Montessori Archives -

Letter L Preschool Unit

February 28, 2018March 20, 2018 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter L. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors (HINT: If you click this link, make sure you click “Preview” at the top right corner!)
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

We currently follow the Peaceful Preschool curriculum by Jennifer Pepito and we love it! The content is full of rich literature, therefore it is a perfect fit for my book-loving family. We read through many rich, classic stories. We also complete playful projects to go with the literature theme or letter. Download Unit A for free to try it out with your littles to see if you like it.

The community she has created is such a beautiful resource and I’m grateful to be a part of it. Jennifer has included a wonderful preschool e-book which helps you prepare to guide your child in early learning. We have found her curriculum perfect for our homeschool preschool. The curriculum is comprised of Read Aloud, Phonics, Counting Skills, Fine Motor Skills, Large Motor Skills, Practical Life Skills, and Art Skills. Also, here is how we enjoyed the letter A unit. Feel free to explore all of our letter units!

LETTER L REVIEW

The focus books for letter L are The Grouchy Ladybug and the Corinthians Love Chapter from the Bible. Our favorite children’s Bible is the Jesus Storybook Bible. I also added Ten Little Ladybugs since my youngest really loves this story and its great for counting. Then, we read the Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney, which is a beautiful, imaginative picture book and a great fable. Finally, we read through Locomotive, by Brian Floca and The Little Tree.

First, we created glitter glue letters. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. My children are always excited to make a new glitter glue letter.

L IS FOR LADYBUG

We read The Grouchy Ladybug many times. It is a beautiful book which is part of the Peaceful Preschool curriculum. We used this small wooden clock to introduce the principles of telling time since the book highlights the different times of the day as the grouchy ladybug moves from one animal to the next. This book was a regular during our introduction of Letter L.

Then, we revisited Ten Little Ladybugs. There are 3D ladybugs which the boys love to run their fingers over as I’m reading the pages. The beautiful rhyming words are simple. The boys loved foreshadowing the next number. In the story, the ladybugs are counted down from ten to none (and are returned to home).

We used Simply Learning Kids resources for Letter L and found the letters with a cute ladybug free printable.

L IS FOR LOVE

We were lucky that our Letter L unit fell around the same time as Valentine’s Day for us. We made some simple homemade cards for the boy’s Daddy and traced the word “Love” with our sandpaper letters.

Since it was Valentine’s Day, my older son signed Valentine’s cards and we made homemade chocolate candies to share with our friends.

Finally, we read 1 Corinthians 13 which is the Love Chapter from the Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible.

L IS FOR LEMON

I asked my children to make their glitter glue Letter L’s and we looked up a recipe for homemade limonada in Nature Anatomy. I just love these Montessori moveable letters too! We bring them out for every letter unit.

We squeezed fresh lemon juice, honey, water, ice and fresh mint for a refreshing drink.

We also made these lemon pomanders, which is just pressing whole cloves into lemons. My boys were having a difficult time so we ended up using toothpicks to make the holes first, and then sticking the cloves inside the fruit. We also really love these sandpaper letters and they are very affordable!

ABC BOOK

This sweet ABC book, Adventures with Barefoot Creatures, also introduces the concept of the seasons and a calendar. I just love the whimsical illustrations too!

L IS FOR LIBRARY

We normally visit our local small town library, but we decided to venture to the big city to visit the newest library. It was absolutely beautiful, filled with natural light, and we curled up to a couple of good books, and of course played with some toys as well!

ALPHABAET HANDWRITING PRACTICE

We practiced tracing the letters in the word “love” on our handwriting board.

I love this alphabet board since it has both upper and lower case letters.

L IS FOR LION

The Lion and the Mouse is a great version of one of Aesop’s most beloved fables. I love how it teaches children about kindness and the value of helping one another.

L IS FOR LITTLE BEAR

I had this childhood book saved so we read Little Bear for Letter L! My boys love this story since its made up of several stories that build on one another.

L IS FOR LITTLE TREE

Finally, we read Little Tree by Loren Long. I just love her illustrations and the story is very sweet. We have read this many times through over the past year because its such a lovely book.

