Activity update 11 months

Matching shoes: not so good- he has no idea what I'm trying to get him to do.

Opening and closing: toy flip phone, old flip phone of mine, wipes container, wallet with snap, magnetic eyeglasses container. He REALLY spent a lot of time today and yesterday with the phones. This is one of those times where I nailed it! Yesterday the toy phone was the only one he could get open. Then today, after all that practice, he could do the real phone.

Sitting at table for snack: I first got his toddler table and was so gung ho that I had him eating every meal there. Of course, he was crawling all over the top and I was clueless. Then after thinking about it I realized that I threw a ton of new skills at him all at once. What was I to expect. Anyway, I have since backed off. I turned the table to face the wall and placed it against a shelf on one side. Then I put a plastic bin on the floor instead of the chair (which is too high). Finally I placed his snack there today in a suction cup bowl. He enjoyed walking around the table eating. He finished his whole snack and I liked that he was able to come and go as he wanted.

Looking at photo book of family: We have a scrapbook with page protectors that I slid pictures in. He is able to turn the pages on his own and spend lots of time with this.

Matching lids: He spent a lot of time today trying to put the lid on a baby food jar. He wasn't able to get it on but he really tried.

Hinged Photo box: I cut a slit in the lid for a poker chip. He LOVES this box and pushes it all around the house. He tries to put the chip in the slot but can't quite get it, so he opens the lid and puts it in.

Possible 13 month old activities

Possible 13 month old activities from Montessori Baby blog

-Putting toothpicks into the top of a spice jar / pens into empty bottles with narrow necks
-Putting large poker chips into empty wipes containers/box with a slit in the top
-Shape sorting
-Taking old credit cards/library cards out of a wallet
-Washing hands in a basin
-Brushing hair
-Putting on sunglasses
-Listening to animal sounds and identifying them on picture cards
-Building block towers
-Playing with nested items (blocks, bowls)
-Sweeping or placing the dustpan right in the middle of my pile while I sweep
-Mopping (or really just swishing the mop around in a bucket of water)
-Talking on a disconnected telephone
-Taking a variety of small balls (ping pong, tennis, rubber, wooden) out of a muffin tin (and sometimes putting them back)
-"Playing" basketball
-Moving objects around with a plastic golf club
-Typing and writing (with crayons, magnetic doodler)
-Feeding our dog, Buster
-Helping with the dishes
-Stirring
-Using a spoon and fork to eat
-Walking up and down hills/over rough surfaces and climbing
-Reading familiar books

Montessori Training Infant Manual sample lesson

Sample Lessons

Phonetic Sounds Reference Sheet
This sheet contains examples of simple words that can be used in presentations of phonetic sounds. Present the initial letters as they sound in the words shown: for example, “a as in apple,” “b as in bat,” and so on...

a	apple	o	octopus
b	bat	p	pig
c	cat	q*	queen
d	dog	r	rat
e	elf	s	snake
f	frog	t	teacher
g	gum	u	umbrella
h	hat	v	violin
i	igloo	w	watch
j	jet	x**	x-ray
k	kite	y	yellow
l	lemon	z	zipper
m	mom	*for q, make the sound “kw.”
n	nut	**for x, make the sound “cks.”

Source: Language Arts for Preschoolers, by Dale Gausman, North American Progressive Montessori Teacher Training Program, 1998. Used with permission.


Language Activities: Introduction

General Points to Remember about Presenting Language Activities

Make sure to present similar phonetic sounds with an interval of several days in between each. For example, if you present words starting with the “d ” sound one day, do not present words starting with the “b ” sound the next, because they sound so alike. That is, let the child practice and learn to identify the “d ” sound before you introduce “b.” (See phonetics sounds reference sheet above.) Take advantage of sounds the child makes naturally at her/his level of development. For example, from three to six months old, most children can make vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u). From six to ten months, most children add more vowel sounds and begin to repeat sounds (for example,“da-da-da-da,” “ma-ma,” “ba-ba ”), especially if encouraged to repeat these sounds. At six to ten months, most children also make their first consonant sounds. Around the world, these are m, p, b, t, and d. For this reason, words starting with m, p, b, t, or d are especially good for first presentations of phonetic sounds. To help the child focus, speak slowly, clearly and quietly. Remember that language is not only talking. Touch, facial expressions and singing are also important ways of communicating with infants and young children.

