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The Tactile Appeal of Sandpaper Letters & Numbers

The Tactile Appeal of Sandpaper Letters & Numbers

Children in Montessori classrooms learn to associate letter sounds with letter shapes using a material called the Sandpaper Letters. The shape of each letter is made with rough sandpaper, which incorporates the sense of touch to further reinforce learning. Children are encouraged to trace the symbol over and over again until the shape of the letter becomes a part of their muscle memory.

Similarly, children learn to associate numbers with their symbols using the Sandpaper Numbers. When each numeral is introduced, the Guide shows the child how the numeral is formed. Both the Sandpaper Letters and Sandpaper Numbers help prepare students for forming numbers and letters when writing with a pencil on paper.

Using the Sandpaper Letters and Sandpaper Numbers with the sand tray is another way to practice letter and number formation. For example, a child traces a sandpaper letter with their fingers and immediately writes that letter in the sand. Over time the child will associate the sound with the letter, and the proper formation of that letter becomes part of their muscle memory. The sand allows the child to write freely, without the pressure of holding a pencil. Mistakes are erased with a shake of the tray! 

Tracing letters in sand

Tracing numbers in sand

Using a chalkboard

When they are ready, children are ready to start forming letters and numbers on a chalkboard. Wall mounted chalkboards allow children to incorporate their gross motor skills, while smaller table-size chalkboards allow them to practice fine motor skills. When the time is right, children use the foundation they have built to make the exciting transition to pencil and paper!

For answers to your other language-related questions, please check out our blog post titled, “Why do you teach letter sounds rather than letter names? (And other good questions about language acquisition…)”

You might also enjoy this post titled “The Benefits of Learning Cursive Writing.”

Children as Contributing Members of the Home

Children as Contributing Members of the Home

Whether you are first beginning your Montessori journey with your toddler or you have been involved with the Montessori community for years, having an independent child at home may be a goal of yours. This blog post will walk you through age-appropriate activities for your children at home. In school and at home, it is important for your child to be doing work that is challenging and meaningful. Even as a young toddler, it means so much when they know their work is helping others and they are contributing to their community. As your child gets older, they can do progressively harder tasks around the house. Just remember this Montessori philosophy – let your child try to do for themselves, and resist the urges to swoop in and correct what they’ve done. As they practice, they will get better and feel good about how they have helped.

Household Contributions by Age

Contributions for 2-3 year olds

  • Dust off end tables, TV stands, and wherever else they can reach safely
  • Help set table
  • Clear dishes from the table
  • Help cook
  • Put clothes in a hamper
  • Pick up toys
  • Wipe up small spills
  • Sweep and mop floors
  • Wash windows
  • Water plants
  • Feed pets

Contributions for 4-6 year olds

  • Make bed
  • Fold laundry
  • Put their own clothes away
  • Help put groceries away
  • Set and clear table
  • Begin making simple meals (eggs, oatmeal)
  • Learn to use the stove
  • Make own snack
  • Wash dishes or empty the dishwasher
  • Sweep and mop floors
  • Vacuum small rooms
  • Assist with raking the yard
  • Empty trash and recycling

Contributions for 7-9 year olds

  • Cook more complicated meals, such as a pancakes or scrambled eggs
  • Plan menus
  • Pack own school lunches
  • Load/unload the dishwasher
  • Wash dishes
  • Walk the dog
  • Train pets
  • Clean their bedroom
  • Use the washer and dryer
  • Sort and fold laundry
  • Fill the bird feeder
  • Sewing projects

Contributions for 10+ year olds

  • Clean the bathroom sink, tub, and counters
  • Fully clean the kitchen
  • Cook full meals
  • Take out trash and recycling
  • Wash and vacuum the car
  • Mow the lawn
  • Ironing
  • Use tools to fix things around the house
  • Plan and lead outings

For more information on household contributions for your child, please take a look at these articles:

Alumni Spotlight: Service at Greenspring

Alumni Spotlight: Service at Greenspring

Greenspring Alumni Lizzie Wiggin and Brooke Baylin recently partnered with our Lower Elementary students to promote a coat drive for ShareBaby, a non-profit supporting women and families in Baltimore. ShareBaby collects and distributes essential child care items like diapers, coats, and clothes, to families in need in the Baltimore area. Brooke and Lizzie initially learned about ShareBaby when they were students here at Greenspring and they were inspired to continue the work as graduates. Thanks to the generosity of our community, they were able to deliver a total of 54 coats to ShareBaby! Lizzie shared:

“We are so thankful for all the work you have put in to helping us. We hope to work with you again in the future to continue supporting families and kids in Baltimore!”

Winter in the Outdoor Environments

Winter in the Outdoor Environments

Our Outdoor Environments are a special extension of our classrooms and we love to be outside as much as possible. During the winter months, the Outdoor Environments are still a very important part of our classrooms. Read on to learn more about what is happening outside at Greenspring.

Toddler Outdoor Environment

Our Toddler Outdoor Environments are beautifully prepared for the children to explore with materials that promote gross motor activities and care of the environment, such as wheelbarrows, sweeping, pikler triangles, and balance beams. Additionally, works are put out for fine motor skills and concentration, similar to what would be found inside the Toddler classroom.