SUPPLIES

Locomotive
Little Tree
The Grouchy Ladybug
Sandpaper Letters
Montessori Moveable Alphabet
Glitter Glue

OUR PICKS

Here is how we enjoyed the letter A unit. We had so much fun with letter A and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

Letter I Preschool Unit

December 21, 2017March 20, 2018 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter I. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER I REVIEW

We began the letter I unit and had so much fun with it! The focus books for letter I are Ice Cream Summer, Inch by Inch, and a story from the Jesus Storybook Bible. Also, we read The Little Island, and listened to the audio version of this one before we purchased it.

Then, we created glitter glue letters. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. It is really one of my children’s favorite parts.

We used some spare loose parts to create ice cream cones and also read through Ice Cream Summer.

I IS FOR ICE CREAM

I love gaining inspiration for our homeschool on Pinterest. This simple idea came from Pinterest to cut out ice cream templates using colorful construction paper we already had on hand. The boys took turn adding scoops to correspond with the number on the ice cream cone.

SENSORY WRITING PRACTICE

Next, we added old sprinkles to a tray so the boys could practice writing the letter I.

I love providing these tactile, sensory experiences for them. Of course, the boys take the opportunity to sneak a few sprinkles into their mouths!

ICE CREAM PLAY

The boys worked together to “earn” this special Melissa and Doug Ice Cream Shop about six months ago. We brought it out to go along with our ice cream theme since it worked perfectly!

We also played with these felt ice cream shapes and glitter. I wouldn’t recommend it however, because it was time consuming for Mama to make and one of those activities that the boys were not engaged in for very long.

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

Last summer, we purchased our first homemade ice cream maker and made our own strawberry mint sorbet. I counted this as “ice cream.” The boys loved helping me make this recipe and it was super simple. Feel free to read the post which includes this recipe here.

ICE CREAM – LICK HONEST ICE CREAM VISIT

Finally, we visited our favorite ice cream spot: Lick Honest Ice Cream. I love going here for an occasional treat because they offer delicious vegan ice cream made with coconut milk.

Then, for their dairy versions, they source milk from local dairy farms who feed their cows primarily grass. We try for whole milk, grass fed dairy options we can! Another sneaky trick about this place is they offer a hot pink ice cream which my boys love and the flavor is Beet Mint! I love how adventurous my little eaters are.

COUNTING PRACTICE

We reviewed our numbers with these beautiful wooden trays from Jennifer. One side is a great fine motor and counting activity using these little wooden beads.

And the other side has numbers for tracing and writing practice.

We reviewed numbers 0-10 with these fun tactile sandpaper numbers that come with a really nice storage box.

Finally, we created more glitter glue numbers and reviewed them. These are such sweet cards that come with the curriculum.

BALANCE BEAM – LARGE MOTOR SKILLS

Then, we found an old board lying around and some left over brick when our house was built. The boys helped me create a balance beam and then took turns using it!

We took out our measuring tape to measure how long and wide the board was.

I IS FOR INCH WORM

Have you read Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni before? It is a quick read and I love the illustrations and focus on nature. It is a sweet story of a clever inch worm who is requested to measure different birds. After reading the story, we collected some of the boys toys and measured how long they were.

ALPHABET PRACTICE

I love these beautiful sandpaper alphabet cards and they are pretty inexpensive. Its really nice to have the boys trace these with their fingers to practice pre writing skills. My youngest especially loves to practice writing this way! We also used play dough to form letters. I think my oldest made A, B, and C before moving onto another activity.

I IS FOR ICING

Finally, during this time of letter I study, we celebrated my oldest’s fifth birthday. I made homemade sweets for his little party. We made a healthy cocoa sweet potato icing since it was delicious, nutritious and easy! If you are interested in learning more about clean eating, check out my wellness mamas post here.

SUPPLIES

Montessori Moveable Alphabet
Sandpaper Alphabet Cards
Ice Cream Summer
Inch by Inch
Jesus Storybook Bible
Construction Paper
Sprinkles
Cusinart Ice Cream Maker
Montessori Sandpaper Numbers
Glitter Glue
Natural Play Dough
Melissa and Doug Wooden Ice Cream Shop

OUR PICKS

Finally, here is how we enjoyed the letter A unit. We had so much fun with letter A and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

Letter F Preschool Unit

September 6, 2017March 20, 2018 nourishedchildren Leave a comment

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter F. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER F REVIEW

We began with the letter F unit and had so much fun with it! The focus books for letter F are Fish Out of Water, Jonah and the Whale story from a Children’s Bible, and Ten Little Fish. I purchased one book from Amazon and we reviewed the other books through a Read Aloud video online.

