Montessori Math

Here is a snapshot of some of the Early Childhood Montessori math materials, developed by Maria Montessori. 

Children learn to identify the numerals, correctly count the quantities, and then match the quantities to the numerals – taught in Cards and Counters.  The 45 Layout shows visually and proportionally the first four place values (units, tens, hundreds, & thousands).  Using the fraction cones, children explore how two parts, three parts, or four parts can make one whole cone.  Again matching quantity to numeral, the Tens Boards with Beads explore the sequential order of the numerals 1-100, show the visual quantity which the numerals represent, and help teach how to read the numerals, i.e. “thirty-five.”  The Hundred Board provides another approach in learning to order and read the numerals 1-100.  Variations of the Hundred Board provide a deeper understanding of the order of the numbers and their place value from 1-100.  Using the Squaring Chains, children practice counting in groups of 2, 3, 4…etc. to 10; i.e. a concrete explanation of skip counting and squaring numbers.

Montessori’s math curriculum is incrementally broken down and concretely presented to teach underlying mathematical concepts, which instill the tools for future success in mathematics.

Cards & Counters

Large Card Layout

Tens Boards with Beads

100 Board

Skip Counting with the Short / Squaring Chains

100 Board Extension

Full Day Kindergarten

Afternoons in room 105 are in full swing! 

The older children are enjoying their time in the "big building" while eagerly exploring more advanced Language, Math, Cultural, Sensorial and Science materials.

Aftercare Update

The Early Childhood Aftercare took a trip to visit the Elementary Aftercare last week.  The children had fun visiting with Grandma Joan, playing legos with the older boys, playing dress up with the older girls, playing foosball and watching the basketball game in the gym below.

Busy beavers in Room 4!  

The children are excited to be back to work after a long break.  These are some of our favorite works this week – learning about fractions, tracing the Constructive Triangles to make a book, washing the horse (part of our mammal study this month), writing with the Movable Alphabet and with dry erase, and math works such as the Large Card Layout (teaching place value) and Cards and Counters (matching quantity to numeral and introduction to odd and even numbers).

Constructive Triangle Box #1


Scrubbing a Horse

Story Writing with the Movable Alphabet

Decimal Large Card Layout

Cards & Counters


Introduction to Fractions


Fraction Extensions

Writing Explosion

There has been a "writing explosion" in room 3!  The moveable alphabets are chosen on a daily basis, as the children are using them to put their thoughts into writing--some children then transpose their story onto paper.

the bird flies in it's home and sees its prince

the world is in the ocean
it swims out to the biggest ocean

the cat jumped on the rat

once upon a time there was a tree with leaves

transposed to take home

transposed onto paper

story to take home

Picture Prompt: the elephant has a trunk    it drinks water

older child working on Sandpaper Letters with a younger child

my mommy has a baby and I am so excited

on my trip I saw a castle

Pine Cone vs. Pineapple

When I was giving a lesson on a new pine cone decorating craft, one of the children asked if a pine cone was a pineapple.  There is a similarity!  This sparked a whole new lesson – what is a pine cone and what is a pineapple.  We looked at pictures of pine cones on pine trees, and pineapples on pineapple bushes.  Surprisingly, pineapples do not grow on trees!

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We passed around a pine cone and a pineapple for all the children to feel and look at.

We put the top in a dish, and added water. After it grows roots, we are going to plant it and grow a pineapple bush.

The sides of the pineapple were cut off.

We talked about the core and what other fruits have cores. 

Dice it up.

Let’s eat snack!  Yum!