The 1st day of spring came and went already, and as the children and I search for signs I am reminded of how beautiful the world around us is.
As you get a peek inside our afternoon,
I’ll leave you with this quote from Maria Montessori
“It is not enough for the teacher to love the child. She must first love and understand the universe. She must prepare herself, and truly work at it.”
Perfect for the springtime nature table
Use shells to group together numbers, (5 shells in each of the 7 piles makes 35 shells), I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture of all the shells. The first thing we did when we got to the beach was run around and collect a bucketful of shells.
We have been waiting for awhile to come and see the seagull’s, now we can add them to our bird study. We love to watch and learn about different birds and enjoy using Montessori cards from Montessori print shop and we also have gotten several different sets from here.
A perfect area of sand for letter tracing and writing, of course If you don’t have the beach to work at, a tray will work just fine. (smile)
Another souvenir for the nature table
We performed several science experiments with some of our treasures,
check out scholastic teachers lesson plans
A sea shell discovery box, I just love when the kids can’t wait to explore.
Remember Free Discovery, Observation, and Classifying objects are important skills for children so they can begin to establish order in their world.
I set up a springtime play tray, complete with friends, birds, a bunny, a tree, toys, flowers, rocks, and more. All you need is a child with a great imagination.
“The child should live in an environment of beauty.”
-Maria Montessori
I hope you enjoyed our first day of spring, come back and visit soon we love having you.
For more ideas on Springtime and Nature check out my Pinterest board here.
Thanks for stopping by the Springtime Blog Hop and be sure to check out the other hosts.
Kara Carrero says
March 12, 2014 at 6:05 pmThat’s such a great quote from Maria Montessori… even if it’s just perceived beauty π
Monica Pruett says
March 26, 2013 at 5:00 amYou’re so creative and it looks like a wonderful way to play and learn. Thanks for sharing at Family Fun Friday!
Monica
http://happyandblessedhome.com
Cherine M says
March 23, 2013 at 2:33 pmYour photos are stunning!!! What an incredible learning environment:) Using the beach as your canvas…wonderful!!
Kim Huff says
March 23, 2013 at 4:24 pmThank you for your kind words π
Aubrey @ Montessori Mischief says
March 22, 2013 at 10:25 pmMath in the sand! Perfect! This is a beautiful example of how Montessori math is really about using concrete materials to perform operations/abstract concepts. You don’t have to own expensive Montessori equipment to reach those goals. You can use shells! Love it!
Kim Huff says
March 23, 2013 at 4:27 pmThanks-I’m on a tight budget, so I’m always looking for a great way for the kids to learn that’s Free. Plus, who doesn’t love the beach π
Donna Peters says
March 22, 2013 at 6:42 pmWow! My Children saw how your children were learning for the day, and were inspired to go to the tub and play in the water! So I wanted to get creative and decided to use it as a learning opportunity! Thanks for the inspiration. Love the quote by the way.
Kim Huff says
March 22, 2013 at 7:50 pmThat’s great to hear Donna, I love knowing that someone can find inspiration here and then the kids can get busy learning π That’s the best.