Monday, October 5, 2020

Exciting Nature Activities for the Absorbent Mind


Exciting Nature Activities for the Absorbent Mind - Montessori preschool - Montessori West

Maria Montessori identified the first six years of preschool life as the period of the Absorbent Mind. She recognized that children are more focused on learning and discovering new things during this phase of life, beginning with discovering their body and immediate surroundings before branching out into the larger world around them.

Bountiful Book of Bugs

Even though preschool parents might be a little squeamish, small kids tend to love bugs. One ongoing activity is to create a journal about the bugs found in the yard. Identifying ants and beetles and spiders and butterflies and all the hundreds of types of insects found in the yard or local parks is interesting for parents and children alike and teaches kids tremendous amounts of information about bugs and how they benefit the environment.

Build A Weather Kit

Another ongoing project is to gather and use a weather kit. Windsocks, thermometers, and a rain gauge are the basic tools to track weather day-by-day, and you can add a clock to measure how the days get shorter as the end of the year approaches. Not only is this a simple and educational activity, but it is also a practical life-long experience.

Visit a Corn Maze

Corn and sunflower mazes are popular with small children, and well-suited to a socially-distanced environment. It is a great activity for building critical thinking skills, developing fine motor skills, and establishing a firm foundation for self-esteem. Corn mazes tend to be on farms, and familiarity with farm animals and country living are typically part of the excursions. Due to group size limits, it is best to schedule your maze visit in advance. 

The Montessori philosophy encourages preschool kids love to learn, and Fall is an excellent time to get outside and take part in the natural world. Giving your child’s absorbent mind a world full of engaging discoveries is beneficial in ways that won’t be obvious for years to come.

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