The Joy Of Learning

Wrist Turning Grinding Peppermill

Grinding – Variation -Peppermill

Materials:
A tray on a shelf/table containing:
1 Peppermill (easy to use and child size)
1 Small bowl

Presentation:
1.Invite the child or group of children.
2.Go over to where the work is kept and take it to a table.
3.Pick up the peppermill in the left hand.
4.Lift it up and over the bowl so that the two don’t touch.
5.Using your right hand, turn the grinder clockwise.
6.Admire work.
7.Replace the tray to its proper place.
8.Invite a child.

Variations and Extensions:
1.Different grinders
2.Different spices to grind
3.Use what you grind for the snack table or to prepare food.

Points of Interest:
1.Seeing how long it takes to grind black pepper
2.Seeing how tired your hand gets
3.Sound of grinding.

Control of Error:
1.Bits of black pepper on the tray, floor, etc.
2.Drop the peppermill

Aims:
Eye hand coordination, concentration, control, ability to use a grinder, preparation for cutting and writing, etc.

Age:
3 and up

Language:
Pepper, grinder, peppermill, etc.

Spell to Write and Read

For more information of Spell to Write and Read(SWR) Program, please look at a review of it earlier. Today, I want to share with you a snippet of video showing Britta McCall, one of the trainers for SWR, teaching her 5 years old son how to spell, write and blend the word “top”.

I have problem showing the video on this page, here is the direct link on Youtube.

Wrist Turning Tools Egg Beater

Tools – Egg Beater

Materials:
A tray on a shelf/table containing:
1 Rotary egg beater
1 Deep bowl containing water in which a drop of liquid detergent has been added (or grated soap)
1 Sponge (2” square)

Set-Up:
The rotary egg beater is on the left side of the tray
The deep bowl is on the right side of tray next to the rotary egg beater

Presentation:
1.Invite the child or group of children.
2.Go over to where the work is kept and take it to a table.
3.Pick up the egg beater and place it in the bowl.
4.Hold the top of the egg beater (handle) with the left hand.
5.With your right hand grasp with your 3 fingers the crank and turn clockwise (away from yourself).
6.Continue to beat the water so that the suds will rise.
7.Admire your work.
8.Continue to beat the water until you are done.
9.Hold the egg beater up over the water and wait until the drips stop.
10.Use the sponge to wipe down the beaters.
11.Return the egg beater to the left side of the tray
12.Use the sponge to wipe up any drips on the tray.
13.Return the tray to its appropriate place.
14.Invite a child.

Variations and Extensions:
1.Use different colors of water
2.Use different rotary egg beaters

Points of Interest:
1.Seeing the suds get higher in the bowl
2.Seeing how long it takes to build up the suds

Control of Error:
1.Drop egg beater
2.Water all over the table

Aims:
Eye hand coordination, concentration, control, ability to use a rotary egg beater, suds, etc.

Age:
3 and up

Language:
Suds, rotary, egg beater, beat, grasp, etc.

Wrist Turning Tools Can Opener

Tools-Can Opener

Materials:
A tray on a shelf/table containing:
1 Can of food
1 Can opener

Set-Up:
The can opener is on the left side of the tray
The can is on the right side of the tray next to the can opener.

Presentation:
1.Invite the child or group of children.
2.Go over to where the work is kept and take it to a table.
3.Steady the left side of the can with your left hand.
4.Steady the right side of the can with your right hand.
5.Lift and put the can on the table in front of the tray.
6.Take the can opener from the tray and place it to the right of the can.
7.Using your right hand grasp the top lever of the can opener.
8.Using your left hand grasp the bottom lever of the can opener.
9.Open the blades of the can opener by pulling your hands apart.
10.Place the open blade of the can opener over the rim of the can and release the right hand.
11.Using your left hand to grasp both of the handles of the can opener.
12.Using your right hand grasp the rotating winged key.
13.Twist the winged key over and over until the blade has cut around the entire can.
14.Release the right hand.
15.Release the top handle from the left hand.
16.Using your right hand, grasp the top handle.
17.Pull the handles apart again to open the blades and release the can.
18.Leave the lid on the can (do not remove it)
19.Put the can opener in its place on the tray.
20.Carefully pick the can back up the way you did in the beginning and put it back on the tray.
21.Take the tray to the food preparation area.
22.Carefully pick up the can and put it on the shelf with today’s food supplies.
23.Replace the can of food on the tray.
24.Return the tray to its appropriate place.
25.Invite a child.

Variations and Extensions:
1.Different sizes of cans
2.Different types of can openers

Points of Interest:
1.Seeing lid come off of the container

Control of Error:
1.Cuts on fingers, hands
2.Partially cut lid

Aims:
Eye hand coordination, concentration, control, ability to open a can, etc.

Age:
3 and up

Language:
Can, can opener, lid, grasp, open, etc.

Observe and follow your child

Two people emailed me and asked: do we have to do all this activities you have here for my child? It looks like a lot of work!!No way! These are just a list of activities you CAN do with your child(ren), it’s not a syllabus, not a prescribed curriculum, it’s not inscribe on the stone.;-)

In the school, we make most of this activities available to all, because no two children are created the same, they develop at different pace, an activity that caught a child’s eyes might not for another, we have many activities for all varieties of children at different developmental stages.

