What Can A 4-Year-Old Do in the Kitchen?

Jack is four and guess what he has mastered? Planning and preparing a full meal with but a little help from Mama sous chef.

Jack asked me to peel and cut fruit alongside him and to help him get the roll ups out of the toaster oven where they were warming,  Besides that, he planned and prepared this meal for our family with focused and satisfied independence.

Now, before anyone cries, "Danger!", let me explain:  We are not negligent parents.  Rather, we are parents with a mission to guide our children to be happy, healthy, competent adults.  Part of this means giving them freedom and responsibility in the kitchen.

He only began cooking eggs after putting the roll ups in to warm and prepping the fruit for our meal because I reminded him  that the eggs would not take long, but would need full attention.

Inspired by Montessori principles, Mike and I have long involved our children in food preparation -- yes, even wielding knives and cooking over fire.  For while some think that doing so is just too unsafe, we disagree.  

Dangerous to us is cowering in the kitchen, thinking that young children are incapable of learning how to plan and prepare healthy meals even after they have shown an interest in doing so.  

Earlier in the week, Jack has decided he wanted to prepare eggs for protein, sliced apples for produce and rolls ups for carbs.  However, when the day came for him to make our family meal, he swapped out apples for strawberries, peaches and nectarines.  A tasty choice!

For time eternal, children have had kitchen responsibilities.  In "the old days" these responsibilities included working with tools far more ominous than any of our kitchen knives are and cooking over a much more open flame than our little gas stove can produce.

 

Because the task is challenging for him and he was eager to cook eggs, Jack asked me to peel and slice some of the fruit alongside him.

So it is that Mike and I choose to take extra time when we can to work alongside our children in our kitchen.  At first, this means, agreeing that our children can be our sous chefs, which, of course, does find us sacrificing some speed in food in order to mentor the the children in meal prep.  For, in the short-term, planning and prepping meals child-free can be far more expedient.  No eggs accidentally broken on the floor.  No pan to scrub after food was cooked a bit too long.  No constant pausing to answer this question or direct that next action.

I have cleaned up a fair share of broken eggs and fished out many an egg shell bit over the years, but it is so worth it to witness this concentration and ability now!

Over time, though, choosing to have our children as sous chefs becomes the more efficient choice.  For it leads to the tables turning:  the moment when we become the kids' helpers.  When we can simply smile and attend to another thing here and there as the children do the majority of the meal prep, asking us only for a bit of help.

Then, one day, one meal at a time, the children become the solo chefs -- ready, willing and able to plan and prep a meal from start to finish.  Jack is not 100% there yet with egg roll ups and fruit, but he is oh so close and it makes us both smile.

 

There is a simple joy that comes when a four year old sees "egg soup" turn to scrambled eggs, doing it "all by myself!"

As each of our children gain independence in the kitchen, we savor the fruits of all our labor:  the meals the children make and the efforts we put in to set them free in the kitchen.
 

What other "dangerous" practical life skills might children be capable of?

Enjoy Sensory-Smart, Montessori-Inspired Phonics Fun

What do you get when you cross a scooter with a printed movable alphabet?

A super-simple, sensory-smart, Montessori-inspired phonics game.

At least, that's what we got the other day when I realized that Nina and Jack needed a little extra movement during lesson time.

Want to play?  You can be ready in minutes!

Materials

• a movable alphabet or
• a scooter

Presentation 

1. Choose five or more words that your child will be able to encode and place the letters for these at one end of a hallway or room.  Alternately, simply place a movable alphabet there.  (Placing only the letters needed adds with self-correction.  Using the entire alphabet encourages recognition and use of alphabetical order when the child searches for letters.)
2. Stand at the other end of the hallway and call out a word.  Your child's job is to scoot down to collect the letters that spell the given word and, then, to return with them.
3. Continue until all target words have been spelled.

