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mooreboyz
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| Posted: Nov 18 2008 at 8:24pm | IP Logged
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I realize that a 7 yr old isn't exactly "early childhood", but I'm looking for some montesorish ideas and this always seems like the best place for that. It seems like lately my 7yr old is looking longingly at the neat things to do on the 4yr old's shelf...things like buttoning, weaving, playdough, polishing, etc.. I told him he is welcome to work with any of it and he has, but I can tell it is well beneath his level. He's in that transition stage where he is incredibly bright and works on a lot of work with older bros, but still longs for some of that tactile, hands on work. So, can anyone offer ideas for me? I'd like to have a couple new things each week out for him to work on independently.
Thanks!
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Jackie
7 boys - 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17 years
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Milehimama
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| Posted: Nov 18 2008 at 10:15pm | IP Logged
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Here is a blog with slightly older children, but still doing things in a Montessori way:
http://angelaboord.typepad.com/three_plus_two/2008/11/learni ng-spaces-nature-area.html
We have a few similar things... I have a "bird drawer" with feathers, books about birds, and so on; an "electricity drawer" that contains Snap Circuits, Jr. and books on electricity, and so on.
I love her rock/fossil kit.
My children also love to work with pattern blocks, both matching patterns and creating their own.
We are studying dinosaurs, and I have another drawer with pictures of dino skeletons from museums as well as toothpicks, clay, and pipecleaners to copy the design and make their own skeleton. (I tried using K'Nex but they built more robots than dinos.)
Another activity we have is "excavation" - embed objects in plaster of paris, and they use archeaologist's tools to remove them. Add graph paper for realistic mapping just like the pros (okay, it's really a nut pick, a toothbrush, and a paintbrush, not archeologist's tools.)
(Our whole school is in Sterilite plastic drawers, it seems! LOL!)
I also have Prismacolor pencils on the "big kid" shelf along with several Usborne "How to Draw" books. My oldest - 10 - loves to practice drawing.
There are many craft kits you can buy as well, such as weaving, woodburning, or jewelry making. Perhaps he'd like to make rosaries or scapulars or necklaces for Christmas gifts? It's not just for girls!
More "drawers for downtime" in our school room contain tangrams (with a few printouts of various animals designs, or they can make their own), compass and protractor for creating geometric designs, and sentence puzzles.
HTH!
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Milehimama in Houston
Mother of 11 - 8 Church Militant and 3 Church Triumphant
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Milehimama
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| Posted: Nov 18 2008 at 10:17pm | IP Logged
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You might also like this website:
http://kidswhothink.blogspot.com/
Each week they post an activity or problem to solve.
You could put the activity on a tray for your son to work on when his fingers get itchy.
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Milehimama in Houston
Mother of 11 - 8 Church Militant and 3 Church Triumphant
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montessori_lori
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| Posted: Nov 19 2008 at 9:12am | IP Logged
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There are lots of hands-on activities for older kids - and really, we never lose that need. Think of how adults knit, garden, etc. We always need to use our hands :)
He might enjoy age-appropriate puzzles, knitting or using a french knitter, building (some simple carpentry skills), or learning how to vacuum or wash dishes.
He could be in charge of preparing snack each day, using a child-safe knife to spread peanut butter, etc. Cooking and baking are also perfect for this age, and bring in the additional skills of learning measurement and how to follow a recipe.
I find the Montessori Services website to have lots of great hands-on practical life and craft activities that extend past the preschool age.
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ALmom
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| Posted: Nov 19 2008 at 6:52pm | IP Logged
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In my house, three part cards in science and geography, the geography puzzles, metal insets, drawing and various science kits have been a hit for my children who are in the 7 - 11 age range. Earlier someone linked some stuff from In Print but also science kits from Homescience is great. Tops lessons also looked interesting but we haven't used those yet.
A lot depends on the inclination of the child plus which areas may be lagging. We had some handwriting or eye-hand issues so we found that eye dropper and some of those practical life activities were highly enticing for children whom I thought might not stay with it very long since they were much older. One child came back and back and back to a few of these and then suddenly we noticed huge leaps forward in handwriting and fine motor. These boys who would not touch a pencil were suddenly enticed by How to Draw Books. We drew them into the stencils by using the geogpraphic shapes or illustrating how to make 3-D - not in a lesson sort of way but just in seeing me use them that way.
I'm not a pure Montessori person but there are plenty of things in that style that my children find fascinating and which has benefits far beyond the specific lesson.
Janet
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montessori_lori
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| Posted: Nov 20 2008 at 12:15pm | IP Logged
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Were you looking for more hands-on, practical life type activities for this age, or just more activities in general? I read your question as being about practical life activities, but maybe I was wrong.
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Sparrow
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| Posted: Nov 20 2008 at 1:31pm | IP Logged
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I have a 7 yo as well, and we're just really open ended here, honestly. We don't do a lot of directional crafts (maybe once or twice a week at most). We've got drawers full of construction paper, glue, glitter, colored popsicle sticks, playdough, beads, stickers, etc and I let them have free use of it basically. The things she comes up with on her own are always awesome! She made a little bed for her dolls the other day out of cardboard, with legs and a headboard and everything.
I would suggest crocheting if he's wanting something more direction oriented and practical.
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Katie, blessed wife to Tyson and mom to all girls! Bailey (7) Riley (3) and Rory (3/17)
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Maryan
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Here is some of the stuff I have out for my 7 yo:
Three part cards of just about anything(he does them but not a love affair)
Trinomial and binomial cube
Didax Basic Skills puzzles on many grammar things
Green Series with moveable alphabet, etc.
Today we did the Detective Adjective game which he loved!
We also make landforms out of clay using the geography cards, etc.
And making mini-muffins is a fun activity!
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Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
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mooreboyz
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| Posted: Nov 20 2008 at 7:34pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for all your ideas and links. I found some neat ideas and you helped springboard mt imagination. I've been so focused this year keeping out interesting work on shelves for my 4 yr old and 18 mo old that when I saw my 7 yr old wanting some special work too, I just felt a little creatively challenged.
I read in one of the Montessori books that before age 6 that kids can't go and get all theit materials for a project which is why you put together trays with most or all of the supplies needed. I guess I felt that my 7yr old would be quite capable of grabbing some art supplies from our cabinet or the landform cards and clay activity or whatever and just follow his interests during our "choice time". This just isn't happening yet. What I'm seeing too is that he wants mom to put together some special work just for him. He is very emotional since turning 7 which seems to follow some of the waldorf things I've read. So imo he wants the special attention of me putting this together for him as well as some grounding type of work.
I also got some ideas from here learning ark. She states that for this age it isn't necessary to give a presentation, but have a tray with clear directions and supplies and let them work from there. So, I think I'll put to use a lot of those crafty things I;ve snipped from mags like Family Fun that I never got around to.
Last night I put together a tray with 5 pieces of left over halloween candy 5 toothpicks and he needed to make an animal. Also a shoebox, marble, straws, paper, scissoors and glue with directions to make his own marble maze. These are the 1st things he did today and was quite joyful the rest of the day. So, I must be on the right track.
I will be adding some of that fine motor work as he needs the work for writing, which is in another post. I'm actually having a handwriting camp next Tues for him and his brother.
Thanks again!
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Jackie
7 boys - 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17 years
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Looking for ideas for 7 yr old
