Botany Cabinet: Focus on the Essentials

An excerpt from the elementary biology album that reminds us why we use generic shapes in the botany cabinet, as opposed to leaf names specific to a particular region:

Once the child gathers a large body of knowledge from sensorial exploration, she can then begin to order and classify it.

An example of how this happens is by giving the child the name of the new shape rather than just giving the name of the plant from which the leaf comes. For example, the child can see that this plant has obovate leaves and so does this plant. That plant over there has sagittate leaves. When you give the name of the leaf shape, you give the children a tool to classify leaves and plants alike. Just giving the names of the plants, does not provide a basis for ordering and classification. This base of information is also built up through the use of nomenclature material in the primary. The nomenclature material is used by children who are reading and also those children who are not yet reading. Through the use of the nomenclature material, children learn the names of plants, parts of plants, names of animals and names of parts of animals. Eventually, all of this information can be ordered and classified. Another source for building up the child’s store of information comes from the stories, the poems and the songs that the teacher introduces about plants and animals.

All of this work becomes a foundation from which the children will launch with her work in the elementary.

Multiples in Mathematics

Lower elementary multiples example - this is typically first year in lower elementary if the child has had a decent amount of primary mathematics. It could happen in later first year if the child is brand new to Montessori altogether. 

each number is circled according to its multiples
see my son's key in the upper corner :)
who says Montessori children don't learn how to use legends?
right here it is - they just don't have an album page for it ;) 

my sample for how to highlight a particular number
again - using a key ;) 

Current Interests: Astronomy

Being a Montessori child, my son has a lot of DEEP interests.

One of them is Astronomy.

I have presented the Keys to him, via the elementary Geography album (the geography album includes all earth/space sciences, although I've split out astronomy for my online course offering; life science is covered in the Biology album). I also presented the Keys of History to him - and that is where the pieces started coming together. Studying those Ancient Egyptians for about a year now (has it been THAT long!?), which has rabbit-trailed into other realms, including Roman, Egyptian and Greek gods, then into the constellations - and now into practical astronomy.
(Correction: it had been more than a year at the time of writing this... there's an interest that doesn't wind down in this little boy!)

See! All that messiness of elementary does come together ;) Present the keys, give time and resources to learn and explore on one's own (and encouragement and guidance when needed) - and you have a child creating his own astronomy book based on everything he has learned.

And then we discovered the Celestial Almanack. Oh my! It is WONDERFUL!
Samples are available on the website linked below - or please do ask questions!

And please do consider purchasing just one month and see what YOU think! Post back here with your reactions.

(UPDATE: January 2013 - the author of the Celestial Almanack has discontinued this offering, but has other resources available at his website. Please support this homeschooling dad and astronomy enthusiast!)

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Our current top favorite ongoing, always updated resource:  The Celestial Almanack from Classical Astronomy - only $3 per month for user-friendly nightly information on the sky (and even daily information!) - my son LOVES this Almanack!