On the Shelves - October

Once again, I meant to take a tidy set of pictures to post this month to show what's been on our chelves, and, once again, I find myself with very time left before turning the calendar page and no grand “What’s on the Shelves This Month” post ready to go. Thus, instead of taking some of the precious few moments I have awake without chidlren awake with me, I will simply, once again, record what’s been on the shelves (and all over the floor!) for the past month as the kids continue to explore and enjoy, learning as they go.

Montessori-Inspired Shelves
- Sensorial: Color and Shape Block Sorting – a muffin tin with red, yellow and blue colored labels on the bottom to help sort corresponding cylinder, square, half-circle and triangular blocks
- Religion: Mini-Altar for Home Catechesis
- Religion: Various Bible Stories and Saints Stories with Accompanying Dramatic Play Materials
- Religion: Basket of Home Catechesis Altar Work Materials
- Practical Life: Cleaning Caddy (Spray Bottle, Cloths)
- Language (Pre-Writing)/Mathematics: Basket of Clothespins with Various Extensions throughout the Month
- Language (Phonics): I Spy Books and Cards
- Mathematics: Apple Counting Trees and Crab Apple Counters
- Language/Mathematics: “Big” and “Small” Cards with Large and Small Apple Counters
- Science: Basket of Natural “Treasures” and Magnifying Glass
- Language (Pre-Writing)/Mathematics: Pegged Puzzle
- Language: Visual Discrimination Train Matching Cards
- Mathematics: Construction Theme Floor Puzzle
- Practical Life: A Hammering Activity (that we took outside, as it gets so messy!)

Special Interest Shelves
-Read Alouds: The Little Engine that Could, Down by the Station, Johny Appleseed, various construction picture books and a rotation of Halloween books
-Train Tracks and Trains
-A Melissa and Doug Take-Along Tool Kit
-A Firefighter’s Costume and Accessories
-Little People Firehouse, Vehicles and People, along with Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic Fire Trucks
-A Construction Costume and Accessories
-Drawing and Coloring Items