I’m delighted to introduce you to my friend Beth Bitts on this week’s Classroom Showcase. You can find more information about Beth on her blog, Simply Sewn.
About Beth
I have a BA in Social Work and an AMS Montessori Certification. I came to Montessori as a second career after working in child welfare with children in foster care. I also spent years homeschooling my two boys (who are now grown men!). My eldest son was diagnosed with autism at three and so I spent most of his years in school learning how to serve his needs. This background of social work, homeschool and disability was the best precursor to becoming a Montessori teacher. I have a special place in my heart for children who learn differently and I enjoy helping them succeed in the classroom.
Beth’s Classroom
Practical Life
This is our ‘clean up’ area (below). I do not put sponges on my P.L. trays but instead if there is a spill, the children must go get the spill tray (middle shelf). The large towels on the bottom are for floor spills and the small towels on the middle shelf are for tables. The dust pans on the top shelf are for table crumbs. We have a LOT of lunch friends, thus the number of dust pans.
This is our art and sewing shelf. It isn’t set up completely because of summer break but you get the idea!
Sensorial
Math
Language
At the end of the year we give all our writing materials (pencils, markers, colored pencils, etc) to the summer camp and start fresh the next year. That’s why the pencil boxes (below) are empty!
Top tray (below) is our sound tray. Our school has a sound of the week. The children can bring an item from home that begins with the sound or find one in the classroom and place it on the tray.
I included our little library in the language section because of our little mail box. The children LOVE writing letters and mailing them. One person has the mail job per week and gets to deliver the mail. Again, the library is not set up because the photo was taken during summer break. Our hermit crab is also usually located in this area.
Cultural
The geography shelf (below) is set up for the beginning of the year. I try to cover each of the continents throughout the year. Luckily I have quite a few works from Seemi!
The science shelf (below) ready for the beginning of the year. I do a three year cycle with science (botany, zoology and earth science/astronomy) but usually start the year with the basics you see above. The nature tray stays on the shelf all year long and the children love to see what is on it (I change it depending on the season) and they also bring things from outside or home to share with the class. We even had a WHOLE squished baby snake once!
I spent last summer going to garage sales and flea markets to find items for my continent drawers (below). The children were very excited to have this new work in the classroom this past school year. Above it is our job chart….without the jobs!
Music
I just moved the clock, seasons and calendar work away from the Math shelf over to this little music corner. We’ll see how it works. The children love having the piano in the classroom! I start the year with one bell to remind the returning children and teach the new children how to hold and play the bell. By the end of the year we will have all the bells on the shelf.
Garden
This is our little garden. Each classroom has their own. Looks like the weeds are taking over now that we are out for the summer! The tube in the middle is our worm compost.
Related Products
Click the images for details. (Affiliate links may be included in this post. See full disclosures here.)
Seemi holds a Master's degree in education, and an AMS Early Childhood credential. She has twenty years of experience in Montessori as a teacher, school administrator, and school owner. Seemi is the founder of TrilliumMontessori.org.