F IS FOR FISH

We added these adorable, affordable fish and flower posters to our homeschool area.

We loved the fish theme focus for the letter F. I found these adorable fish cookie cutters and my oldest son immediately got creative with them. My boys use play dough almost daily. I love the creativity they come up with while they are playing. Hands on learning is excellent for pre-writing skills.

We used organic goldfish crackers to practice simple counting. This delicious snack didn’t last too long in this house!

SENSORY WATER PLAY

Then, we pulled our fish bowl out and created some fun water play! My boys enjoyed putting their hands in the water. We read the Rainbow Fish, which I happily purchased for $7 at Barnes N Nobles. Sometimes, they include an additional children’s book for $7 with the purchase of any other children’s book. If you haven’t read this story, its about a beautiful, unique fish who doesn’t play with his friends because his pride gets the better of him. Once he starts sharing his unique beauty with others, he finds joy and many friends to play with.

SENSORY BEAD PLAY

We used our sensory blue glass vase beads to fill in our rainbow fish template. We also painted in the template with watercolors, and used glue, salt and a tiny amount of watercolors to create a salt color fish. The results were beautiful and I’m thankful my boys had so much fun.

Here was the beginning of their salt watercolor fish.

WATERCOLORING A FAMOUS PAINTING

Finally, we wrapped up the fish study by painting a famous painting “The Long Leg” by Edward Hopper. I drew an outline and my oldest son painted in the painting. My husband and I were pretty amazed at how well he painted! It is such a joy to witness our children’s skills blossoming.

RECIPE

We tried a new recipe – Fish En Papillote – and it was so delicious, nourishing and simple that we have it on regular rotation now. My boys love to help with this recipe because its so colorful. Simply add salmon or fish of your choice on a piece of parchment paper. Then, top it with lemon slices, asparagus slices, and corn. Next, bake it in the parchment paper, add fresh tomatoes and herbs when the fish is cooked.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES AND BOOKS

FERDINAND AND HIS FLOWERS

I was blessed to grow up with many classic books in my childhood. I reintroduced one of these stories, Ferdinand with my children. If you haven’t read this story, I highly recommend it! Its is a beautiful story about a strong bull who chooses to be calm and peaceful and loves flowers and to relax under his cork tree.

There are many versions of this story, but I adore this one since the story is simple, and the illustrations are lovely.

Next, we gathered wildflowers from our yard and added them in for some color.

We also used vegetables drawings from Farm Anatomy to add into our journals in order to gather ideas of what we will be planting in our garden soon.

FLOWER ICE CUBES

I found a tutorial on making flower ice cubes with edible flowers. We had so much fun with the activity! My children helped add edible flower petals to the ice cube trays. Then, we filled them with water and froze them. It was a good lesson to be patient and wait for the finished product.

We added the ice cubes to water and had a refreshing and unique drink. They turned out beautifully! They would be really beautiful for a party.

We also matched edible flowers with the ice cubes when they were finished. Finally, we read A Reason for A Flower.

SEED BOMBS

We also created seed bombs with wildflowers. This project was simple, messy and fun. We read A Seed is Sleepy before starting the project.

All that is needed to make the seed bombs, are air dry clay, water, potting soil, and flower seeds. We are looking forward to throwing these out before a good rain!

F IS FOR FARM

We read through an adorable story Anywhere Farm, which is recommended by The Abundant Gardener curriculum we follow. We also read through a childhood book of mine, the Animals of Farmer Jones. Thankfully, my parents saved tons of my Little Golden Books. Finally, we read our Usbourne Look Inside a Farm, which is so informative and has tons of fun flaps to lift.

FIELD TRIPS

The Peaceful Preschool recommends a field trip day each week. Since our boys are at home for preschool, we have the luxury of taking many trips! We visited the Austin Aquarium and learned about fish. This was so fun because we were able to touch sting rays, sharks, birds, and iguanas!

Finally, we visited the Arnosky Flower Farm which was beautiful.

We are looking forward to returning in the Fall because their fields will be full with wildflowers.

