Masking tape roads…construction in progress!

Both my kids love playing with cars and recently they’ve developed an interest in maps (I say recently but it’s gone on for a few months now). As soon as a toilet roll finishes U or A grab it and cut it in lengthwise, unroll it, and draw a map on it which they hang on to until the next toilet roll finishes and they can make a new map. Don’t ask me why they decide to use a toilet roll and not regular paper as I have no idea- maybe it feels more like a scroll as in the pirate treasure maps? I’ve more often than not had to break up fights over these toilet rolls which are very much a prized possession in our house. Even I’ve been wanting to collect some -not for drawing on but planting seeds (but that’s a story for another post inshAllah). They take these ‘maps’ everywhere including car journeys and are always giving me directions on how to get to wherever we’re going. They’ve even taken to passing them out to people so said people can find their way to our house!

Anyway, I’ve been wanting to do a unit on maps for a long time now to fuel their interest…in truth I’ve been wanting to do so many things I feel my head is going to burst with all of the ideas in them…but the last month, maybe longer, has been so busy that the kids have really been left to their own devices. Mashallah that has been a blessing in disguise though and a learning curve for them and me. Usually they expect to spend the day with me and a lot of what we do is stimulated from my input but this last month I’ve watched them get on with things themselves and they’ve played and played and played. And I find that great! They’ve been playing make-believe, roll-play, building constructing, often just turning the house upside down while bringing all sorts of items into their elaborate scenarios. Anyway, I’ve gone off on a tangent. What this post was supposed to be about was a play activity based on the kid's interests in cars and maps.

I’ll let the pictures do the explaining, but in short, I’ve found it to be a great introduction to our unit on maps (whenever we start that). Even just as a play activity on its own had merit as it kept them occupied for most of the day and the next- well worth the cost of a roll of tape.

Crafting, lacing, beading, pretend play…all-in-one activity

Inspired by nature...

A side effect from the nature walk…we have flowers on the mind.

Bleak but promising nature walk

You would be forgiven if you thought these pictures was taken mid-January, but no actually this was taken in the midst of our spotting ‘signs of spring’ nature walk.

Alhamdulillah although the general vibe was a bit bleak (for me…the kids loved going to the woods, as they always do), the kids managed to spot a number of emerging buds and flowers.

I had a bit of a ‘wow’ moment as well. Having never gone on a spring-watch walk before, it was the first ever time I saw a snowdrop flower and it really did take my breath away. I’ve seen it in gardening shows as it being trumpeted as one of the first spring flowers to emerge but in real life they were so much more tiny and unassuming then portrayed on screen. It was quite an amazing thing for me to experience something for the first time, something that is so common and so naturally beautiful, but ignored by me just because I’d never bothered to look. Alhamdlillah for having kids that allow me to experience common every day life from a fresh perspective.

First experiences with the Movable Alphabet

Well I don’t think this particular use of the Movable alphabet is described in any Montessori lesson plans. Having freshly applied moisturiser first thing in the morning, the kids discovered that the laminated letters stick nicely to their bodies. What possessed them to try placing the letters on the face in the first place is beyond me, but it proved a fruitful activity as they ‘spelt’ well over twenty words in this manner…more than what they would have done in the normal lesson of placing the letters list form on the floor.

We have also had bouts of a more civilised traditional use of the movable alphabet.

These words were generated independently after prompting them with the idea of creating a shopping list. I am also currently using the movable alphabet for spelling lessons.

DIY homemade Montessori materials: Movable alphabet

The Montessori Movable alphabet is an essential feature of the Montessori language program. As with all Montessori products, it's expensive. After searching the net for cheaper alternatives than the original, I thought I was going to just give this particular activity a miss as the cheapest set was still quite expensive. Then I thought I would have a go at doing it myself but all the homemade versions were quite time consuming….having to cut out each individual shape of many copies of the alphabet does not really appeal to my impatient nature and then there was still an issue of how to obtain/ make the box to house the letters which requires a compartment for each letter. How was I going to make a stable lasting compartmentalised box to store and present the letters?

After having a go at homemade versions myself using shoebox and various dividers ranging from card to play dough, I decided I would just invest in compartmentalised containers that are readily available. In order to house the alphabet I would need 26 compartments and the cost would be around £10 for these containers. I did actually put in an order for these in Amazon but a glitch at the end caused the browser to stall and because I had a headache from squinting at the screen of my phone for so long I gave up.

I had the letters ready (I just printed, laminated and cut out copies of the alphabet) but I had nowhere to put them. During this time U must have noticed my obsession with the letters and thought he would jump in the bandwagon and see what all the fuss was about. I expect he was just fed-up of waiting for me to finish getting my movable alphabet just right before they could play with it, so he made his own set. This is him making his own movable alphabet and using this to ‘write’ the names of various people he knows:

Finally after days of obsessing over how to house the letters, a sudden bolt of inspiration gave me the idea for a virtually cost-free version of Montessori’s movable alphabet. Egg boxes no less! It’s not aesthetically pleasing to the eye but my kids are drawn to use it which is the most important thing.

A second egg box on top, tied with ribbon, works well to secure it when not in use.

Montessori links

After browsing what feels like breading a zillion Montessori linked websites over the past few weeks I realise that when initially embarking on a Montessori journey one can become overwhelmed with the wealth of information available. It becomes consuming and there is so much to take in that in hindsight a few key websites would have been enough to gain a reasonable understanding so that one can proceed with it in the homeschool environment.  I thought I would share the sites that I have found most useful and probably would limit myself to in the future for inspiration, reference and resources.

The following descriptions are not really a synopsis of the websites but details the parts I found most useful.

Montessori Primary Guide: provides a detailed curriculum and how to present the lessons with pictures and video tutorials.

Just Montessori: This is a fantastic website that has easy understandable information on the Montessori curriculum and has her entire cultural curriculum for 3-6 year olds available free on her website with pictures. She’s developing this into a book and until then the curriculum will be freely available. I’ve started using this with my kids and they really like it. 

The Helpful Garden: this website is continually updated and the author is painstakingly preparing downloadable materials and generously sharing for free. These resources would normally have to be bought or time consumingly made.

Montessori Print Shop: This site provides every kind of Montessori related printable materials available to purchase and some that are free.

Living Montessori Now: Has lots of links to other Montessori inspired websites including links to DIY Montessori materials and resources.