Scent Matching

 
I introduced scent matching recently, and O LOVED it! The scents were peppermint, banana, and strawberry. I put a little of each scent onto 2 cotton balls, and put each cotton ball into a salt or pepper shaker. There are stickers on the bottom of the shaker for self-checking. We took turns matching the scents, and I think we each had 5 turns before O was ready to move onto something else :)

Matching Paper Clips

I introduced this activity to O a few months ago, and she was totally uninterested. I put it away and brought it back out today. Today she loved it!

 
She rolls the roller on the paper clip dispenser, gets the clip and then clips it to the matching dot. The last paper clip didn't catch onto the magnetic roller, so we had to shake it a bit. I think smaller paper clips will work bettter with the dispenser.


Wow! Four Montessori posts in a row. Maybe this is a Montessori blog afterall. I was beginning to have my doubts :)  

Rainbow Pipe Cleaner Work

Here's another one from My Montessori Journey! (I LOVE that blog!) As soon as I saw this work, I knew O would love it! I love that it's so simple and easy to put together. As I read the book, O builds the rainbow. Fun! Eventually, I plan to add the bead component to the work, but for now the pipe cleaners are enough :)

Hammering is Fun!

This hammering activity has been on my list for a LONG time, and I'm so glad to finally get it together. O was very engaged in this work. She liked hammering, but she also enjoyed just pushing the golf tees (she didn't like me calling them golf tees. She corrected me and said "O calls them nails!") in with her fingers.


 
I love to see pictures of trays on other blogs, so I'm going to try to do more of that :) Here's an action shot (because I love action shots, too!).


 

Arranging Feathers

  
This idea came from My Montessori Journey. It's fun and easy to put together. O really enjoyed herself!



 
It occured to me a couple of weeks ago that paint chips would be PERFECT for cutting work! The paper is stiff which makes it easier to handle and the lines are wide. Can't get any better than that!
 



 
After O cut the chips, we talked about the differences in the colors and put them in order from darkest to lightest. We saved the chips, so she can use them later to make a collage :)

Nesting Dolls

O and M love to play with Guh-guh's nesting dolls (she has LOTS of them!). M explained to O how she was lining them up according to size. Then Guh-guh read them the story of Matryoshka dolls.

What We've Been Working on Lately...

Pouring rice



Folding napkins
 
Stringing beads

Completing puzzles

Doorbell Dollhouse

I bought this Melissa and Doug Doorbell Dollhouse for O before she was born. I thought it was really neat, so when it was on clearance I decided to go ahead and get it. It turns out it was a good decision :) The dollhouse has 4 doors with doorbells, and each door has a specific key. The keys are attached to the house on a ribbon. Behind each door is a little dollhouse person. O has gotten pretty good at selecting the correct key, but she still has some difficulty fitting the keys in the locks. She REALLY likes ringing the doorbells!

Matching Colors using Clothes Pins

The idea for this activity came from Teaching Tiny Tots. This is a fun and easy activity to put together. Get 2 each of several different sheets of paint chips from your local paint store. Cut the paint chips on one sheet and glue one each to a clothes pin. You're done! O enjoyed matching the colors, and she really had to pay attention since the colors are so similar. I also like that this is a fine motor exercise. O had a little difficulty managing the clothes pins, so I held the cards up for her while she clipped the paint chips to them. I think this will be another popular work on O's shelf!

Renewed Interest in the Lentil Tray

O has shown a renewed interest in the lentil tray over the past few days. This morning she said she was chopping walnuts to bake a birthday cake for me. She brought me a jar full of lentils and asked me to blow out the candles. I think we'll be playing pretend birthday for the next few weeks :)

Magnetic/Nonmagnetic Objects

The idea for this activity came from the The Wonder Years. I just found this blog last night, and I LOVE it. It is full of wonderful and creative Montessori activities!
This morning O was sitting on the couch playing with her magnetic fishing puzzle. I played with her, and when we were finished I asked her if she'd like to do an activity about magnets. She enthusiastically responded "yes!" I gathered 4 magnetic objects and 4 nonmagnetic objects and put them in a basket. I then demonstrated to her that the fishing pole would pick up the magnetic objects, and we put them in a container. We talked about how we had to use our fingers to pick up the nonmagnetic objects, and we put them in another container. We also talked about which kinds of materials are magnetic and which kinds are not. She really enjoyed this work, and I think it will be a popular activity on her shelf. Thanks to The Wonder Years for the inspiration!