Montessori
learning ideas4Pack #
Weeks 6 and 7
Monday 16 August 2021
to Friday 27 August 2021
THE FMS LEARNING FROM HOME SERIES PACK FOR
Birth - 3 years
Term 3
Reading is always fun and such a special bonding time together.
It provides a window into so many different worlds. When some
exercise is needed have a look at the yoga card suggestions
included.
The cloud dough and aquafaba will satisfy their need for some
sensorial activity.
We’re eager to hear from you; let us know about some of the
positive experiences, exchanges and observations you’ve had
with your child during these weeks, as you’ve seen them
respond to the materials and ideas you’ve shown them with.
We have been presented with a different opportunity to spend
time with our child and discover different aspects of our
relationships.
Today we’re enjoying another clear and beautiful, sunny Sydney
day.
Kind regards
Matty, Emma and Ishbel
Birth to 3 Staff
2
To our children and parents
So here we are! The 4 week lockdown sprint has been extended into an
endurance run.
There is no escaping as to the realities of this and we are all looking
forward for this to be over, so we can resume our pre-Covid routines.
However, these are the days of our life and we are going to make them
count! As we emphasised before, your daily family routines are really
important for your child’s sense of security so the ideas we offer can fit
into whatever routine you have created during your days.
For this next fortnight we’ve included some further Practical Life
suggestions as to how to involve your child into your day-to-day home life
and how to care for it. Remember; “Go Slow, Give Space with Grace”.
We’ve also included some yummy recipes to prepare and cook together.
When going on a walk or having fun around the house have a look at the
ideas using our Scavenger Hunt list. All these activities provide great
opportunities for extending our children’s language experience and
vocabulary. You will also see some cards to talk about ocean animals and
musical instruments and how you can extend this experience for your
child.
Practical Life
1 Practical life in Montessori are activities
that children see parents do around the
hime. It is a series of purposeful activities
aimed at assisting the child gain
independence through mastery over the
environment. This helps develop
coordination, concentration, and a sense
of responsibility.
It is fairly easy to set up some practical life
activities at home.
General guideline to implement at home is
• take your time, allow 1 hour to be able
to do a f an hour task
• break down the steps and slow down.
3
Cleaning the Bathroom
1
Materials needed:
• dish sponge
• dishwashing soap mixed with vinegar
about 1:4 ratio
• water bucket
• other suggestions: old toothbrush
4
Cleaning car
1Allow your young one to help further
with home activities.
Materials:
• large sponge
• water bucket
• soap.
Clean the car on a sunny day and
make sure a lot of bubbles are made
with the water. Your child will enjoy
getting wet, playing with the bubbles ,
doing something purposeful with you
and it can be hours of fun!
5
Shoe Brushing
1Materials:
• small shoe brush placed in a
tray
• small mat
• shoes.
Place shoes on mat on top of a
table. Brush dirt off shoes using
one direction outside motion.
Repeat with all of the family's
shoes.
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2Gross Motor
Developing gross motor or
large movements is an
important developmental
milestone for children this age.
There are a few suggestions
for planned activities but of
course nothing compares to
run in the park when the
weather is great!
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2Gross Motor
Print out the yoga cards
provided.
Place in a basket on the shelf.
First time do the yoga poses with
your child and hold for a few
seconds.
Your child can now practice
these yoga poses on their own
anytime they want.
Yoga Cards
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2Gross Motor
Leaping is a fundamental movement
milestone for toddlers.
Demonstrate and emphasise movements
• Leap with one leg
• Stretch out legs
• Continue then land on the other leg
Rope Leap
Tie a rope to a pole and stretch it out so it
forms one long line. Have someone
wriggle the rope like a snake.Your child
will have to try and leap over the rope
without touching it.
Rope Leap
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2Gross Motor Movement
Infinity Loop
• Illustrate to the child what a “lazy eight”
infinity symbol looks like.
• Draw the infinity symbol with a crayon.
Preferably, use large paper so the
child’s whole arm can move, not just
the wrist. Keep tracing the symbol for
several minutes until the movement is
smooth and balanced.
• Now, switch hands and keep tracing. If
you like, switch crayon colour. Continue
until the movement is smooth and
relaxed.
• To ensure large motor movement you
can draw on the large paper on the
wall at your child’s height.
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Sensorial
3 Sensorial materials help the child experience
each sense. Initially one sense at a time. It helps
the child become aware of new experiences.
