The Senses

The hand is the teacher, So the mind can learn, So the eye can see.

The sensorial materials in Montessori education are wonderful. They incorporate all of the senses and then some. To quote from a collections of papers I have from my training: "Children are taught to recognize similarities and contrasts between and among objects and entities- visually, auditorily, dimensionally, stereognostically, tactily, tastily, barically, and thermically." Montessori taught that from birth to age six the child is in a sensitive period for exploring with the senses. Also, from age 2-6 the child is in a sensitive period for the refining of the senses and has quite a fascination with the senses. To provide a little insight as to why the first Montessori year, and so many materials, are devoted to the development of the senses, we have to understand the importance of a sensitive period. Montessori taught that a sensitive period is a transitory, and somewhat brief, period of time that a child has an unconscious need and overpowering force and interest in a specific aspect. This need and focus doesn't lead to fatigue or boredom, but to a greater interest and finally to a state of consciousness and fulfillment. Montessori also taught that a sensitive period can never be regained once passed, and is somewhat like a window of time that closes whether used or not. So, yes, activities involving the senses are so important!



Here are just two example from our Montessori time today in which we used and developed the senses. The Touch Tablets (made from different grades of sandpaper) are an early Montessori activity. The introduction to this begins with the youngest children touching the Rough and Smooth board. Next, the child feels different grades of sandpaper. Lastly, the child matches grades of sandpaper while blindfolded. The use of the blindfold not only entertains the child (my daughter loves it) but helps to isolate the sense being used, which helps provide a greater impression.



This activity can be played alone or with another person. The tablet on the left stays in place while the right hand feels the other tablets for a match. The tablets are also very easy to make, requiring only sandpaper, a base and glue.




The stickers on the back are the same if the match is correct.




Another game we played on this day involved the bell and blindfold. One person sat blindfolded in the middle of the room, while the other person walked quietly to a spot and then rang the bell. The blindfolded person pointed to where they thought the bell ringer was and then took off the blindfold to see if they were correct. These types of games are so simple, but really enjoyed and fun. It doesn't take much to create a game using any of the senses!

I hope this post inspires you to provide a Sensorial activity. Just writing this has really renewed my appreciation of the materials. I am so grateful that Dr. Montessori had the wisdom to create these activities and the knowledge of its importance to share with us.

Sink and Float With Leaves- Toddler and Preschool

I try to change the objects in the Sink and Float activity often. Both my 4 yr old daughter and toddler loved this activity. The leaves that were used had been pressed in a phone book for a few days to keep them flat.


This is the preschooler version. I have three different types of leaves. The tongs are for removing the wet leaf from the water (she already knows how to use tongs) and the spoon is for scooping out the rocks. There is also a line on the water container, showing how full to fill it.


Fill the container to the line. Choose a leaf and gently place it in the water. Pause to observe that it floats.


One at a time, place a pebble onto the leaf (we used fingers for this).


Eventually the leaf will sink due to the weight. It is interesting to see how the different leaves hold different amounts of pebbles.


Using the tongs and spoon, remove the leaf and pebbles and place them on the towel to dry. This time invite the child to choose a leaf and have a turn. When finished, have the child watch you pour out the water, dry the container and dry the tray.


Toddler Version: We set up the towel and I filled a small pitcher with water (a few times) and my daughter poured the water into the container. I placed one leaf in the water and she placed the rest. We observed them floating.


I placed a pebble on a leaf and then another until it sunk. Once she saw me doing this she went right to work sinking each leaf with pebbles. She loved putting the pebbles into the water and onto the leaves. I stayed with her to watch and to make sure they didn't go into her mouth.


She equally enjoying scooping pebbles out and putting them onto the towel.

A Birthday Celebration

We recently celebrated my daughter's 4 year birthday. It is so fun to celebrate now that she is aware and interested in celebrations and traditions. This year we started some new traditions. These traditions are inspired by Montessori and Waldorf birthday celebrations.


I love the birthday ring, originating in Europe and used by Waldorf families. Each year another ornament is removed and a candle put in it's place.

I added a bit of Montessori to this, with the telling of my daughter's life story. Before any candle was lit, I started by saying: "______ was born September 16, 2005 in (city, state). It was a warm evening, around dinner time when you were born in the hospital. Mommy and daddy had waited all day and Grandma had arrived to see your birth. At 5:16 you were born. You had lots of dark hair on your head and you were so small. You had to be held and taken care of all the time. You couldn't talk to tell us what you needed, you slept a lot, you had to wear diapers and drank only milk. By 6 months you could sit up, laugh and hold things. (Then I lit a candle) Then you turned one. When you were 1, you learned to___, you liked to___ . I continued to her present age and said: "And now, you turn 4 years old! You can ____ . Your favorite food is___, and you love to _____. Happy 4th Birthday."

The telling of the life story is part of the Montessori celebration. Parents write it with their child and then come into the class to share it while the child does the "birthday walk." The life story is a tradition they look forward to hearing each year . The birthday ring is a beautiful way to celebrate years of life, past and future, but even if you don't have a birthday ring, you can just as easily use the candles on the birthday cake to light and tell your child his/her life story.



