One of my favorite parts of being a Montessori parent is preparing my environment to meet the needs of my children. It's been amazing to me that even small parts of our environment really need to change as my children move from the first plane of development to the second plane. In the elementary years, kids need more space, time, and tools to create big work. They are less concerned with order and precision, and more concerned with their big ideas.
In the early childhood years, everything in our environment is about order and access. That extends to the way we present art materials. Everything is organized and ready for our young children on small trays. The materials are all in one place ready to use. Ideally they aren't gathering too much around the environment and can get to work quickly as they feel called.
Organizing Art Supplies in the Second Plane of Development
However, that all changes as children enter the second plane. They no longer need things to be organized easily into trays, but they need to be organized for easy access and easy clean up. Elementary kids are ready to combine mediums, to put together their own work, and to gather supplies. Their powers of concentration will be great enough that they can move around the space gathering the things they need.
They are also ready for a lot more. They aren't as overwhelmed by multiple materials, aren't prone to dumping things out and wandering away, and their ideas require more. Art supplies can be mixed, stored in multiple places, and include a variety of things.
In our home, we use a simple storage container that allows our kids to grab the art supplies they want to use easily. They can mix and match, and I can easily change what's available to them as needed. And, I love that they can easily restore without complication. It's dump and place back, which is about all second plane kids have the mental time for.
So when preparing your prepared environment for elementary kids, I would consider a few things:
- Easy of putting away - can your kids put things away easily even when developmentally they no longer care much about external order?
- Access - can your kids reach and gather supplies on their own without adult involvement?
- Variety - are you providing a variety of experiences for the big work of the second plane?
Beyond that, you have a lot of freedom to make the environment work for you! It doesn't have to be exactly what you see here. It can really work for your home - maybe it's a cabinet, maybe it's a drawer, maybe it's a large basket. The environment can be very flexible to meet your needs, your space, and your children's interests.
What's On Our Art Shelf Right Now?
With all that in mind, I try to keep a few standard things out in our environment for my elementary kids to use to create. Since I have a few younger children too, I have to make sure these materials are safe in case the littles get a hold of them as well. Things that require more training, or more supervision for the littles are kept in drawers that only my bigger kids can open. Things like needle felting, more advanced sewing, hot glue guns, and modeling tools are all available just out of sight.
On our shelves, I try to keep a variety of things for basic projects - writing/coloring utensils that I rotate occasionally. Basic supplies like scissors, glue, and tape are always there. Then I might rotate in safe but fun changes like punches, stamps, or loose parts depending on the time of year/or interests I'm noticing.
All in all, there is a lott of freedom in preparing your art supplies in the second plane of development. As a Montessori parent you get to really set your children free and sit back and watch them create.
