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Montessori Minute ~ A Preschooler’s Guide to Home Improvement

A Preschooler's Guide to Home Improvement ~ Montessori Style



Going to the home improvement store with your folks?

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Thinking you’ll be bored stiff by all that grownup stuff you can’t touch? Don’t be so sure. There might be things for you to look-touch-smell-hear-see. There may even be something to put in the cart to make you a big helper when you get home!

This store is huge, enormous, gigantic! How many steps did it take to get to the door? When you get there, turn around and see if you can see your car in the lot. Did you count the barbeque grills lined up out front? Where is the hot dog smell coming from? I could sure use a cold drink on a hot day like today.

Let’s get inside. Be sure to say hi to the person in the apron, they work here. If you get lost, go to one of these people for help. Now, steer Mom or Dad to the paint department. Wow, check out the colors!

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Mom can tell you their names. You can take sample cards home for free! Get a couple each of the Primary Colors: red, yellow, blue, and the Secondary Colors: orange, purple, and green; and also get black, white, brown, pink – oh, just throw a bunch in! You can match the colors up at home. Ask Mom to make you name cards you can match to the colors. Get some with shades of one color, cut them apart, and line them up darkest to lightest (see the Montessori Minute Sensory post).

A paint roller and sandpaper make a great rough vs soft experience. If your family has a painting project coming up, ask your folks to get you a small roller and a brush so you can help. Stop by the paint desk and I bet the man will give you a paint stir stick. Maybe he’ll be shaking up paints in their big loud machine!

See if they have a computer for seeing how different colors will look in the rooms of a house. This can be a lot of fun. Stand up in the cart if you have to but make sure you try this one out.

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Dad said the kitchen sink needs work? That means plumbing. No fun there. Wait, what are those things? They’re pieces of pipe! Get your folks to show you how ‘right is tight, left is loose’. You can make all kinds of different pipes and run marbles, rocks, or even water through them. Very cool. Just don’t drop one on your toes – these things are heavy!

imagePhotos courtesy of Buttercupbooks.com. Visit for a great post on this activity

 

I’ll bet you get tired of hearing “You’re not old enough yet” when you want to help out around the house, right? It sure would be nice to be able to do something important. Guess what – they have things here to help you do just that! Here are a few:

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You probably have a bunch of batteries lying around your house, right? Who knows if they have any electricity in them anymore? With a simple battery tester like the one in the picture, you can be in charge of testing them to see! Keep the good ones in a box. Do you know the names of the sizes of batteries? Get some and put some AAA, AA, C, D, & 9 volt batteries in the mystery bag so you can learn to identify them by feel. You could even trace their bottom ends on paper.

When you get home, have your folks show you how to change the batteries in the TV remote and in your toys. Now you can be the In-Charge-of-Batteries Person!

That thing that looks like a funny metal pencil is a tire gauge.

imageIt tells you how much air is in a tire. Have your folks show you how to press it onto the air valve and watch the ruler pop out the end! Read the number to see how much air is in the tire. Find where it says on the tire how much air to put in.

It also has 4 little plastic valve caps. These screw onto the air valve on each tire. Those little caps keep dirt and water from ruining the air valves. It is super important to keep the right amount of air in each tire and keep the same amount of air in all the tires. Stop by a gas station with an air pump on your way home and see if any of your car’s tires need air, and if they all have their air valve caps. Now you can remind your folks to do this. You are becoming indispensable!

image

 

Say, how tall are you now? Do you have a doorway or wall marked with your height as you have grown taller? I bet your folks use a tape measure to see how tall you are. See if you could get one of your own. The one in the picture only costs $2.25.