Children’s House Outdoor Environment

Our Children’s House Outdoor Environments have a variety of winter work based on the ages of the students. Children at this level enjoy incorporating art and creativity into their Outdoor Environment. Recently children made and labeled nature collages and tried to fly nature kites in wind. Younger children practiced mixing watercolor paints on ice. On the colder days when children are not able to go outdoors, they sometimes visit the kitchen for lessons. One group learned about black tea, green tea, and rooibos tea. They learned that rooibos tea comes from South Africa and means “Red Bush”.

Lower Elementary Outdoor Environment

In the fall, each Lower Elementary child planted cold-hardy vegetables including kale, cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce. The children are excited to see which of the plants have made it through the cold months and they enjoy exploring ways to fortify their gardens from rabbits on campus. 

This winter, small groups of Lower Elementary students toured the campus with Mr. John and had lessons on campus trees, such as the eastern white pine and magnolia, and learned about foliose, fruticose, and crustose lichen. They also had the opportunity to collaborate on baking gluten-free cornbread in the Emerson kitchen.

Ahead, the students are looking forward to lessons on botany, electricity, and morse code!

The Power of Timelines in the Elementary Classroom

The Power of Timelines in the Elementary Classroom

Young children often have a hard time understanding the concept of time. In the Children’s House, children become comfortable with the days of the week and months of the year. They begin the study of measurement and telling time on a clock. And personal timelines that tell the story of the child’s life are used as a doorway into understanding the passage of time over years.

Illustrated as it must be by fascinating charts and diagrams, the creation of earth as we now know it unfolds before the child’s imagination.

Dr. Maria Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential

Children in the second plane of development, during the Elementary years, become fascinated by large numbers, including large measurements of time across generations or even eons. Elementary children are also emerging as social beings, seeking to understand their place in a greater context. For both of these reasons Elementary children are introduced to the structures of timelines, first as part of the Great Lessons and then in many other areas across the curriculum, including geology, geography, botany, zoology, anthropology and more. Here are a few examples of timelines used during the Great Lessons and corresponding key experiences:

The Clock of Eras

This chart represents the lifespan of planet Earth in terms of “cosmic hours,” so children have another way to grasp the concept of the relative amounts of time it took for Earth to form and for different types of life to develop.

The Long Black Strip

This black strip represents the age of Earth, from its very beginning. A 1cm strip of white represents the whole time that humans have been on Earth. This impressionistic lesson is designed to give children perspective on how recently, in Earth’s timeline, humans entered the scene. 

Clock of Eras

Long Black Strip

Timeline of Humans

The Timeline of Humans

This timeline shows the story of the human journey from the end of the Pliocene (the emergence of our hominid ancestors) to the beginning of the Holocene, ending at the Bronze Age. Key events, such as the uses of fire and development of hand tools, are correlated with physiological development, such as the emergence of H. sapiens sapiens and the disappearance of H. neanderthalensis.

The Story of Language

This timeline introduces students to the development of communication over time and across civilizations. It covers the origin of human language: sounds, gestures, and pictograms of early humans, through the cuneiform of the Sumerians, the hieroglyphs of the Egyptians, and the first official alphabet of the Phoenicians. It explores derivatives of the first alphabet, which were created by the Greeks and Romans, and some additional ancient forms of writing, such as Chinese and Hebrew. 

The History of Numbers

This timeline introduces students to various forms and methods of counting and record-keeping, starting with the use of concrete materials, to the emergence of abstract writing systems, and eventually, more advanced number systems. 

BC/BCE Timeline 

The timeline begins from Prehistory and concludes to the Modern time period which is set off with a red background to represent the current time frame. 

Timeline of Civilizations

The timeline of Ancient Civilizations spans the period from 5000 BC to 300 AD. The timeline displays the empires that existed at that time as well as the factors that influenced their rise and decline.

Montessori timelines present just enough information to pique students’ interest. If too much information is included, the wonder of discovery is lost. When a student asks a question about something on a timeline, this becomes a springboard for further research.

Some students become inspired to make their own timelines. In doing so, they practice the precision of measurement. They also practice sorting and classification while deciding which information is most useful to include on a timeline. Students may notice examples of cause and effect and patterns that occur over time. They make connections between the content areas of the classroom, thus building a more integrated understanding of their world.

January and February 2022 Capital Project Update

January and February 2022 Capital Project Update

Initial construction of the Elementary Village began in late January. The construction team has been hard at work on campus and our students are eagerly learning more about the building process. 

First, the perimeter was set up and the trees were cleared from the Grove in order to set the stage for the project. Construction began on the water retention pond and the leveling of the ground for the new building. 

During these initial stages, children in our Redbud Lower Elementary classroom became very interested in the construction process. A group of students began a newspaper thoroughly outlining the entire process. They have interviewed the foreman and other construction workers throughout the process, and they even had an opportunity to review the blueprints!

Footers, plumbing, and electrical have all been run to the building and now we are waiting for the concrete slab to be poured. In the month of March, we will see the progress more clearly. Stay tuned for future updates.