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Angel
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| Posted: Aug 28 2008 at 6:12am | IP Logged
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I'm hoping that maybe we can revive this practice from last year.  Remember how we used to describe the presentations we made during the week -- what worked well and what didn't?
This week has been not at all regular for us, so I haven't made any presentations this week. Instead, my twin two year olds have been helping move firewood and dig potatoes. We're going to take a break next week (and probably the week after) to get well and work on the house. I'm hoping to be inspired, because right now I am feeling pretty burned out. 
What sort of Montessori work are your dc doing?
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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Maryan
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| Posted: Aug 28 2008 at 6:49am | IP Logged
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Well, amongst other things, I presented a Mystery Bag to my three year old...and for a variation of the mystery bag, I have cards that match the objects in the bag. So after guessing, the boys can put the object on the card. Anyway...apparently my 23 month old was paying close attention.
When Lukie indicated that he wanted to use it, I decided he could, BUT... he's behind in speech, so I knew he couldn't name the object.... so I wasn't sure what he was going to do! He pulled out his mat, then pulled out the cards out of the mystery bag and lined them up. And then he pulled out each object and matched them to the appropriate card very nicely.
I was surprised he could do it!
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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
A Lee in the Woudes
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mumsrea
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| Posted: Aug 28 2008 at 7:38am | IP Logged
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Wow thanks for sharing that! My two year old is behind in speech as well, and i think that i often fail to see her potential to do other things as a result. I really need to focus on challenging her more.
mumsrea
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: Aug 28 2008 at 8:53am | IP Logged
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When my son was 2, he also had speech difficulties (still does, actually - at 4, but that's another story). But I really wanted to see what he knew... so for colors for example, I cut a bunch of circles out of colored construction paper - I gave him a set of poker chips and asked him to place the poker chip on the red one, then the purple one, etc. I started with just red, blue, yellow, told him the names of each then asked him to place the chips. He knew them all, so we added two more, then two more - until we had every color of construction paper I had! Within half an hour, he proved he knew more than I expected!
After that I tried to come up with creative ways for him to express himself and his knowledge without speaking - sign language just wasn't for him (now he's learning it and loves it, but he wouldn't do baby signs as a baby/toddler!). In the end, he started reading and writing before he starting to speak intelligibly.
For this week, we are focusing on getting our room set up again (we just moved in and have been busy with other things!). He wants to review things like the phonetic object box so we've started language there.We have already reviewed life cycle work and animal classification (living/non-living, 5 classes of vertebrates, invertebrates vs vertebrates) and he's using those 3-part cards. In math, as soon as it's set up again, he's doing the intro to the golden beads (decimal system) again since it's been a while since we've done very much Montessori work (all summer has been crazy!).
Sensorial work, I'm just waiting for our new puzzle maps to arrive from Adena, and he's reviewing the names of the geometric solids and working with the bases. All else in sensorial, he's been presented and just works with what he likes.
Practical life, he is still practicing sewing - he loves making designs with his sewing, so I am thinking to switch him over to cross stitch! He also some woodworking items he brought home from his grandpa's house he wants to finish sanding and glue together (I think it's supposed to be a toy train???).
We also discuss a different piece of artwork every week - just using books from the library or picked up from GoodWill - and he has his art station available all the time with paints and colored pencils, etc.
Wow, we're doing more than I thought!
:)
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Aug 28 2008 at 2:37pm | IP Logged
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Ok, dd isn't early childhood anymore--she turns 7 today (!!!), but I still want to contribute to the thread!
We have been doing lots of reviewing since our materials were packed away all summer, just reminding her how to use the materials. So we've gone back over the bead materials, addition strips, stamp game, using a microscope, etc.
New presentations have been on the parts of a tree, dynamic addition with the golden beads and the stamp game, farm animal 3-part cards, puzzle map of Europe (so far just Italy, Spain, and Portugal), and how to make the long a sound with a_e, ay, and ai.
New practical life--polishing the globes, starting the laundry (new machines here), using a pocket knife (her big brother taught her knife safety)and gathering kindling.Today she will be making her own birthday cake!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Meredith
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| Posted: Aug 28 2008 at 3:18pm | IP Logged
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Oh fun stuff Theresa and hapy bday to that sweet girl, seven, wow!!
We are also revisiting alot of materials from last year and having much success. I'm keeping track at Mama's Muse if you feel like checking in!
Thanks for re-igniting this Angel 
Blessings,
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
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Angel
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| Posted: Aug 28 2008 at 5:52pm | IP Logged
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Happy birthday to J-Bug! And wow, making her own cake!
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Aug 29 2008 at 6:18am | IP Logged
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I can't believe J-Bug is 7!
