Trillium Montessori

Seemi Abdullah

Life Cycle of a Ladybug: Free Printable

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The life cycle of a ladybug has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Eggs hatch into larvae that eat pests. Larvae molt into pupae. After 1-2 weeks, adult ladybugs emerge to continue eating pests before mating and laying eggs. Ladybugs capture the imagination of preschoolers and kindergarteners everywhere with their bright colors, spots, and […]

Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Free Printable

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Butterflies captivate children with their vivid colors and elegant flight, making them a perfect subject for educational exploration. The life cycle of a butterfly—from egg to caterpillar, then chrysalis, and finally adult butterfly—is a remarkable process that offers valuable lessons in biology, growth, and adaptation. In this article, we take a look at the life […]

Life Cycle of a Cicada: Free Printable

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As spring and summer approach, many parts of the world will be filled with the loud, distinctive calls of cicadas. These insects have a unique life cycle that can be both captivating and educational for children. To help you teach your students or homeschoolers about cicadas, we’ve put together a free download that includes cicada […]

Free Printable: Aquarium Fish

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This week’s 5th Anniversary Freebie Friday features common aquarium fish.   This set of 3-part cards includes color illustrations as well as blacklines. The following aquarium fish are included: Angelfish Clown loach Female molly Male molly Female swordtail Male swordtail Neon tetra Zebrafish    

Free Printable: Arctic Animals

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This set of Montessori 3-part cards features a selection of Arctic animals. Use these cards to introduce children to the diverse wildlife of the Arctic and spark conversations about how animals live and thrive in such a harsh environment. This set includes color illustrations as well as blacklines so children can make their own booklet. The […]

Free Printable: Birds Coloring and 3-Part Cards

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Are you looking to add an engaging and educational activity to your bird unit or nature shelf? Our free printable set of Montessori 3-part cards of common birds is a perfect addition to your classroom. These cards not only feature color illustrations but also include blackline versions for coloring so children can create their own […]

Ideas for a Butterfly Unit

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Raise caterpillars and observe how they change into butterflies!  See more on our post about Painted Lady Butterflies here. Simple butterfly life cycle sequencing puzzle Monarch butterfly life cycle 3-part cards with objects.  We made this set using images from Google. Types of Butterflies- 3-part cards and objects matching.  We made this set by photographing […]

Learning About Europe

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  Materials for the Study of Europe @missnearingsmontessori This age never ceases to amaze me 💖🌍 #teachersoftiktok #montessori #teacherstories #preschoolactivities #preschoolteacher #kindergartenteacher #unitstudy #europe #europeisacontinentnotacountry ♬ original sound – Miss Nearing’s Montessori Miss Nearing from Tiktok shares how she’s using some of our Europe materials!  Available in the Trillium Shop.   Lining up the photo […]

On the Fine Motor Shelf in May

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Sorting Birch Discs Sorting Paper Flowers Tonging Mini Eggs in Nests Tonging Feathers Spooning Seeds in Sunflower Dishes Spooning and Sorting Gems Pouring from a Mini Watering Can Using a Spoon and Funnel More Shelf Activities for Spring Preschool Literacy Activities for Spring Fine Motor Activities for Spring 18 Shelf Activities for Spring  Learning About Flowers […]

Spring Literacy Activities for Preschoolers

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Oral Language and Vocabulary Development The Question Game.  Use the clues on the question card to find the right picture.  (Source: Spring Montessori Pack and In the Garden Preschool Pack) Following Directions (Source:  In the Garden Preschool Pack) Where is the Snail?  A Prepositions Game (Source:  In the Garden Preschool Pack) Matching and Sorting Sorting by Color(Source:  In […]

Fine Motor Activities for Spring

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Pouring into two containers Using an eye dropper Miniature pouring Eggs and Chicks Open and Close Transferring Plastic Eggs Bugs in the Grass Tweezing Activity.  You can find plastic grass like this at the craft store or try Amazon (affiliate link). The tiny bugs were from a local teacher supply store. Scooping Corn Kernels.  Wooden trays like […]

Shelf Activities for Spring

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Playdoh mat from PreKinders.com (free) Umbrella tissue sealing Gluing on a dot- Easter Egg confetti Assembling and gluing a flower Roll and Sort Buttons Flower Lacing Cards Garden Tools 3-Part Cards from Montessori Printshop (free) Flowers and Bulbs 3-Part Cards from Wildflower Ramblings (free) Reasoning Question Cards from Splashy Speech Stuff (free) Springtime Questions from Expressly Speaking Practicing Pronouns […]

Learning About South America

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  Build Your South America Unit As you gather materials for your South America continent studies, you may be interested in these resources from some of my favorite Montessori printable creators! South America Continents Pack from Every Star is Different South America Preschool Pack from Trillium Montessori South America A-Z from Trillium Montessori Rainforest Phonological […]