Skills

• Reading (Encoding Skills)
• Listening
• Gross Motor
• Vestibular Input/Heavy Work
• Motor Coordination/Motor Planning

Quick Tips/Extensions

• To have a child play this independently, have the child read a word card, or look at a picture card, at one end of the space and, then, go collect the letters at the other end.
• As the child retrieves the letters of each word, have the child lay the words out.  After all words have been spelled, switch from encoding skills to decoding ones by having the child read the words.
• Practice handwriting, by following this game immediately with copywork of the words or using the words in imaginative sentences or stories.
• Vary body positions on the board.  Lay on the belly and "walk" with hands/arms.  Kneel and use arms to propel movement.  Sit and use feet to propel movement.  Etc.
• Encourage alphabetization skills by having the child help you put the letters for the words back into the movable alphabet letter box. 

What movement-based activities do you use to meet your child's needs while also encouraging phonics practice?

Montessori-Inspired Success: Moveable Alphabet + Beautiful Picture Book

{This post contains affiliate links.  If you click on them to purchase anything, we may receive compensation at no cost to you.  Thank you for helping our family should you choose to do this.}

Nina is an emerging reader who likes to read "real books" and to play with small cards.  So, the other day, we enjoyed a Montessori-esque lesson with both.

First, I asked Nina if she'd like to work with our DIY printed moveable alphabet.  When she said she would, I began a game of seek-and-find with her.  

"Can you find the letter that makes the sound /h/?"  I said.  Nina searched for an "h" and placed in on the floor.

"How about an /a/?"  "And a /v/?"  We continued on.

"What do those letters sound like together?"  I asked.

"H-a-v, hav."  Nina smiled.

"Yes.  Now, let's find an 'e' and put it next to them.  This is a word.  The 'e' makes no sound.  It doesn't even make the 'a' long.  Do you know the word?"

"Have!"  Nina shouted.

"Shall we try another one?" I queried. 

Nina nodded in the affirmative and, so, I proceeded with our "game", having Nina spell all the words she would need to be familiar with to read Eric Carle's Have You Seen My Cat?

Then, I told Nina that I was confident that she could read a whole book all by herself if she wished to do so.  A beautiful book that has an illustration in it that reminds me of a story from when I was a little girl.

Of course, Nina wanted to read the book!

She asked me to hold the book for her as she read, and, then, took it into her own lap as she decoded every word of text while enjoying Eric Carle's beautiful illustrations.

Proud as punch, Nina finished reading the picture book.  Then, she asked me to tell her the story about when I was a little girl.

When I was about 10, my grandfather was babysitting my brother, sisters and me for a weekend, when our cat went missing.  We looked and looked for her and, when we finally found her, we discovered that she had been hiding for a reason.  She had birthed a litter of seven kittens. 

Nina asked me question after question, and, later that night, retold my memory - in great detail - to her dad.

Since then, Nina has mentioned my childhood story several times, re-read Have You Seen My Cat? to me and spontaneously spelled words with our DIY moveable alphabet.

I'd call that one successful Montessori-inspired experience.

How have you adapted Montessori materials and techniques and connected them to your children's needs and interests lately?

 

at Living Montessori Now

Solving the Snack Problem! {with a free printable}

 

Sometimes, simple is best, right?

That's what today's free printable is all about:  a simple solution to a common problem that we had in our house, and, that I suspect, that some of you might have in yours. 

Being Montessori-inspired, we believe in allowing each of our children the freedom to "do it myself".  However, some time ago,  "do it myself" somehow turned into a near-constant  habit of "help myself" to anything in the fridge, which drove me crazy!

Worse yet, before my children helped themselves to self-selected snacks, they often spent long, lingering moments peering into the fridge, thereby doing damage to energy efficiency and household bills.

Most certainly, my children needed some limits to their freedom and I needed those limits to be clear cut and easy.


What was the "Problem"?

Click the image for a free printable.

What was our solution?

