Montessori on a Budget with Montessori for the Earth

"Watching a child makes it obvious that the development of his mind comes about through his movements. Movement helps the development of the mind, and this finds renewed expression in further movement and activity. It follows that we are dealing with a cycle because mind and movement are parts of the same entity."~Cosmic Education, Ursula Thrush.
 A motor movement exercise that does not require a lot of physical space is yoga. You can do it in a large group or a small group, or one-on-one. You can also let children choose it as an activity to do on their own, like the red rods.
There are lots of ways to introduce and incorporate yoga into your home or daycare environment, as well as books to explore!
Below are some awesome, Montessori-friendly kids' yoga resources to help you get started! Free Yoga Poses cards from Montessori Print Shop: 29 cards, 7.5" by 5",  available as a PDF to print out.

Yoga resources for children that I recommend:
Tips for Getting S…

Spring is in the air! Can you feel it? The bees are buzzing, the flowers are blooming, and the weather is still chilly but sunny! And it's the perfect time to introduce children to bees, flowers, and the weather through books, trips to the park, songs, nature tables, and Montessori Three-Part Cards! Below are three options you can get from Teachers Pay Teachers, and they are f r e e! Want to pin for later? https://www.pinterest.com/pin/52495151890789287/

1. 3-part Nomenclature Cards for four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter 
2. Montessori 3-Part matching cards - Sunflower: This set has images of parts of a sunflower. Each object has three cards: 1) A control card which has the name of the object printed beneath the picture, 2) an identical picture which has the name printed on the reveres (you need to write), and 3) a smaller card with the name of the object.
3. Montessori 3-Part Cards - Types of Bees: This is a Montessori 3-Part Cards printables of different types…

My Introduction to Montessori Art, Music, and Poetry Plus Planner PDF is designed for parents who want to incorporate Montessori art, music, and poetry into their home environment with children age birth to nine. This 112-page PDF includes an organizer and a three-month planner, as well as... Keep reading Introduction to Montessori Art, Music, and Poetry Plus Planner PDF here. You might also be interested in our Summer Montessori art, music, and poetry shares in my Facebook group! Join us!

Photo credit: ClickFlashPhotos / Nicki Varkevisser via Foter.com / CC BY

Montessori at Home Affordable Online Course for Ages 0-24
As I am going to become a grandma this winter, I did some preparation by taking a course by Lisa Nolan about ages 0-24 months.  She has affordable Montessori at home online courses with a wealth of information. For the price of one single toy, you can learn dozens of ideas and how to up-cycle common household items to create a Montessori environment for your child or grandchild. Most of the items can be made at home, saving money and making this wonderful environment affordable and possible. Click here to continue reading this post . . .

At the preschool age you can share your love of  language and literature by reading poetry out loud to your child/ren. You will enthuse their interest in poetry if you yourself are enthusiastic and interested in it. As it states in my Montessori training manual: "Assess yourself and your attitude. Remember, the child who is still in the absorbent state of mind [from birth to six] absorbs your attitudes.You are not just giving concrete experiences [by reading poetry], you are giving children exposure and a love for [poetry], which they will study, in depth, later on."

Then, when the child is reading comprehensively (by third grade or age eight) you can introduce the poetry basket. But first, let me review the several levels to reading (quoted from my Montessori training manual).

KEEP READING HERE

Create a special Montessori treasure basket for the holidays! Use objects from your holiday storage boxes, you know the ones in which you store old holiday wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, nick nacks, photos, cards, gifts you want to re-gift, and goodness knows what else! I went through three of my large holiday storage boxes. I took objects out that I thought my son would enjoy looking at and interacting with. I then placed them in a wicker box. (Mind you, he is seven years old. Keep reading "Winter-Themed Treasure Baskets" on our sister blog, Confessions of a Montessori Mom!

The Study of Aesop's Fables is a wonderful addition to your Montessori curriculum. And the best part is that you can find them free online and in the library! Here some activities you can do/make:

1. Tell stories/fables at circle time
2. Read fable story books at story time
3. Put on fable puppet shows
4. Make fable characters and puppets. Recommended: Hand Puppets: How to Make and Use Them by Laura Ross; Look What You Can Make With Paper Plates.
5. Draw the fable characters (younger children can use the metal insets or stencils)
6. Write the names of the characters, make labels, flash cards (younger children can copy them)
7. Write a fable or write about a fable (younger children can tell a fable or do a puppet show)
8. Put on a play. Recommended: The Tortoise and the Hare: Fables (Building Fluency Through Reader's Theater); The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse: Fables (Building Fluency Through Reader's Theater); The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs: Fables (Building Flue…