A Montessori Musing Place

     Our camp is run the same way the classroom is run. Individual activities are set up to follow a logical sequence and to foster independence. All of the sensorial, language, cultural, and math activities are left on the shelf.  However, there are a couple of activities that are set up only during the month of July. These are the hot-glue table and the clay table. I'd like to take credit for both ideas but that wouldn't be honest.  : )

    The idea for the hot glue table (indeed, most of the woodworking activities) came from a fabulous book called Woodshop for Kids by Jack McKee. (I've linked the title of the book to Amazon but the book can also be purchased through Montessori Services). This book is a must-have for any teacher wanting to include woodwork in the classroom.



The idea for this drill press came from Jack McKee's book.  After a bit of searching, I found it on Ebay.  I'm pretty sure the seller thought I was nuts when I told him what I wanted it for.  The little boy in this picture is 5. 




     The clay table idea came from The Moveable Alphabet blog by Susan Dyer (no relation).




     In addition, many of the practical life activities are tweaked to reflect summertime activities and the art shelf is expanded with new materials and projects.



     Our school is situated in the middle of a small city and the neighbourhood children are welcome to play in our yard after school and on weekends. This tactic has kept vandalism down but means most of the outside environment has to be dismantled and brought into the classroom every evening. It also means putting everything outside every morning. Add this to the usual preparation work that is required in the classroom each morning and we have to be at school very early so that both environments are properly set up for the children.


     Some parents may not fully understand why a child would prefer to continue working with the didactic materials rather than some of the summer activities. For example, a couple of years ago, one mother came to me with a concern. She wasn't happy that her daughter was coming to "camp" but was working with the long chains from the bead cabinet.


     Once I assured her that I had not forced or even suggested the work to her child, I went on to explain that this was normal and to be expected in a Montessori program. Her child did not find the chains boring, difficult or tedious. Quite the opposite. She thought the chains were great fun – especially the 1000 chain – and worked on them every day for a week with another boy. Summer camp gave her the opportunity to master a work she hadn't finished when school ended in mid-June. In fact, once the novelty of the new activities has worn off, most of the children return to the other shelves and resume the work they've been perfecting during the school year.