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As Henry and the children in the co-op get older, I feel like we need to expand our tray offerings. Part of that is offering more options for math and science. My plan is for this work (or slight variations of this work) will stay on our shelves for a couple of months at a time.
Science
1. Adult-Baby Matching -- I made these cards. The adults are dark purple and the babies are light.
2. Animal Classification Cards -- These are made using flashcards found at Target's Dollar Spot. The flashcards themselves are two sided, so I glued a blank 3x5 card to the back side of each card. Then, included a card with basic facts about each group. The groups were Reptile, Mammal, Birds, Insects, and Fish.
3. Living vs. Non-Living -- Here I've included a small felt mat and labeled cards. Then, I included several objects that represent either non-living or living things. My plan is to switch these objects frequently so the children don't memorize the order, but the concept.
4. Picture-to-Object Matching -- This tray is for some of the younger siblings {mostly toddlers} that come to co-op -- although I wouldn't be surprised if Henry used it a lot too. It uses some of the same $1 flashcards from Target and pairs them with animals.
Math
1. D.I.Y. Montessori Teen Boards -- These have been on our shelves before, but we took a break from them at the end of last year. So, they are back.
2. Bead Stairs -- This was another D.I.Y project. I made the stairs using some wooden beads that I had and had painted the correct colors. I still need to add a 10 bar but I don't have the gold paint yet. I paired the stairs with small glass number tiles that I found on clearance at Michaels.
3. Bead Counting -- I found this tray at Goodwill awhile ago and finally get to use it. I paired it with a container of wooden beads. It allows the kids to count each bead out by hand. The felt and the deeper tray keeps them from rolling away. The sliders on the tray move, but reveal the same number no matter where they are.
4. Make-a-Shape -- Here, I've included several geometric shapes on laminated cards. Then, I've included plastic straws cut into smaller pieces. The straws can then be used to create the shapes.
What kind of math and science work do your children enjoy?
