Using the Abacus with the Montessori Sandpaper Numerals

 

Two 4 year boys wanted to use the Abacus today. Tanya came up with a great idea by pairing it with the Montessori sandpaper numbers. She brought them to the mat along with the abacus and the numbers.

Where do you come from?

We have been talking a lot about how children around the world live... What's different, and what's the same.. We have used books such as Playtime or Homes or even Hair to make the children become aware of the differences around them.

It's circle time!

Circle has been part of our routine ever since we opened up. This is a very special moment for the children and its a time for them when they can express themselves, learn, express their feelings and ideas and gain confidence as they do so.

Learning about work ethics and cooperation

The last 2 weeks have been very busy and of course, as we have many newcomers, we have to help the children settle down into a routine, learn the rules and get used to their environment.

New beginnings...

God, it has been so long since I last posted on this blog! But here I am, and I promise there will be much more regular updates from now on. Things have changed a little bit in preschool.

Pebbles for numeracy and literacy

This year, I have tried to follow the Reggio Emilia principles  to enhance my children's learning . Now, there is no text book as you know and it is sometimes hard to figure out which way is the best. However, from what I have learnt so far, I understand that the materials I use are extremely important. This year, I have tried to select very carefully each materials I use for their potential to enhance learning and discovery.

Wasting our time and our enthusisam...

Right.. I guess this post is going to be another one of my rants!
Last April, I started a course entitled "Literacy and Numeracy in early years".. I didn't need the qualification to meet the new qualifications requirements. I just did it to maybe improve my teaching methods and for the benefits of the children in my care.

Catching up - part 2

Here are a few more photos:

Catching up - part 1

Here are a few photos to show you what've have been up to these past few weeks: 

I am back!

Hi everybody! I am sorry for being absent from this blog for so long! I have a lot of catching up to do!

But first things first... I wanted to acknowledge that the picture I have borrowed for my blog is a picture taken by a good friend of mine, Karen, who holds a lovely blog (Little Acorns). Karen works with preschool and kindergarten children and brings a little bit of magic to their world each day. She is very good at wood crafting and has created many faith-like scenes for the children, using felt and wooden peg people. I wish I could do this and add a bit more magic to our small world shelves! If you would like to see a bit more of her work, please read this post and this one too.