You know that saying, "inside every problem exists opportunity"?  I decided that was the case with this "problem".  In fact, I decided that our "problem" was really five opportunities in disguise:

• An opportunity to chat about why we eat:  The children and I talked about the fact that our bodies need healthy foods in order to grow (and heal when we are sick.)  So, I have no problem with them choosing healthy snacks whenever they are hungry.  However, sometimes we eat for other reasons.  For example, sometimes we eat when we are bored or thirsty.  Before we eat between meals, then, we should think about if we are really hungry or if there is another reason we might want to east.

• An opportunity to encourage better habits of tidiness:  Tied to our "why we eat" chat, we discussed the idea busy hands often negate falsely hungry bellies.  Together, we decided that when we think we want a snack, we should first make sure we aren't just bored.  We should busy our hands with something else.  Then, I suggested that if we still want a snack, we should tidy up what we were doing before we go to the fridge.  

• An opportunity to remind ourselves to drink water:  In our home, we drink water with all of our meals, but, for some odd reason, we do not always drink water in between.  That's not good, I know.  So, I used our "why we eat" chat as a way to encourage drinking more water.  

• An opportunity to discuss conservation and bills:  Yes, despite my children's young age, I decided to discuss with them the fact that the refrigerator does its job best when its door is only opened for short periods at a time and that every time we let the door "endlessly" hang open, we let cold air out.  To get back to the right temperature, the fridge then has to use more energy.  Energy costs money and, so, perhaps the best thing to do is to decide what we want before we open the fridge.

• An opportunity to practice courtesy:  We talked about the fact that Mommy plans our main meals and sometimes Mommy has foods in the fridge that are set aside for specific meals.  Thus, it is only courteous to ask before helping ourselves to some of the things in the fridge.  To help us with this habit, perhaps we should just ask each time we want to enter the fridge.

And with these ideas in mind, together, the kids and I came up with four super simple steps to remember for snack times:

• Do a Tidy Time.

• Drink water.

• Ask

• Enjoy.

Since we are visual, chart-types, the kids also helped me choose clip art to help our non-readers remember these steps.  We made a chart, hung it on the fridge, practiced with it and built new habits! 

Please feel free to try out our Want a Snack chart in your home, too.

A few things we learned...

• Our oldest needs things to be very concrete.  So, over time "Do a Tidy Time" came to equate not simply putting back whatever we were doing or finding some other things around the house to tidy up, it became "Tidy five things."

• Asking does not mean Mommy or Daddy will always say "yes".  If we have not eaten well at our last meal or if it is just about time for the next meal, Mommy or Daddy may say "no" and we should respect that!

• It's hard to ask for a specific snack when you don't remember what is in the fridge.  Yep.  That inspired  us to make another chart:  a snack menu, which we use in conjunction with the "Want a Snack" reminder on our fridge.

• Habits must be built over time.  The first few days we used the "Want a Snack" chart, we all did fabulously with it.  Over time, the neglected to follow it consistently and I forgot to ensure they did.  So, periodically, we have had to "retrain" ourselves.  For the most part, it works.  The children can "do it myself" and I can stay peaceful without them constantly hanging out  with an open-fridge door!

What strategies do you use to solve snack problems by creating freedom within limits?

This post is being shared at Living Montessori Now's Montessori Monday where you can find many other helpful games and activities.

Make Way for Ducklings Duplo Challenge

In late summer, I found older copies of Five in a Row, Volumes 1, 2 and 3 at a library in a neighboring town.  Since we love reading and extending what we read here, I thought I'd give officially "rowing" a few books a try.  So much for a few though, we have yet to stop enjoying our first row -- Make Way for Ducklings -- a book we have read before, but never with as much depth, fun and extensions as we have been doing for the past few weeks.  For while, yes, suggested "rows" are but a week long, we seem to be meandering longer with this pick!

Lego Ducks! 

As a side trip in officially rowing Make Way for Ducklings, the children enjoyed building a variety of Lego Duplo ducks using patterns found online as well as their own imagined designs. 

