Montessori Math...What's not to Love!?!

I'm gonna have to go ahead and say that my most favorite part of the Montessori Method is MATH.  I know, I know, you may be saying, NOOOOOO!!!  Curses to math! but let me tell you what, after 5 years in a Primary Montessori classroom watching kindergartners work through all 4 operations with confidence and ease, I gotta tell you there is no other way that leaves kids with a solid understanding of mathematical concepts!  

Today while I was working with one of my kiddos on adding teens it hit me that I really should share the love because even non-Montessorians can make this happen!

Without further ado...adding teens.

I have two small banks set up on our math shelves.  We have a larger bank set up in the classroom.  There is a lot of research behind the importance of giving kiddos the opportunity to walk back and forth building their numbers but in a small space, pre made banks have proved to be a great option to cut down on traffic around the room.

Included in the bank are units, 10 bars, 100 squares, a ten frame and 2 unit holders.

I write problems on our problem blanks and the kiddos get a bank and go to work.

I love these problem blanks because I am able to individualize each child's problems.  This means that I'm not expecting all kids to be able to do the same work which seems logical because rarely do all kids need the same work!

So, Olivia gathered the 10s and units needed to build the numbers in the first problem.  Once that was done she then moved all items down to add them together.

Now it is incredibly easy for Olivia to see how many ten bars (10s) and how many units (ones) there are when you add twelve and eleven together.  This is so important because all to often kids don't see that those are tens in the ten column, not ones!  The Montessori method let's them see just that!

Stay tuned for how this translates to my Lower Elementary classroom and kiddos who are working with bigger numbers!

Five for Friday...Maybe on a Friday!?!

It's that time again and geesh it's been a heck of a long week!  Never fear though...good stuff has happened so let me share!

One of my kiddos most favorite lessons!

It's one of mine too because the fabulous teacher at Princess and the Tot blog, who thought it up GAVE IT AWAY for FREE!!!

Follow this link to grab the freebie for yourself. 

 I know that we are a skinny minute past the day of candy corn but I think you could stretch it out another week if you want!  Probably could even get a bag or two of candy corn on clearance! :)

Red Ribbon Week!  

We have had a great time standing up against drugs this week but it's an interesting topic when you teach really small people.  This was such a cool thing to line the walls with but when we walked away one of my kinders said..."Why did we do that?"  I told her that it was because we were making a pledge against drugs.  She responded with, "What's that?"  I was thrilled and at the same time pondering how much to tell.

Family Feasts are one of my most favorite classroom events.  

I have been doing them since my first year of teaching.  The last Friday of every month is Family Feast day.  

Sometimes we are even lucky enough to have grandparents visit all the way from Iowa!

Its just like a church potluck.  Families all bring in food and I provide the paper products.  

It's always a good time!

Our school Fall fest was tonight and good times were had by all! 

 I volunteered to get pie in the face.

Because who doesn't love a little whipped cream pie in the face!?! :)

And this week was a little over the top so when she said tall or short?  I, of course said TALL! 

The hubs said, "Do you realize how much 32oz. is?"  And I of course said, "Why yes, yes I do!"  and I didn't leave a drop!

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Check out Doodlebugs Teaching link party as soon as you can!

Five for Friday....on a Friday! For Reals!

WOOOHOOO for Friday!  This will indeed be a  Friday post as I am laid up on the couch healing from knee surgery!  So, here goes!

If you follow me on Instagram then you know, I'm a runner!  And sometimes runners have knee trouble and sometimes runners have to have surgery...so that they can run again! :)

Two little bitty incisions and an autograph from my dr.!  All fixes to non-loadbearing portions of my knee.  Meniscus repair and something about my femur and shaving bone or some such something.  I have almost no pain, a lot of nausea as the anesthesia wears off and this is my view until Monday.

One of my favorite Montessori lessons!  Sentence strips with phrases and objects.  The kiddos love it!  This 4 year old...just turned 5 insisted that she doesn't know how to read!  Oh yeah!?!

Oh my mercy.  This is happening!  That little white car behind me is my new driver big punk!  He followed me home in his new to him car.  EEEEEEKKKK!  Good news is that he drives like grandma so I'm only worried about all the other crazies on the road!

This sweet baby worked so hard on this awesome freebie.  He is a 4 year old in my room and has great number sense and this was the perfect extension to some Montessori work he has been doing.  I caught him in the act of working on the paper and after finishing 3 problems he came over and wiped is brow and said, "whew, I worked really hard and I am really tired!"  The beauty of Montessori is that I was able to respond with, "Awesome, put it in your cubby and you can finish it tomorrow!" 

Grab this great freebie here...

and then there is this...

I live right there in the the middle.  Columbia, SC isn't really prepared for 6-14 inches of rain in 3 days time.  Businesses and schools in our downtown area are preparing for the worst and we are in a state of emergency.  It's all that we are talking about in SC.  Say a little prayer for us over the next few days!  I guess it's a great weekend to be laid up on the couch!

Have a fabulous weekend and stay tuned for my AWESOME Super Hero Sight Word Booklet that I will be posting this weekend!

Hop back over to Doodle Bugs Teaching and see what other teacher friends are doing in their classrooms!