Learning About Asia: East Asia

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    A few items from East Asia on our shelves for the children to examine These photo-description cards are from the Asia A-Z Montessori Printables Pack Writing numbers in Chinese Origami fun A simple zen garden found at the dollar store Learning how to make some Chinese and Japanese characters with our Sumi E Board […]

Learning About Asia: Middle East

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Continuing on with our study of Asia…     Our display took on more of a Middle Eastern theme I found these treasures on one of my trips to Qatar.  The last frame has different colored sand from the deserts of Arabia. A few items to add to our mystery bag.  There’s a glass mosque, […]

Learning About Asia: South Asia

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We’re focusing in on the countries of South Asia.  We love Kathy Troxel’s song about South Asia on the album Geography Songs to learn the names of the countries in this region.  (Track 15) We added a few items from South Asia to our display shelf.  There’s a model of the Taj Mahal, a peacock feather […]

Learning About Asia: Introduction

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I pulled out my Asia storage box a couple of weeks ago and was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I’ve put in it over the years.   I decided it was finally time to get it properly organized. (More thoughts about organizing thematic units here.)  Here are the preliminary results! I put a few […]

A St. Patrick’s Day Theme

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We’re getting the classroom ready for a St. Patrick’s Day and Rainbow theme! St. Patrick’s Day Fine Motor Activities Check out our St. Patrick’s Day fine motor activities post from last year Rainbows and St. Patrick’s Day Art Activities See more details in this post about rainbow activities from last year. Cutting shapes.  I used […]

St. Patrick’s Day Phonological Awareness

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These are some of the activities we have on our Phonological Awareness shelf for March! Activity 1: Word Awareness Poem and Sequencing Cards (Source: St. Patrick’s Day Phonological Awareness Pack) Activity 2: Rhyming Riddles (Source: St. Patrick’s Day Phonological Awareness Pack) Activity 3: Beginning Sounds Build-a-Shamrock (Source: St. Patrick’s Day Phonological Awareness Pack)   Activity 4: Ending Sounds […]

Winter Olympics

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Are you excited about the Winter Olympics coming up this year?  We’ve got a few activities planned to keep up with all the fun! Stamping the Olympic rings with paper tubes and paint Cut (or pin-punch) a torch and glue some colored tissue to make a flame String beads to make the Olympic rings.  Figuring […]

The Mitten

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“The Mitten” by Jan Brett is such a great book to read with the children in winter.  I made up some phonological awareness games for our pre-literacy shelf to go with the book.   Skill: Isolating Words You will need a basket of blocks to play this game.  The teacher reads a sentence card and […]

January Printables

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It’s a new year and a new month and time to put out some new materials!  Here are some of the Wintery works we have on the shelves for January.   On the Pre-Literacy Shelf We love the Question Game for vocabulary development and improving inferencing skills.  These questions are little more advanced than the […]

Top 10 Posts of 2013

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Goodbye 2013!  It’s been a fun year on the blog! Here are our most visited posts for 2013.  I chunked some of the series together for you. A HUGE thank you to Deb at Living Montessori Now for sending us most of our visitors.  2013 would have been very different without you! 1.  Fifteen Days […]

Space Vocabulary: Free Printable

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Teaching space vocabulary to your preschoolers? The “I Have, Who Has” game is a great way to make learning new words fun and interactive. This popular classroom game can be easily adapted to teach a variety of vocabulary, including space terms. Our free printable cards feature large photos and easy-to-read words, making it perfect for […]

Christmas Around the World

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This month in our class we have been celebrating holidays around the world. We began in America with Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, comparing the similarities and differences between the two.   We then departed for a ‘holiday globe trot’, some of which was inspired by A Year of Many Firsts, while also weaving in the heritage of our own […]

Blue Whales and Parts of a Baleen Whale: Free Printable

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Blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, are part of a special group called baleen whales. These massive creatures can grow up to 100 feet long and move gracefully through the ocean. Baleen whales, like blue whales, eat tiny organisms such as krill using special comb-like structures in their mouths called baleen plates. This way […]

Antarctic Food Web: Free Printable

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The Antarctic Food Web The Antarctic Food Web offers a fascinating glimpse into the relationships between species living in one of the coldest environments on Earth. Understanding these connections helps students grasp how life in extreme conditions relies on balance and interdependence. By teaching the Antarctic food web, you can introduce students to the unique […]

Free Printable Biomes of North America

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This free printable features six major biomes of North America: deserts, grasslands, temperate forests, tropical forests, wetlands, and polar regions/tundra with photos of representative regions. North America is home to many different types of natural environments, called biomes. A biome is a large area of land with a specific climate, plants, and animals. Each biome […]

