Izzy 3:7 Exploring with the Golden Beads

Izzy's big sister has been using the Golden Bead Material and Izzy has been watching with itchy fingers.
I feel if she is able to reach it, she should be able to use it!!
So I let her explore the materials and encouraged her to count them back into their boxes, giving her trust and independence. Also letting her use hand eye coordination and reinforcing her maths skills of counting, space and area.

Izzy 3:7 Her own bed!!

We are a house of sleep where you want... Bed time is around 8pm with plenty of reading time, the girls are all asleep by 9pm...
Izzy has always slept with me and my husband, this week we moved the two big girls into their own room and made a space for Izzy's futon, she is very excited to have her own space... Will she sleep there tonight???...I'll tell you tomorrow. Xx

Black History Month

Sach worked so hard on this beautiful clay model of Malala....as she worked her clay she watched Malala's United Nations Speech on the I pad.... very inspired.

Izzy 3:7 Cutting & Gluing

Izzy has been cutting from an old catalog, I just let her get on with it, she really gets into it and today she enjoyed cutting in the men's section...She then moves onto the gluing.....

Big kids: Simpsons Chess

If there is one cartoon they all like it is the Simpsons....they love this Simpsons chess set, I don't know if they would play if it was a normal set???

Izzy 3:7 Light Green, Dark Green

Continuing to encourage Izzy's awareness of 'Shades' and 'Dark & Light'.

Izzy 3:7 Alphabet books, Nursery & Dreams

We were looking at Alphabet Books...

Izzy: What's that?
Me: An Astronaut
Izzy: and he goes in Space!

Starting Nursey...

Izzy: I'm so happy Mum
Me: Why?
Izzy: You went to shop and I stayed nursery.

Just woke up, sitting on the sofa...

Izzy: I had a dream a Dolphin splashed me. (happy face)

Izzy 3:7 Apple Tree

A new activity on the shelf and she is enjoying it as a Practical Life pincer grip, hand eye coordination activity.
I have introduced some small red number cards for her to follow.... Will let you know!!

Izzy 3:7 Emotions

Big brother was having fun making faces on Izzy's board and she decided to join in and mirror the faces he made on the board. Happy, Angry and Sad xxx

Izzy 3:7 Baking

Older girls are always in the kitchen 'Baking' and they are so kind to Izzy when she gatecrashes. X

Izzy 3:7 Color Box 3

Izzy had spoken a few times about the shades of Blue without realising it.
She enjoyed this activity and could show me light blue and dark blue, she enjoyed the activity but could not shade them all... Yet. ))

Izzy 3:7 Pink Tower extension

I made this activity when I was in Japan with the older children, luckily it found it's way back to me this summer ( and other wonderful printed Montessori work).
Izzy has been loving it!!

I love the Pink Tower but it is good to be reminded, when needs must, we manage. X

Izzy 3:6 Going on a Bear Hunt

Izzy loves this story and we have have been using the pairing cards. Today she took one of each card and re told the story herself.

Izzy 3:6 Autumn

Autumn has arrived and our park is full of it's bounty. I wrote Autumn on to her poster and she took the pen from me and put a 'tail' on the bottom of the letter 't'. Funny girl xxxx

Izzy 3:6 Movable Alphabet

Izzy has had an explosion into letters and numbers, she notices them everywhere we go, she is constantly asking what is the name of the letters and numbers she sees.
We are using the phonic alphabet and have started 2 period lessons with the Sandpaper Letters. We have used the sandtray to reinforce the letters and she has freely started to write the letters on her drawings, especially het name.
She saw her sister using the Movable Alphabet and asked to use it, I have let her and am just following her at the moment, letting her touch the letters and telling her the sound if she asks. She also wrote some if the letters on her paper.

Izzy 3:5 letters

Writing her name on a birthday present for her friend x

Izzy 3:6 Spindle Box Exploration

Izzy was very precise when lining up the spindles, it took her a long time, I went away thinking she would start to place the spindles in the box and when I came back she had incorporated her brothers pokemon cards. Brilliant.

Izzy 3:6 Coloring

Again she is still coloring in the lines, there is so much concentration and satisfaction throughout this activity.

Izzy 3:6 Rafael's present

I received this beautiful activity from one of my beautiful students when I left work.
So thoughtful and Izzy still uses it again again. Thank you Rafael xx

Grammar with the big kids

Using the grammar symbols is such a fun way to work with grammar. The 12, 10 and 8 year old had so much fun, just like a game they said as they waited for their turn.
But isn't that what Montessori is all about, I know Montessori said follow the child but she also said observe and prepare for the child, sometimes it feels good to have got that one step ahead of the child and prepared something that they needed.....grammar! scaffolded by vertical learning, the 8 year old did good!!!