Your toddler is growing and ready to tackle some new skills! If you are wondering what to teach a
Easy preK at home. 5 FREE #Preschool activities based on #alphabet letter A. Cutting, coloring, matching & reading too! http://bit.ly/5FreeAPreK
Your child does not say many words yet? What can you do to boost his language learning?
I have gathered a lot of classroom materials and ideas over the years. I mean, a lot. I know some of you can relate to this. I have SO MUCH STUFF. I feel like a hoarder. But my classroom does not look like the homes on the hoarding TV shows. In fact, all my stuff […]
With our detailed Montessori curriculum PDF list, you'll have everything that you need in order to give great Montessori lesson presentations.
Two Points: This is MY method, and not necessarily right for you, your teaching or care philosophy, your set-up, or your students. Curriculum participation by my students is VOLUNTARY. I invite them to participate, but if they choose not to, then that is fine. I usually offer them a choice of a few of the activities and let them decide where we start and where we go. An engaged child learns, a dis-engaged child rebels. The 3-year rotating curriculum is theme based. Some times we stick to the plan, but usually I observe what they are interested in learning about, what they are asking questions about, and suggest up to three different themes they can choose from for us to study. I make my own 3-year rotating curriculum for many reasons: Packaged curriculum is often only one year. Since I teach for 3 years, this would be redundant. Most packaged curriculum focuses on skills my students master early. My 2s count to 20, know 11 colors, know most of their phonics, uppercase and lowercase letters, 10 shapes and some of their numbers and I still have 3 years of curriculum to teach them. They often are worksheet intensive. My students usually are cognitively advanced from their fine motor skills. I have 4 year olds that still can't write well. If I had relied on worksheets for the last 2 years, there is no way they would have the skill sets they have. Worksheets are also not considered Developmentally Appropriate Practice [DAP] for children under the age of 8. We use them here for writing practice starting at age 4. [Yes, worksheet-intensive public schools are not using DAP for kindy through 3rd grade!] They can be expensive. If you are purchasing worksheets, why would you spend even $1 a week/$52 a year when you can purchase a 400 page Scholastic preschool workbook from Sam's Club for $8 that covers probably more material, is most likely aligned with the public school expectations, and is colorful. Colored copies are NOT affordable to make from packaged curriculum. Most [ALL!] preschool learning should be interactive. Pinterest is a better source for ideas. My students change every time I do a theme. I have to be able to tweak it to the interests and capabilities of those currently in my care. Plus, I'll find more interesting activities on Pinterest, have an idea for a new game, etc. It's a constant evolution to keep my curriculum relevant to our current group, situation and resources. However, curriculum planning and creation is very time consuming. Even with older curriculum I spend several hours going over it prior to teaching - updating, creating new materials, purchasing and setting new classroom decorations. While I have had my 3 year curriculum, this year I found myself wanting a more specific schedule to focus on specific skill sets for this particular group of children. Most of these skills can be incorporated into our themed curriculum, or they take 5 minute sessions to pop into our day. I have two groups, the younger preschoolers are 2-3 years old and the older ones are 4-5 years old, all at the same developmental and skill set level within their group. This makes it easier, as I can tailor everything to just 2 groups. If I were to have additional levels of children, then it would be tailored to each level. Children here are taught at their developmental level, not age. Asychronastic development is normal, so I may be teaching a child at various levels depending upon the subject matter. For the younger preschoolers, I came up with this structure. For the older pre-k students, I came up with this one. For instance, both of them have Measurement & Comparison on Friday for Reasoning. However, for the younger students, this would be a more/less, longer/shorter, big/little, etc. activity, while the older students would be measuring with rulers, yardsticks, tape measures, measuring cups, unit blocks, foot steps or themed units, and graphing the measurements to compare. Same skill set, differentiated at vastly different levels. Even this needs conditional tweaking. All the pre-k's know how to spell their last names now, so that is no longer a relevant skill activity for music and will be changed out. In another post I'll get into the curriculum components and the importance of each. For instance, how counting on Friday teaches 1-to-1 correspondence and creating method processes for counting groups of objects. CLICK PICTURES TO VIEW LARGER I use this MS Word template, available for FREE on TPT, for curriculum planning. Often, the daily skill sets above are either already incorporated, or can easily be incorporated, into the theme planning. For an example of a completed curriculum unit, check out our Owls Theme. Each monthly theme is broken down into 4 sub-themes. For instance: SPACE Astronauts & Rockets The Universe Our Solar System Aliens & Robots We also have a musical component, often classical, and an art component, often a master, and Spanish vocabulary component that we incorporate. This planning form may not include all games, file folder games, manipulatives, room-set up, etc. that I utilize. For those of you trained in curriculum creation, I do NOT do a full curriculum development for each activity. With having these children usually from infant to school-age, I keep an internal evaluation of progression and plan out only weekly learning objectives. Since I am creating the activities for my personal use, I do not need to create written procedures and