The step-by-step design patterns we used all came from Building Examples, a site from which I printed out the three available duck pattern pdf’s, as well as one bird one.  I loved this selection since the designs ranged from super-easy ones, which I could make into easy "tray work" to get the kids started with their duck designs, to much more challenging ones, which could inspire more complex creativity.

In a Montessori-inspired way, I slipped print outs of the two easiest designs into a page protector and placed them on a tray with a small bin that contained only the blocks required to complete the designs, thereby ensuring control of error.  The two more complex step-by-step designs I tucked into larger bins of Duplos in the children's open-ended play shelf.  I also searched online for images of other Lego ducks, which the children used as inspiration for building their own designs. 

And what designs they built!   

Extending a Modeled Design with a Pong atop a Castle

Paying it forward, I wanted to include some printable images of my children's designs so that your little ones could use them as patterns.  However, now that I am sitting down to look at the pictures I took, I am having difficult time remembering which of the many Duplo ducks were copied from images that we found online and which were their own amazingly inventive creations.  I know there were more of the latter than the former, but I would hate to credit my kids with something they copied from another child's design.  So, instead of creating a printable, I am simply sharing a few snapshots here of some of the kids' designs.  I hope they inspire your own children to build an enjoy!

Jack's Minimalist Design -- Simply a Head/Beak and Body

Nina's Awesome Creations, One On Its Legs, One Swimming

Luke's Hungry Duck with Open Beak

Learning Connections

As we enjoyed this activity, we naturally wove in lots of "academic" learning.  For example:

• Sorting and Classifying (Math):  Before beginning our build challenge, we sorted out Duplos by colors and shapes.
• Science/Anatomy:  We talked about the parts of a duck and how we might represent these in our creations.  (Note tail feathers, wings, feet, open beaks, closed beaks, eyes, etc on the kids' different designs.)
• Design/Engineering:  We followed models to understand design principles and then imagined and built our own designs, sometimes freely and sometimes with parameters, such as, "Design a swimming duck," or, "Design a duck with all the typical duck parts."
• Language Arts:  In our home, few things come without some sort of dramatic play and storytelling, and, most certainly our Duplo Ducks were not just build-and-sit projects.  They swam and adventured all over our home. 

Play?  Lessons?  I'd call our Duck Duplo Challenge a hybrid.  The kids?  They'd call it just plain engaging fun!



What extension activities have you enjoyed while rowing Make Way for Ducklings?  Do you have favorite Lego Challenge design sites?  Do share!

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5 Steps Toward Facilitating Better Clothing Management for Boys

Jack's Accessible Clothing

When I went into the boys’ room this morning to guide Luke during Family Work Time, I was appalled by the state of his and Jack’s clothing.  Not only did I find clothing tossed and the floor and draped over furniture, but the boys’ clothing shelves, drawers and closet hanging rod were a mess – clothing was shoved about in wrinkled disasters. 

Obviously, the system I that I had had in place to help the boys become more independently responsible for the care and storage of their clothing had broken down.  It needed to be tweaked.  Thirty minutes and five steps later, it was.

My Strategy for Collaboratively Tweaking the Boys’ Bedroom Clothing Areas

Bins in drawers make for easier management.

1.  Empty all drawers, shelves and hanging spaces.

For now, only two shirts are hung in the boy' closet -- one for Jack and one for Luke, up high, to keep them wrinkle free and ready for "nice dress"times.

I believe that children should be given ample opportunity to "do it myself", or, when they cannot do things for themselves, to be given as much help and guidance as they need to complete a task, and little more.

Thus, with Luke, I emptied a drawer, continued on with Steps Two and Three, and, then, emptied another drawer.  With each drawer and shelf, Luke and I completed Steps Two and Three before moving to the next.  (I did the boy’ closet hanging rod myself later, as the timer for Family Work Time went off before we had completed Steps 1-3 and Luke was ready for a break.)

2.  Determine how many outfits/items your child can reasonably manage.

Luke is now responsible for three warm-weather outfits on his shelf, on his body or in his hamper.

