Lacing wooden geometric shapes (buy here or similar here) is a classic Montessori Sensorial activity. This is also an easy DIY activity to make at home with colored heavy-cardstock (buy here), scissors and a hole puncher. You can match the shoelace to the shape or use complimentary (opposite) lace color... Read more →

Today, we are exploring fractions. My children love LEGO. They are always either working on building LEGO or enjoy playing with it, so we have it out most of the time. Fractions are an abstract mathematical concept, and even Julia at seven-and-a-half is still not grasping it entirely. Making abstract... Read more →

Understanding fractions is an incredibly important concept as it forms a basis for later higher math, chemistry, physics, and many practical life activities. When Adrian turned two, we started talking about fractions in the kitchen while cutting an orange in halves, or cutting a pizza into quarters. Such real life... Read more →

This Wooden Tangram Puzzle (buy similar here) is an ancient Chinese brain game known to prime children's brains for math. A child will have fun grasping mathematical concepts such as congruency, symmetry, area, perimeter and geometry, while learning geometrical shapes such as a triangle and a square and its sides... Read more →

Today, we are exploring a triangular shape. All triangles have three sides, meaning that the shape is a polygon. If all three sides are of equal length, than it is called an "equilateral" triangle. We explored different textures and sizes and "made" various triangles, including non-equilateral ones since the sides... Read more →

Today, we are continuing our work with Montessori metal insets (buy here ). For this presentation, I use a regular wooden tray with handles (buy here). (Alternatively, you can purchase a tray specifically designed for Montessori metal insets here.) You will also need paper sized about 5.5” x 5.5" and... Read more →

Geometric Metal Insets are traditionally part of Montessori language area. The purpose of this material is to prepare a child for future handwriting. The lesson also involves some artistic aspect since the child is creating patterns, using colored pencils of his/her choice. The insets are made of metal, and are... Read more →

We have been working with numbers lately, and Adrian (at 31 months) is seeing numbers everywhere - even in an ellipse:) Metal Insets are designed to prepare your child for handwriting. Manipulating the insets will strengthen the three-finger grip (preparing for the correct pencil grip) and will also coordinate the... Read more →

Lacing Shapes is very useful activity as it teaches colors, shape recognition, and threading (indirectly preparing a hand for sewing one day). Made in the USA, these six wooden geometric shapes (circle, triangle, octagon, hexagon, pentagon, and square) with color-matched laces, encourage a child to work with the hands, indirectly... Read more →