Taking Over a New Class

This year I have changed classrooms and responsibilities.  I moved from my safe little classroom to take over for some teachers who left our school.  It is my job to make this classroom successful.  I am in the Spanish dual language program classroom now.  It is a mixture of children from several classrooms, but there is a core group of children who were there last year.  These children have really needed retraining this year.  About 80% of them are boys.  I have spent a lot of time during the first 3 weeks of school observing all of the children, becoming emotionally available and a confidant, creating structure in the classroom, following through again and again with ground rules, and setting the stage for correct treatment of the environment and each other.  It is tiring work to be sure, but sticking to the difficult work at the beginning of the year really pays off.

For the first two weeks I pulled out over 25 different manipulative works and had several shelves dedicated to them just to give myself a pulse on the room and where the children were.  They used these works with gusto.  It has really helped to have only manipulatives in retraining the children to become careful with their work, return the work ready for another child to use, walk around and not through rugs, walk in the classroom in the first place, respect when a child has already chosen a work and not to disturb them etc.  This is certainly an ongoing process.  It seems like it can take an entire year for some of the younger children not to walk on their neighbor's rug if something grabs their attention.

During the third week I noticed that the older children were bored with the manipulatives so I began giving lessons.  Some of the record keeping was spotty so I had to test out to see where they really were in the different areas.  On Thursday, this week (being the 4th week of school), we noticed that it was 2 hours into our work time before any child chose a manipulative work.  YIPEE!  I only have one shelf of manipulatives now, and only the ones that the children find the most interesting.

These are some images from our last week of work.

Exploration of Metal Insets by a returning student

Mouse House turned into a Spanish Work.  Es el raton debajo de la casa anaranjado?

Hanging Bead Stair

Writing Words using the Large Moveable Alphabet

Initial Sound Object Sort - This is the Pink Mat
I am so excited to have these new mats.  I handmade the set I
have been using and just got these new ones this week.

Gluing noodles on apples work.  Next week we will paint these works.
This allows the work to be done in more than one step but still follow
the Montessori rule that art should be a shelf work.

Parts of the Plant Nomenclature Cards.  This child completed this work
 beautifully and could even tell me every part of the plant and later the
Fruit.  He then made the booklets for each work.

Rainbow Rings.  My children LOVE this work.  It is actually
Wine Glass Markers that I found at a kitchen store in Park City.

Using Clay Lesson.  You can see how the little one is using
his "watching arms" during this presentation.

Parts of the Snail Puzzle.  We wouldn't usually have this work
out right now, but this child found a snail in the school
garden and was really interested so I pulled it out.

Weaving with ribbons

Parts of the Flower Puzzle

Parts of the Fruit Nomenclature Cards and Magnetic Parts Puzzle 

Baby Spooning Stars.  This work is pretty challenging for this child.
She has been with me since last year and has needed this long to
be ready for this work.

Sandpaper Letters with Initial Sound Booklets.
This child was successful at all the letters in the first
set and was subsequently hiding them in the
classroom to then find them again.

Hand Transferring.  I just have to say how much I love the
elliptical shape of these wooden bowls.  There are mung beans
inside.  They sound just like rain when they hit the
wood.  Many times the child will remark about this when
they first have this lesson.

Object to Object Sorting with two Space Toobs.  Because I
have so many boys I have geared some of the Pre-reading
works to pull them in.  We are also beginning the year by
learning about our place in the universe.

The Farm Mat - a grammar work.  I made this mat as well.

Kinds of Shoes Cards

I was looking around in my files today and came across this set of cards for different kinds of shoes that I hadn't posted yet.  I think they are really cute and fun.  I think I am going to work on some matching outline cards for them now that I have learned to make those.  Okay... so these kinds of things get me excited :)

You could put these on the same shelf with a shoe polishing set, or any where else you could find them really fitting in your classroom.

Kinds of Shoes Cards
click on picture to link to file

Basic Practical Life Trays

Today's post is all about our classroom's Practical Life Trays.  I am creating this post because I want teachers and homeschooling families to know that you can create your own trays, and make them very nice.  I found all the parts for all the trays from local stores.  I relied heavily on the local thrift stores. Items that I could not purchase at the thrift stores were found at the local hobby stores, the local dollar stores, and kitchen stores.  I did find the plain clear trays in Walmart's wedding aisle.

