Exercises of Practical Life in Our Home - Primary

The Exercises of Practical Life are the oddest subject area in Montessori.

On the one hand, they can be entirely overlooked because it's not "academic" (it is academic and necessary for a child's development, but that's not the point to this post ;) ).

On the other hand, they are easiest to WAY OVER-DO - getting into areas that aren't, well, practical. This is where we start getting into the area of "independent learning activities" that aren't really Montessori. Useful, perhaps. Interesting, perhaps. Not going to harm your child, most likely. But NOT Montessori.
And can definitely over-burden a homeschool mom who "just wants to do it right" but sees everyone's ideas and thinks they are all necessary. No, they're not necessary - this is where you can have some creativity if you like, but it is NOT necessary!

Exercises of Practical Life: think practical. What is practical for YOUR life?

Montessori = Keys.

We actually started with old medicine droppers
at home - transitioned to glass ones later.
You can see our "supply shelf" in the back!

Home versus school = small available space.
(it could be argued that schools need to follow the same guidelines because they have more children who have less time with the materials than homeschoolers have, but I am writing about MY home right now :) ) .

Therefore, in our home, we stick with the practical exercises of the "Exercises of Practical Life" album.

At primary, that meant we had the following throughout our home - not all in one place:

Preliminary Exercises (any special materials introduced here are removed when the child is competent at the related activity)

How to Carry a Working Mat

How to Place a Pitcher

How to Carry a Tray

How to Roll a Working Mat

How to Put Down a Chair

How to Sit On a Chair at a Table

How to Fold Napkins - basic - styles added later in elementary

How to Pour Grain (dry pouring - something with weight - removed when competent with pouring)

How to Pour Water (wet pouring - removed when competent with own pitcher in the fridge)

How to Fold a Dust-cloth to Put Away (we just used the regular dust-cloths)

How to Fold a Dust-cloth to Dust (just used the regular dust-cloths) Transfer with Eyedropper - liquid from one bottle to another (related to polishing) Clothespin on edge of a jar (removed when starting to competently hang clothes in such manner)

Care of Self

How to Wash Hands

Snap Frame

Hook and Eye Frame

Button Frame

Buckle Frame

Zipper Frame

Bow Frame

Lacing Frame – V Pattern

Lacing Frame – X Pattern

Lacing Frame – Linear Pattern

Safety Pin Frame Combing Hair

Care of the Environment

How to Dust a Table

How to Use a Dustpan and Brush

How to Sweep with a Broom How to Vacuum (kid-sized vacuum)

How to Wipe Up a Spill

How to Dust Leaves

How to Polish Glass, Metal, Wood - I had separate trays, but the processes are streamlined for function within the home.

How to Care for Plants

How to Wash a Table AND counter

How to Wash Cloths

How to Iron

How to Arrange Flowers

How to Make Basic Food items (orange juice, fruit salads, pbj sandwiches)

How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables

How to Peel & Cut Various Fruits and Vegetables

How to Bake (a toaster oven is ideal; we did not, so he did everything EXCEPT when the over door was open - that part was my job) --- a primary aged child can help make almost anything from cookies and muffins to salads and sandwiches - even pizza!

Grace and Courtesy

How to Walk Around A Mat

How to Introduce Yourself

How to Apologize

How to Observe

How to Draw Attention

How to Accept a Compliment

How to Blow Your Nose

How to Sit on Upholstered Furniture appropriately (still working on that one!) How to answer the door

Control of Movement

Walking on the Line - rolled up ball of string - stretched out when ready to use

The Silence Activity

Visual Art

Rubbings (Exploration of Texture)

Cutting - Snipping

Cutting - Lines

Advanced Cutting

Contour Drawing with Crayon (Exploration of Line)

Drawing with Colored Pencils

Cutting and Gluing (Exploration of Space)

Painting (Exploration of Color)

Sculpting (Exploration of Form)

Beginning Sewing

Sewing a Button

Advanced Sewing – Running Stitch

Basic cross-stitch Exposure to crochet Others adapted for our home:  Grating soap "Guard" when Mama makes soap (have the vinegar and water buckets ready for accidents) Safety precautions around home-made soap Holding and carrying lit candles Other candle-care Cleaning the inside of a fridge or freezer Using tweezers to pick up small items - this was a novelty experience, but taught the use of the tweezers when needed for medical purposes. Other than medical or dissections, tweezers just aren't used here.  Rock sorting within a set of tackleboxes - this was very nonchalant - his work but not on a shelf of its own within "Montessori" work.  SPUR OF THE MOMENT activities that did not become permanent in our home: washing rocks, sorting shells Chores appropriate to age and ability Using other kitchen utensils - we just taught/learned as needed, not with a specific tray activity Stringing buttons - or any other activities that are not typically done ROUTINELY in real life. Something that is done once in a great while (ie stringing popcorn for Christmas decor), is taught at the time it is needed. There is NO need for a tray activity for such activities.  Art activities - again learning what is needed in the moment after he'd all the basic art lessons from the EPL album; including play-dough, clay, painting, drawing, gluing, etc. Beyond the basics I did NOT have a tray activity for everything. He knew where the supplies were (organized in a simple, Montessori-like manner) and he knew when he had free time to create as much art as he wanted.  Other games - we like to play lots of games here - so many things that some people put on trays and use as an independent learning activity, we just used as games. Repeatable, but not necessary to have on a tray and called "school".  "Inspired" unit studies that last for a time, but are not permanently on a tray or shelf.  Cultural experiences as appropriate - related to books being read, people visiting, videos watched, people or animals met. These were not permanently on display, but cycled back into our regular life (ie chopsticks are in the utensils drawer).