We decided to limit undies to seven and socks to five, with two pairs of jammie pants for Luke and five sets of jammies for Jack.

Then, because Luke has not been managing the 7-10 outfits we keep on his shelves well, I suggested that we keep no more than four in his room right now – three for warm weather and one for cooler weather, based on the current season.  I also let Luke know that I wanted him to be successful in his responsibilities and thought he could be.  However, if we later discover that four outfits prove to many for him to manage, then the number of his accessible outfits would be reduced further until he met with success. 

Of course, Luke questioned the idea of having two to four outfits accessible.  At this point, though, I reminded him that many people have only the clothes on their backs.  Having more clothing is a privilege.  After a bit more conversation, Luke agreed to test out managing four outfits and, together, and we proceeded to pick the four he wanted to keep in his room.

I asked Luke to pick out his three most comfortable shorts-and-tee outfits as well as a pair of pants and a sweatshirt.  As he did this, I also asked him to put any clothing that he does not like wearing at all in one pile and other clothing that he would like to keep for future management and wear in another.

Meanwhile, because Jack was busy with Nina in another room while Luke and I worked, I selected outfits for him. (Jack is not picky about what he puts on.)
  

For Jack, I selected seven warm weather outfits and three cool weather outfits – not because Jack is better at managing his clothes than Luke is, but because Jack tends to go through more outfits in one day due potty accidents, spilling food on himself and playing with messy things. 

While selecting “keeper” clothes, Luke and I chatted and, defined “managing clothing” as:

• If an item is clean when you take it off, put it back on your shelves, in your drawers or on your hanging rod.
• If it is dirty, put it in your hamper.
• When putting away clothing, put it in the right place, neatly folded or rolled.

3.  Guide your child in folding and putting away “keeper” clothing.

Luke is also keeping one pair of pants and a sweatshirt out for cooler days and nights.

While deciding which clothing Luke and Jack would be keeping in their rooms as clothing available for daily wear,  I realized the way we had Luke's shirts and shorts folded was easy for him folding-wise, but not stacking-on-, nor taking-off-shelves -wise.  So, we practiced a new way of folding. 

Then, I guided Luke in putting away his clothes neatly while I put away Jack’s.

4.  Sort and bag up the rest of the clothing to be donated, sold or kept to use later.

Paired down jammies drawers helped us beef up the take-out-of-the-room bags.

After our Family Work Time timer went off, the children enjoyed some free play while I bagged up clothing that would no longer be stored in their room.  It felt good to carry the trash bags of clothing to the basement, leaving only as many clothes in the boy’ room as I think they can reasonably manage.  (Well, to be honest, I am not sure if they can reasonably manage what is now in their rooms, but at least there is a greater chance that they will and facilitating this chance is my current goal!)

5.  Be sure there is an easily accessible hamper for your child to use.

Potty training means lots of laundry.  Hampers are essential!

While working, I noticed that the boys’ pop-open bedroom hampers were knocked over in a corner of their room with stuffed toys near them.  Ah, perhaps that was the reason I found clothing on the floor.  I thought.  The boys may have been using their hampers for imaginary play.

With this, I re-set the hammers, and reminded them that hampers are for dirty clothes only.  If they want burrows for stuffed toys, they can find other ones or ask me for something to use.  (Care for their environment and their imaginations are both important in my book!)

And, so it was the tweaking of our boys’ room clothing storage and care system was finished this morning.

Now, I am happy to report, that our efforts are already proving fruitful.  After Luke got himself wet during some outdoor play, he went into his room, changed his outfit and put his other outfit in appropriate places.  Let’s hope the trend continues!

Drawers that have plenty of empty space don't explode often.

By limiting accessible clothing, putting it all in places where it is easy for the boys to reach and working with the boys regularly to help them master folding and putting away their clothing, I hope to increase their sense of "I can (and will!) do it myself!"

How do you help your boys to help themselves with independent clothing care and storage?

This post is being shared at Montessori Monday.