Time is money, and my time is very valuable, but while I was assembling these trays I would spend a few minutes on my way home from work, or the Doctor's office etc. combing through whatever store might be in my path.  I NEVER settle for something I don't want, or think that the children will not be drawn to.  What I am looking for always shows up sooner or later.  The total cost of these Practical Life Trays has been under $120.  I believe it took me about 3 weeks of looking here and there to find everything.  When I can save that much money over ordering from a service, it is worth the time.

There are many other Practical Life Trays that I use, but these are some of basics to start with.

Sorting
This beginning exercise uses the three finger grip and aids in
prewriting skills as well as the development of discrimination
I change the medium and the 'bowls' throughout the year
I like to begin with beans, pasta and beads of different sizes, shapes AND colors
Later the items can gradually become more similar such as
same color but different shapes etc.

Dry Pouring Exercise
I change the medium throughout the year
I use the following:
black beans
pinto beans
navy beans
kidney beans
popcorn
colored rice
wild rice
small round beads - same color
small round beads - different colors

Spooning Exercise #1 - larger items
I change the medium, the bowls and the spoons throughout the year
I use the following in this tray:
black beans
pinto beans
navy beans
kidney beans
garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
popcorn
tiny sea shells
The spoons I use rotate between the two trays
I use the following:
demi-spoon
wooden spoon (shown)
white porcelain spoon (shown below)
decorative sugar spoon
wooden scoop
metal scoop
Chinese soup spoon

Spooning Exercise #2 - smaller items
*note that this tray has a solid bottom*
I change the medium, the bowls and the spoons (same as above) through the year
I use the following in this tray:
natural short grain rice
colored rice
black rice
wild rice
flax seed
small beads

Basic Water Pouring Exercise
I always use colored water since young children
have a harder time seeing just how much water is left,
or how full something is getting without it

Mini Water Pouring Exercise
I LOVE these little Delft toothpick holders
*that will give you an idea of the size of this pouring set*

Funneling Exercise
Isn't that little vase gorgeous.  I paid 75 cents for it.

Sponge Squeezing Exercise
I use a natural sponge that I found in the paints and brushes aisle of the hobby store
It took a while to find the two part tray
I wanted melamine for it since the white glass trays that
are so easy to find will break into horrible tiny SHARDS

Basting Exercise
I used to have a mini baster and when I
find one again I will replace this big one

Operating a Dropper Exercise
two jiggers make a great way to get every last drop
I had to find the droppers at the nearest home medical store

Operating a Syringe Exercise
These are two little glass mugs
I also found the syringe at the home medical store

Whisking Exercise
I add three drops of dish soap to the water to make suds in the water

Tonging Exercise
I change the medium through the year
I use the following:
poms of different colors (brown shown)
sparkly poms
small wooden beads
small clay beads
garbanzo beans
mini wooden eggs
filberts (hazelnuts)
mini crocheted balls
corks
*I am always on the look-out for more items*
I also change the tongs through the year
I use the following:
strawberry huller
decorative sugar tongs (this is a favorite)
mini salad tongs
bamboo tongs
quick sticks (beginner chopsticks)

Ball Tonging Exercise
this uses a small meat-baller - found at the kitchen store
I change the medium through the year
I use the following:
mid sized poms of different colors (green shown)
spiky balls
larger clay beads
larger wooden beads
I DO NOT use bouncy balls
*whatever I choose has to fit entirely in the ball*

Rolling Exercise
note that there is a clear cutting board used as the rolling surface
the cookie cutters change through the year from big to small
I use sculpey clay and change colors

Opening and Closing Exercise
I change what is on this tray from time to time
I also sometime hide some things for the
children to find while they are opening items
I use objects that have or do the following:
hinge opening
hermetic seal
snap
zipper
clasp
drawstring
velcro
magnetic closure
screw top
pinch open

Lacing Large Beads Exercise
color combinations of the beads change through the year