We did NOT have the following - either space or philosophy:

• polishing shoes (it is in the albums, but we just don't have shoes to be polished)
• anything with those little pom-pom, warm-fuzzy things. They have NO weight, so serve little purpose when applied to real life. We used cotton balls with polishing and these needed to be replenished, so there was plenty of work to do with carrying weight-less items. Activities that others have created are cute, but when do you ever spoon or tweeze soft weightless objects in real life? These activities are novelties; not harmful, but should be kept to a minimum (and Zero is an acceptable amount ;) ). 
• trays for EVERYTHING. It's just not necessary. Many things at home can and should be done in their proper context. Yes, sometimes a preliminary presentation is needed and that might be on a tray for a while; thereafter, the materials are kept where they belong (whisks belong in the utensil drawer) and are used at appropriate times. No tray needed :) 

Montessori Materials

SOAP-BOX ALERT! This post is about me and my reactions to current materials offered by Montessori companies. It is not about my son or his education, at least directly. It's about me and my emotions.

I will not be offended if you choose not to read this. I do not intend to offend anyone with the following words, but I feel certain that someone will think I have said something offensive.

Let me say here and NOW: each family must choose for themselves and I don't judge the "extras" that you choose. We have extras too. My soap-box has to do with the impression of Montessori in the public sphere because of these "extras".

Feel free to stop reading and join us tomorrow for our regular daily reports of Montessori elementary (or previous primary or infant/toddler) experiences.

Click the next line if you don't mind reading my soap-box ;)

Amazing Myself

Sometimes I amaze myself.

I entered a giveaway with Alison's Montessori. I won! I thought I'd won a Power of Two cube - it was a crazy time in our lives that particular week, so I didn't entirely pay attention...

I recently received my new Montessori material. It's the Power of THREE cube! It is BEAUTIFUL!

18cm cube demonstrating the power of 3
Thank you Alison's Montessori!

But see, here's the kicker: my AMI Montessori albums do not have a material for this presentation! The children should be working on some level of abstraction when they receive this presentation! I have an album page - it just doesn't require a material. (so the "amazing myself" part is that I entered to win, and WON, an item I would not have purchased to begin with - however, it is SO BEAUTIFUL! have I said that yet!?) ;)

If we provide a material for *everything* (especially at upper elementary), the children's creativity will decrease, their exploratory learning will diminish, and it will be more difficult to reach abstraction. I've just seen it happen too many times.

Our solution? We're going to use it in lower elementary as a sensorial exploration (kind of like having the binomial and trinomial cubes in primary); then I'll still give the presentation in upper elementary as-is according to my album page. And if my son or my co-op kids make the connection themselves, all the better. But since I only have my co-op kids a few times a month, the sensorial exploration will be PERFECTION for them!

As it stands, my son (just-turned-8) has already figured it out. He was putting it together blind-folded within 30 minutes of receiving it ;)

UPDATE 1/3/2016 After almost 4 years, an update is in order ;) I did end up selling this material (at cost for shipping) as we found it just wasn't necessary, it was an easy "puzzle" and nothing was really coming from it. Afterwards I saw that it is included in the Adolescent Mathematics album that does take it deeper. Ok, that is great, but honestly? The pieces are too big. the material is quite combersome. I have found a way to create this material from folded up cardstock that is not only smaller, but more enticing. Essentially, start with the Power of 2 Cube and add in the pieces you need from there. A post will be forthcoming in 2016 on this topic. ;)

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 ;) 

Embellish your work!

Sample from other work I've seen
Borders around the page or around sections/problems
Separators between sections
Just to fill in some space

In Montessori we say, "DOODLE!"

Ok, so we don't say that. We DO say, "Embellish!"

We want the children to cherish their work, so we allow them the opportunity to personalize it, fulfilling the fundamental human needs towards vanitas: to embellish oneself and one's environment.

All Montessori parents and teachers reading this, raise your hand if you have NEVER been tempted to embellish the children's environment on some level or another - to the point of being TOO much?

Not ONE hand should be raised! ;)

We want the children to learn balance, so we allow embellishment from the beginning, integrating art and daily work, even when the subject matter is not necessarily art.

But isn't it all art? Math is art, language is art, music is art, history is full of art and those timelines are works of art, geometry is pure art in my mind, geography is an art --- all these things have grace, beauty, boundaries, creativity ---- ART.

So why isn't this information available online anywhere, on all those Montessori blogs and all those Montessori albums that provide samples!? I don't know! It's a bit frustrating, because it is so basic to Montessori, especially elementary Montessori. But it starts in primary with the stamp game in particular - embellishing the row between two problems.

My son's sample today. He chose to use markers
for the first time. Please note: Markers do not mix well with
colored pencils. Any work done in pencil should be
embellished with color pencils, NOT markers.
Use markers as a medium to themselves on their
own separate sheet of paper, if at all. 

My son has always done embellishment of some kind and he LOVES it. The work means something to him and he's perfecting his art skills.

 I will show you an example of one I'm not proud of because he rushed it. It was not meaningful and he even said so. We discussed the reality that if he doesn't WANT to embellish, he doesn't have to.

And we discussed the reality that markers and writing pencils and colored pencils don't mix well. The aesthetics are lost.

Therefore, all is not lost, because this experience prompted discussion on balance, necessity and art media usage.


What about work plans and work contracts? Well, these should generally not be embellished - perhaps very lightly (instead of a checkmark, a creative child could use another symbol) - now the work journal could be a place for art, if you use one for the child to document his or work! The work journal can be embellished in any way the situation allows. While it is not the place for the child to store finished work (only a place to record time spent and what was done; perhaps answer a follow-up question), many children prefer to draw their work into these journals or separate entries with fancy designs.