evaluations. My curriculum is stored currently in file folders in a large office bookcase unit. I would like to get it into boxes so that I could have EVERY theme-related item, including dress-up, room set-up, manipulatives, etc. together for an easy pull. File boxes will most likely be the easiest, but they do take up a lot of space. In each file some of the things I probably have: Completed planning sheets All the books I own for that theme Flannel board Sentence and word walls File folder games Samples of previous crafts DVDs CDs Coloring pages Mini-book(s) Build-a-[theme item] game Curriculum creation is one of my great joys. I love the research and compilation, the creativity and excitement of bringing something fun and educational to my students. Learning is rarely linear. Children take developmental leaps, sometimes in odd directions. As a teacher, it is important that I keep each one challenged without pushing or inhibiting their growth, and that takes constant evaluation and a good eye for when those leaps happen so that we can move on to a higher level of instruction. When we do an activity, I constantly question if they WANT to do another round, another activity, and I usually cut them off while they are still engaged. I want them wanting more, and they will usually ask if they can continue. One of the most important desires and abilities I can instill in them is that of self-directed learning. So as they choose to go off with their rulers after we've spent several minutes doing a measuring activity, conferring between themselves as to procedures and what to measure next, I step back and let them. They know I am here as a resource, rather than an intrusive director. It is my job to ensure that when I invite my students to learn, they glow with excitement and anticipation of a fun, interactive, playful time. The results, so far, have been astounding. A few of my complete curriculum units are available through my TPT store. Apples Dental Ice Cream Penguins Rainbows St. Patrick's Day Valentine's Follow Connie -'s board Classroom on Pinterest. Tags: preschool, child care, pre-k, curriculum, development, teaching, education, homeschooling, homeschool, home, school, preschool curriculum development, planning
Coin sorting is a Montesorri-Inspired Sensorial Activity because sorting coins can help children develop and refine the senses as they sort money.
Practice the position of objects with this kindergarten positional word worksheet. Kids will use words to describe the position of the butterfly. Positional words included are:
20+ Ways to Teach Montessori Geography Kids Will Love, Montessori Activities, Montessori Geography Shelf, Montessori Preschool, Montessori Toddler, Montessori Curriculum
See Sections below for different types of resources including general resources, 5 ways to... resources, benefits of... resources, self assessment prompts and critical reflection prompts. Aligning NQS with the EYLF v2.0Download PDF Sleep and Rest Risk AssessmentDownload WORD Sleep and Rest Risk AssessmentDownload Aligning NQS with MTOP v2.0Download Infographics environment agencyDownload compliance in formsDownload study
Looking for an easy toddler activity? Try making a matching pairs sensory bin! This fun learning activity is perfect for toddlers on a rainy day!
Research-based curriculum embeds skills naturally through play-based experiences that adapt to each child's developmental level and interests.
In this lecture to the first Waldorf teachers, Steiner focuses on the twelve senses, grouped into Thinking, Feeling, and Willing.
Things change and adjustments are made. Moving in and of itself is an adjustment to make. A transition that some children (and adults!) handle better than others. The move, away from family, to a c…
This simple buoyancy kids' science activity requires just a few common household supplies. Kids will love learning why things sink and float!
The Waldorf curriculum emphasizes the whole child, matches stages of child development, and integrates the arts. A simple outline for homeschoolers.
What kid doesn't love parachutes? My boys have gotten so many of those parachuting army men as party favors, I've lost count. And forget trying to untangle the strings. (Ain't nobody got time for that!) The weather may not have been on our side, but with so many rainy days this summer, eventually you just throw caution to the wind and do outdoor activities anyway. And so it was the day we made DIY parachutes. Making these was simple. We had all the supplies we needed around the house. What You Need Disposable plastic (or paper) cup Plastic garbage sack String (we used some tightly twisted yarn) Paper punch Scissors Tape Measure or yardstick How to Make It First we punched holes in the top of the plastic cups, just under the rim. You'll need to punch four holes equal distance apart (approximately). Next we cut one plastic kitchen garbage sack into a 14-inch square. Since we made two parachutes, we measured and cut the bag with it flattened (i.e. two plies) so we had two squares with only a few cuts. Now we cut four 14-inch lengths of string for each parachute. Our oldest son gathered a corner of the plastic square and tied one length of string to it, leaving only a small tail. He repeated this with the other four corners. Then we tied each string to a different hole on the cup. (TIP: Try to keep the tails all the same length so you don't get a lopsided parachute.) Now all that was left to do was to go to a high place and drop those puppies. My sons perched on the landing of our deck and later our yard's play set. They LOVED watching them gracefully float to the ground. My oldest son tucked the parachute in the cup and dropped it to see what would happen. It sank to the ground with lightning speed. That's gravity for ya! How Does a Parachute Work The cup glides slowly down thanks to something known as air resistance (or drag). When air gets under it, the plastic parachute fans out for maximum coverage; this air resistance slows the fall of the object tremendously. This great activity came from Patricia A. Staino's wonderful book Magic Moments: Super Science with Your Kids. Check it out!