The Breakfast Girl: A Learning Story of Practical Life, Homeschool Style

Since hearing about Learning Stories, I have written many in my head, but only two on paper -- or on screen as the case may be. When I was reflecting on last week's homeschool happenings, another one came to mind, so I thought I would get it down and share it before the moment passed. I hope it inspires you to try Learning Stories as a form of documentation, assessment and planning in your home or school.

The Breakfast Girl

Nina, growing in independence, and shining with pride and joy

I was catching up on a few things when Nina finished her Five Before Breakfast and decided it was time to eat.  So, she asked if she could serve the oatmeal that I had made, which was warming on the stove.  With purpose and independence, she took bowls from the cupboard and silverware from the drawer and, then, began to spoon out a serving of oatmeal for herself.  

Although Nina was hungry, she did not simply sit down to eat what she had served herself after doing so.  Instead, she spooned out a second portion of oatmeal for her baby brother, who was still doing his Five Before Breakfast, and one for her big brother, who was still sleeping.  She also prepared one for me.

At this point, Nina still did not begin to dig into her breakfast.  Rather, she asked if she could go in the fridge, where she found defrosted raspberries in a bag and our big jug of maple syrup.  She, then, spooned some of the raspberries out and put them next to each serving oatmeal.  After this, she found the small silver pitcher that we use for maple syrup in the cupboard and poured some maple syrup from the large jug of it that we keep in the fridge into the small pitcher that we use at the table.

With sides and toppings to the oatmeal all set, I would have thought that Nina would have finally begun to dig into breakfast so that she could satiate her hungry morning belly.

She did not.

Instead, Nina went to another cupboard, got a small, lidded plastic container, spooned some oatmeal which was still leftover in the pan into it it, added some raspberries and syrup and declared, "for Daddy."  (Daddy was already at work.)  She put the container in a bag in the fridge so Daddy could have it the next day. (Later, Nina and her brother added many other things to the bag, but that is  "Part Two" of this Learning Story, which I hope to share another day.)

The oatmeal and raspberries Nina prepared are on the top right, between the salmon can and the mixed vegetable salad.

With everyone else in the family accounted for (and Nina's brothers finally ready to eat alongside her), Nina led a prayer and, happily, dug into the breakfast that she had so independently prepared for everyone -- eating a few bites of raspberries first.

What It Means

Nina, at but five-and-a-half years old, you demonstrate independence, competence, kindness and a sense of service.  As you served breakfast for everyone last week, you also proved to Mommy that, even if we do not always "do Montessori" in ideal ways at home, practical life skills are constantly practiced and mastered.

As you spooned oatmeal and raspberries out onto people's plates, as you poured maple syrup from one container to another, as you placed dishes on the table for the family..., you proved your mastery of so many practical life skills.  You also showed a sense of independence and service.

When you paused to think of Daddy, even though he had already gone to work, you demonstrated the practical kindness that you so often do.  Even though preparing leftovers for Daddy could have waited until after you had eaten breakfast yourself, you decided to get them ready and and in the fridge first.  Nina, you often prioritize other people's needs.  You truly have a compassionate heart.

The fact that you served raspberries alongside the oatmeal and, then, ate the produce first evidences that you understand the importance of including "produce power" in our daily diet and are happy to follow our new practice of eating "raw foods first" in the morning.

Throughout the entire time that you served breakfast, you remembered some of our family rules, guidelines and practices.  You finished your Five Before Breakfast before asking to eat; you asked for permission before going in the fridge; you served a portion of the meal into a container for Daddy to eat later; you shared your time and talent; you led prayers...  The list goes on.  As I reflect upon all that you did on that morning last week, I recognize growth of skills and of character.  You are quite a young lady, Nina!

Opportunities and Possibilities

Nina shows both skill and independence in serving breakfast for herself and her family.  She also demonstrates an enthusiasm for serving Daddy's needs.

To help Nina take the next steps in the practical life skill of preparing and serving meals, we can choose one morning a week that Nina is in charge of planning, making and serving -- from start to finish -- for the family.   We can also have Nina prepare Daddy's lunch bag for him at least one day a week. 