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I bet you have these in your house:

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Do you want to feel like Superman or Superwoman? Get a pack of these:

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Have you made it to the Hardware section yet? There are some cool things waiting for you. Ask the man who works there where the Hex Cap Screws are. Find one each in these sizes:

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You can do all kinds of cool things with the washers besides, of course, counting them:

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Also in the Hardware section (but tell Mom you might find this stuff cheaper at Walmart) you can find all kinds of cool locks, links, and snaps. When you get home, you could combine these with a bag of some kind that has zippers, snaps, and Velcro to make a great fasteners activity:

image

When you go by the area with all the doors and windows, practice opening and closing a few. Make sure your parent is right there keeping things under control! In another area there are sample window blinds to try – go slow and be careful. The kitchen area has all kinds of doors to open and close.

Did you go by the tools yet? Have Mom or Dad show you all the sharp, dangerous points and edges that are all over the place there. Drill bits, saws, blades, knives, pointy tools – danger everywhere! They will cut off your finger as easily as they cut wood. You have to learn how to use these and sorry – you’re not old enough yet. It won’t be long, though!

While you’re near the Lumber section – where all the wood is – find a bottle of this stuff:

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Wait, your folks are getting ready to leave and you haven’t been to the Garden section yet? Steer them over there. This place is ultra-cool!

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Do you have a garden? If not, create one. Even a small garden is a fantastic source of experiences in biology, horticulture, and growing good things to eat. Some big words there but you’ll get the idea soon enough. Gardens rock. You might even learn to like vegetables!

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While you’re here, get something to keep your cool new tools and gadgets in:

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Project: Montessori Mini Red Rods

Did your Mom say that the Montessori Red Rods were too big for your room and too expensive? While we are here, we can get what we need to make your own set of Mini-Red Rods. This is a pretty simple project. Let’s make a list of what we’ll need: image

  • 3 – 5/8 X 36” Poplar Square crafts rods (or any rectangular crafts wood rods, poplar cuts & sands easily)
  • 100 grit sandpaper
  • Workbench & handsaw
  • Pencil, ruler, tape measure
  • Red paint
  • Small paint brush
  1. Mark off rods in 1” increments, so you end up with ten rods. The first is 1” long, the second 2”, etc., up to the longest which is 10” long. Draw your pencil lines straight and cut exactly on the outside of each line. That will maintain size consistency. Poplar cuts easily. Wear safety glasses. Hold the rods firmly against something solid while you cut, or get a cheap plastic miter box & saw combo. You will find many uses for this.
  2. Sand the edges to remove any splinters. Sand the ends flat but don’t take too much wood off. Sand the faces of each rod with the grain. Your rods should look like the left photo below.
  3. Paint all surfaces red (or another color if you like).

image

 

“Education is a natural process carried out by the child, and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.” Maria Montessori

“Little children, from the moment they are weaned, are making their way toward independence.” Maria Montessori

“Help me do it myself.” A child to Maria Montessori

 

To all you great parents:

Bringing Practical Life skills, Sensory experiences, Science, Language, Numbers, and more into your child’s life just requires remembering to do it, taking the time, and choosing activities that fit your child’s current abilities. Montessori is as much an attitude of respect for the child and helping children learn as it is brick and mortar Montessori schools. Experiences like these in a child’s formative years create strong, efficient brain architecture and a positive, confident self-image: the two main goals of early learning.

The world can be your child’s Montessori school!

 

Montessori Minute

John Bowman is the author of Montessori At Home! and Help Your Preschooler Build a Better Brain.


My thanks to John for writing this extensive article for us here at 1+1+1=1! I invite you toask him any questions you may have in the comments below and he can hopefully answer them for you.

Did you miss earlier Montessori Minute Posts?

  • Introducing Montessori Minute
  • Sensory Activities {MANY questions were answered by Mr. Bowman in the comments section!}
  • Understanding Dr. Maria Montessori

Dr. Maria Montessori Montessori Sensory Activities at Home

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Carisa Hinson
Homeschool writing class with Fern. Always a fabul Homeschool writing class with Fern. Always a fabulous teacher. Not distracting at all. 