December Fine Motor Shelf

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Here are some pictures of our fine motor shelves all decked out in red and green to celebrate the season 🙂 December Fine Motor Fun! Pouring from a festive votive candle holder Tonging little ornaments into a candle holder we found at a thrift store. This little peg board is from the dollar store.  I […]

December Phonological Awareness

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I find that most Montessori Language Albums (manuals) don’t provide enough information about the pre-literacy skills children need to develop before being introduced to the Sandpaper Letters.  In my opinion, a lot of time should to be spent on oral language development and ear training before symbols are introduced. Phonological awareness is an umbrella term […]

November Printables

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There are so many great educational printables around the web for November!  Here are some of our favorites: Language Oral Language “Hide, Turkey, Hide!” Prepositions Game.  We found these little turkeys at Michael’s (a craft store).  The lovely cards are from Kinder Kapers.   Visual Matching Love these scarecrow matching cards!  They are part of […]

Plants We Eat

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We introduced plants and plants we eat during our study of pumpkins.  Here are some more of the activities we have been doing to explore the concept of edible plant parts.  Sorting Plants on a Plate (I wish I could find the source for this set!  It was a hand-me-down that I received over a […]

October Printables

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Here are some of the card materials we have on our Math and Language shelves this month.  We’ve been trying to bring in the themes of Fall and Halloween to celebrate October. I still have mixed feelings about Halloween in the classroom since it’s such a fantasy-based holiday.  However, it is a big part of […]

On the Shelves in October

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  Fine Motor shelves with an October theme Pouring acorns Tweezing mini pumpkins into a pumpkin icecube tray Spooning and pouring corn kernels Spooning lima bean ghosts.  Thanks to Pinterest for the inspiration! Gluing-on-a-dot using Halloween themed confetti Making a jack-o-lantern with basic shapes We have these Halloween themed paper punches available on the art […]

Introduction to Montessori Geography

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Introduction to Geography: A Montessori Approach The Montessori approach utilizes hands-on learning, independence, and exploration. When it comes to introducing young learners to geography, this method proves to be both engaging and effective, fostering a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world. Children are introduced to geography through tactile and visual experiences, such as […]

Montessori At Home

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We had our first Parent Education Workshop of the year last week.  We talked about things that can be done at home to support what the children are doing at school.  All of our tips and suggestions center around helping the child become more independent.  Here are some examples of ways parents can organize their […]

How to Start a New Class

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How to Start A New Class Today’s post is about  what we do during the first few days in our classroom.  This post ended up being a lot longer than I had originally planned.  It’s also coming a few weeks late since all of you are back to school already.  But, I hope it helps […]

Organizing Thematic Units and Seasonal Supplies

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Last month I wrote about how I use a unit studies approach to our “cultural” curriculum.  I love how it has simplified my organization system.  I used to keep my materials categorized by curriculum area.  For example, all the language materials were in one cabinet, all the practical life materials were in one spot, and […]

8 Tips for Organizing Practical Life Supplies

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 Woohoo!  Only a Montessori teacher can understand the rush of owning tiny bowls and pitchers and tongs.   In the early days, you think you can’t possibly ever have enough.  And then the day comes when you realize, by golly, you have to stop accumulating them because there’s no room left in the ~ahem~ fourth dimension. […]

The Evolution of My Montessori Record Keeping System

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I have been working and observing in Montessori classrooms for a good fifteen years now and I’ve seen dozens of different ways to keep track of the mountain of information generated on a daily basis.  I’m also a bit of an information junkie and I collect ideas like they’re about to run out (have you seen my Pinterest boards?!) […]

A Simple Montessori Graduation

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Do We Really Need a Graduation for Preschool? I have struggled with this question over the years, and more so the last few when we’ve only had preschoolers in our class.   Fancy graduation ceremonies for preschool have always left me feeling uneasy.  Many of the typical graduation rituals seem so… developmentally inappropriate for this […]

Around the World

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Geography and world cultures are a big part of the curriculum in Montessori and we’re very lucky to have families who have traveled all over the world!  Here are pictures from some of the wonderful presentations that parents have shared with us over the past few months. Africa  Trying on a hat from Egypt  Enjoying […]

Painted Lady Butterflies

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Painted Lady Butterflies are a common and well-known species of butterfly found in many parts of the world. They are easily recognizable by their colorful and patterned wings. In this lesson, we will explore the Painted Lady Butterfly’s life cycle, habitat, and role in the ecosystem. Studying Painted Lady Butterflies provides an excellent way for […]

