*** Dont forget to enter my giveaway here! The more you enter, the better chance to win!***
Today we got right into out plant work this morning! Breakfast was a little earlier today and I really needed to make material for my presentation today (yes you hear me right, I made the material right before I presented)! Our presentation today was about flowering and non flowering plants. I was panicking because I really had no idea what was a non flowering plant (I learned alot as I research this morning)! I thought I needed to find pictures, but then I looked in the waseca masters and I realized that they were all there! I just needed to color them! Whew! I was so happy about that! So while I colored, the girls popped by and wanted to color too! So I printed off the parts of the flower cards for them to color! Pup just colored hers in, Bunny made a book with all the parts! The parts of a flower are something we have gone over a million times, so she knew what she needed. I did add Stomata though, so she learned something! 🙂 After she made her book, we wrote out the work plan for the day. Like I said before, this is working REALLY well for her. We sit down each morning for a meeting and talk through what she needs to do, then off she goes! She started with handwriting and then I gave her the plant presentation! Finally we did the stamp game and she read a book. Pup worked on a little bit of this and that. Here are some pictures!
Later this afternoon I took the kids outside and Bunny found some maple seeds she planted and grew. I was surprised to know that for the past couple of weeks, she has been planting maple seed in the garden, watching them grow, then pulling them out since we don’t want to grow trees! She knew so much about the seeds and how they have a seed coat, they start with a root and two leaves. She knew that they leaves start out looking like the big ones and when we talked about the dicot and monocot leaves, she knew exactly what I was talking about! I was SHOCKED! She knew so much and it was all self led in the backyard by herself! I guess letting her dig in the garden was a good idea! It was Montessori all the way! She she was telling me this, I was thinking about the Montessori Theory album I have been reading. The elementary child is capable of great intellectual feats and as a Montessori teacher, you need to make sure that they have BIG projects to work on. They need it, they want it, and this looked just like a perfect way to help her have a project! So I told her where we had some carrot seeds if she wanted to try and plant something for real! She thought it was a great idea and after helping read the package direction, she planted some of the carrot seeds. She was very proud of them and I hope to do some more talking about plant needs as we go! The planting let to making some seed makers for the plant we have growing! Bunny thought of the design and she made all the pictures herself! I helped her do some of the spelling after she sounded them out! She did her best work she told me! I think she is right!
While Bunny was making her garden markers, Pup wanted to do something too. I gave her a butterfly and some markers and she got to work too! What surprised me wasn’t that she liked doing this, but how long she concentrated on this! For about 30 minutes, she colored with so much focus. Each part of this butterfly, both sides, even the edges were all colored! She even outlined the butterfly shape! It was really awesome to watch her concentration !!!
So that is what we were up to today!!! 🙂 Lots of fun and I think that we are getting to a place where the learning is happening naturally! It is such a beautiful thing to witness. Bunny is really starting to think more like an elementary kid and reading my albums has helped me to change how I think and teach! This has made her feel better and this is good for everyone! Don’t forget to enter my giveaway with Montessori at Home! You can enter here. Happy Schooling!!!!!
My husband made them. He built the boxes out of cedar and them attached the right to the fence. There are supports that make it less likely to fall down. We also filled it will a special light weight soil (Miracle Grow made it I think). Last year we planted tomatos, peas, peppers, strawberries, and lettus and it all did well. The only thing is it needs more watering then a bed on the ground! Thanks for popping by!
What a great day. Bunny is at such an exciting time – I love watching the emergence of the Elementary child out of the work done in at the Primary stage. She is going to LOVE the great lessons when you do them!
I am loving watching it all happen! (I think I may be a Montessori nerd) She is changing so much and reading more on the planes of development has really made me better at working with her. The more I read about the 6-9 classroom the more I can see how different it can be and that we are moving that direction really fast! I cant wait to do the great lessons in the fall!
May 16, 2012 @ 3:04 pm
I love all the work your girls are doing.
May 16, 2012 @ 8:30 pm
Thanks! It has been so much fun!
May 16, 2012 @ 6:13 pm
Your planters are interesting… Are they attached to the fence? How did you make them? Would love to know!
May 16, 2012 @ 8:34 pm
My husband made them. He built the boxes out of cedar and them attached the right to the fence. There are supports that make it less likely to fall down. We also filled it will a special light weight soil (Miracle Grow made it I think). Last year we planted tomatos, peas, peppers, strawberries, and lettus and it all did well. The only thing is it needs more watering then a bed on the ground! Thanks for popping by!
May 16, 2012 @ 8:19 pm
What a great day. Bunny is at such an exciting time – I love watching the emergence of the Elementary child out of the work done in at the Primary stage. She is going to LOVE the great lessons when you do them!
May 16, 2012 @ 8:36 pm
I am loving watching it all happen! (I think I may be a Montessori nerd) She is changing so much and reading more on the planes of development has really made me better at working with her. The more I read about the 6-9 classroom the more I can see how different it can be and that we are moving that direction really fast! I cant wait to do the great lessons in the fall!