Simple Ornament Gift

One of my favorite, but most challenging aspects of the Montessori environment is the multi-age classroom.  This is where I truly believe Montessori was a genius.  How do you help older children become caring, confident leaders?  Encourage them to interact with younger children.  How do you help younger children become more engaged, self-motivated learners?  Expose them to kindergarten-age students.
The multi-age classroom becomes a challenge, however, when planning art activities and whole group exercises.  Activities must be simple enough for the youngest three-year old, yet challenging enough to capture the attention of a six-year old.  Every year we plan a craft for the children to make as a Christmas gift for their parents.   Thanks to pinterest, I've found the perfect ornament for both three and six-year olds!  The only assistance the children needed was with controlling the proper amount of paint to be dripped into the ornament. 

 

 

Simply choose three or four colors of acrylic paint, drip them into the clear glass ornament, and shake or roll to achieve the desired effect.  We let them dry upside down on egg cartons so the extra paint could drip out.  Very easy and such beautiful gifts.



Bringing Nature Indoors

In our part of the world, December typically brings cold, blustery days and not enough time outdoors.  My daughters and I felt the need to get our hands in the dirt, so we planned a "succelent garden".  This project is simple enough to do at home or in a classroom.  Each child could make their own garden.  Even my 18 month old enjoyed scooping and pouring.
The plants are very inexpensive.  The most costly aspect of this project was probably the cactus soil. 

Besides the bowl, everything I needed was at our local greenhouse. The glass bowl is from Walmart.  You could really use just about anything to house your garden.  The point of interest for the children was adding the layers to the bowl. Gravel, soil, plants, sand, rocks. 

 

Tada!!

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing all of you moms a Happy Mother's Day!

For our mom's gift this year, the children made flower-topped pencils.  They were a fun and easy craft that you're child can make at home for friends or relatives. 

Supplies:

• colorful, unsharpened pencil
• rubber band
• 2 coffee filters
• washable markers
• spray bottle

Here's what you do:

• Color the front and back of the coffee filters.  Be sure the edges are covered with colors.
• Stack the filters and fold them in half.  Fold them again so you have a cone shape.
• Place the eraser end of the pencil into the corner of the cone.  Wrap the filters tightly around the pencil. 
• Fasten the filters to the pencil using the rubberband (a ribbon might work nicely too).
• Spread apart the filters into the shape of a carnation.
• Lightly spray the flower with water so the colors blend together.

The flower dries in about 20 minutes.  I love this craft because the child can do most of it himself, and it looks so elegant when it is complete.  My daughter made one for me in class on Friday and I've been using it ever since.  It puts a smile on my face when I'm writing out the grocery list!

Kite-Making

This past week we enjoyed studying the history of kites and kite-making.  Kites originated in China and spread to Indonesia, Japan, and on from there.  We discovered that kites were used to offer prayer requests up to the gods.  Certain symbols represented particular requests, such as a dragon for wealth and power or an egret for good luck. 

On September 9th, Chinese families celebrate The Double Ninth Festival (Ch'ing Yang), also called the Festival of Kites.  On this day, kite-flying is a symbol of rising higher and higher, being better and better at everything one does.  Chinese families enter this contest hoping to win first prize- a cow, second prize- a pig, or third prize- a sheep.  Unfortunately, after doing more research, we discovered that some contestants treat their strings with powdered glass.  The glass strings can cut the strings of other kites, causing them to fall.  We followed up the conversation by discussing sportsmanship, honesty, and fairness. 

The children showed interest in making their own kites.  Our year is winding down here, so we are not able to make kites in school.  If you would like to make your own kite at home, here are some directions found in the book Kites: Magic Wishes that Fly up to the Sky:

Supplies you'll need:

• lightweight paper, 3' x 3'
• 2 round wood dowels (1/8" thick); one 36" long and one 32" long
• kite string
• thread
• glue twist tab (optional)
• paint
• scissors
• tape
• ruler
• reinforcement rings (for use on binder paper)
• crepe paper