Happy Mother’s Day

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  Trillium Moms are the best!  You made our classroom look absolutely gorgeous with the stunning array of flowers you brought us for Teacher Appreciation week.  Thank you for the love! We hope you enjoy the Mother’s Day books your children have been busy making for you all week! Mother’s Day Book Making Work Here […]

April in Action

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These videos show a glimpse of daily life in our classroom during the month of April. The background song is “La Mariposa” (The Butterfly) by Colibri This has been one of our favorite group time songs this month.  We’ve been playing a variation of the freeze dance game.  When the music plays, we dance around […]

The Continent of Africa

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  We’re learning about the continent of Africa this month!   Here we have our materials for the study of Africa displayed on our Geography shelf. I’m lucky to have a sister who travels a lot and brings back treasures for the classroom! So many fun things to touch and examine here!  These items are […]

Bugs! Fine Motor and Art Activities on the Shelf

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We’ve been learning about bugs:  butterflies, ladybugs, grasshoppers, spiders, and cicadas! Affiliate links are used in this post for your convenience.  Read my full affiliate disclosure here. The children have begun to bring bugs in that they’ve discovered on their walks.  Here we have a black and yellow millipede in this critter case. Examining cicada shells in […]

Australia: Music Playlist

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Here are some of the songs we’ve been enjoying during our study of Australia. Our favorites** are starred.  These are the ones we’ve listened to almost every day for the past month! The People and Languages of Australasia Waltzing Matilda Give Me a Home Among The Gum Trees ** The Animals of Australia The Kangaroo Song […]

Learning About Australia

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We’ve been learning about the continent Australia! One of our parents brought along some wonderful items from Australia to share with us. Boomerangs! Holding a Koala What’s on the Shelf? Here’s our unit studies shelf with materials about Australia Geography of Australia This is our Australia Geography folder full of images from Australia and the Pacific […]

Learning About Japan

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One of our families recently took a trip to Japan.  They came back and shared a ton of fun things with us!   He wore his T-shirt from Japan for the presentation. Where is Japan? Here is the flag of Japan Here are some fans that we can decorate with stickers from Japan. Cherry blossoms Chopsticks […]

St. Patrick’s Day Fine Motor Activities

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We have rainbows in the class, but St. Patrick’s Day won’t be complete without a little green! Here’s our fine motor shelf for March Pouring On the very top are our pouring activities, in various shades of green. The mini leprechaun hats are from the Dollar Store and the trays are from Montessori Services (affiliate link). […]

Rainbows!

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We decided to honor St. Patrick’s day with a rainbow theme this year.  Who doesn’t love rainbows? (Since we have only preschoolers in the class this year, we won’t be going into the science of rainbows.) The Colors of the Rainbow The children can use these Montessori Color Tablets to sequence the colors of the […]

Learning About Antarctica: An Overview

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We began learning about the continent Antarctica this week.  Here are some of the new materials we’ve had out on the shelves.  I will be posting more in the coming weeks so keep an eye out! Pictures from Antarctica Our Geography Continent folder has some great images depicting a variety of scenes from Antarctica.  You […]

Learning About Space 2

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Here’s our unit studies shelf with many of the Astronomy materials described in our first Learning About Space post. The Universe nesting boxes My school is in the town of Cary, which is in the State of North Carolina, which is in the country of the United States, which is on the continent of North […]

January in Action

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Here are the latest videos from our class! If you’ve been following our blog for the past month, check out these videos to see all of our winter activities in use! Parents, check your emails for our January Newsletter. See our earlier videos on Vimeo and YouTube Linked to these great early education blogs   […]

Learning About Space

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  Here’s our unit studies shelf with many of our Astronomy materials. This is our Solar System basket.  I paper mache’d the foam planets from a kit in order to make them more durable.  The booklet has a great song entitled “The Family of the Sun”. I used a product called sculptamold on this styrofoam […]

Working with the Easel

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We love everything about painting at the easel! Over the last few weeks we’ve been exploring tints. What happens to blue when you mix it with white? I love how this little guy left the top right quadrant of his paper blank and declared his painting finished. Check out some of these old videos of […]

Free Preschool Printables for Winter

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Here are some highlights from our early literacy shelf (pictured above) in January: What’s Missing on the Snowman? from A Child’s Place. Scroll down to the “printouts” section near the bottom of the page for this free printable PDF.   Snowman Sequencing from Teach It With Class.   I Have, Who Has… Winter Words from […]

January- What’s New on the Art Shelves this Winter?

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  Pinpunching snowflakes and mittens.  The mittens can be decorated with little dots or paper-punched snowflakes Pinpunching a snowman and decorating with various items Cutting coffee-filter snowflakes.  I like to pre-fold and pre-draw the lines, then paperclip together to help the younger ones manage this work.  Older children can be shown how to prepare the […]