As we continue into earth month, our focus will shift to sustainability, biology and botany.
Early Science Curriculum
On the science shelf in the classroom, it is important to have a variety of lessons that teach children how to become natural scientists and observers. These early lessons teach children how to classify animals and plants and learn about different types of vertebrates.
Living and non- living is a great lesson to have on the shelf all year round. Through the sorting of objects, children can practice classifying items as either a living or nonliving object. Children will love looking at the items in the basket and learning what makes something alive.
After children have mastered an understanding of how to classify between living and non-living things, teachers can introduce the lesson of plant and animal classification. While both plants and animals are living creatures, their abilities and needs vary widely. Invite children to practice observing the differences between plants and animals through a prepared plant and animal kit.
After the initial lessons of living/ non living and plant/ animal, children are ready to begin learning about vertebrates and invertebrates. It is important to distinguish the difference between these two categories before moving on to more advanced studies in this area about individual types of vertebrates. This vertebrate /invertebrate kit has a multitude of objects and wooden labels that the children will love using while they learn about this topic.
If all three of these science classification sets sound wonderful to you, they are available to purchase all together as well.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Earth Day is this week, Friday, April 22. Bring the topic of sustainability into the classroom through a look into the materials used in the classroom daily.
Montessori classrooms are busy, and it can be easy to slip into non-sustainable habits. Here are a few tips for making the classroom a little bit more eco friendly this Earth day.
- Wooden Trays - These trays are beautifully made, long lasting, and can be reused for years to come. There are a variety of shapes and sizes available, as well as packs of three to make set up easy. Plus, it is much easier to recycle wood than it is plastic.
- Reusable cups for snack time - How many paper and plastic cups does your classroom throw out daily? Replacing even one set of cups for snack time could lead to a big reduction in waste for the classroom. Switch out water or juice cups with enamel mugs or stackable plastic cups that can be reused for years to come. Plus, these can lead to a wonderful dishwashing activity as the children complete the full work cycle.
- Add a Recycle Bin to your classroom - Does your room have a recycling bin? Reinforce the importance of recycling, as well as what you can recycle through your circle time meetings this week. To aid in the discussion, this week’s worksheet is fun reduce, reuse, recycle sorting activity that can be laminated and done as a class or as an individual work.
