Hand Made Christmas

This year I decided to make many of my Christmas gifts, The ones from Santa will be purchased as I have very little time to make things when the girls are not around and I was afraid they would recognize my work since they have seen me sewing so much. My medium of choice this year is felt. I prefer the wool felts both 100% and blends, but for the clothing pieces I used Eco-felt for washability. Here are the ones I have done so far:
This is a photo year book that we make every year for the Grandparents and Great Grandparents from here.


These hair clips and bracelets are for our nieces they are made with a wool blend felt.

This little monster hoodie is for our youngest nephew.

This little monster polo shirt is for our other nephew.

These dolls are made with 100% wool and this tutorial. They are the main presents for Bella and Goldie. They were fun to make, but they took forever!

This play mat was supposed to be a gift, but I got busted making it so the girls got it early. It is made with Eco-Felt.

This weeks craft

This week in our afternoon program we made gingerbread man collages. The older kids seemed to have fun with this several children have asked to do it every day. The younger ones want to try but loose interest pretty quickly, and Bella kept trying to eat the google eyes, which is why hers is eyeless. I am trying to do a project every week. Last week we did scratch paper drawing, but I don't have any photos.

This Week in Photos

Our First Snow!

Goldie sat and watched it snow for a while after we came in, she is sooo excited!

Bella's newest lesson, she places a bean in each suction cup. It really refines her pincer grasp and works on hand eye coordination.

Scenes from the playground at school.

Mead Montessori

This is Goldie's school, where i work. It is such a beautiful little school.

"The historic Mead School was built in 1936 as a WPA project to provide
schooling for the quarry workers of Mead’s quarry.
Open as a public
school from 1937 to 1959, many of the school’s students and faculty still reside
in the area. The building sat abandoned and empty for decades until two local
visionaries rescued the school and brought it back to life.
Opening as
a Montessori school in 2008, Mead Montessori School is delighted to have found a
home in this amazing building, which is such an interesting part of Knoxville
history. "Shcool History." [Online] Available http://meadmontessorischool.com/history.html
2008.

PL activity 3

This one is a preliminary exercise.



Liquid Transfer Using a Dropper and Suction Cup Pad


Purposes:
To gain independence
To develop the pincer grasp
To prepare for more advanced Practical Life exercises
To improve fine motor skills and muscle control
To build self confidence
To improve hand eye coordination
To develop appropriate vocabulary


Preliminary Exercises:
Filling a jar with water
Transferring water with a baster
Pouring Water
Using an apron
Carrying a tray
Measuring 1 drop


Materials:
1 small bowl or ramekin
Eye dropper
1 Suction cup pad (from a bathtub no slip pad set)
Food coloring
Pitcher
Tray
Sponge
Apron


(No diagram)


Procedure:
1. Invite t he child to the lesson. Together with the child get the lesson materials from the shelf.
2. Have the child put on an apron.
3. Ask the child to fill the pitcher with water.
4. Sit at a table with the child beside you on your dominate side. Set the tray in front of the child with the empty bowl to the left and the suction pad to the right directly in front of the child, the dropper to the left of the bowl and the pitcher, food coloring, and a sponge behind.
5. Pour the water from the pitcher into the bowl. Show him how to squeeze out one drop of food coloring into the water. Say, “One drop,” as you do this. Slowly and carefully mix it up with the dropper to change the color of the water. Pause and smile at the child.
6. Show him your two fingers and thumb and demonstrate a pincer grasp. Now exaggeratedly show him how to grasp the dropper using the pincer grasp and squeeze the dropper in the water to collect the colored water.
7. Gently squeeze out one drop, just enough to fill one of the suction cups on the pad, and say, “One drop.” Pause and smile at him.
8. Show him how to transfer the water back to the bowl once again using the dropper and how to clean up any spills or missed drops in the pad with the sponge.
9. Thank the child and say that the transferring water with a dropper lesson may be chosen now.


Control of error:
If the dropper is not grasped properly then the child will not be able to squeeze it to collect or distribute the water. If the child squeezes out more than one drop the suction cup will not be able to hold it and it will spill.


Observations:
Motor skills- ability to hold and squeeze dropper.
Hand eye coordination- ability to drop the water directly into the suction cup.
Child’s ability to measure out a single drop and then stop.
Reaction to errors
Level of concentration and duration of interest
Number of repetitions
Understanding of concept


Variations:
Use different size droppers
Use different shape suction cup pads
Change the color of the water
Transfer with dropper into another dish instead of the suction cups


Vocabulary: Drop, Dropper, Suction cup, Measure, Squeeze, Collect, Distribute, Spill

PL Activity 2

This one is on Food Preparation.