First, we can practice by having Mommy act as a helper to Nina throughout the entire planning, preparing and serving process of a breakfast menu, which does not require use of our stove.  Then, we can encourage Nina to plan, prepare and serve whatever breakfast meal that we worked together to get on the table, entirely on her own as a service to our family.

Likewise, we can ask Nina to get Daddy's lunch bag ready one day a week using leftovers from breakfast and other meals, as well as sides form the cupboards and fridge.

Over time, we can also teach Nina how to use the stove safely so that she can prepare other types of breakfast foods for us.  At this point, she sometimes helps to turn burners on and off, to stir foods in pots and to flip foods on the griddle, but, for safety sake (both her own and her ever-watchful, model-after-siblings, baby brother's), we stress that no child should use the stove without an adult's help.

 

Nina's Reactions

When I read this story to Nina, she beamed with a big smile and recalled, "That's what I did last week!"  She then ran into the kitchen declaring "I'm getting some oatmeal for Dad," since we happened to have leftover oatmeal today, too.

She is excited to make Daddy's lunches and to learn to make a family breakfast --from start to finish -- all on her own. 

What is a Learning Story?

Learning Stories are a form of assessment, reflection and sharing that I first heard about through a Reggio yahoogroup I belonged to some years ago, which offered a link to this website.  Basically, they consist of narration and photos (or other visual documentation) that tell the story of a child's singular learning experience, followed by a "What It Means" section, an "Opportunities and Possibilities" section and a "Parent's Voice" section.   There is no right or wrong way to write them, but, to be most effective, there are conventions that a man named Tom Drummond conveniently summarized in a PDF entitled Writing Learning Stories.

What learning have you observed recently and how does it inform possible future activities?

Although my interest in Learning Stories was initially inspired by an interest in Reggio practices, I feel that Learning Stories can be an effective tool in Montessori-inspired teaching, too. If you'd like to see other folks' Montessori-inspired ideas and work, click on over to Montessori Monday, where this post is being shared.

Child-Friendly All Purpose Cleaning Spray -- Printable Children's Recipe Cards

Ages ago, I shared Crock Pot Applesauce Printable Children's Recipe Cards and hoped to offer at least one more set of printable recipe cards here each month.  However, between computer woes and life having other plans, I never got around to posting any further children's recipe cards.  That is, until now...

Cue the drum roll, please.

After far too long a pause, I am finally making headway on my children's recipe card project and would like to share it with you.  Please enjoy our:

Child-Friendly All-Purpose Cleaning Spray Recipe Cards

Last Tuesday, I found our Child-Friendly All-Purpose Cleaning Spray gone.  So, first thing in the morning, I tasked the kids to make more.  While I reminded them of the easy recipe that we use to make our cleaning spray, they took turns between putting ingredients into a spray bottle and playing paparazzi with me.  Then, last night, while the kiddoes slept, I turned our Tuesday morning efforts into a printable for you and yours to share.

Feel free to download our Child Friendly All-Purpose Cleaning Spray Children's Recipe Cards here.  With them, your child can follow simple, step-by-step, photo and text cues to make cleaning spray for your home or classroom.

Do you have other household cleaning or GFCF food children's recipe cards that you'd like to see as free printables?  Does the 4x6 inch size of our All-Purpose Cleaning Spray Children's Recipe Cards work for you or would you rather another size?  I welcome your input in a comment as I decide which cards to tackle next.  

Inspiration for these cards came from Montessori sources.  To be inspired by others' Montessori ideas and work, click on over to Montessori Monday, where this post is being linked.

D.I.Y. Montessori-Inspired Verb Cup and Variations for Play

When something takes very little time and money to make, and provides literally hours of learning and fun over the course of less than 24 hours, I think it's worth pausing my plans for the day to share about it!  So, that's what I am doing.

