Montessori Acitivity: Measure & Draw Lines with Ruler

Age: From 4 years old

Activity Duration: 5 - 10 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To provide a systematic way of learning to draw straight line.
2. To provide opportunity for practising pencil grip.

Materials:
1. 1 ruler
2. 1 pencil or pen
3. A few strips of paper
4. 1 tray

Directions:
1. Show your child how to measure an equal space between 2 lines and draw a line with a ruler.

2. Encourage your child to try.

Video Demonstration:

Here is a video demonstration of line drawing:

Additional Information:
I was preparing strips of paper with lines for cutting activity and J was very eager to draw the lines with the ruler. We turned it into a Montessori style line-drawing activity. J (4Y1M8) could do it rather well. He could now hlep me prepare the cutting activity by drawing the lines to be cut.

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 Acitivity: Drawing Straight Line with Ruler

Age: From 2.5 years old (Level 3)

Activity Duration: 5 - 10 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To provide a systematic way of learning to draw straight line.
2. To provide opportunity to practise pencil grip.

Materials:
1. 1 ruler
2. 1 pencil, coloured pencil, magic pen or marker
3. 1 plain paper
4. 1 tray

Directions:
1. Demonstrate by holding the pencil and drawing a line using hte ruler.

2. Encourage your child to try.

Additional Information:
I am running out of ideas for Montessori Activity... then this morning, Joshua saw the ruler and asked to turn it into a Montessori activity. I was impressed at the originality of his idea, and I asked him if he had tried this activity at his daycare. He said no, he had not tried it in the daycare. So it was totally his own idea.  Good team work. At 2 years 9 months, Joshua is bbeginning to design his own Montessori activities now. It is nice that I don't have to always be the one to crack my brains for new ideas for Montessori :-)

We can't wait to try it after breakfast this morning. It would be hard to have a Clear Your Calendar Day, but hey, this is Joshua's request, so it will still be considered as a Clear Your Calendar Day  :-)