Peeling an Orange


Purposes:
To gain independence
To develop finger dexterity
To prepare a snack
To improve fine motor skills and muscle control
To build self confidence
To improve hand eye coordination
To develop appropriate vocabulary


Preliminary Exercises:
Hand washing
Putting on an apron
Carrying a tray
Composting
Washing Dishes
Serving food


Materials:
1 bowl
1 small plate
Citrus peeler
Orange or Tangerine
Tray
Sponge
Apron

(Once again no diagram)



Procedure:
1. Invite t he child to the lesson. Together with the child get the lesson materials from the shelf.
2. Have the child put on an apron.
3. Have the child wash his hands.
4. Sit at a table with the child on your dominate side. The tray should be in front of the child with the orange and the directly in front of him, the citrus peeler to the left of and the plate to the right of the orange. The bowl and sponge should be behind the orange.
5. Grasp the citrus peeler in your dominate hand. Point out the hooked end to the child.
6. Grasp the orange in the opposite hand.
7. Show the child how to hook the citrus peeler into the orange at its navel and gently drag it downward towards the bottom. Continue in this manner until four cuts have been made in the orange peel. Invite the child to make the last cut if they show interest. Pause and smile at the child.
8. Now point out the pointed side of the peeler to the child. Show him how to turn the peeler over so that the pointed side is up.
9. Gently insert the pointed side under the peel at the top of one of the cuts to loosen the peel form the orange.
10. Pull the peel back discarding it in the bowl provided.
11. Carefully divide the orange into sections and place the wedges on the plate.
12. Invite the child to eat the orange.
13. Show the child how to use the sponge to clean up any spilled orange juice.
14. Together with the child carry the bowl with the orange peel to the compost bin and discard the peels.
15. Next take the child to the sink and wash the bowl the plate and the citrus peeler before replacing the work on the shelf. Thank the child and tell him that orange peeling may now be chosen.


Control of error:
Appearance of orange wedges, are they intact or messy
If cuts are not mad deep enough or long enough the orange will not peel easily
Condition of the materials after the lesson, are they clean or messy


Observations:
Motor skills- ability to grasp and manipulate citrus peeler
Technique in peeling the orange
Condition of the orange once it has been peeled
Disposal of the peels into the compost bin
Condition of materials when they are returned to the shelf
Reaction to errors
Level of concentration and duration of interest
Length of time and number of repetitions
Understanding of concept


Variations:
Use different citrus fruits
Have child invite a friend to help him eat the fruit
Have him serve the fruit to classmates as snack


Vocabulary:
Citrus, Peeler, Navel, Slice, Wedge, Compost,

Practical Life activities

This month for my training I had to turn in some Practical Life activities. I thought I would post them to see what you guys thought of them.


CHANGING A TOILET PAPER ROLL
Purposes:
To gain independence
To improve fine motor skills and muscle control
To build self confidence
To improve hand eye coordination
To develop appropriate vocabulary

Preliminary Exercises:
Putting pegs in holes (large peg board)
Threading beads on a dowel rod
An introduction to springs

Materials:
Empty toilet paper roll
New toilet paper (taped to secure from unraveling)
A wall mounting toilet paper hanger mounted on a wooden plaque
A work mat

(There is a diagram here but It wouldn't copy.)

Procedure:
1. Invite t he child to the lesson. Together with the child get the work mat and the lesson materials from the shelf.
2. Sit with the child beside you on your dominate side. Set the toilet paper hanger with the empty roll already on it on the mat in front of the child. Set the new toilet paper roll to the left of the empty one.
3. With exaggerated movement show the child how to take the empty roll off the spindle. Show him how to take the spindle in the dominate hand and gently push it to the side making it smaller so that it will dislodge from the hanger. Then Tilt the dislodged side of the spindle up and remove it from the hanger.
4. Show the child how to remove the empty roll from the spindle and replace it with the full roll.
5. Show the child how to fit one side of the spindle peg into the corresponding hole in the hanger. Then again in an exaggerated manner show the child again how to push the spindle to one side making it smaller and then line the spindle peg up with the corresponding hole on the other side of the hanger and slowly release the spindle making sure that it is engaged in the hole. Gently tug on the roll to make sure it is secure. Smile at the child.
6. Repeat the process replacing the empty roll. Replace the materials back on the tray and together with the child return them to the shelf.
7. Thank the child and say that the toilet paper roll lesson may be chosen now.
Control of error:
If the spindle is not pushed in correctly the child will not be able to remove the empty roll. If it is not lined up with the hole in the hanger correctly it will not fully engage or be secure in the hanger and it will dislodge when gently tugged.
Observations:
Motor skills- ability to manipulate spindle
Hand eye coordination- ability to align spindle with hanger
Reaction to errors
Level of concentration and duration of interest
Number of repetitions
Understanding of concept

Variations:
Use a free standing toilet paper hanger
Use a paper towel hanger
Use a variety of different style hangers for both toilet paper and paper towels.

Vocabulary:
Empty, Full, Spindle, Hanger, Toilet Paper Roll, Remove, Replace, Engaged, Dislodged