1. Take the lightweight paper and lay it on the floor.
2. Paint a big picture on it that can be seen from far away. Let the paint dry.
3. Cross the shorter dowel a quarter of the way down the long dowel.  The longer dowel is called the mast, and the point where the two dowels cross is called the joint.
4. Fasten the dowels securely at a right angle with kite string or thread and glue, or with a twist tab.
5. Outline the kite with string tied to the four dowel ends.  Don't pull the string so tightly that the dowels bend--they should be straight.  Hint:  Making a notch at the end of each dowel will help to hold the string in place.
6. Place your kite frame on the back of your picture, and hold it in place with tape.  Hint: There should be at least 1 inch of paper beyond the frame of your kite.  Trace the outline of your kite on the paper.
7. Make another outline 1 inch wider all around so you can fold the paper over the outlining string, and paste it down.  Spaces must be cut in the paper where it matches up to the wood dowels.
8. To attach your flying line, first make two holes in your kite diagonally across the mast: one above the joint, one below the joint--use reinforcements on the holes to prevent the paper from ripping.  The string should go through the other hole.  Tie securely so that the knot is visible from the front of the kite.
9. Adding a tail will help balance the kite so it will fly straight.  Cut a hole on each side of the mast, just above the bottom hems of the kite; again, use reinforcements to keep the holes from ripping.
10. Now you are ready to make the tail.  First cut a piece of string that measures 10 ft. to 12 ft.  Then tie 6-inch crepe paper bows along the line, one per foot.  Now tie the tail string through the holes you made at the bottom of the kite in Step 9.
11. Stretch the kite tail on the ground.  If the wind isn't at least 8 miles per hour, you may need a friend to hold your kite up off the ground to get it airborne.
12. Run into the wind with your kite behind you.  The wind will catch your kite!  Let it fly!  Let the string out so the kite can go higher--hooray!

Turntable Art

Here's a fun art activity that you can try at home...if you're a packrat like me.  Fortunately, I held on to this old record player from my childhood.  This is based on the "spin art" idea.  Here's what you need:

• Record player
• Small paper plates
• Markers
• Tape
• Hole puncher (optional)
• String (optional)

This work set up on a table, not on a shelf.  It is too heavy for some of the younger children to carry.

The child places a plate upside down on the turntable.

He then attaches two pieces of tape to the plate.

Next, he creates designs and spirals with the marker, experimenting with the two different speeds.

Use a variety of markers for more interesting designs.

Some of the children wanted to display their art, so I added a hole puncher and some string.  They were able to punch the holes, but many of them needed help tying the string.  This activiy is so much fun, be sure to have enough paper plates!

Money Game

A few days ago, I pulled out a work that I haven't used in years. This is an activity you can easily set up at home, after a trip to the bank! It's called the Money Game- an extention activity used by many Montessori teachers to reinforce the concept of money value and equivalence. Many of my students this year have shown a lot of interest in our coin stamps. They're making coin vocaulary booklets, coin equivalence booklets, and even drawings with coins incorporated into the theme! I thought it was time to challenge some of the older children with this fun, engaging activity.

Start with a seven compartment tray- six compartments around the edge and one in the middle.

Fill one space with pennies, one with nickels, the next with dimes, then quarters, half-dollars, a dollar coin, and one die in the middle. The youngest child rolls the die first and picks up that many pennies. Children take turns rolling the die and picking up coins. I use an equivalence book, made from the coin stamps, to assist the children in exchanging coins. The little equivalence booklet is kept in the middle compartment with the die. After some time, when children roll a five or a six, they realize they can immediately pick up a nickel instead of five pennies. The children keep exchanging all the way up until they receive two half-dollars. At this point, that winning child can exchange for the dollar coin. After the game, I show the children how to shake hands and say "good game". Due to the caring nature of the Montessori classroom, children feel comfortable both winning and losing. They are then asked to wash their hands, after handling the coins.

With 2-3 children playing, this game can take up to 30 minutes. Younger children stop by from time to time to observe, but I think they realize it's a bit over the top for them. This game is ideal for children ages 5-9, although some four year olds have been known to master the game.

This activity is another excellent opportunity for community in the classroom. If I'm unavailable and the children have an equivalence question, they can go to an older child for help. The older child feels a sense of confidence and belonging when he/she is able to helpa younger friend in need. That's the beauty of the Montessori classroom.

Volcanic Eruptions!

After our space studies, we like to dabble in the Earth Sciences with mountains, continental drift, and volcanoes. Today, we talked about the parts of the volcano, we watched a video of a real volcanic eruption, and we sang this adorable song:

Later, we went outside to create our own active volcano.