#homeschool #homeschoolers #homeschoolingrocks #homeschoolingmama #homeschoolmom #homeschoollife  #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolfun #homeschoolkids #homeschooliscool  #homeschooldays #homeschoolblogger 
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Yes, we still walk our cat in a stroller. Mabel ev Yes, we still walk our cat in a stroller. Mabel even posed for the picture. Our other cats go in the stroller sometimes too, Mabel is the frequent stroller-er.

#calicocats #fluffycalico #catsinstrollers
Swipe to see the books I read this year! Lots of m Swipe to see the books I read this year! Lots of middle grade books last summer (many reviews are on my blog, I linked them in the “2022 Books” highlight above). Did you read any of these? See my ratings on my goodreads profile! I will link in my stories, I am Carisa Hinson on goodreads.

#middlegradebooks #middleschoolbooks #mglit #middlegradebooksuggestions #readinginthemiddlegrades #2022goodreadschallenge #2022yearinbooks
It was a Christmas filled with many emotions. Joy, It was a Christmas filled with many emotions. Joy, happiness, excitement, surprise, sadness, longing, and a bit of emptiness. 

We celebrated with my parents on the 24th, and that was a very joyous celebration. We enjoyed church, gifts, food, and mostly one another. 

On the 25th we celebrated with my husband’s family and sadly we are missing our beloved Nana who went to be with Jesus a few weeks ago. We all did our best to honor her love for fun last night. We played games, we laughed, we ate well, but it was all mixed with a longing sadness, wishing we had her with us. 

The next to last photo is it Kyler and my father in law, who lost his very best friend. We just love him so much and pray for his continued healing as he grieves this horrible loss and emptiness. 

The final photo is of Nana’s grandkids each holding their collage of photos of them and their Nana. This gift brought some tears, but we can tell will be treasured by each of them. She was one of a kind, and so special to all six of them.
Paxton won the gift award this year. Swipe to see Paxton won the gift award this year. Swipe to see what he bought his little sis! She was SO surprised! He loves giving gifts and having a job the enables him to do surprises like this is a gift to him. Sweet moments. ❤️
Not posed. Our foster kitten Jolly posed herself i Not posed. Our foster kitten Jolly posed herself in the perfect spot! See more of her and her sister Holly here: @crazy_foster_kitten_lady Merry Christmas Eve! 

#hollyandjolly2022fosterkittens #orphankittens
#kittenseason2022 #fosterkittens #fosterkittens4thehinsons #fosterkittensofinstagram #fosterkittenlove #kittenfostering #kittenfostermom #kittenfoster #fosterkittenlove #kittenseason #tinybutmighty #fostercatsandkittens
Tree decorating night! Goodness I love my kids. Tree decorating night! Goodness I love my kids.
I know many of you don’t know many of the people I know many of you don’t know many of the people in this photo, but I know many of you pray. The beautiful woman on the far left of the couch is my bonus-momma, my husband’s mom. She has stopped all treatment for her cancer and is going home to be with Jesus soon. We prayed for her to feel well enough to be with us at Thanksgiving, and though she felt pretty crappy, she was there. 

If you know her, you know what I mean when I say this is one of the kindest, most joyful, selfless people I have ever known. The world won’t be the same without her. We are devastated and hurting. We pray for her peace, her comfort, her pain, and for God to relieve her of the suffering. 

Last night was a huge mixture of pure joy and devastating sadness. We celebrated and hugged, and laughed, and we cried. It’s just so hard. Thanks for praying for our family. ❤️
We decided to decorate with a polar bear this year We decided to decorate with a polar bear this year. ❤️ 

