Dana Vitolo

living and non-living, montessori, science, 3 year old activities, preschoolers

Best Guide to Living and Non-Living for Nature-Loving Kids

“Ouch! I just stepped on this pine cone!” Not the first time (nor the last time) that I’m going to step on something with my bare feet that my daughter, Annie, (three years old) brought indoors. Children of preschool age love nature and the outdoors. They also enjoy bringing small portions of that nature inside […]

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magnetic activities, Montessori, magnetic and non-magnetic, science, art, painting, preschoolers

Simple Magnetic Activities: Try This Clever Idea with Paint

Magnets are a fun hands-on exploration activity. Are you looking for something different, simple and fun? Have you explored with magnetic activities with your little one?  First, we explored with magnets to see which objects around the house are magnetic or non-magnetic. Then we made a painting using magnets. Learn how we did it! Why

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sink and float activity, Montessori, preschooler, science experiment, homeschooling

Set Up an Easy Sink and Float Activity and Try This New Idea

Are you looking for an easy-to-set-up, fun, and hands-on science experiment for your young child? Look no further because this post is for you! We experimented with the classic Montessori sink and float activity. We also experimented with fruit. We made little fruit boats to see what kinds of fruit sinks or floats. Does it

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Montessori Geography, land air and water mat

Hands-on and Fun Montessori Geography: Start With Essential Land, Air, and Water Activities

Why Montessori Geography? While exploring with sea turtle activities last week, such as the hands-on sea turtle beach with sand and water, I thought about Montessori Geography activities I did in the classroom when I was a teacher.  My daughter, Annie, is turning three and it’s the beginning of a fresh new school year. I

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montessori fine motor activities, seashells, ocean theme, 3 year old, glue, collage, picture frame

Incorporate 7 Montessori Fine Motor Activities with your Ocean Theme

Our ocean theme continued: with Montessori fine motor activities In my previous blog post, Create a Fun Ocean Theme for Preschoolers: An In-Depth Guide With Ideas and Planning, I brainstormed 19 ocean activities and shared how I use my Montessori Planner.  During the past week, my daughter, Annie (2 years 10 months old), explored more

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Ocean Theme for Preschoolers, Montessori, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, fish, aquarium

Create a Fun Ocean Theme for Preschoolers: An In-Depth Guide With Ideas and Planning

Montessori-Inspired ocean activity ideas It’s summer so I thought it would be a good idea to brainstorm a new theme that my daughter (2 years and 10 months) would love. She’s really been into exploring with kinetic sand and sand tools lately, which made me think of the beach, seashells, fish, and the ocean.  We

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oral language development, storytelling, dictation, picture story, storybook, journal for preschoolers, montessori, activities, homeschooling, montessori at home, preschool activities, montessori language curriculum

Storybook Journal for Preschoolers: A Super Easy Way to Connect Spoken and Written Language

What is a Storybook journal for preschoolers? My daughter is 2 years and 10 months old and she is starting to tell all kinds of stories with her toys and stuffed animals. She’s also starting to tell stories in her own words as she turns the pages of her favorite books. Although my daughter’s not

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Montessori toys, activities, oobleck, toddler, preschooler

“Shop Small” For Beautiful Montessori Toys at Catkin’s Great Collection!

Are you overwhelmed looking for high-quality wooden Montessori toys? It can be challenging to find a wide collection of beautiful wooden Montessori toys conveniently located all in one place. Yes, you can find Montessori toys online but often the largest selections are from giant online corporations or you have to sift through a list of

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vocabulary words for preschoolers, types of bees, 3 part cards, montessori, language curriculum, activities, toddler

Vocabulary Words for Preschoolers: Using Mind Mapping to Brainstorm New Themes

Brainstorming a theme and vocabulary words for preschoolers So you and your child decided on a theme or topic for this season or month and you need help thinking of ideas for activities. You would like to introduce more vocabulary words to your child for language development. Or, perhaps you and your child want to

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Montessori 3-part cards, gardening, herbs, language curriculum, preschool, toddler, Montessori activities

Montessori 3-Part Cards and Language Development: First, Get Your Hands Dirty!

Incorporating hands-on activities with Montessori 3-part cards If you step into a Montessori three-to-six classroom, you’re bound to find Montessori 3-part cards on the shelves. You could find Montessori 3-part cards in different curriculum areas of the room; Language, Science, Culture, Peace, Sensorial, and Math. Montessori 3-part cards are also a wonderful activity to include

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homeschool planner, montessori, homeschooling, preschool, kindergarten, toddler activities, organize, schedule

Montessori At Home And Homeschool Planner in 7 Easy Steps

Montessori at-home and homeschool planner has been updated for 2022-2023!  To download it, go to the bottom of this post and sign up for the Resource Library! “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up someplace else.” Yogi Berra In This Post Why you need a Montessori at-home or homeschool planner I

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oral language development, Montessori Language Curriculum, book corner, Oral Language, toddler activities, preschool activities, 22 months old, language activities 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, toddlers, preschoolers

Montessori Language Curriculum: 5 Activities to Get Your Toddler or Preschooler Started Now!

Montessori Language curriculum and beginning steps So you’ve set up some areas in your home that are Montessori friendly. You set up a Montessori Toy Shelf and you included a kitchen tower for your child. Now you ask yourself the question, how can I make sure I’m incorporating some Montessori Language curriculum in my home?

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glue activity, Montessori, practical life, art, preschool

1 Awesome Way To Set Up Montessori Glue Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Montessori glue activities for toddlers and preschoolers Glue activities for toddlers and preschoolers are fun! Have you experimented with gluing with your little one? Glue sticks are a popular choice because they’re simple, cleaner, and convenient. Working with any type of glue can be challenging for a little one to use independently. It can be

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Montessori Homeschooling, cutting with scissors activity, cutting play dough, Melissa and Doug Safety scissors, squeezing activities, practical life, fine motor skills

A Fun Cutting with Scissors Activity: Fine-Motor Skills and Squeezing

Montessori cutting with scissors activity for fine motor skills My daughter at two-and-a-half years old just started to express interest in using scissors. I thought it would be a great time to start practicing a cutting with scissors activity. Showing her for the first few times how to manipulate scissors takes patience. While showing her

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Take Cooking To New Heights: Using This Montessori Learning Tower in the Kitchen

If you want to implement Montessori in your home but don’t know where to begin, start with the kitchen. A safe way for your young child to reach the kitchen counter is by using a Montessori learning tower. There are so many learning opportunities in the kitchen with cooking, baking, cleaning, organizing utensils, putting groceries

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Try this Pretty Coffee Filter Flower Craft in 7 Steps: Plus a Bonus Color Mixing Lesson

Coffee filter flower craft Here is a project I used to do with my three to six-year-olds in the Montessori classroom. We used to do this coffee filter flower craft project for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. It is also a great project for Spring, Easter, a birthday, or for the parts of a flower

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