Fall Practical Life Activities

Corn:

This year we grew corn on the cob in our garden. Not knowing what to expect. The ears were small and cute...

I made a tray with ears of corn, a bowl to put the shucked corn into, and a bowl for the hulls.

The next day, the shucked corn goes on a tray with a bowl for the cleaned corn, water, washcloth (for drying) and a vegetable scrubbing brush.....once the activity of cleaning off the hair is completed......we plan to fix the corn for dinner that night.

I plan on making another tray with the hulls to make corn husk dolls a little closer to Thanksgiving.

Leaves:

The leaves are now turning. In our plan is a nature hick to collect leaves.

I will take a picture of leaves in both columns with the labels Compound and Simple, for control. They will then sort the leaves into the 2 columns.

Another activity is to take a real leaf, glue it to paper and label the parts of a leaf using the cards as control.

Acorns:

I enjoyed reading a fall activity of taking the acorn tops off a few acorns and making a tray where my younger ones can "match" the correct top with the acorn. Now tell me do you thing the older ones will not want to try the challenge?

Cattails:

The past few years we have done seed dispersal in the fall. One of our favorite activity is to get cattails and "help" them disperse their seeds. This year I have collected several odd types of plant that have unusual methods via wind dispersal. I ask the boys to try to guess which will go farther, then let the experiments begin! I will have the microscope handy in case there is any interest in determining why....

Seeds:

I have been collecting pits for dissection. I hope that their will be interest for the older boys to dissect the various seeds and match to the Montessori cards I have. We were also able to grow rosehips which I hope will spark interest....

Pumpkins:

We also grew small pumpkins this year. I am hoping to introduce weight (mass) and volume (measuring) for our pumpkin pie. So much can be done here estimating weight, measurement, volume and perhaps guess how many seeds the pumpkin contains.

Not to mention the trip to the pumkin patch to pick our large pumpkins for carving. There is a small farm nearby that allows for picking your pumpkin.

Seed_worksheet

Seed_worksheet_1

Seed_information

This information was taken from a website which is now offline.

What is Practicle Life?

These skills include care of person, care of the environment, social behavior, and exercises that develop balance and coordination.

Activities of practical life will help the child develop a sense of order, and improve their concentration, coordination, and independence.

Letting your child pour his own drink, brush his own hair, and clean up his own spills is therefore very important to the development of the child for these reasons.

Great Site for Fine Motor Skills Activities

http://edavenue.homestead.com/finemotor.html

Braiding Presentation

Here is a braiding presentation from Mitra at the Toronto Montessori Institute.

http://www.weloveteaching.net/mitra/BRAIDING.doc

BRAIDING

MATERIAL: Basket, 4 different coloured strings, scissors barding wooden frame

PRESENTATION:
Invite the child to put the basket on the table. Ask him to select 3 strings by his own choice of colures. Cut the strings to equal length. (Use the frame as a measuring tool to cut them to the length.) Then tie each string to a pin on the frame. Move the left and centre strings to the left side of the frame while pulling the right string to the right.
1- Starting from the left string, grab it with your right hand and move it to the right(passing over the centre string). Pull all strings slightly.
2-Continue the activity by grabbing the right string with your left hand and move it to the left side of the frame and pass t over the centre string.
3- Grab the centre string with the right hand and move it to the right side of the frame (passing over the right string).This will complete the first cycle of barding process. Repeat this cycle for few more times then ask the child to continue until the braiding is complete.
To remove the finished braid from the frame , tie two bows at the start and the end of the strings.
To unbraid, reverse above 3 steps.

POINTS OF INTEREST
Choosing color strings, making knot, measuring, braiding

PURPOSE: To learn braiding

AGE: 4+
Variation on the exercise
Making a bow at the end of the activity

Extensions
-Other materials such as braiding ribbons and plastic coloured strings
-Braiding with 4 strings