (With some children - it is not possible to even have the nutcracker out.)  If all is a go, I buy a variety of nuts in bulk and put them with the cracker.  The children adore it!

It provides several opportunities:

• The child has to "twist" the end that holds the nut tightly in the holder.  This exercises important fine motor muscles.
• To crack the nut, it takes a strong and intentional push down of the handle.  This takes strength and focus - both important skills.  This is a great activity for children with lots of energy!
• Finally, it provides a delicious morsel of nutmeat.  This helps the children to understand where nut meat comes from!  And, oh, how yummy!

It is nice to store the nuts in a lovely basket.  The children line up to crack nuts -so I have not made it to the basket!

ABC Rocks

Photo is from I am Momma - Hear Me Roar

I found these ABC rocks on I Am Momma Hear Me Roar  and I loved them (click on the link to see her post! It is called Alphabet Rocks. She has good ideas if you would like to try painting a set.  I love her blog!).  I want a set but I do not have the time to handpaint them.  So once again -  the scrapbook section of Michael's to the rescue!  I found these:

Remember your 40% off coupon!

What you will need:  About 3 bags of rocks, Modge Podge, sealant like Clear Koat, and paper letters from scrapbooking section (do not get any raised letters - you want flat paper letters for best results).

I Modge Podged these on to the rocks.

• First spread a layer of Modge Podge on the bare rock. Put the letter on top of wet Modge Podge.
• Next, spread a layer of Modge Podge over the top of letter (you can use a brush or your finger).

Let them dry and seal with a sealant.  Easy peasy (and fast)!!

Thank you Cheri for the great idea of an alphabet rock set!

Easy ABC Set

A wooden tray of wooden ABC chips! 

I found this great wooden tray at Michael's for $1.99.   

Add a bag of wooden discs...

 And a bag of scrapbook letters. . .

 And a swirl of modge podge 

 and voila!  So quick and simple!  Love it!

Make Your Own Moon Sand

MOON SAND RECIPE

    It is a basic 2 to 1 ratio (sand to cornstarch)

6 cups of play sand (I used Crayola Brand - Blue)

3 cups of cornstarch 

1 1/2 cups of cold water

Begin by mixing the sand and cornstarch together. 

Next, add the water and mix it with your hands.  You will have to work it through until you do not see any more cornstarch (white). 

I store it in a plastic storage box and it doubles as the Moon Sand Sensory Center.

 

If it begins to dry out, just add a few tablespoons of water until it returns to the proper consistency.  

FYI - for the batch I took photos of - I did not have enough cornstarch.   It did not matter!  It was still great moon sand.  It is not an exact science!

 Add cornstarch to colored sand.

 Using your hands, mix the sand and cornstarch together.

 Add water.

 Mix water into sand mixture.  

 Add space materials and play!

How to make a Chinese Counting Set

Inspired by the Chinese abacus (which they called suànpán) I adapted the Montessori Teens Board to create our own little counting set.  My objective is to teach the teens.  

I had my students make their own set today.  They loved it!  I think it is so powerful to let them make their own materials whenever it is possible.  This gives them ownership!

Each Counting Set has two 10's strands (black), two 5's strands (red), and 10 ones (gold), plus a counting mat, number cards and a drawstring bag for the beads.  I used the colors that brought the mood of China to this activity. 

Here's what you will need: 1 piece of glitter foam (I purchased the largest size and cut it into fourths), pony beads in black, red and gold, gold pipecleaners, and a small drawstring bag.

Preparation of Materials:  I set up the materials to make the construction as simple as possible.  I precut the pipecleaners (I cut the 10 strand 5 inches long and the 5 strand 3 inches long.  This gave room for the children to make the end loops.  If you make the set, it will not need to be this long.)  I laid out each child's materials so that it would be clear when I gave them the instructions.

 

Making the strands:   I told the children that the "black beads on tall, red on the small" in regards to the pipecleaners.  I repeated this several times.  I also demonstrated how to make a loop and twist on the end of the pipecleaner.  I walked the children through the first strand.  I set them loose to make the 2 black strands and 2 red strands, put them in their bags and count 10 gold beads into the bag. 

I talked a little about how we can call the 10 strand just "ten" and the 5 strand just "five" and the single gold bead "one."  Tomorrow we will begin to put out the number cards and explore how tens, fives and ones make the numbers 1-20.  We will concentrate on 11-20.  Be clear! This is not the full Montessori method!  I am adapting the idea for my situation.  For a free print out of the number cards and more information on the Montessori method of counting with ten and teen boards check out this link: Teen and Ten Board.