Summary of Language Activities for Infants
The following language activities give the infant opportunities to

name and identify objects, pictures, parts of the face and parts of the body develop skills needed for matching activities interact with others develop listening skills produce appropriate sounds identify objects from their description learn to handle books carefully become aware of numbers.

Language Activity 8: Providing Specific Objects When Requested

Primary Goal
Developing recognition skills.

Secondary Goals
Laying the foundation for putting-away activities; developing cognitive and motor abilities.

Material
Work tray.
Basket.
Three feeding objects: cup, spoon, bowl.
This activity helps accustom the infant to using a tray to sort and carry dishes and utensils. For this reason, no work mat is used.

Presentation This activity appeals particularly to the interests and abilities of infants 9–12 months old. In advance, place the objects and the basket in a row on the work tray. Sit facing the infant with the work tray between you. Make sure you have the infant’s attention.

Pick up the basket. Examine it, turning it this way and that, then name it. For example, say: “This is a basket for holding things.” Place the basket beside the work tray. Take the first object off the work tray. Hold the object up in front of the infant, and name it. Speak clearly and slowly, and use simple language. For example, say: “Cup.” Turn the object this way and that and describe it briefly. For example, say: “I use this cup when I want a drink. See the handle?” Offer the object to the infant. Allow the infant ample time to examine the object, then ask the infant to drop the object into the basket. (Most infants enjoy being asked to drop things.) Make sure to thank the infant. Repeat for the other two objects. Take the objects out of the basket and place them on the tray again. Pause and smile at the infant. Ask the infant to pick up a specific object from the tray and drop it into the basket. For example, say: “Please find the spoon and drop it into the basket.” If the infant gives you the correct object — for example, the spoon — smile and say: “Yes, spoon.” If the infant gives you an object you did not request, do not correct, but simply say, for example: “Thank you for this cup. See the handle? Now can you find the spoon and drop it into the basket?” Repeat for as long as the infant is interested. When the infant has finished the activity, place the materials back on the tray, then take the infant with you while you return the materials to their proper places. This completes the activity. Make sure that the materials presented stay available – on a very low shelf, for example – for the infant to access when she/he wishes.

Extension 1

Replace the objects in the tray with other familiar objects that the infant sees and uses every day. Examples: bib, napkin ring, fork.

Extension 2

• As the infant acquires experience and skill in correctly identifying objects and placing them in the basket, increase the number and complexity of the objects. At first, choose objects that can be named in words of one or two syllables, and start with the following letters: m, p, b, t, d. These are the sounds that most infants make naturally. Examples: beads, ball, baby, block, bed, bug, blanket, basket, bowl, dish, duck, doll, mat, mitten, pin, pen, pot, puppet, tub, teddy, top. Then progress to more complex words.

Montessoir Training sample lessons infants

Sample Lessons from Montessori Training Website

Cognitive Activity 3: Matching Lids to Pots

Primary Goal
Developing problem-solving skills.

Secondary Goals
Developing fine motor skills and practicing spatial recognition; laying the basis for practical life skills.

Material
Work mat.
Metal pot with a fitted lid. Choose a lid that has a small knob or handle so that the infant can grip it easily.

Presentation

This activity appeals particularly to the abilities and interests of infants 6 –9 months old. Place the work mat between you and the infant, then put the pot and its lid on the work mat. Make sure you have the infant's attention. Slowly and deliberately grasp the lid handle and take the lid off the pot. Place the lid on the work mat. Slowly and deliberately pick the lid up by its handle and place the lid back on the pot. Tap the lid a few times to make sure it is secure. Pause and smile at the infant. Invite the infant to take the lid off the pot, saying, "Now you take the lid off." Assist only if needed. As soon as the infant is focusing on putting the lid on the pot and taking it off, leave him/her to work undisturbed. When the infant has finished the activity, take her/him with you while you put the work mat and materials in their proper places. This completes the activity.

Extension 1

When the infant has gained experience and skill, add another pot and lid. (You may want to carry two pots on a tray or in a basket.) When you present the first pot in the activity, present the lid that does not fit first. Turn the lid this way and that before retuning it to the mat. Repeat the motion with the correct lid, before tapping it into place.

