Practical Life
Sewing Buttons
A favourite activity of older students is learning how to sew a button! For this activity, you will need: a small square of fabric or felt, a needle, thread, a variety of buttons, and, if possible, an embroidery hoop. Show your child how to use the embroidery hoop, and help them as they do it for themselves. Then, have your child choose a button. Thread their needle and knot it for them. Have your child choose where the button will go, and begin the process for them. A trick for starting is to push the needle up through the fabric, and then place the button on it. Your child can sew as many buttons on as they like. They could even make a ‘button blanket’ design!
How to Sew a Button video: https://youtu.be/8mIGGn3AS1E
A Video about Button Blankets: https://youtu.be/U6MDHIsUR3E
Haida Button Blankets: https://youtu.be/cYt58pw_WnY
Math Activity
Ring Around The Dandelions
Since the weather has been so wonderful lately, we encourage you to go outside for this math activity! Take a hula hoop with you and find a patch of grass filled with dandelions. Have your child toss the hula hoop onto the grass. Then, estimate how many dandelions are contained within the boundaries of the hoop. Now, count them!! You can toss the hula hoop again and estimate whether your new area has more or less dandelions. Remember, if it’s a beautiful day, you may see honeybees gathering food for their hive, so you’ll need to be mindful of them. After you’re done counting, it’s a wonderful time to show off all the hula hoop tricks you know!
Language Activity
I Spy
One classic Montessori language game is I Spy. In this game, children learn to listen to the sounds that make up a word. This auditory game equips them with the skills they will need for reading and writing. For this game, you’ll need several objects. A good idea is to raid your child’s toy animal collection. To begin with, place out only 4 objects on a cleared table or tray. Make sure your child knows the name of each object (“this is a frog”). Then, begin the game by saying “I Spy with my little eye, something that begins with the sound . . .” It is very important to say the SOUND that the word begins with and not the LETTER NAME. If your child is easily able to identify objects by their FIRST sound, try the game using the LAST sound. If your child finds the sound part too tricky, try playing this game using clues (“I spy an animal that gives us milk . . . can you find that animal? What is its name?”)
Free printable I Spy sheets: https://www.123homeschool4me.com/animal-i-spy/
Free Online Hidden Objects game: https://www.arkadium.com/cn/free-online-games/hidden-object/
Free online I Spy game: https://youtu.be/ggoDb1b18T4
Sensorial
Texture Scavenger Hunt
For this activity, you’ll be introducing your child to different textures. Start with only a few objects on a tray. Begin by lightly touching your first object and naming one quality (“this plate is smooth”). Then, encourage your child to touch the object and find another object in the room that you are in that also has the same quality. Easily identifiable textures are: rough, smooth, hard, soft, squishy, bumpy, rubbery, prickly. Remember, begin simply and add on as your child gets the hang of things.
Creative Activity
Button Creation
Since your child is learning how to sew buttons, why not help them to make a button design of their own? You’ll need an assortment of buttons, glue and a stiff card to glue the buttons on to. Start by having your child draw a simple picture on the cardstock. They can use markers to colour in the picture. Then, add the buttons, and voila . . . a beautiful 3-D masterpiece!
Additional resources:
https://www.sesamestreet.org/home Visit this website for Sesame themed preschool games, videos and art.
https://www.typingclub.com/sportal/ Head to this website to learn or improve typing skills.
Mazes
Learning at Home Montessori Week 16
