,

Cultural Studies: Continent Boxes

Montessori methodology places great emphasis on other cultures and places in the world, which we explore as part of our Cultural Studies curriculum. One of our favourite activities at St Andrew’s Montessori is Cultural Boxes, of which there…
,

Mathematics: Sandpaper Numbers

The wonderful thing about Montessori learning is that it incorporates the different senses into activities in an effort to assist learning. Sandpaper Numbers is one such activity; it ‘lives’ in the mathematics area of a Montessori classroom…
,

Practical Life: Buttoning

It’s so easy, as parents, to fall into the trap of doing things for our children rather than giving them the opportunity to do things themselves. In our busy, modern lives; often we feel like we don’t have the time (and let’s be honest,…
,

Cultural: Structure of the Earth – Water, Air and Land lesson

The introductory lesson to the ‘Structure of the Earth’ will teach children what the earth is made up of and will develop their sense of order. It’s an activity that can easily be replicated at home and as well as stimulating, it’s a…
,

Practical Life: Folding

Many of the activities included in the Practical Life area of the Montessori curriculum are things that might seem fairly obvious but, in fact; it’s incorrect to assume that our little ones simply know how to brush their teeth, wash dishes…
,

Sensorial: Colour Box 3

A couple of tutorials ago, we covered Colour Boxes 1 & 2 from the sensorial area of our curriculum. The activities associated with these two boxes focus on primary and secondary colours; once children have mastered the identification of…
,

Cultural Studies: Continental Globe and Map

A continents globe, map, apple and knife – that’s what you’ll need to teach your child not only the locations of the continents and their names but also, how the spherical shape of the earth translates onto a 2-Dimensional map. In…
,

Language: Metal Insets

Learning to trace is great fun for little ones and with the help of Montessori’s metal insets, children will pick up the skill in no time at all. The idea behind the specific shapes that form part of this apparatus is that the tracing exercise…
,

Mathematics: Addition Strip Board

Use of the Addition Strip Board requires children to have a good grasp of quantity to numeral because the equations (or addition sums, in a non-Montessori context) that are taught in this exercise are quite abstract. Little ones who have not…
,

Mathematics: Addition Snake Game

The Addition Snake Game is a fun way for children to begin memorising facts, and of course, boost their adding skills. The goal of the activity is to turn a colourful snake into a golden snake by counting to ten. The game has three components:…
,

Practical Life: The Silence Game

As a parent, silence is a rare, wonderful thing. Its effect is calming and centring, and although it might seem like children do not value the gift of silence, its benefits are paramount. In The Secret of Childhood, Maria Montessori said,…
,

Sensorial: Colour Box 1 & 2

Colours are such an important part of life, enabling expression and evoking emotion, but it seems to take children ages to figure them out – their names, in particular. There’s a really great article in Scientific American that explores…