Another tradition we started was the personal time-line. The time-line is part of the Montessori birthday celebration. The child (with the help of the parent) puts the photos in order to make a personal time-line. We will keep ours and add to it each year.

Our other traditions include a birthday place mat, a birthday crown, and a special morning surprise waiting at the child's seat at the kitchen table.

I would love to hear what birthday traditions you use!

Getting Ready for the Apple Festival

We are eagerly awaiting the local apple festivals in our area. Apple picking has become a family tradition. To get ready for "Apple Day" we began with a small selection from the store, which were used to discover a little more about apples.




First, we compared the apples' appearances: colors, size, shape, differences and similarities. We used our hands to feel the different weights of the apples and guessed which we thought was the heaviest. We used the balance scale to find the heaviest apple.



I cut the apple in half and we found the star shape in each apple half and the seeds. We then tasted pieces of each apple.


Lastly, we made apple prints. Using fabric paint and a large piece of cloth, we dipped the apple halves and slices into the paint and stamped to make prints.



Once we go apple picking we will use the apples to make apple crisp, applesauce, and dehydrate apple slices.

Children and Imitation

Imitation plays a large role in the life of a child. As I finished reading Sharifa Oppenheimer's book "Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children" I really came to appreciate this role and be more aware of it. Oppenheimer writes "The young child does not watch us carefully and then in a studied way choose to imitate, for instance, the tone of our voice as we talk to the cat. Rather, the young child, who is so new to life, simply lives into our actions and makes them her own. We, her parents, are the template of what it is to be human..." Maria Montessori also spoke of the way in which a young child absorbs the environment. She taught that the young child absorbs impressions from the environment thus creating themselves. Dr. Montessori said, "the child takes in his whole environment, not with his mind but with his life." When we consider this statement it really can help us reflect on the physical environment and the emotional environment our child is absorbing.




Imitation also plays a role in cognitive learning. Even we, as adults, use imitation when put in a new or different situation. Because imitation comes naturally to the child it is used in the Montessori classroom as a way to present new materials. A child learning how to use a new material, first sits at the side of the teacher and watches her use the material start to finish- how to remove it from the shelf, carry it, use it, prepare it for the next person, and return it to the shelf. The power of imitation is used successfully in this way for learning.

One final way we as parents can use imitation as an aid is found when Oppenheimer writes "A simple rule is this: if we want the child to do something, then we must do it ourselves, in order to offer him someone to imitate." So, next time we want our children to clean up the toys, brush their teeth or spend more time outside, we can be more successful if we offer ourselves to imitate.

More Toddler Activities

A Velcro dressing frame. Montessori dressing frames can be purchased pretty cheap but I decided to make one since I had a wooden frame available already. I used leftover flannel (from a previously made flannel board), which is nice and soft to use. The rest was made with the sewing machine and staple gun.


First folding cloths. My daughter has used it a few times. It was one of those activities she repeated a number of times before putting back on the shelf. It is a challenge and she has a lot of interest in it.


Color box 1. I haven't introduced it yet because she hasn't shown interest but it is on the shelf.


I Spy Bottle. My daughter likes the weight of the sand as compared with rice. The cap is taped on and I put in about six objects. She rolls it back and forth on the rug. This could be a help in preparing her to roll a rug soon.


Pouring beans. Because I give direct supervision when we are in the Montessori room I have provided beans. They are easy to pick up if spilled.

Toddler Montessori Shelf

I recently created a toddler corner in our Montessori room. My daughter will be 2 in October and until now I have been rotating two activities on a shelf in our living area. Lately, she has wanted to be in our Montessori room so much that we had to change to a doorknob with a lock because the childproof handle no longer works on her. Here are the activities I have put on a long low shelf in the room.


Transferring water with a sponge. Not new for her, but still interesting and needed, as she continues to want to and tries to clean tables in the house. Before starting I fill one bowl with a small amount of water and she uses an apron.


Open and Closing. I discovered she is more interested in it when I put these dolls inside. Each container has a doll and she says "Night, night" as she closes them.


She really enjoys these stacker pegs and peg board made by the company Lauri. Pegs are great for this age group and she will sit and use these for a longer length of time than other activities.


She also has been introduced to getting out a rug for every activity and placing all activities on a rug. The rug defines her space as her own and keeps materials from getting lost or stepped on. She puts it on the floor and I usually unroll and roll it for now, but her initiating it's use is progress enough.

I am working on some materials for the second shelf . With any age, a child starting out does not need too much on the shelves. Too many activities is over stimulating. Activities can be added little by little and removed as mastered. The focus right now is the work cycle of getting out a rug, choosing an activity, using it, and returning it to the shelf. The goal is with each use the attention span lengthens and concentration grows. Allowing her to choose her activities is also important. Self-motivation is one of the fundamental skills needed to be a successful learner.