Sunday, November 2, 2008

Autumn decorating


this morning we made this wreath, the kids had lots of fun helping. I was going to buy one but all the ones I liked at Hobby Lobby were 40 - 70$! I bought the plain wreath for only $2 (50% off), and the fall color leaves and berries I had at home (and they were all from the dollar store).

There are some real pine cones and things in there too the kids found outside.

Happy Halloween













Thursday, October 2, 2008

Busy at work

caution, picture heavy post. Lots of pictures from school. My class ranges in age from 2 years, 10 months to 4 years, 7 months. We are not quite the traditional Montessori "3-6" class because this is a new class of children new to the school, or they have moved up from the toddler class. There is a wide range of interests and abilities, but there is always a lot going on and they stay very busy working.






working with the color tablets - box#2



painting





using little tongs to pick up marbles



painting with cue tips

























counting glass beads





a creative variation


pouring work - in the big clear bowl (it's a heavy plastic) Inside there is colored (white) sand and colored (orange) rice. They love this activity!



animals from different continents, I downloaded 2 copies from here

language work





science - sink and float



practical life - "bubble making" using a whisk




building with the knobless cylinders




the slightly leaning pink tower (built by one of our 2 year olds)



sorting objects - what belongs in Air, Land and Water. I made these cards from download at this website
another activity from the practical life area - "nesting owls"
play doh - always a favorite























counting shells



working with sandpaper letters and matching objects (we introduce the sounds in groups of 3)

playing the wooden xylophone (my 99c goodwill find I wrote about here )










working with color box 1















drawing on the chalk board








To see more ideas for anyone wanting to plan Montessori activities, 2 of the blogs I visit often:

Montessori Free fall

My Montessori Journey

I will take some pictures of the classroom layout and how the work is arranged on the shelves soon. I cropped all these pictures to protect the privacy of the little ones in my class

If you're reading please leave a comment and if you have any questions about the activities let me know :)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

San Antonio

Some pictures from our few days away in San Antonio, post hurricane.

At the Guenther house

















riding the train by the zoo
































boat ride on the river















the hurricane again......

Just some pictures to share.........



making biscuits with Dad Friday morning






playing with toys, getting ready to "hunker down" for the hurricane




Kate styled her dolls' hair




more play time












Thomas already asleep on the couch by 7










Mommy, why are you taking pictures??!!




Kate asleep too














we had mattresses against the windows




early morning, fence down in the back, swing set did not blow away




our big oak tree, luckily it fell between the house and fence and did not damage either




the rain filled the ditches




the frame of a new house collapsed in my in-laws neighborhood




the hummingbirds enjoying their early morning sugar water

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Galveston

A friend of Chris has a blog about her experience as an evacuee from Galveston.

One of the most surreal pictures I have seen is this one:














On the Galveston seawall, which kept back the worst parts of the storm surge, Ike sheared in half the plaque on the statue of victims of the 1900 storm who are raising their arms in mourning. The 17-foot seawall was built after 6,000 people died in that turn of the century hurricane, the deadliest storm in U.S. history, the newspaper reported.



the same location on a beautiful May day











the usually calm waves........





We go to Galveston several times a year, we live less than an hours drive away, and I hope that they will be able to restore and rebuild. There are so many beautiful houses and historic buildings, it is so much more than just a popular tourist destination.