Movement and repetition are needed for
completion, building muscle memory.
Some examples of these activities are play
dough, pasting and collage, opening and closing
jars. Books with different textures on the pages
such as carpet, sandpaper and silk provide
experiences of rough, smooth, hard and soft.
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Sensorial
Cloud Dough for Toddlers
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3Materials needed:
• bag of flour
• small bottle of vegetable oil.
Put all of the flour in the box and then add the oil
little by little while mixing it into the flour using your
other hand.
Keep adding until you get a fun texture with a
consistency similar to sand. Loose, yet a little
sticky.
Throw in some spoons, small bowls and muffin
tins and you are set!
Sensorial
AQUAFABA
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3Materials Needed:
• 2 cans of chickpeas
• cream of tartar
• food colouring.
Method:
• Drain chickpea liquid into a large bowl.
• Add ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar into the bowl.
• Whip ingredients with mixer on high until soft peaks
form (about 4 minutes).
• Add food coloring or liquid watercolors to color
chickpea foam. Briefly whip the color in to
incorporate.
Sensorial
OOBLECK Extension Activities
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3
Refer to Oobleck recipe in pack 1
• Drive toy cars through it
• Let the goop drip through a strainer, a berry basket,
or something else with holes
• Dribble and paint with goop on a sidewalk or
driveway
• Try freezing it
Pasting and collage on paper
3This activity also helps with fine motor
development and concentration. Cut the shapes
on the next slide for gluing.
You will need:
• a tray or mat that can easily be cleaned
• a small glue brush
• a small botlle with PVA glue
• paper
• small paper shapes, colored paper cut small.
1. Show the child how to be able to glue the
shapes in the tray.
2. Allow the child to repeat and glue as many
shapes as they want.
3. When finished have an area where the chid
can place their work to dry.
4. For older children you can show them how to
clean the glue brush in the sink.
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Use of Scissors
3 This activity also helps with fine motor
development and concentration.
You will need:
• a tray to contain the cuttings and scissors.
• small scissors
• cardboard or paper strips (enough for
repetition).
1. Show your child how to be able to cut the
strips.
2. Allow them to repeat
3. When finished, have a bowl to place their
cuttings. This can be thrown in the recycling
bin later.
As an added challenge print out the cutting
patterns provided and demonstrate cutting the
lines.
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Language
4 In Montessori spoken language is used in
everything they do in a day. The child
absorbs important information while
seeing, touching, and naming familiar
things. Language materials help them build
the tools for communication.
The ways that we can encourage this at
home is by having books on the shelf they
can look at. Reading to your toddler is of
great benefit also.
Having items displayed on the shelf on
trays or in baskets that spark curiosity for
learning is also a good way to build on their
language skills.
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4Nature Objects: Classified materials
Place various nature objects in a basket or
tray.
• pine cone
• bottle brush
• various shells
Method:
• From the basket take out one object at a
time.
• take time to name the object and touch,
feel and smell it.
• give the little one a turn.
• place on the mat when exploration is
finished.
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4Scavenger Hunt
A Scavenger hunt is an exciting way to be
able to look closely at nature, observe and
discover new things. This nature walk will
provide more of a purpose and set goals to
getting out.
What you will need:
• Outdoors
• clipboard and pen
• scavenger hunt list
• observant eyes
As a challenge you can have make your own
scavenger hunt list and share with others.
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4Language Cards
The use of language cards in a Montessori
environment isolates the objects to be able to build
the child's vocabulary of the objects we cannot have
replica or real object.
The images have to be realistic, and in proportion
with one another. Children at this age absorb and
incarnate everything as real and thus we try as much
as possible to give them reality.
Method:
Print out the images. If possible print out in cards that
are of the same size even though the images might
not be
Place in a basket.
Present and name cards one by one , looking at the
images carefully and pointing out features.
Ask child to point out the names of the images when
all have been named and laid out on the mat.
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4Celebrating the Chinese New Year
Sanmu Tang; Better Link Press
The Little Cloud
Eric Carle ; Puffin Books
Each Peach Pear Plum
Janet and Allan Ahlberg ;Puffin Books
The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson/Axel Scheffler ;Campbell Books
In the Deep Blue Sea
Angie Lionetto-Civa/Christina Booth ;Windy Hollow Books
Book corner:
Book recommendations
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4Brilliant Boats
Tony Mitton/Ant Parker, MacMillan Children’s
Books
Miffy Goes Flying
Dick Bruna;ABC Books, Any Miffy books
Chickens aren’t the only ones
Ruth Heller, Scholastic Inc.
