A Fun Way to Teach Area - Measuring Playpen

Age: From 7 years old (After your child has tried out the Montessori Short Bead Chains

Objective: To provide a hands-on and fun way of learning area

Materials:

1. Measuring tape

2. Paper and pencil

Directions:

1. Draw the playpen on a piece of paper

2. Tell your child that each cm represent a Montessori golden bead and ask him how many beads will make up the surface of the playpen.

3. Ask your child to measure the length of the playpen and write it down on the paper.

4. Ask your child to measure the breadth of the playpen and write it down on the paper.

5. Ask him to multiply length by breadth of the playpen to get the number of beads that will fill the table.

6. Tell him that this is called "area" in Maths.

Additional Information:

In continuation of the success of two days ago, we continue with simple area. J (7Y11M13D) was very thrilled and said this is one of the best and most fun Montessori Maths activity (it is actually not Montessori). I was very glad to be able to capture his passion and excitement with this activity and meeting him where he is. It is very simple area, and very simple Maths, but it inspired him to develop a love for Maths.

Learning Measuring, Fractions, Porportions with Lego Bricks

Structured freeplay - Exercising creativity, while getting a sense of measurement, proportion and fractions.

Structured freeplay is a oxymoron - how can it be structured and yet free? It simply means that some thoughts are being put into what materials and what initial inspiration is provided in the materials used in encouraging free play and the creativity that is generated through free play.

Here the child is led to be inspired with lego bricks and wooden train set, but the child uses his own creativity to build his own formation that requiring measuring and a sense of proportion and fraction.

Stuctured freeplay thus is a method melting Eastern sense of structure with Western sense of freeplay

Playing with lego alone or with wooden train set is not as fun as when they are combined together. Try it :-) 

One of life's greatest joy... Lego Duplo for the 2-5 years old... and ah hem... for the over XX years' old too!!!

Sometimes Structured Freeplay (SF) doesn't go as you plan, and could go a little off-track... i.e. here Daddy is having soooo much fun that, rather than inspiring and facilitating, Joshie is relegated to fetching the bricks for Daddy to build the train track.... who is having fun? Father or son?

Aaaahhh... it's nice to get our limited floor space back again!!!

Daddy and Joshie played and Mommy did the clean up!!!

While... it was too late for Joshie, way way past his bed time... but he won't get away so easily next time...

Well, truth be told, I actually love cleaning up... It is very relaxing... it is like cleaning my mind of clutter, while I clear away the physical clutter.

If play is the boys' idea of fun... clean up is my idea of fun

How blessed Joshie is to have a mom that likes cleaning up after play time, right :-)

Montessori Activity: Measuring Playdough with Ruler

Idea from Tot School

Age: From 4 years old

Objectives:
1. To familiarize your child to the function and use of a ruler.
2. To teach measuring with ruler.
3. To practise cutting and fine motor skills.

Materials:
1. 1 ruler
2. 1 Table knife
3. 1 playdough
4. 1 tray

Directions:
1. Explain to your child the length of the ruler, that it is 30 cm long.
2. Ask your child to roll out the playdough into a long piece to match the length of the ruler (periodically encourage your child to compare her playdough to the ruler to see if it is as long as the ruler.)
3. When the playdough reach the corret length, line it in-line with the ruler.
4. Demonstrate by cutting the playdough into 2-cm pieces by slowing moving your knife to the 2-cm mark and lower to cut the playdough.
5. Put aside the 2-cm piece and bring the playdough in-line to the left side of the ruler again.
6. Encourage your child to try.

Additional Information:
It is the Easter holidays, and I find my activities running out at a much faster rate. It is at night. Joshua is asleep, and I am now indulging in my hobby to setting up activities for Joshua. Nothing makes me more alive and happy than doing all these! I found this fantastic activity from another Blog mom called Tot School, who found this activity from a book called Montessori at Home by John Bowman. This activity is probably too advanced for Joshua, but my objective is not that he knows what 2 cm is, but that he gets familiarize with the function of a ruler, and have fun exploring it with playdough. I am excited to let Joshua try it tomorrow.

Here is another good book by John Bowman on fun and educational activities:

References:
- http://totschool.shannons.org/?p=4158
- Montessori at Home by John Bowman

Montessori Activity: Measuring with Lego Bricks

Idea adapted from No Time for Flashcards

Age: From 2.5 years old

Objectives:
1. To teach the concept of relative height
2. To develop fine motor skills through stacking blocks

Materials:
1. 45 - 50 lego bricks

Directions:
1. Ask your child to stack the bricks up high like a tall tower or skyscraper

2. Ask your child which is higher, him or the lego tower/skyscraper.

Additional Information:
Joshua loves to stack lego bricks into the tallest skyscraper. He would do so, without me asking. Inspired by other creative mommies out there, I turned this into a more educational activity by taking the opportunity to teach him about height and comparative length. I asked him today who/which is taller, and he (3Y2D) told me that the lego tower is taller.

References:
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2010/07/preschool-math-lesson-lego-measurement.html
http://nurturestore.co.uk/measuring-with-lego
http://www.mummymummymum.com/2012/01/16/biggest/