Simple is best!  This D.I.Y. Montessori-Inspired Verb Cup has been such a hit!

Two Needs, One Solution

Need One
A tutoring student of mine needed a new physical warm up to begin our sessions. She is a motor-driven gal whose academic progress parallels opportunities to move, so I begin each of our meetings with a body and brain warm up. 

Need Two
My five year old daughter has been displaying “page-fright”. That is, although she can decode simple phonetic words, she becomes anxious when she is asked to read from a written page, even if there is but one word a page. So, I’ve been seeking paper-free reading exercises for her. 

An Easy Solution
Enter my Montessori-Inspired Verb Cup – a small twist on traditional Montessori Command Cards.  Not only did it bring smiles to my tutoring student, my daughter and me yesterday, but Luke, Nina, Jack and I have used it in various ways already today.

Make Your Own Montessori-Inspired Verb Cup

Nina reaching in for her next command.

You will need:

•  craft sticks (We got 300 for less than $3 with a 50% off coupon at our local Jo-ann fabrics.)
• a red marker (You can actually use a different color.  I chose red, because it is the color used for verbs when introducing Montessori grammar, and although I did not tell my children that all of the words in the cup are verbs, by using red I feel I am encouraging an indirect connection for later grammar studies.)
• a cup (I used a tall, plastic container we received take out in one day.  It fit all the sticks perfectly and had a lid for easy travel in my tutoring bag.)

Preparation:

1. Brainstorm 30 or more phonetic verbs or verb phrases that your child knows the meaning of, such as sit, stand, hop and jump.
2.  Write one on each craft stick.
3. Place 30 sticks in the cup and set the rest aside to be rotated into the cup at a later point. 

Basic Activity

No "page fright" here.  Just a happy girl intent on decoding.

When your child is watching. Inspect the cup with curiosity. Take a stick out. Read the word or phrase on the stick to yourself. Do what it says (or pantomime what it says, if it says something like mop.) Put the stick back in. Pull another one out... Continue until you are satisfied that your child understands what to do. 

Leave the Verb Cup out as an invitation for your child to read and act upon. 

Variations and Extensions

When playing Kaboom, Nina asked us, "Can I have another turn?" while showing us the stick she pulled out.

Kaboom (A fun game that we played this morning.)
For a  fun, yet not so Montessori, competitive game, add several sticks that say “Kaboom” into the cup. Player 1 pulls out a stick, reads it and acts out the command on it silently or out loud (whichever the player is most comfortable with.) If other players agree that the command was acted out correctly, Player 1 keeps the stick. Then, Player 2 goes. Play continues until a “Kaboom” stick is drawn. 

Whoever draws the “Kaboom” stick has to put all of his or her other sticks back in the cup, keeping only the “Kaboom” stick. When there are no more sticks in the cup, whoever has the most sticks wins. 

Hide, Seek and Act (Nina inspired this one by hiding the sticks so jack could find them and she could read them.)
Hide the sticks around the room. On "go” have child(ren) search for them. In order to place a stick back in the cup, the child(ren) have to enact the command written on it.

Charades 
Player 1 draws a stick, reads it and acts out the command on it. Others guess the command. Then, other players takes turns.

Simon Says
Play like a regular game of Simon Says, except after saying, “Simon says,” draw a stick and show it, having the players read it. 

ABC Order
After acting out the commands on the sticks, lay the sticks down in alphabetical order. Begin by including just two sticks, then three, then more in the ABC order challenge. 

Practice, Assessment and Sensory Opportunities

Stopping to read between acting out the different commands helped Luke practice control of movement.

• Reading (de-coding) 
• Imagination (pantomiming actions)
• Motor Skills 
• Proprioception
• Vestibular Input
• Control of movement.

 We hope you enjoy learning and playing with your own D.I.Y Verb Cup as much as we have been doing with ours.

What traditional Montessori activities have you adapted as a solution to a child's needs?

Want to be inspired with others' Montessori-inspired ideas and work?  Click on over to Montessori Monday and enjoy.