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The Summer is here! It's the school holidays and we are in the middle of a heatwave.
It's time to share some Montessori inspired ideas to get you through this Summer.
The list includes some typical Montessori activities that are perfect for a warm weather and some activities that are just great for the holidays, and in line with Montessori (aka hands-base, sensorial and grounded in reality).
Practical life for the Summer:
- Pouring water between two jugs
- Pouring water from a jug to a glass
- Pouring water through a funnel
- Pouring water to the line: draw a line around a see through cup and encourage your child to pour up to the line. (picture from My Montessori Journey)
- Make Summer snacks. Here 5 of my favourite ones:
- Washing the windows with a spray bottle and a squeegee:
- Washing the cars, their bike or outdoor toys could be the perfect summer activity
Discover the Montessori box
Are you looking for Montessori activities for your child, but you don't have time to make three part cards and search for printables?
Are you unsure what activities are appropriate?
How best to present them to your child?
The Montessori Family Box is a monthly subscription box for children aged 3 to 6, delivering Montessori activities directly to your door.
No more searching, printing and laminating!
Sensory and art activities for the Summer:
- Painting with water is perfect for the summer: Give your child a bucket of water, some paintbrush and sponges and encourage them to paint the fences or the wall.
- Spread a bedsheet over the wall, hang it on the fence or secure it on the floor and let them paint outside.
- Bring the easel outside.
- Make some coloured ice-cube by adding some food colouring to the water. Then paint with them.
- Freeze some toys and rescue them. I would recommend not to freeze their favourite as some were broken last time we did this. You could also freeze some pompoms. Use a small child's hammer to free them.
- if you go to the beach, collect some seashells. You can do so many things with seashells. Sort them, identify them. Create with them, counting and more...
Some of the activities we have done with seashells:
Easy experiments:
Science experiment basket
When my child was 6, I gave him a Science experiment basket. I saw the idea first on How we Montessori.
He had access to materials to be able to replicate some experiments that he was familiar with.
The basket is from Tiger shop and contains:
- a magnetic horseshoe
- tweezers (used for dissection of plants). It was part of this kit.
- small sieve (for sink and float)
- magnifying glasses - same kit as above
- mini-volcano. Our was from the National history museum in London. Here is an alternative.
- food colouring, skittles
- He can ask for vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. He has access to small bowls in the kitchen
- Sink and float:
This is a very easy first experiment to set up.
Have some water in a shallow dish, a laminated sheet with sink and float category. Go around the house to find small objects to test. Make predictions about what will float or sink and test!
You can use a small sieve to fish the floating objects.
- Magnetic, non-magnetic:
Another super easy activity to set up!
Have a magnet and a sheet with two category: what is magnetic, what is non-magnetic. Go around the house and gather objects to test. Later on, you can go around the house and test various furniture, radiators, nuts and bolts...
- Magic milk:
For this, you will need milk, food colouring and washing up liquid. Look at how it works here.
- Colourful skittles:
We don't eat skittles but we always keep the ones my children receive at Halloween for this experiment.
For this one, you display the skittles around the plate. You add a bit of room temperature water and you observe how long it takes for the colour to melt an join in the middle.
- Volcano eruption:
We have a mini-volcano. And we also did our own volcano with clay.
Just add some bicarbonate of soda in the opening and add some vinegar. Enjoy the eruption!
- How to make ice melt
Experiment what makes the ice melt faster. Try vinegar, sugar, salt, hot water (under supervision) and make prediction with your child!
Summer books:
Here is my list of Montessori friendly summer books.
Outings for the Summer:
On our Summer bucket list:
- fruit picking that can be followed by many cooking, baking and food snack preparation!
- visit a lavender field and again, many opportunities for practical life.
A few more tips and ideas!
Claire from @montessori_boo is using a sprinkle mat instead of a swimming pool. This one has a realistic world map! How to combine some educational activities while cooling down in the garden!
You can find that mat on eBay and a less realistic one on Amazon.
- we love blowing bubble and I wish I had thought of that hack when my children were younger! (photo from eatingrichly.com)
Download our free 3 part cards about Garden birds
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What are you to go to Summer activities?
Let me know in the comments!