SUPPLIES

A Reason for a Flower
A Seed is Sleepy Ferdinand
Farm Anatomy
The Rainbow Fish
Watercolors
Tactile Letters
Montessori Letters
Crayons
Flower Seeds

Here is how we enjoyed the letter G unit. We had so much fun with letter G and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

Letter A Preschool Unit

August 16, 2017September 23, 2018 nourishedchildren 2 Comments

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter A. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER A REVIEW

We began with the letter A unit and had so much fun with it! The focus books for letter A are How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World and Ten Apples Up On Top. I found the books at a local library and we also reviewed the books later in the week while watching a Read Aloud video online. Then, we created glitter glue letters. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. It is really one of my children’s favorite parts.

A IS FOR APPLE

My boys enjoyed exploring the map in How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World because they are interested in maps! I pointed out all of the locations the main character visits in the story. If you haven’t read the story, she travels all over the world to gather ingredients to make apple pie.

VEGAN APPLE CRISP

Next, we baked an apple crisp together! I love cooking and baking with my children in the kitchen. They are learning so many practical life skills along with gathering an interest in the food they are making and eating! My oldest son peeled all of the apples for this dish. Then, both children helped stir and pour the ingredients. Here is a helpful resource on cooking with your kiddos in the kitchen.

Here is the link on Pinterest to the vegan apple pie crisp we made. We have made it many times because it is simple, healthy and delicious.

APPLE ART

Next, my children used toothpicks to remove the seeds from the core. They counted and sorted the seeds. Finally, we recycled the cores of the apples, dipped them in tempera paints and made fun apple art!

Then, we cut an apple together, removed the seeds, counted them, and moved onto apple art. We also had so much painting a large apple template together. It was fun to see how the colors from the painted apple hit the paper to make a beautiful picture.

ADDITIONAL APPLE BOOKS

We love the library because we have access to books we otherwise may never have the chance to read! These books came recommended by a Charlotte Mason inspired curriculum and our favorite from these was certainly The Apple Tree’s Discovery. Its a cute story about an apple tree who begs God for some stars like he sees in the night sky, and its about his patience in the process. I highly recommend it because it was a neat story! Arnold’s Apple Tree was a cute story by children enjoyed, and Johnny Appleseed was a sweet poem with beautiful illustrations.

Applesauce Season, Apple, and The Apple Pie Tree are some of my children’s favorite stories about apples. We loved studying apples this time of the year since its Fall.

ADDITIONAL BOOKS

One of my favorite books from childhood was the Giving Tree by Shell Silverstein. I read this story to them while they played with play dough and made apples. When a child plays and uses their imagination, so much valuable learning is taking place. We also read Johnny Appleseed and my boys asked for this story to be read many times! Now, they want to plant apple seeds everywhere! Next, we read The Apple Pie Tree and my youngest son really loved this book.

the giving tree and apples — the giving tree and play dough apples

APPLE LIFE CYCLE

My oldest son completed an apple tree life cycle, which you can find on Pinterest. He cut out the cards, and then glued them on the correct order. Last, he discussed with me how the bare tree with branches could be at the end after the apples, since trees lose all of their leaves in the winter.

We used our Farm Anatomy book to outline and water paint how an apple blossom turns into an apple. First, I outlined the drawing for my son, and he did the rest.

APPLE WATERCOLOR ART

Next, we filled in our apple template. I love how this activity promotes focus, attention and fine motor skills because they use their hands and fill in the space.

My youngest son wanted to use the pencil to color in the apple stem and I thought it turned out beautifully.

Finally, we used watercolors to paint an apple tree. We used The Apple Pie Tree as a template for a tree since it is basic. My four year old painted the drawing on the right and below, my three year old son painted a free style painting.

FORMING LETTERS

I purchased some modeling clay for them, which is similar to play dough. They used their hands to create letters out of them and apples. They also made stick figures for fun. Side note: we love these travel chalkboard sets! I usually give these to them in the car and they are so convenient because they come in their own carrying pouch. Also, they are small enough to fit in my purse too!

clay letters for fine motor skills — clay letters because they promote fine motor skills

ROOTED CHILDHOOD

Also, we made apple snacks with homemade caramel sauce (using dates, salt, almond milk, and vanilla extract). It was a hit! I highly recommend Rooted Childhood for handicrafts, recipes, and adorable projects to do together as a family. If you decide to check it out, use “nourishedchildren10” code for a discount!

