When you think about a toddler, learning science may not be the first thing that comes to mind. They seem so little and helpless, so they can't possibly learn scientific principles, right? Well, I would ask you to look closer at toddlers -- aren't they the ultimate scientists?! Especially when it comes to the natural world, toddlers are always exploring, hypothesizing, testing and analyzing. It is in their nature to touch, taste, smell and explore everything!
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This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.
I personally think it is our job to put a name to all of the things that toddlers are discovering. While they certainly don't need any help making discoveries, they often need us to provide a name for all the amazing things they have found.
When it comes to biology, Nora has many interests. She loves animals, for example. But, above that she loves studying people -- and not just any people. Nora loves herself! She loves looking at herself, she loves poking at herself, she loves everything about her! And, seriously who wouldn't -- the cute!
To help give Nora names for everything she is discovering, I created a self discovery basket. In the basket, I created cards isolating Nora's facial features, hands and feet. Then, I included a hand mirror.
Using the basket, Nora could pick up a card and look directly into the mirror. As she would pick up a card, I would simply say the name of the body part. She was then free to find that part on herself in the mirror, or move on to another card. This basket was purely about exploration, not quizzing or memorization. If she pointed to a body part in the mirror or on herself, I would also name it.
In addition to the basket, I also included a tray on her shelf with an 8x10 picture of herself. This way she can see the features as part of a larger whole, without the added work of looking into a mirror. So far, she hasn't done much with this tray. Other than point to it and say "baby!" -- which is just fine too!
Nora -- and even Henry -- has loved this work! She loves looking into the mirror and pointing to her face. She was laughing and giggling with the mirror for long periods of time! This basket also prompted her to want to talk about her other favorite body part -- her bellybutton! For Henry, this work prompted deeper questions -- "why are her eyes blue?" "why do we have two eyes?" "why can't we see our bones?" These questions are perfect jumping off points for a deeper study of human anatomy!
If you are interested in making a similar basket, you can FIND THE FREE PRINTABLE HERE! To make these I just cut out the pictures, mounted to card-stock and laminated. And, as with all toddler work, I didn't have much of a presentation, but kept it exploratory and fun!
Do your children love learning about themselves?
Do your children love learning about themselves?
12 Months of Montessori Learning!
This post is part of the 12 Months of Montessori Series! Our topic this month is biology! Visit these wonderful bloggers for Montessori and Montessori-inspired biology posts.
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