Is homeschooling free? Yes, it can be! Here's a list of my favorite homeschool curriculum that you can find online for FREE!
Become a confident, strategic coach who provides maximum value to your clients. Learn the strategies that top professional coaches use that keeps the phone ringing with a steady stream of clients.
A comprehensive round-up of FREE Spanish resources that can support your child's language learning at home without breaking the bank!
Pinay Homeschooler is a blog that shares homeschool and afterschool activity of kids from babies to elementary level.
Grammar and Writing are daunting subjects for many homeschoolers to teach. Most of us want a guide, an expert, someone to help us. I’m definitely a fan of literature-based homeschooling, but …
Two fantastic literature based secular homeschool curriculum are Build your Library and Torchlight. Secular history BYL and TL level 2
Have you ever tried writing essential questions for your lessons or curriculum? Try using this ready-to-go list of essential questions that integrate the arts and the creative process.
Engaging process art activities are the foundation of this pre-k art curriculum for children ages 3 and up. Also great for art therapy.
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Helping K-2 Teachers Like You Save Time, Grow Instructional Skills, and Teach With Confidence!
What is unschooling? And what does it look like? Click here to read about modified unschooling. Our method for homeschooling which combines various methods.
FREE science emergent reader book about the human body systems. Great science activity for preschool and kindergarten.
100s of Montessori Activities & Toys for All Ages - If you are looking for the ultimate list of Montessori activities, you are in the right place!
Use the correct positional word to describe the position of the bee in this preschool positional word worksheet.
Materials for the Study of Europe @missnearingsmontessori This age never ceases to amaze me 💖🌍 #teachersoftiktok #montessori #teacherstories #preschoolactivities #preschoolteacher #kindergartenteacher #unitstudy #europe #europeisacontinentnotacountry ♬ original sound – Miss Nearing’s Montessori Miss Nearing from Tiktok shares how she’s using some of our Europe materials! Available in the Trillium Shop. Lining up the photo […]
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement for more information. Our first grade year is upon us and I couldn't be more excited about the curriculum and resources we will be using this year! A quick heads up: it may seem like a lot going on here, but we actually have a very relaxed approach to homeschooling. We like to use multiple resources, but we plan for flexibility and make plenty of room for inspiration. We also homeschool year-round and like to take our time going through things that catch our interest. (You can read more about my approach to planning by checking out our planning series here.) Without further ado, here are our curriculum choices for our secular, nature-based, Charlotte Mason and Waldorf inspired first grade year: Language Arts: Core Curriculum The main resource we will use for language arts and reading is Blossom and Root First Grade: The Stories We Tell. Based on nature stories, classic fairy tales, and world folktales, this curriculum incorporates lots of hands-on, creative narration activities (e.g. puppet shows and peg doll dramatic play); mini deep-dives (e.g. exploring the differences between spiders and harvestmen while reading stories from Among the Meadow
These five very effective tips for how to integrate math into your daily lessons require no extra planning or prep work!
Verbs of perception The verbs of involuntary perception (to see, to hear, to feel, to smell, to taste) have certain characteristics in common: • They are often used with the auxiliar…
The Montessori Silence Game: Resources to use at home, school and outdoors with recommended silence themed book list.
Another way to integrate Art History into your lesson plans. This project looks specifically at the paintings of the Sistine Chapel. There is no need to get a close up picture for the students be…
Scripted SCIENCE lessons for kindergarten - Engaging, easy to prep, and includes everything you need! Nonfiction read-aloud books, PowerPoints for every lesson, student activities and workbooks... Kids LOVE this program! NGSS and TEKS aligned.
This is an amazing list with blog links for 100+ Montessori Practical Life Skills. I have also included a free printable check list for homeschoolers.
