Polishing Brass

 Read any blog or article on Montessori and you soon come across "polishing" and whether you are a Montessori devote or not this is actually a deeply satisfying and engaging tasks for many a three year old! Not to mention developing theses essential fine motor skills, whilst developing a sense of responsibility.

Montessori Helper offers some instructions on how this activity should be presented

Checking results :)

Snow fine motor

In England we are still waiting for snow (some more are more anticipatory than others) so here's a couple of snow related activities

 Sorting and hooking snowflakes, child places the clipboard on the edge of a table to hook the snow flakes onto.

Using sugar tongs (poundland) pick up these seeds and place into jar, tongs kept in jar to encourage unscrewing lid.

Hair Roller Posting

This has no relevance to recent posts, but have only a few minutes so this is a quick post...

Simply a dried milk can covered in paper and a hole cut out of the lid! The hole needs to be the actual diameter of the rollers NOT taking into account the prongs, this is so the child has to add a little more pressure to develop wrist and finger strength rather than the traditional drop ones!

The velcro round the edge on this picture is fluffy but the scratchy one works better. Having the velcro round the edge serves two purposes.

1. Adds another motor skill of pulling off the roller developing strength and using two hands (it won't come of if you don"t) 
2. It keeps the task together with a clear visual signal the activity has finished as this was designed to be used by an autistic child in a TEACCH workstation situation.

To make this even more challenging and add a lovely sound element use plastic spiked rollers rather than the velcro type ones above.

On our Snow Shelf

Snow Men Song and Little Robin Red Vest Story

 Little Robin Red Vest is a beautiful book about a little robin who shows true kindness giving away all his vests to the animals in need. The tray has laminated vests and each of the animals, they can be velcroed and off of robin onto the other animals to tell the story. Listen to the story told by Emilia Fox

 Five little snowmen rhyme props, made of socks!

Song Words

Bookworm Bookmark

Using unused blind fabric (the kind that doesn't fray) I cut out worm shapes. Felt pens work well on this.

Then using the materials from the wrapping activity (unplanned) the bookworm bookmarks were wrapped.

And a label made, again from the wrapping activity tray.

Christmas Fine Motor (2011)

So we had a similar activity last year, but this one requires a little more skill. I got new tiny sugar tongs from poundland, and had these other items hanging around the house. The aim is to tong the tiny pom poms onto the snowman saucer and the stars into the star cutter. I will let you know how they get on?
I have blogged about this activity previously, but today in an effort to conserve space on shelf I placed the cup tree into the bowl and the stars on top. HEY PRESTO, self enclosed activity think it will be remaining like this (may even stick it inside the bowl)

Cutting Snowmen and Christmas Trees

After observing some difficulty with Christmas templates I made this simple cutting activity. I folded the paper, drew half the shape on the crease side. I provided scissors, stickers and ribbon. For children to cut out and create independents.

A beautiful christmas tree

A cool sonwman

Nativity and tree decorating

The annual nativity display has been set up, this year with a new nativity. We still have lovely wooden one but this was on offer and we liked it a lot. This year it is set up alongside a small tree to decorate making the connection between the Christmas story and the festival.

A simple set up with star netting hanging from picture hook from top of wall.

A photo when it was dark (it's dark far too early), with a small battery operated light behind stable.

The tree to decorate, small decorations kept in gift boxes and gift bags.

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Cup tree with bells on for easier decorating (they have tiny curtain rings on) or for playing and singing... jingle bells, jingle..

Christmas Activities

Wrapping practice and gift tag making. Gift tags simply cut out from last years Christmas cards.

One of the other activities availible is paper chain making, these strips come from that set, I thought they would be useful for some cutting practice though. Cutting each image out and sticking on something perhaps. Actually this is a bit below abilities but I am almost certain it will be a winner, just because of interest and sometimes thats ok in my opinion!!

Snow men counting

I got these snownen playing cards from pundland last year and planned to use them for song props but when i put them on a shelf next to my beads thought of this cool counting / fine motor activity.

Star Button Match

Selection of pairs of felt cut out stars, with buttons sewn to one pair and a slit big enough (but not too big) to accommodate a button. Children find matching stars and button them together. I also made a matching bag but a pretty box would be just as nice. This will supplements; christmas, twinkle twinkle and space themes/ interests, whilst the children develop fine motor skills, matching and explore connecting scheamas.

In out

About a year ago I posted a similar post on 3d object fitting. I have now added two additional objects and containers, I had lost the box and the cube (but found today)

I will keep them in this box, in keeping with theme although initially not with lid on.

Coaster Baby Toy

Babies love putting things in and out of containers, when I purchased these wooden coasters and container I thought they would make a great infant/ toddler activity. Will finally try them out this week, will post how well it goes!

Peg Posting

I have used this activity with both babies (dolly pegs), toddlers and with children on the autistic spectrum. It's a fairly popular activity and ties in a popular schemas that manifest in posting, starting off with the dolly pegs and eventually moving on to pinch pegs. You can obviously make the hole cut into the tin much smaller for individual needs, in fact I have a range of lids cut out so this can be used for various children with out the need of taking up storage space of more tins.

It is a particularly good activity in a TEACCH workstation format, as it so clearly shows the the activity is finished and is quite motivating with the loud bang as the peg drops into the tin. When I have used it in the workstation format I have usually velcroed the tin and box together, to make it one unit. I have also progressed to a lipped circular food storage container necessitating the need for the child to actually opening the peg to remove the peg (with the box it can can just be pulled off.

Felt Tree Button Board

I was inspired to make this but seeing a similar button board at Olives and Pickles Blog but had no particular reason to create it.

But then I saw "How to Catch a Falling Star" in the book shelf, and decided that if i created it could be used alongside the book. I made the button board so that it could be hung on the wall or folded up to transport.

I sewed it so that the grass would provide a pocket to store the leaves.

The leaves can then be buttoned onto the tree.

Matching leaves to the correct coloured buttons.

I plan to make the characters from the book to go with the story "How to Catch a Falling Star"

Golf Tees hammering in Pumpkin

Now it's full on Autumn (Fall for you American readers!) And pumpkins are in the shops (stores for you American readers!) for their short stint of purchasing before Halloween and then on sale after! I personally don't celebrate Halloween but there are certainly joys to be had around Autumn none the less, and hammering golf tees into pumpkins is one of them!

For younger children with less strength hammer several tees in first and then remove it will make it easier! Note the little pumpkin is being carved with golf tees and playdough tools!

(Don't ask why there is a blown up glove in top picture, these were taken last year and I haven't a clue?)

Wibbly Pig Likes Bananas

A little story basket of three board books, that under usual circumstances may have been thought to have been outgrown. But by simply adding a prop for each page, made a perfect "read" alone text.
The book identifies a choice for Wibbly Pig and what is his favourite. In choosing the props I simply chose one from each page, not necessarily his favourite, this added a talking point.

2D balloon made of felt.

A crown from a playdough model making set.

five little men in a flying saucer

Five little men in a flying saucer, rhyme tray. Felt pieces and talking point buttons.

I printed the elements on t-shirt transfer paper, ironed it onto white felt then cut out. The window on the flying saucer I cut out prior to ironing on, so that it would be "felt" rather than the shiny plasticy feel that the little men wouldn't grip on.
Talking point buttons have each verse of the song on. Each button has the corresponding amount of stars on e.g. five little men: five stars.

And these little men, actually went to live on earth.

Download pictures for this @ alljoinin.net I shrank mine to A5