Montessori practical life lays the foundation for the rest of the classroom. Each activity's direct aims include concentration, control, coordination, independence, and order. These activities, geared toward the fall season, fulfill these direct aims, while also bringing nature into the curriculum.
Activities for the Pincer Grasp
The pincer grasp involves the first two fingers and thumb. These muscles are used when doing later writing activities. Children can strengthen these muscles when using their fingers to pull seeds out of a sunflower head, or picking kernels off of Indian corn. Take both of these exercises one step further by encouraging children to use tweezers to remove the seeds and kernels.
Save the seeds and kernels for use in other activities. Strip and bake the sunflower seeds for a tasty snack in the food prep area. Dry them to plant in the spring garden. Use kernels for spooning and pouring exercises.
Care of the Environment Activities
Children love to clean things, and scrubbing can really satisfy their proprioceptive needs. Set up a scrubbing activity on a tray, using mini pumpkins, gourds, or squash. Remember to include soap, small pitcher, small bowl, scrub brush, and a sponge. Use the same items at the same activity set up at a table, but use a larger pumpkin for scrubbing.
Take practical life activities outside by planting bulbs in the garden. Use a variety of bulbs for spring color, or plant some fall onion bulbs to get a head start on the spring season. Use child-sized rakes so children can help rake leaves. Work on other fall cleanup duties in the garden.
Food Preparation Activities
The fall season is apple season. Start with a simple apple coring activity, where children use a corer to cut slices. This can lead to grace and courtesy exercises as children share their slices with friends.
Cut apple slices into chunks. Put them into a food processor with about three to four ounces of water per large apple. Blend them together to make a naturally sweet applesauce. Experiment with added fruits, such as strawberries. Adding berries requires less water to be added.
Cut open a pumpkin as part of a science activity about pumpkins. Save the seeds and roast them in the oven for a tasty snack.
For food preparation activities on a larger scale, grate apples for use in making apple breads and muffins. Use pumpkin to make pumpkin bread and muffins. Make soups with pumpkin and squash, and other fall vegetables.
Other Practical Life Activities
When setting up other practical life activities, think of seasonal colors, such as orange and brown, when putting out beads, puff balls, etc., and coloring water. Use pumpkin-shaped beads for pouring, spooning, and tonging. Pound golf tees into a large pumpkin.
Each season allows for creativity when creating activities for the Montessori practical life shelf. Connect as many of these to nature, to compliment the science area and to engage children in the activities.
Andrea Coventry - Andrea Coventry is a Montessori child, now Montessori educator, with 25 years' experience with children, publishing online since 2007.
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