Thanks for reviving this idea, Angela. Lemme see...I've done a lot of re-presenting and reviewing with my 3 1/2 yo - the mats, working quietly so as not to disturb others work, that sort of thing. I tried to review some sensorial stuff and present some new ones - the red rods. And, I presented the spindle box to him since he's associating numbers with quantity in a casual way everywhere we go - I thought he'd love it! But, he doesn't. So...it seems that he is in an extremely sensitive period for high energy activity and practical life materials. All he wants to do are scoop and sort works - and tons of them with any and every variation I can come up with.
I did set up some cornmeal in a shallow container for him to draw in and trace objects/shapes with his finger - he loves that.
The older children are having a ball sorting the 192 flags of the UN into our continent boxes. I've been reviewing place value with my 7 yo - so a lot of golden bead work, and he asked to work with the 1000 bead chain with flags, so I got those out the other day and he's been counting by 2's, 5's and squares so far.
Our paleontology studies have been bolstered by a study of geologic time, and some wonderful fossil lessons and children's books on the geologic periods as well as a fossil set. Nature walks lately have been all about finding tons and tons of fossils around here!
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Jen Mackintosh
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montessori_lori
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Those fossil links are fantastic, Jen! I bookmarked them all and will order some materials & create some lessons. I've been wanting to study fossils with Samuel but wasn't sure where to start :)
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Aug 29 2008 at 9:19am | IP Logged
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montessori_lori wrote:
| Those fossil links are fantastic, Jen! I bookmarked them all and will order some materials & create some lessons. I've been wanting to study fossils with Samuel but wasn't sure where to start :) |
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Aren't they neat!! We have been enjoying this focus of science so much, and it is a perfect rounding out of our history since we're going back to the very beginning of study there as well.
Those books and fossils from fossilicious are absolutely wonderful!!! If you're doing a study of Paleontology, an absolutely perfect picture book that lays down a wonderful, God initiated, God authored design of the universe is The Genesis of It All by Luci Shaw. Beautiful illustrations and leaves the "how" totally open, just emphasizes the "who". The kids love it, and as we study, they keep repeating the line from the book, "We don't know how God did it, we weren't there to see." Perfect perspective.
Back to the regularly scheduled program... 
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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AndreaG
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| Posted: Aug 30 2008 at 7:13am | IP Logged
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I'm glad to see this going again
This past week my daughter (age 4) worked with the sandpaper numbers, and matched the correct number of counters to each. Next I am going to present the cards and counters with odd and even. I also presented the thermic tablets, which she matched once and hasn't touched since. She did revisit old favorites like the pink tower and brown stair, and the botany puzzles.
We've also been doing a letter of the week (using some ideas from Serendipity) so she worked with our "b" sound box, "b" sandpaper letter, built "b" with Handwriting without Tears blocks, and wrote "b" and other letters in a salt tray. And she helped make blueberry muffins!
My little guy (2 on monday!) really loved pouring beans from a pitcher to a cup and back again! I tried to present different containers with lids to take on and off, but he wasn't interested and the other kids ran off with the containers to use as toys. I also presented an object matching activity, with 3 pairs of toob animals, he did alright with it, even though I didn't present it well, I really should practice presentations. He has been enjoying simple art activities like making a collage with cotton balls, I've been getting ideas from the book Young At Art.
I need to switch out his shelf with some new activities, hopefully this weekend.
I haven't been doing much montessori with my older guys, but I am going to try to do some sort of choice time on the marker board like Angela does, maybe in the afternoon. I'd also like to do the Great Lessons again this year.
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Andrea
GrayFamilyCircus
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Aug 30 2008 at 4:14pm | IP Logged
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Oh, I forgot, we did some work with the bells as well. She is very musical and loves them. She picks it up very quickly so I need to find some resources for teaching her more.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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happymama
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| Posted: Aug 30 2008 at 6:48pm | IP Logged
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thanks for the fossil links - i'm going to read the sites later.
we've been doing a lot of re-organizing [again!] here. Dh recently finished our basement, doubling the square footage of our home. As you can imagine, I'm thrilled to have this 2 year project completed! Anyway, I've continued to struggle with having my almost 2yo making messes in the classroom, so I have made a guest bedroom into a second classroom for my 5yo. I am now shelving all materials by subject, instead of "wherever they fit on the shelves" and bought 5 new bookshelves. (Made me giddy with excitement!!)
I put all geography, math, and music in there, his own cd/tape player and beanbag and book shelves in a corner, and other misc. things. It's a quiet, organized place where I can do schoolwork with him. I actually permit him to lock the door to that room if his brother wants in. :(
I have mentioned previously that my 5yo "didn't need" the pink & blue montessori phonics, he just learned so quickly. My 3yo is apparently more "normal", because he does. So I have assembled my own version of those 2 levels recently.
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Montessori work of the week?
