Montessori on a Budget with Montessori for the Earth

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…

Who doesn't love fall! The seasons are changing from warm summer days to cool Autumn nights, pumpkins are getting fatter on the vine, and leaves are falling in colors of brown, red, orange, and yellow. There are endless seasonal and holiday projects, recipes, and activities... What's a parent to do?

7 Fun Fall Montessori Leaf Activities (an oldie but goodie)! Montessori Practical Life Care of the Environment: raking leaves is a favorite Fall activity, suitable for three-year-olds and up.Art: Fall leaves are also great for art projects, including making a leaf collage.Language: Make sure that you and your child/ren KNOW THE NAMES OF THE LEAVES before you pick them, some plants are poisonous and harmful.Fine Motor: Montessori Metal Insets... If you don't have access to a lot of dry leaves, or safe plants, or you have a child who enjoys drawing, the Montessori Metal Insets are great! If you don't own any, another fine motor leaf project is leaf rubbing.Math Counting to 9 o…

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…