This means is that there is no dedicated school area, which is no big deal for using the curriculum as assigned. That's mostly books and papers. A crate for each kid is sufficient.
But for all the centers I set up? Everything has to be set out and put away each day. That seems like a lot of work, but it's not that bad. Well, Monday is tough, but once the trays are set up, I just tuck them into a crate at the end of the day. Set up and and take down are a few minutes each.
DISCLOSURE: I'm a PREP WORK gal, but not a supervision or clean-up gal. I want to do all of my work ahead of time so life is really easy during and after school time. This makes me lean towards a certain flavor of activities for my kids. I don't want activities that generate a lot of end products. So, if you look at this and say "GOSH, that's a lot of work, I'd rather just give them a bowl of cornstarch goop and food coloring, " realize that we're pretty much doing the same amount of work, just I have no clean-up or in-the-moment supervision. It's all about WHEN you like to work. If your Effort Happy Place is supervision and clean-up, my methods may not be for you.
So how do I manage all these centers?
1. I limit the number of activities I set out each week. Somewhere around ten for the free choice activities. In a traditional Montessori environment, there is a lot more choice and variety, but ten seems sufficient for us. By the end of the week, they've tried it all, even the stuff that looked boring. I only change an activity if I guessed wrongly.
For example, Zach used to be really interested in fingernail clips. I didn't realize that he'd mastered them. So when I set out a cool clipping activity, it got NO action. "That's for little kids, Mama." So I changed it the next day.
2. I choose activities that don't have beloved end products that must be cherished and stored. Well, most don't. The melty beads have one small end product. The punch pins and stamping don't seem to generate anything people want to hang up. But, I would NEVER set out a huge pile of paper and colored pencils. What a mess! If I need an art station, I give them a their own sketch book so that there aren't papers everywhere. Any cutting activities are set up in such a way that the clippings are contained.
3. I use uniform containers. Dollar store cookies sheets lined with foam or construction paper fit perfectly into Walmart crates. Dollar store rectangular trays stack well on top. For water activities, I use over-sized dollar store muddy boot trays which I store on top or beside the crate stack.
4. I try to keep them "mat-trained." At the table, they rotate between the centers. For floor activities, they each have a mat. It's their area that no one is allowed to bother. If an activity is on their mat, it's theirs until they are done. That mat is where THEY make the rules. They decide if others are allowed to enter and play. They decide what activities come and go. But, when they want to switch activities, if they want their new activity to have the same protection, they have to keep it on the mat, which usually means that other activity has to be put back. Very rarely can they fit two trays on one mat. And the excitement of being the ruler of their own square of the universe is enough motivation to get them to put things away. But, it's important to keep that square of the universe small, or the auto-clean up won't happen.
5. I set out activities in the same spots each week. Activities that can have food and drink near them are on place mats on the table. Activities that will be ruined if spilled upon, are on the fireplace. Activities that have real mess potential or are really physical are outside.
No comments:
Post a Comment