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The golds, reds and browns of autumn signal the transition from summer to winter. The days slowly get darker and the weather a little cooler. September (in particular) is an incredible month; still warm, not too wet (yet) plus it’s conker season! Here are some fun family activities that we enjoy doing at St Andrew’s […]
Working in the kitchen is a wonderful way to include children in everyday family activities; not only will children learn practical life skills but they will be engaged on a sensory level, too. If this is something you’d like to do more of at home, the first step is to prepare an environment for your […]
There are many fun activities that children can do to develop their fine motor skills but one of the favourites in the Montessori classroom is transferring objects. This is something that keeps little ones occupied for ages and can certainly be easily done at home. There are three activities that we’d like to demonstrate; here’s […]
What we think of as “chores” Maria Montessori thought of as daily life or practical life skills. The benefits of children helping out around the house has been well researched and documented; it teaches responsibility, independence and importantly, represents a model of team work and cooperation, as family members work together. Children love to help. […]
Life during the Covid-19 pandemic has been strange and difficult but the return to school for many children in the early years group is, hopefully, a welcome step. Little ones will be able to reconnect with their friends and teachers, and although precautionary measures mean that school might seem slightly odd, the familiarity of friendly […]
In a Montessori classroom, the water pouring activity is the first follow-on from the Dry Pouring lesson where children learn the skill transferring dry goods from one jug to another. To practice water pouring at home, you will need: two jugs, a tray (that a child would be able to carry from a shelf to […]
Maria Montessori was a trained physician and sought to teach children at an early age how to incorporate the practical life skill of personal hygiene into their daily lives. As well as nurturing an understanding that being hygienically safe and healthy is important for their well-being, we want children to be independent in all of […]
Learning to tie a shoelace is one of the most exciting milestones for a child (and a parent, too!) but it takes time to learn, requiring much practice before perfection. In Montessori classrooms, we use a bow-tying frame, which involves the replication of a lot of precise steps but, as a tool, has shown itself […]
The more time our children spend with screens, the less time they spend interacting with others or in hands-on, creative play, which are both proven to be important for learning. Screens were invented in an era that came after Maria Montessori developed her learning methodology but what we do know is that Montessori-style learning encourages: […]
Matching pairs is a game that children love to play – there is likely a version in most of our homes and if not, it’s quite easy to create your own playing cards using postcards or stock images, as long as the paired images are identical. All you’ll need for this activity is a clear […]
Imagine having a tiger at school! – Being able to protect it and feed it, look after it and learn from it. It might sound bizarre but not at all in the mind of a child – and is, in fact, exactly what the children were discussing in one of our recent student council meetings. […]
The hexagon box shows children how different shapes can be used to create other shapes; more specifically, that by joining together different triangles, four-sided figures are formed. The sensorial angle of the lesson means that it can be presented without the use of language but also works as an introduction to geometry for an older […]
