Lots of practical life at our Montessori play mornings
Our Montessori mornings are going for the 3rd month already, and I love them! Also Adelaide is looking forward to them (there it shows, how great consistency is for children) and sometimes she asks, when are we going again?
It is a really nice time with similarly minded people and some lovely work and play for children.
We always start with preparing a snack.. And they have done so much already! Cutting up fruit for fruit salad, making smoothie, boiling eggs and making an egg butter, baking cookies, spreading peanut butter finger and making muffins.
This practical life part is my favorite part, it's amazing.
I must admit, that even though I always try to involve Adelaide in cooking at home, I often don't have so much patience and it's not as organized.. I often try to do it faster and end up rushing. But here, here it's all about process, and we try to let them do and help as little as possible.
Here are pictures from the last three times. Starting with rolling out the (pre-made) shortbread cookie dough, cutting out shapes and sprinkling them with seeds.
Mmm.. They were sooo good! Luckily, we do let ourselves participate in the eating afterwards.
Another time, cutting up bread and spreading peanut butter and jam. Turns out, that spreading is one difficult task! (Especially if the matter is of a dense consistency.) It's interesting, how some things that seem so easy, are actually difficult. What coordination and particular strength some simple tasks ask for. Spreading is still quite a challange for Adelaide. She is getting good at cutting though.
When we are done with the snack, we move on to some new work. It has usually been me so far, who invents new work. Not every time is equally successful. (Like the plant watering work, that we did, which turned out so well.) Sometimes children don't seem so eager to come and work on what we have prepared. We even started wondering, what should we do..? Well, after talking with my Montessori mentor, I was put back on the right track. :) Children are free to choose. They either are interested or are not. If they are not, then the fault is not in the children, but in the environment - in the work that is being offered. We just have to think of better work. Here Adelaide is doing some pre-math work with chestnuts..
And this week they made muffins. The most difficult work so far, but they were so good at it!
Adelaide really loves cracking eggs open. Does it pretty perfectly now.
These were muffins from scratch, with bananas and dried cranberries.
And, of course, cleaning up afterwards.
I wanted to try to re-capture the magic of the flower watering work, so came up with flower arranging. ;) Practical life, easy to assemble.. And beautiful. And yes, this one they loved again!
Turns out, that there is a special appeal to a work, that is made for only one user. Others have to wait their turn. And I guess it does make it more special.
This work requires a lot of concentration and skill, and turns out - it's not that easy!
Carrying the glass objects carefully, getting water, pouring the water, so there would be just enough..
Then choosing the flowers. And cutting the flowers was the most difficult part. I demonstrated, you're supposed to hold the flower next to the glass to understand, how much you need to cut, how tall do you need. But it was difficult for them (2,5 and 3 years old) to realize, and they left the flowers too long and the vase fell over. (Trial and error.) So I think we didn't need to fix that or say anything, as they themselves saw the consequence. However, I think it was our mistake, as I shouldn't have left the flowers so long. Should have cut them appropriate length for the vases already, and then they could only adjust the length as they wish. Good to realize own mistakes, next time will know better. :)
Beautiful table. :) Oh, and the muffins? Seriously the best muffins I have had.
It is a really nice time with similarly minded people and some lovely work and play for children.
We always start with preparing a snack.. And they have done so much already! Cutting up fruit for fruit salad, making smoothie, boiling eggs and making an egg butter, baking cookies, spreading peanut butter finger and making muffins.
This practical life part is my favorite part, it's amazing.
I must admit, that even though I always try to involve Adelaide in cooking at home, I often don't have so much patience and it's not as organized.. I often try to do it faster and end up rushing. But here, here it's all about process, and we try to let them do and help as little as possible.
Here are pictures from the last three times. Starting with rolling out the (pre-made) shortbread cookie dough, cutting out shapes and sprinkling them with seeds.
Mmm.. They were sooo good! Luckily, we do let ourselves participate in the eating afterwards.
Another time, cutting up bread and spreading peanut butter and jam. Turns out, that spreading is one difficult task! (Especially if the matter is of a dense consistency.) It's interesting, how some things that seem so easy, are actually difficult. What coordination and particular strength some simple tasks ask for. Spreading is still quite a challange for Adelaide. She is getting good at cutting though.
When we are done with the snack, we move on to some new work. It has usually been me so far, who invents new work. Not every time is equally successful. (Like the plant watering work, that we did, which turned out so well.) Sometimes children don't seem so eager to come and work on what we have prepared. We even started wondering, what should we do..? Well, after talking with my Montessori mentor, I was put back on the right track. :) Children are free to choose. They either are interested or are not. If they are not, then the fault is not in the children, but in the environment - in the work that is being offered. We just have to think of better work. Here Adelaide is doing some pre-math work with chestnuts..
And this week they made muffins. The most difficult work so far, but they were so good at it!
Adelaide really loves cracking eggs open. Does it pretty perfectly now.
These were muffins from scratch, with bananas and dried cranberries.
And, of course, cleaning up afterwards.
I wanted to try to re-capture the magic of the flower watering work, so came up with flower arranging. ;) Practical life, easy to assemble.. And beautiful. And yes, this one they loved again!
Turns out, that there is a special appeal to a work, that is made for only one user. Others have to wait their turn. And I guess it does make it more special.
This work requires a lot of concentration and skill, and turns out - it's not that easy!
Carrying the glass objects carefully, getting water, pouring the water, so there would be just enough..
Then choosing the flowers. And cutting the flowers was the most difficult part. I demonstrated, you're supposed to hold the flower next to the glass to understand, how much you need to cut, how tall do you need. But it was difficult for them (2,5 and 3 years old) to realize, and they left the flowers too long and the vase fell over. (Trial and error.) So I think we didn't need to fix that or say anything, as they themselves saw the consequence. However, I think it was our mistake, as I shouldn't have left the flowers so long. Should have cut them appropriate length for the vases already, and then they could only adjust the length as they wish. Good to realize own mistakes, next time will know better. :)
Beautiful table. :) Oh, and the muffins? Seriously the best muffins I have had.
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