What you should do is to observe your child, to find out what are his developmental needs and then find/introduce activities that may meet his needs. Our job is to introduce appropriate activities that correspondent to the needs. For instance, when a child cannot hold a pencil right, we introduce many activities that use “three finger grip” so it may indirectly prepare him for writing. Or, if a child is wiggly and cannot concentrate for 20 seconds, we introduce them to activities that promote concentration, so it may prolonged his attention span.

If you ever been to a genuine Montessori school, the first thing you will notice there is no teacher standing in front to instruct everyone to do the same thing at the same time, but somehow the children are engaged in their own learning activities in different parts of the classroom. The teacher is also not expecting/forcing the children to do something entirely unnatural to children at that age: sit quietly and still while she bores them with a lesson they have no interest in.

As Maria Montessori discovered the reason children are bored with something and not interested in it is because it does not fulfil their natural needs at that particular stage in their development. This is one of the many insightful and somewhat radical ideas which came from Maria Montessori. One of the thing that intrigued and inspired me to decide on a new career path.

Wrist Turning Grinding Potpourri

Grinding – Potpourri

Rational of Practical Life Exercises

Materials:
A tray containing:
Container of Potpourri
Container
Mortar and pestle
Spoon

Presentation:
1.Invite the child or group of children.
2.Go over to where the work is kept and take it to a table.
3.Put some potpourri in the mortar.
4.Take the pestle in one hand and grind the potpourri in the mortar.
5.Stop to rest a few seconds and start again.
6.Admire your work.
7.When you are finished use the spoon to put the ground up potpourri into the container that’s for the grounds.
8.Return the work to the shelf.
9.Invite a child.

Variations and Extensions:
1.Use different objects to grind
2.Crackers
3.Use different mortars and pestles

Points of Interest:
1.Seeing the size of the grounds
2.Seeing what hard work it is to grind something up
3.The wonderful smell
4.The pretty colors

Control of Error:
1.Big chunks of potpourri in the grounds
2.Bits of potpourri on the tray, table, floor

Aims:
Eye hand coordination, concentration, order, etc.

Age:
3 and up

Language:
Potpourri, mortar, pestle, grind, grounds, etc.

Practical Life Exercise - Presentation on Wrist Turning (8a) Grater - Soap

Grater – Soap

Materials:
A tray on a shelf/table containing:
1 Small plastic grater and a container that catches the shavings
1 Bowl with a bar of soap

Presentation:
1.Invite the child or group of children.
2.Go over to where the work is kept and take it to a table.
3.Take the bar of soap, and using slow and careful strokes, grate the soap.
4.Open the drawer attached to the grater and empty the grated soap into the bowl.
5.Admire work.
6.Take the grated soap to where the hand washing takes place.
7.Take the grater over to dishwashing and wash.
8.Replace the tray with the clean grater and a bowl with the rest of the bar of soap (or a new one), to its proper place.
9.Invite a child.

Variations and Extensions:
1.Different graters
2.Different food to grate
3.Use the gratings for the snack table or to prepare food

Points of Interest:
1. Seeing how long it takes to grate soap
2. Seeing the soap take a different shape
3. Sound of grating

Control of Error:
1.Bits of soap on the tray, floor, etc.
2.You grate your finger

Aims:
Eye hand coordination, concentration, control, ability to use a grater, preparation for cutting and writing, etc.

Age:
3 and up

Language:
Soap, grate, strokes, etc.

Practical Life Exercises - Presentation on Wrist Turning (14) Cutting Paper

Cutting Paper
There are 10 Presentations for Cutting Paper and they are as follows:
1.Straight Lines – far apart from each other horizontally
2.Straight Lines – far apart from each other vertically
3.Cutting Diagonal Lines – far apart from each other
4.Straight Lines – closer together from each other horizontally
5.Straight Lines – close together from each other vertically
6.Cutting Diagonal Lines – closer together from each other
7.Cutting Curves and Corners
8.Cutting Geometric Shapes
9.Cutting Simple Outline Pictures
10. Cutting Multi-Shape Strips

Preparation:
You will need to draw your own cutting pattern papers or purchase them at a store.

Materials:
1 Tray
1 Scissors – child sized
1 Piece of cutting pattern paper

Presentation:
1.Invite the child or group of children.
2.Go over to where the work is kept.
3.Take a tray and put a pair of scissors on it.
4.Take a piece of Step #1 cutting pattern paper and go to a table.
5.Hold the piece of pattern paper in your non-dominant hand.
6.Hold the scissors in your dominant hand by placing your thumb through the top loop and your index finger in the bottom loop.
7.Spread the thumb and index finger apart from each other and open the loops of the scissors.
8.Place the pattern paper between the blades of the scissors so that where the two blades meet the line on the pattern paper touches the blades.
9.Close the scissors by bringing the thumb and finger together.
10.Open and close the scissors as you cut on the line.
11.When you are finished admire your work.
12.Replace the tray and scissors where they belong.
13.Place the cutting in your folder.
14.Invite a child.

Variations and Extensions:
1.Cut spirals
2.Make the paper ½ the original size
3.Use colored paper

Points of Interest:
1.Seeing the scissors open and shut
2.Sound of paper cutting
3.Being safe

Control of Error:
1.Can’t get the scissors to open or close
2.Can’t cut on the line
3.Drop the scissors

Aims:
Eye hand coordination, concentration, control, ability to cut with a scissors, independence, preparation for writing, etc.

Age:
2 ½ and up

Language:
Scissors, sharp, loops, blades, pattern, line, cut, etc.