Star Light Star Bright
Susie Linn/Parwinder Singh.
Imagine That Publishing Inc.
The Lost Mob
Venitia Tyson, Magabala Books
Book corner
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4Nursery rhymes/songs
Tiny Tim
I had a little turtle,
His name was tiny Tim,
I put him in the bath tub to see if he could swim,
He drank up all the water,
he ate up all the soap,
and now his down sick in bed with bubbles in his
throat,
Bubble bubble bubble,
Bubble bubble bubble,
Bubble bubble bubble,
Bubble... Bubble Pop!
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4Nursery rhymes/songs
Slippery Fish
Slippery FIsh, Slippery fish
Swimming in the water
Slippery fish slippery fish
Gulp gulp gulp!
The crocodile, the crocodile...
The octopus, the octopus...
The great white shark, the great white shark...
The big blue whale, the big blue whale...
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4Nursery rhymes/songs
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!
If you're happy and you know it, and you really want to show it;
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!
"... shout/say, 'Hooray'!"
"... slap your knees!"
"... slap your legs!"
"... turn around!"
"... snap your fingers!"
"... nod your head!"
"... tap your toe!"
"... honk your nose!"
"... pat your head!”
Mathematics
5 In the toddler world, all of the areas provide
a foundation for math. These activities help
with their Mathematical Mind.
Maths at this age group are mostly
integrated in the food preparation activities
and other practical life activities that involve
exactness and measurement.
• Manipulative items and food preparation
activities give the child experience with
handling objects with fine motor skills that
provide the skills necessary for working
out maths.
• Language teaches the association
between the word and the symbols.
• Sensorial provides a great link to many of
the Montessori math materials.
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Food preparation
Main Guidelines5What you will need:
• All materials/ingredients prepared
• Ingredients pre-measured in separate small
bowls
• Bananas and chickpeas can be mashed in a
mortar and pestle before using the food
processor to mix things together
• Always use an apron and tongs and spoons
• Lots of time.
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Ingredients
350g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 very ripe bananas
2 medium eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
250ml whole milk
butter, for frying
Food preparation
Banana Pancakes
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5
Method
STEP 1
Sieve the flour, (you can have a special sifter for this) baking powder and a generous pinch of salt into a large
bowl. Mash the very ripe bananas with a mortar and pestle, then whisk the eggs in a bowl with a fork or wire
whisk. Add all ingredients together.
STEP 2
Heat a little knob of butter in a large non-stick pan over a medium heat. Place batter in a small jug for your child
to pour. Pour small amounts of batter to the pan and cook for several minutes or until small bubbles start
appearing on the surface. The small pancakes can be flipped easily by your toddler. Cook for 1-2 mins on the
other side.
STEP 3
Stack the pancakes on plates and top with the banana slices, and maple syrup if desired.
*You can add food colouring to the pancakes to make it more interesting.
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Food preparation Avocado Slice
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5Ingredients
1 large avocado
½ cup mashed banana
½ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
½ cup coconut flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
Method
1. Preheat oven to 160ºC and grease an 8 x 8” baking dish with butter,
coconut oil or cooking spray
2. In a food processor or blender, combine avocado, banana, maple syrup and vanilla.
Prior to placing ingredients in a food processor, your child can mash the bananas,
and avocado using a mortar and pestle.
3. In a large bowl , combine eggs, coconut flour, cocoa powder, sea salt,
baking soda and avocado mix .
4. Using a hand held beater, blend a ll ingredients together until well combined.
5. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and sprinkle chocolate chips over
the top.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until set through.
8. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Cut into squares and enjoy.
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Food preparation
Fudge in Bag
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5Ingredients
100g cream cheese
3 cups icing sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons butter
Method
1.Gather all ingredients.
2.Place all ingredients in a resealable bag. Place that bag in
a second bag. Seal bags.
3.Use your hands to mix the ingredients all together.
4.With the ball of fudge still in the bag, flatten out with your
hand and then remove and
cut into squares.
Making Hummus
5 Ingredients:
600g canned Chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp tahini paste (see note)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup (60ml) water
100ml olive oil, plus extra to serve
1. Have your child mash the chickpeas in a
mortar and pestle. Show them how to scoop
in a bowl when they feel like that they have
mashed enough.
2. Add all ingredients in a food processor and
mix together until desired consistency is
achieved.
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