SUPPLIES

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
The Giving Tree
The Apple Pie Tree
Johnny Appleseed
The Apple Tree’s Discovery
Glitter Glue
Montessori Moveable Letters
Watercolors
Construction Paper
Travel Chalkboards
Handmade Play Dough
Modeling Clay

OUR PICKS

Here is how we enjoyed the letter B unit. We had so much fun with letter A and can’t wait to share the next letter with you!

Letter D Preschool Unit

July 26, 2017February 20, 2019 nourishedchildren 2 Comments

I’m so thankful I get to spend time with my children for their preschool years. First, I share our curriculum choices and why we use them. Keep reading to find out how we explored the Letter A. Finally, at the bottom, we list our favorite supplies for the preschool years.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

SUPPORTS AMPLE NATURE TIME

The Peaceful Preschool – The schedule is amazing because it sets aside one day per week for field trips
Exploring Nature with Children – This works well for my family because it is centered around being outdoors
The Abundant Gardener – We are learning more about gardening together so this will naturally provide chances to visit gardens, plant stores, and be outside on our land

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER D REVIEW

We loved the letter D unit! The focus was on ducks and doughnuts. We began by creating our glitter glue alphabet letters and read through Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. The Peaceful Preschool recommends glitter glue in order to create the finishing touches on sensory, textured alphabet flashcards. We have used them with all of the letters so far. It it is really one of my children’s favorite parts.

My boys also added these yellow sprinkles to their letter D template. We choose yellow sprinkles since they reminded us of yellow ducklings and doughnuts. My youngest son enjoyed completing the letter D duck project by Simply Learning Kids because it was simple and and adorable. He remained so focused.

Simply Learning Kids Duck Craft Letter D

I found a life cycle of a duck template on Pinterest. My oldest son determined the sequence, cut the pieces and glued them on. I love to see my son’s hands at work, especially when he is so interested in the activity.

D IS FOR DOUGHNUT

Perhaps the most fun part of the unit was baking and eating homemade doughnuts! Find my healthy Paleo doughnut recipe here. My boys helped gather ingredients, stir the batter, fill the doughnut pan, spread the icing, and add sprinkles.

We also made healthy apple “doughnuts” and topped them with nut butter, cream cheese and rainbow sprinkles for a delicious snack. My children loved to spread the nut butter and cream cheese on the apple slices and I loved it because they are learning great kitchen skills.

Next, apple slices with cream cheese doughnuts

We shaped doughnuts out of homemade play dough and reviewed the letters of the alphabet. My oldest child also played with a moveable Montessori alphabet. Next, he matched letter pairs together.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

I have created a Preschool Letter Unit for each letter on Pinterest. Pinterest provides a wealth of inspiration for extension ideas to go along with the Peaceful Preschool. We also use Simply Learning Kids to add additional learning activities.

Simple learning. Preschool homeschool. — Simply learning kids with Preschool homeschool

In conclusion, the boys painted some recycled cardboard doughnuts. We enjoy these watercolors from Amazon, however, you can find some at Target. I’m so thankful for the Peaceful Preschool curriculum because it provides the boys with many skills they need. Most of all, we are having a blast while we are learning.

SUPPLIES

Make Way For Ducklings
Glitter Glue
Yellow Sprinkles
Rainbow Sprinkles
Doughnut Pan
Play Dough
Watercolors
Moveable Alphabet
Recycled Cardboard

Please let me know if you have any questions. Finally, we hope you enjoy nourishing your children!

OUR PICKS

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Also, here is how we enjoyed the letter E unit. I can’t wait to show you the next letter we are working on because we are enjoying it so much!

Tag: Montessori

Letter L Preschool Unit

Letter I Preschool Unit

Letter F Preschool Unit

Letter A Preschool Unit

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM

THE PEACEFUL PRESCHOOL

LETTER A REVIEW

A IS FOR APPLE

VEGAN APPLE CRISP

APPLE ART

ADDITIONAL APPLE BOOKS

ADDITIONAL BOOKS

APPLE LIFE CYCLE

APPLE WATERCOLOR ART

FORMING LETTERS

ROOTED CHILDHOOD

SUPPLIES

OUR PICKS

Letter D Preschool Unit

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