Time to freshen up your practical life shelf? This week’s newsletter is all about a classic skill of the Montessori classroom: Pouring.
Pitchers
A Montessori classroom can never have too many pitchers in its cabinets…can it? Pitchers are some of the most widely used items in the classroom, and now is the time to check on your supply. Do you have matching sets? Options with and without handles?
Variety is key when changing up work in the practical life area of the classroom, so make sure you have ample supply for this year and next.
Throughout the year children will use, chip and break pitchers, so it is important to have a large variety of pitchers that can be replaced frequently, or a set of pitchers that are not breakable. Plus, having a variety of colors and shapes aids in the teacher’s ability to keep the practical life shelf feeling fresh year round.
When setting up pouring works on the practical life shelf, there needs to be variation in the types of work available. One to one pouring as well as one to two pouring should be available with a variety of fillers, from water to sand and rice.
Pitchers should also be available in a variety of types, such as ones with handles and ones without handles. A variety of materials, from glass to metal and porcelain help draw interest to a work once it has begun to lose attention. Remember to always test out the work, or have a child help you test the work, to ensure the lesson is child friendly.
If you are looking for some extension kits in the area of pouring, try this rice pouring kit and sand pouring kit. The colored sand and rice are sure to be a hit with young ones working on their fine motor skills in your classroom.
Care of the Environment
And while we are updating the practical life shelf, why not add a few fun cleaning sets? Adding this Scrubbing work is a wonderful way to get children interested in taking care of the environment while also refining their fine motor and gross motor skills. Toddlers will love using the brush to get bubbles going while learning how to clean a table after a hard day of work. Inspire their love of organization and care by teaching them how to care for their space daily.
Has your class been using dishes for food preparation again? It’s time to add the dishwashing routine back into your classroom. Use the Dishwashing Kit to give you a jump start on set up. The kit gives you everything you need for a successful set up that will allow children to clean their own plates and leave them to dry in the drying rack. There is also a fun scrub brush that they will be thrilled to try out.
This week’s worksheet is a tricky ladybug spot counting activity.
