We are not doing formal lessons this week for reasons you can find in my post May Calendar. However, as any Montessorian may know, you can't turn off inspiration or stop seeing opportunities to introduce a lesson. So, from a recent trip to Wilson's 5 & dime I picked up this little cow bell (among other things). Any ideas as to what I'm using it for now?
Well, I have to admit that I am a bit of a yeller at my house. Not the angry kind of yelling but the "hey leave your sister alone," "time for dinner," "don't make me come back there," kind of yelling. Usually while I'm cooking dinner and can't leave what is on the stove. This is not montessori style at all and I admit it is my downfall so don't start doing this if you are trying to start montessori methods at your home.
Anyway, all that yelling is hard on my throat and my voice and, since I sing in our choir at church, it is not helpful that I do this to myself. So the cow bell is to round up my cattle (my girls).
After I got it home I explained to each of them that I will ring the bell and when they hear it they have to stop whatever they are doing and come straight to me. This way there is no yelling and they are face to face with me so I can tell them what I need.
Then we played a game. They went in another room, I rang the bell, they came running. They got high fives for following directions and they thought it was great. Then I hid in areas throughout the house and they had to find me by sound alone. After that they got to ring the bell and send me running. We had a good time.
This may not seem like much of a Montessori lesson, but when you think about what is involved it really is a sensorial lesson because they are developing and refining their auditory sense by listening for a sound, responding to a sound and following a sound.
Don't you just love how you can turn almost anything into a lesson?
No comments:
Post a Comment