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Webby and the lizard. Swipe for the video version Webby and the lizard. Swipe for  the video version. 🐱 🦎
I love my Christmas birds. We love having the deco I love my Christmas birds. We love having the decorations complete before Thanksgiving so we can relax and enjoy our home with our favorite decor of the year! I got started today, not close to done, but enjoying my adorable birds. A lot. Do you decorate early?
Mabel has turned out to be the most entertaining c Mabel has turned out to be the most entertaining cat we have ever had. She is sweet and sassy, mischievous and marvelous. Equal parts of each. She annoys all of our other animals just like a little sister should and keeps the humans on our toes too. She LOVES Lili, and is still BFF with Pebbles (Lili’s cat). So glad we decided to add this rambunctious ball of fluff to our crew!
Fun night celebrating my momma’s birthday and tr Fun night celebrating my momma’s birthday and trick or treating in her neighborhood with Lili and her friends! The gum ball machine costume made it back for another year!
My amazing bonus-momma, my husband’s momma, is f My amazing bonus-momma, my husband’s momma, is feeling good today so we met for lunch. She hasn’t had many good days lately so we take the moments when they come!

She has cancer and chemo is making her sick, it’s been a long hard road as any of you who have dealt with there horrible C word know. We don’t know what the future holds, so we cling to today! I loved sitting by her and laughing together. I am so blessed to have her as my mother in law! ❤️

Sadly since it was last minute, my boys couldn’t make it to lunch.
Every year they drive up to the mountains for the Every year they drive up to the mountains for the day and just spend time together. It’s their thing and I love it. Today they hiked, that’s Lili laying on the rock! She’s not much of a hiker but she loves the mountains, the leaves and her Daddy!
Goodness they are cute. Love them so much! 🧡🧡🧡
Totally thought I would hate it. It’s not that b Totally thought I would hate it. It’s not that bad. Reading it for chemistry this year, and I have to admit I am learning a LOT, and it is interesting! 

We are using @guesthollow Chemistry in the Kitchen, this is one of the many books we are reading and will read.

#homeschoolchemistry #napoleonsbuttons #guesthollowchemistry #homeschool #homeschoolers #homeschoolingrocks #homeschoollife  #homeschoolfamily #homeschooliscool  #homeschooldays #homeschoolblogger 
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Beautiful Fern on my beautiful new fall cat blanke Beautiful Fern on my beautiful new fall cat blanket. 🧡🧡🧡 

Thanks to my momma for the new blanket!
Link in profile to see answers and share your answ Link in profile to see answers and share your answer on my Facebook page! Not on FB? Share in a comment below! 

I have been homeschooling for a long time, one of my kids is graduated, one is a junior, and the other is in 8th - homeschooled the entire time. I am still a curious homeschooler and love to know what is working or hasn't worked for others. I have a series of these posts planned and hope that many of you will share!

First up - MATH! What curriculum are you using? Do you like it? Did you switch from something else? Any thoughts you're willing to share - good or bad! 

If you have a blog or Youtube and want to link to a specific post/video about math, feel free! 

#homeschool #homeschoolers #homeschoolingrocks #homeschoolingmama #homeschoolmom #homeschoollife  #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolfun #homeschoolkids #homeschooliscool  #homeschooldays #homeschoolblogger 
#homeschoolteacher #homeschoollookslikethis #homeeducation #homeeducator #howwehomeschool #homeed #homeschoollifestyle #thisishomeschool
#homeschoolcommunity #homeschoolcurriculum #homeschoolersofinstagram #homeschooled #homeschoolcollective #homeschoolideas #homeschoolinspiration #homeschooladventures #homeschoolmath
Remember them? We don’t see much of my oldest no Remember them? We don’t see much of my oldest now since he’s been living on his own (renting a house with friends), but we love when we do! That’s his dog, Melody, who is temp. living with us due to not getting along with a roommates dog. She’s smiling in this pic because he came over to visit her and she ADORES him. 

Paxton is 20 and doing great, I know many of you have watched him grow up on my blog! He works for a robotics company that contracts with Amazon, so he runs the robotics portion of an Amazon warehouse (did I explain that kinda right @paxtoroni ?) he’s VERY into cars, and has been for years, this is his car account in case you’re into cars too: @paxgt 😬 I don’t love cars but I LOVE him.

#marshmellie🐶
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