Extension 2 When the infant has gained experience and skill, present a variety of lidded containers. Examples: jar; glass food container; shoe box; cylinder-shaped cardboard cereal box; metal tins; different sizes of pots with different kinds of lids.

Montessori Training Manual Table of Contents

Montessori Training Manual Table of Contents SECTION 1. INFANTS - MANUAL A A. Specific Guidelines for Presenting Activities to Infants 1 B. How to Use the Activities Described in This Manual and Manual B 7 C. Example of a Typical Montessori Activity for Infants 9 COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES Introduction 17 Activity 1: Focusing On an Object 19 Activity 2: Remembering an Object's Location 23 Activity 3: Matching Lids to Pots 27 Activity 4: Making a Simple Toy 31 Activity 5: Identifying and Finding Specific Objects When Asked 35 Activity 6: Finding Covered Objects 39 Activity 7: Matching Shoes 43 Activity 8: Tracking Objects Being Moved 49 Activity 9: Fitting Nesting Cups 53 Activity 10: Putting On a Glove 57 MOTOR ACTIVITIES Introduction 61 Activity 1: Rolling Over 63 Activity 2: Grasping Objects 67 Activity 3: Developing the Pincer Grasp 71 Activity 4: Introducing "In" and "Out" 75 Activity 5: Dropping an Object into a Container 79

Activity 6: Putting Shapes into Holes 83 Activity 7: Practicing "In" and "Out" 87 Activity 8: Stacking Assorted Objects 91 Activity 9: Pouring Dry Material from One Container to Another 95 Activity 10: Pulling a Hidden Object Out Of a Cylinder 99 SENSORY ACTIVITIES Introduction 105 Activity 1: Following Movement with the Eyes 107 Activity 2: Experiencing Different Food Textures 111 Activity 3: Experiencing Different Sounds 115 Activity 4: Hearing Different Levels of Sound 119 Activity 5: Recognizing Patterns 121 Activity 6: Making Different Sounds with Utensils 125 Activity 7: Experiencing Different Fabric Textures 129 Activity 8: Gathering Objects in Nature 135 Activity 9: Identifying Containers with Objects Inside 139 Activity 10: Experiencing "Warm" and "Cold" 143

SECTION 1. INFANTS - MANUAL B LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES Introduction 3 Activity 1: Focusing On Names of Objects 5 Activity 2: Naming Parts of the Face 9 Activity 3: Naming Parts of the Body 13 Activity 4: Identifying Pictures of Familiar Objects in a Book 17 Activity 5: Adding Sound Effects to Favorite Stories 23 Activity 6: Naming Categories of Objects 27 Activity 7: Retrieving a Hidden Object 33 Activity 8: Providing Specific Objects When Requested 37 Activity 9: Identifying Objects from Their Description 43 Activity 10: Introducing Numbers 47 SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Introduction 51 Activity 1: Imitating Facial Expressions and Mouth Sounds 53 Activity 2: Anticipating 57 Activity 3: Reaching Out and Touching 61 Activity 4: Learning Quiet-time Exercises 65 Activity 5: Recognizing Simple Songs 69 Activity 6: Pulling an Object Back and Forth 73 Activity 7: Joining a Rhythm 77 Activity 8: Filling In Words to a Song 81 Activity 9: Trying On Hats 85 Activity 10: Sharing the Treasure Basket 89

PRACTICAL LIFE ACTIVITIES Introduction 95 Activity 1: Introducing Eating Utensils 97 Activity 2: Handling Eating Utensils 101 Activity 3: Sorting Eating Utensils 105 Activity 4: Squeezing a Sponge or Cloth 109 Activity 5: Crushing Paper 113 Activity 6: Ripping Paper into Strips 117 Activity 7: Nose-Wiping 121 Activity 8: Using a Spoon 125 Activity 9: Pouring Water 129 Activity 10: Drinking out of a Cup 133

Montessori Baby Blog by AMI trainded Mom

http://montessoribaby.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html

The author, trained as a Montessori primary teacher (AMI), documents and analyzes her efforts to raise a "Montessori" baby.

Mommy Life website

http://mommylife.net/archives/montessori/
Montessori megamom serves up smorgasbord of parenting, cultural, political, and spiritual wisdom. Because she can.

