The Moveable Alphabet is a material that opens the world of putting thoughts into writing for children. Maria Montessori observed children experience a sensitive period for language from birth to the age of 6. The sensitive period for writing is around age 4. With a strong foundation in letter ...
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Resources
When Handwashing Is More Than Just Clean Hands
Toddlers love water and water play. One of the first lessons they receive at VFKH is “Handwashing as an Exercise.” Because toddlers are natural imitators, the mundane, adult tasks, such as handwashing, pique their curiosity. They want to imitate adults and master the same tasks they see them doing. ...
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The Benefits of Mixed-Age Classrooms
One of the first things you notice when you walk into a Montessori classroom is that classrooms are not divided by age. Instead, classrooms are divided into multi-age groupings. For example, a preschool classroom may have children ranging in ages from 3 to 6 years of age.
At VFKH, students ...
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Checkerboard
The checkerboard is used for long multiplication in the lower elementary classroom. The children are already familiar with the glass beads and their values as we saw in the Bead Cabinet. Materials that represent a concept are carried through the Montessori experience.
Now the children have ...
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Cultivating Peace in the Montessori Classroom
One of the things about Montessori that our founder and Head of School, Susan Kelly, was initially attracted by was the concept of Grace and Courtesy and basic respect. Respect flows through the Montessori environment from adult to adult, adult to child, and child to child. If we learn to treat ...
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The Montessori Bead Cabinet
The Montessori Bead Cabinet Material is a quintessential and defining Montessori material.
The Bead Cabinet is first introduced to Primary children as a means to sensorially demonstrate the concept of numeric measurement. For the 3-6 child, the Bead Cabinet represents a BIG work with many layers ...
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Montessori Birthday Celebrations
Birthdays are a very special occasion in Montessori classrooms to honor the years and accomplishments of each student. Here’s how we celebrate!
The Birthday Walk
Students gather in a circle and in the middle of the circle is a candle that represents the sun. Strips of paper with the months of ...
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Hammering It Up!
There are many tools we use for learning activities in our classrooms. A toddler favorite is the Clay Hammer and Tee Tray. This is an excellent exercise to practice and develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The children love it!
The Importance of Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor ...
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