This is the very first post is our Montessori Classroom Showcase series. I’m very excited about sharing with you Montessori classrooms from around the world! If you would like to have your classroom included in our series, please read details about how to contribute here.
I’ve been in the classroom for over 15 years now and I still don’t get tired of looking at how Montessori teachers have arranged their shelves. I always get a new idea to try. And sometimes I see something that makes me completely change up an entire area of my class.
I hope you find this series fun and inspiring, and I hope you will consider contributing too!
I want to say a special thank you to our very first contributor- Stephanie from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Stephanie is a 3-6 teacher at the Campus School of Carlow University.
Stephanie: Each month I publish photos of our shelves that have new work (Science, 1 language shelf, practical life, art, peace, movement, and perhaps geography) in a photo album for our class in Montessori Compass. These are the photos that are shared from March with a few that were taken at the beginning of the year (math, sensorial, language, etc).
Miss Stephanie’s Class
View of the classroom from the door. I love all the windows!
View of the classroom from the rear. Do you notice the pretty little potted plants on the work tables? I also like how the line taped to the floor is so subtle.
Practical Life
These Practical Life shelves hold the pouring, spooning/scooping, and squeezing fine motor work.
This shelf has a sensory bin with ocean animals in water beads, banana slicing, pattern dots, pinching beads fish, brads, shell scrubbing, and silver polishing.
This Practical Life shelf has preliminary sewing work like stringing, lacing, button sewing, embroidery hoop, and sewing forks.
Sensorial
This sensorial shelf holds the materials for working with size, shape, color, grading, and classifying. I like how the color tablets are placed in the clear containers. Very attractive!
Here are all the geometry materials.
Math
This is the first math shelf with the beginning numeracy work such as units, bead stair, spindle box etc. At the top is the calendar.
Here are the teens, tens, and hundred boards. There’s also calendar work extensions.
The Golden Bead materials are on this math shelf.
Finally, the operations work is located together here.
Language
The pre-literacy activities on this shelf change monthly. I can see our middle vowel sorting work from the St. Patrick’s Day Phonological Awareness Pack on the middle shelf!
Sandpaper letters! You can also see the Handwriting Without Tears wooden Build Draw & Write kit on the middle shelf with other printing materials. The bottom shelf has the Movable Alphabet.
The top shelf is a continuation of the sandpaper letter sets. I always find it fascinating to see the many ways people sort their letters. Below that are movable alphabet objects and extensions. The bottom shelf has sight words and parts of speech work.
Here you see the beautiful Waseca Reading Program materials. The drawers are just so stunning!
Cultural
What an attractive area!
They are learning about the ocean so you see all these lovely fish and ocean themed materials on their science shelves.
Objects and exploration
Characteristics and parts of a fish
Ocean animal nomenclature and little book
Fish/Crustacean/Echinoderm sorting (fun!)
Parts of a Starfish
Ocean Animal Who Am I?
The Geography shelves have a focus on Europe.
Objects from Europe
Flags of Europe
Houses
Sorting Plants and Animals from Europe
Europe A-Z 3-Part Cards and little book
Europe Biomes
Europe Biome Readers from Waseca
Peace Shelf
They have a dedicated shelf with activities for fostering peace
Movement Shelf
This shelf has some great activities for working on gross motor skills
Art Shelf
Here are some of the activities they have on their art shelf.
Thank you to Stephanie for sharing these pictures from her class!
We would LOVE to see your classroom too! If you would like to submit your photos for our Classroom Showcase series, please download the form on the Contribute page.
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