Build your own Baking Soda Volcano:

Ingredients

• 6 cups flour
• 2 cups salt
• 4 Tbsp cooking oil
• warm water
• plastic water bottle
• dishwashing detergent
• food coloring
• vinegar
• baking dish or pan
• 2 Tbsp baking soda

Here's what to do:

1. Mix flour, oil and 2 cups warm water. The mixture should be smooth and firm, add more water if needed.

2. Stand the bottle in the baking pan and mold the dough around it into a volcano shape. Don't cover the hole or drop dough into it.

3. Fill the bottle most of the way with warm water and some red and/or yellow food coloring.

4. Add 6 drops of detergent to the bottle.

5. Add baking soda to the liquid.

6. Slowly pour vinegar into the bottle...Eruption Time!!

In this reaction, carbon dioxide gas is produced, which is also present in real volcanoes. As the carbon dioxide is produced, pressure builds up inside the bottle, until the gas bubbles out of the "volcano".

This activity takes approximately 30 minutes from start to finish. Have fun!

Spiders

In the spirit of Halloween, we studied spiders today. We used the lightboard to trace a complex spider web, then we added spiders with ink thumbprints. I was so happy to see many of the children adding eight legs to their spiders, after we read a book on parts of a spider. U.P. loved the word "arachnid" and wanted to know more about these animals. We also discovered that spiders can make as many as seven different kinds of silk, each used for a different purpose (egg cases, wrapping prey...). Can you believe that a thread of spider silk is stronger than a thread of steel that is the same thickness?

Here's a spider web activity you can try at home. Finding a web is easy on foggy or dew-covered mornings because the water droplets reveal the silk threads. You'll have to wait to see the spider at work because a spider can't catch a meal until its web dries out. If your child would like to check out the intricate design of a web, here's a trick biologists use to make spider webs visible.

Step One: Put one sock inside the other to make a double-thick bag.
Step Two: Fill the bag with cornstarch or talcum powder.
Step Three: Close the opening by tying a knot in the top of the "bag".
Step Four: Hold the bag next to a spider web (not over the top of it).
Step Five: Pat the bag gently to force poweder out of it onto the web. Hint: Stand upwind so the air carries the powder onto the web.
Step Six: Keep patting the bag until the web is lightly dusted.

Another great extension to this topic is installing a Garden Spider Web Frame from Montessori Services in your backyard. With a little time and a lot of patience, children can observe a web being formed and eventually a spider hunting for a meal.

Marshmallow Sculptures

A friend of mine gave me this idea about a year ago. It's very cute, but can only be done every so often because of the sugar content involved!

Start with a bowl of mini-marshmallows, a bowl of toothpicks, and a plate. Give your child a few ideas by constructing cubes, pyramids, and other shapes. Then, pass it over to your child and watch his imagination soar.

I've done this activity with children between the ages of 6-9 and you wouldn't believe their creations. One child made a bird, one child made a tessellation (obviously a Montessori student!) and another child made a house. Of course, the best part is eating the creation!

Bubble Snake

This is such a fun activity to do outside with the kids. It's also a great way to introduce young children to the concept of reusing.

All you need for this project is:

a plastic bottle, scissors, a small washcloth, a rubber band, water, dish detergent, a shallow dish

Here's what to do:

*Cut the bottom off of a plastic bottle. If you do not use plastic bottles in your home, I'm sure a friend would let you snoop through their recycling bin.

*Wrap a small towel around the end of the bottle using a rubber band.

*Dunk the bottom of the bottle (the towel end) into some water.

*Now dunk the bottom into a shallow bowl of dish detergent.

*Blow gently to make a long bubble snake!

Messy Fun

Here's an art activity that I saw on another blog recently, but I can't remember which one. This activity was so much fun, I might try it out in the classroom this year. G mentioned that she'd like to make some more for her grandparents' birthdays, but she'd like to keep these and frame them for her room. They're so beautiful, I just might do that!

This is what you need: cookie sheet, shaving cream, food coloring, fork, cardstock, straight edge

Step One: Cover cookie sheet with shaving cream and squeeze several drops of food coloring in your color choice.

Step Two: Use a fork to swirl, not mix, colors. Plastic forks work very well.

Step Three: Lay the piece of cardstock down onto the shaving cream and press, making sure the entire paper is covered.

Step Four: Peel the paper off of the shaving cream and place on your surface.

Step Five: Use a straight edge to wipe off the excess shaving cream.

Viola! You're left with a swirly masterpiece. We re-used the same shaving cream several times and just kept adding different colors. The really neat part was seeing the colors mix and form new colors.

Try it at home! It's really not as messy as it looks. :)