Art: Geometric Patterns

Big-S did some wonderful work with geometric tiles. I bought these from here. They're transparent which seems to excite the children more. There are 15 shapes and they all fit together.

First she made her pattern from the tiles.

This is the pattern complete. It's beautiful :)

Next she used other tiles to trace her pattern onto paper.

She then covered her traced pattern with tracing paper and coloured in the tiles with felt-tip pens.

Her final piece of art!!! It was too good she had to take it home.

Activities of the week : June 2010

Here are some pictures of this weeks work. My class has three children Big-S who is nine and a half, Little-N who is 6 and Little-S who is almost 6.

Little-S working with the plain binomial cube.

Big-S making patterns from geometric tiles.

Big-S learning the names of the counties of England and Wales. I got this map at a car boot sale for £1.50.

Little-S working with ten beads. Revising quantities till 90.

Little-S working with the Teen board and beads.

Little-N on a trip to science museum to visit 1001 inventions exhibition.

Children baked cinnamon rolls.

Little-N having lunch in the garden.

Little-N working with 6 bead chain.

Little-N building the Eiffel tower.

Little-S working with a tangram.

Little-N reading history books

Little-S working with continent map work.

Big-s cutting out hexagons and pentagons. More details in a separate post.

Big-S sewing hexagons together

Little-N's work with grammar symbols.

Little-N working on division board.

Big-S constructed a bucky ball, the kit is from here.

Big-s making a buggy kit.

This is why I LOVE car boot sales

On the weekend I went to a local car boot sale and bought more that 80 excellent books for less than £18. I found a whole series of animal chapter reading books that are perfect for Little-N. And loads of history and science books. The library in my class is beginning to look very full and I will need to get a new shelf unit to house all the books.

Montessori Materials on the I-phone and use of computers

I was checking out the Montessori Goldmine and saw this post. I to got the emails from Montessorium. I am against young children using computers. My father has an IT software company and we grew up with the latest computers and programs. I saw what it did to my younger brothers and our generation as we grew up addicted to looking at a screen and pushing buttons. I decided to keep Little-N away from it as much as possible.

If he needs to play a game, we play a board game, if he needs to write a letter he writes it by hand, if he needs to draw a picture he does it on paper and if he needs to research something he uses books, loads of books and he always get the information he needs. What would a computer or I-Pad offer him? I ask my self, what is missing from his life that a computer will give him. Now that he is 6 and I have kept him away for digital media, it is safe to say he has learnt to use all the real materials. No just use them, but enjoy them and they have become a part of him.

Even though I have kept him away from computers, he has surprised me by already knowing how to use a computer. He can switch it on, open a google and search for something. He can type if he talks to his dad. and he knows what everything is and for. He learnt that through observation as he sees me use my computer.

A Montessori teacher that I studied under [an 80yr old, who studied with a direct student of Montessori] often spoke about how she believed Montessori would be against the use of computers in the classroom. She said that when you weigh it up, it causes more harm that any good to a child especially when the child is young.

I can easily say that each child I taught who had problems in concentrating or learning watched to much TV or computer games. As soon as the parent agreed to cut down the TV and computer to only weekends the child changed. This doesn't mean that every child if badly effected, but it does effect them in some way or another.

For now Little-N wont be using a computer and TV is very limited. When he is older, probably 10 or more I will begin teaching him the use of a computer. Starting with the use of the Office applications and followed by using graphics programs. Until then, I am prepared to keep his environment rich enough to provide him with the correct materials he needs to learn and be happy.

Prefix

My oldest child is learning about the 'prefix'. I downloaded the top matching cards from here. She then went on to make a prefix wheel.

Geometry: which shape tessellate

I love mathematics and geometry. I especially love geometric patterns. Here Little-N was finding out which shapes tessellate alone and which need the help of other shapes.

Classroom #5 set up

This week has been crazy, packed with assignments and setting up my class [for the fifth time]. Here is a quick tour of what I have set up so far.

The library.
This will be the language shelf with some geometry materials on the left.
Mathematics self 1. Due to lack of space I have had to stack some materials.
Second mathematics shelf, still needs more materials.
Cultural shelf. I got the shelf unit for free from free-cycle. It's perfect for the maps, with space for a basket to go beside the maps. I haven't ordered my maps yet.

Annabel snoozing in the mathematics area.

Unfortunately I was not able to take many of the materials I made in my last job. I will have to remake many which takes ages. I still have lots to do in my class, but with only three children I can take my time. For now I have most of the materials my children need, and will be adding to the classroom when needed. Hopefully in the summer I will work on completing everything and remaking all the materials I left behind.