The Secret of Childhood flikr pictures

http://thesecretofchildhood.blogspot.com/2009/06/montessori-infant-toddler-program.html
Lots of pictures of activities for toddlers and infants at their flikr page.

Montessori at Home Blog

A pictoral and written log of a Homeschooling Mother using the Montessori Method

http://moosehuntress.blogspot.com/

Chasing Cheerios

My favorite blog currently. Has tons of montessori activity ideas.
http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/

Preschool Montessori Activities on Youtube

This teacher has tons of VERY helpful teaching videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A82JG_Nmm0o&feature=related

Peakmore Academy

http://peakmoreacademy.blogspot.com/

This montessori mom is really cool and has lots of great ideas.

Montessori Materials for Older ones

Here you will find montessori materials to download for home and school. Montessori supplies for your classroom include classified cards, templates, word lists, puzzle cards, art cards, leaf nomenclature, maps, music and more.

http://www.montessorimaterials.org/index.html

Infant and Tot Montessori FAQs Blog

http://montessoriinfantandtot.blogspot.com/search/label/correcting%20child

A member-only Montessori infant tot blog by Lisa Nolan with frequently asked questions and answers about infant tot development & behavior!

Michael Olaf Website

This site has tons of ideas and is a good frame of reference for activity ideas.

www.montessorifortheearth.com

Here are activities I have access to from the montessori for the earth site: (It requires a paid membership fee).

Lesson Activities 9 to 12 months:

• The Treasure Basket--includes graphics
• Hide An Object --includes graphics
• Pattern Booklet--includes graphics
• Pincer Grasp--includes graphics
• Working on a Bench at a Table--includes graphics
• Noise Makers
• Placing Spoons in a Bowl--includes graphics
• Rhythms--includes graphics
• Exploring Various Food Textures--includes graphics
• Scarf Game--includes graphics

Lesson Activities 12 to 15 months:

• A Language Activity With Feeding Objects
• Warm and Cold--includes graphics
• A Language Activity With Object Descriptions
• Putting In and Taking Out
• Sequence I --includes graphics
• Sequence II --includes graphics
• Sequence III --includes graphics
• Make Your Own Shape Sorter --includes graphics

Infant Toddler Activites

Found this website with a few activities that may be a good fit.

Shelf Work: 3rd Week of October

October 12, 2009

Practical Life: Crushing Paper

October 8, 2009

Motor Activity: Opening & Closing Extension

October 8, 2009

Treasure Basket: Fall

Activites for the first days of school

Pooh's ideas

1. Put the lids on the pots.
Introduce the three pots and their lids. Show how the lids go on the pots.

2. Where's the ???
Using three different items for covering things, hide an item under the same cover each time. Ask where the ??? is. Move the covers around but hide the item under the same one each time.

3. Put the wooden egg in the egg cup and take it out.

4. Ball drop (we have a neat contraption I think B will enjoy)

5. Match the shoes.
Using 2 pairs of shoes to match first. Later add another pair.

6. Tunnel Crawling- We got a tunnel for C from Ikea for $20 and he LOVES crawling through it.

7. Laundry Basket rolling- C loves to get in the collapsible laundry basket and roll around in it. He will push on the side to get it to turn over and eventually tumble all around the room in it.

W's activities

1. Animal recognition
You start with two animals and say "this is the cow that saya mooo" and "this is the duck that says quack". Then you ask them "where is the cow that says moo?" once they can recognize those two you add more.

2. Number recognition
I have those foam bath numbers and I am going to try the same concept that you use with the animals and see if it works for numbers too.

3. Where's mommy?
B has been playing this for awhile and loves it! It is our own version of peek a boo. I take a blanket and cover my face and say where's mommy? She will then pull it down and I will say "there she is!" She LOVES it! Then I give her the blanket and say "where's B?" and she holds it up to her face to hide herself and comes out when I ask where she is!

4. Mirror learning
I am going to put her in front of a big mirror and try to teach her to find her nose and eyes etc.

5. grocery shopping
using empty cereal boxes or plastic vegtables etc. you get them to fill the bag while telling them what each item is. Over time you could say "put the tomato in the bag etc."

6. Crayons through the bucket
I have a small container that has circles on all sides and I am going to let her put crayons through the holes to teach her better fine motor skills. I did the q tip game with the container the other day and she was pretty good at it.