Study the World with 80 Montessori-Inspired Activities

Geography and Social Studies are subjects Montessori homeschool parents often struggle with teaching. Parents often browse the Internet for ideas and see beautiful baskets full of items from around the world. While these are lovely, they can be cost prohibitive for many families. Educating our children to be good global citizens is an important task and calling. It begins with a good understanding of our world.

Homeschool Geography Curriculum Made Simple & Cost-Effective

A great homeschool Geography curriculum doesn’t have to cost much. Educating with Montessori at home can sometimes seem expensive! Simply head to your local library. Hundreds of beautiful books exist to help. Your children can immerse themselves in different cultures. From the comfort of their own room, they can travel the world! Book characters are an easily relatable way to learn. Children easily identify with characters.  

Studying international cuisine is fun too. Try sampling different herbs and spices from other nations. Grab groceries at an International Market for a whole new experience. Add on a trip to a restaurant for a real sample of international flavor!  

We want to make these subjects easy and accessible for all homeschool families. (Co-ops and classrooms are welcome to adapt and use these materials as well!) That’s why we’ve been working hard to bring you this FREE activity pack. At almost 100 pages, this is our largest activity pack yet. Unlike our previous packs, we’ve designed this to last at least a semester. With 80 activities, you could make it last up to a couple of years!

Travel Around the World with 80 Montessori-Inspired Activities

This pack is full of high-quality content. Everything you’ve come to know and love from us. It requires very little prep work on your part. Do make sure to pre-read this pack, however. This will give you an idea of how you’d like to plan, supplies needed, and what you will come back to or repeat.

What you'll find:

• 80 activities. 40 books, 10 International recipes, 11 art projects, and 19 Montessori-inspired works.

    - There are a number of ways you could incorporate this pack into your homeschool. You'll find ideas within the welcome letter of the pack.

      - Several works will be repeated throughout your studies.

• A book list of books about the world.  

    - We have books for preschoolers through teens.  
    - These are some of the best-loved Geography and cultural studies books out there.  

    - Hint- If using the library, make sure to put these books on hold ahead of time! You might find a few aren’t readily available because of how popular they are.

    - These would be great read-aloud books. Try placing a few out on shelves as well. A couple of books also include additional homeschool Geography and Social Studies activities.

• Classic and unique works.

    - Me On the Map, Nomenclature Cards, Pin Punches, and more classic Montessori activities. These are works you’ll find Montessorians around the world working on! Enjoy them in your Montessori at home education too.
    - We’ve added our own flare and created new works as well. Your children will love making continent boxes, researching international jewelry, and learning other languages.

• Exploration through Art- The arts are an excellent way to get to know another culture.

    - You’ll find art projects from every continent. We’ve included information to make them accessible for a wide range of ages. These are great projects for older students to work on with younger too.
    - Several of these projects might give way to something bigger! Your student might find a new passion, gift idea, or a small business.
    - You may want to consider a field trip to an art museum. This is another excellent way to view art from around the world.

• Related Lessons

    - This is to help those using ShillerLearning’s materials. We have listed related lessons to enhance your studies.  
    - Remember, students enjoy coming back to lessons multiple times. Even if a child has already completed a lesson, they can be repeated. You may wish to include these again to help reinforce concepts.

• Delicious Dishes- Cultural studies aren’t complete without something to eat!

    - Ten perfectly-sized recipe cards await. Your family will enjoy savory to sweet from around the world!

• Beautiful printables

    - As always, we’re bringing you the most beautiful printables out there.
    - Take a peek through the printables before you print them. Several you may want to laminate or print on cardstock for durability.  
    - We suggest laminating the recipe cards and world map.
    - The Grammar Cards, Nomenclature Cards, and Matching Cards are best printed on cardstock  
    - You’ll need multiple copies of the Continent Research page. Or, laminate it and work it dry erase for each continent.
    - To save on ink, you may want to keep the instructions on your phone or e-reader. Then print the recipe cards and printables.  

• High-quality and affordable

Only a few inexpensive craft supplies are needed. Most supplies you already have on hand!

Happy Travels!

The ShillerLearning team has loved creating this pack. It is our hope you’ll LOVE this 100% FREE homeschool geography curriculum.   We’re excited to be sharing it with you. Have fun exploring the world from the comfort of your own home. We’d love to see what you’ve been working on too! Tag us on Instagram @shillerlearning with your completed projects and shelf set-ups.
 

We hope this pack will encourage you to enjoy and learn more about Homeschooling. Plus this month’s pack is just as free as fresh air and sunshine! So download it now and start reading with your child!

Have Your Best Homeschool Year Yet With These Great Planning Tips

What is it that happens between the fresh excitement of homeschool planning and the Spring slump? Why do we go from being motivated, organized, and passionate to burned out? The back-to-school season is a season of excitement. Even those who homeschool year-round feel it. The season comes with a crisp touch in the air and a renewed motivation in our hearts. Only to find a few months later we’re exhausted, disorganized, and in a slump.

Burnout at Home and in the Classroom

I came to homeschooling after years of working in schools. First, I worked in a traditional Montessori Preschool for almost a decade. It was actually my first ever “real” job. I stayed in that job throughout college. My head-of-school gave me a chance to work in every single classroom. I also worked in the before & after school program. I even helped in administration and office duties. Throughout college and my first few years after graduation, I continued to work in education in one capacity or another.

After a few years, I landed at an incredible school for Learning Disabled and Special Needs kids.   I worked in a K-2 class and sometimes substituted with older kids. I was given the chance to see many different teaching styles and approaches. I stayed there for several years until my son was born. Now I continue my work in education as an at-home-educator with Montessori homeschooling.

Why do I tell you this? Because teachers burn out too! In fact, I observed that many teachers burn out faster than moms at home. What I have observed through all my years in education is something that seems to separate those who burn out from those who don’t. Systems and organization. Those who came into a school year with an organizational system seemed to stay motivated. I also noticed they were much less likely to get in over their heads. Yes, the systems adapted as the year progressed. And, yes, sometimes things didn’t work.   Now I have worked my way from class educator to home educator. I find so much value in having good systems in place to bring ease to our days.

Today I hope to offer a few homeschool time management tips. It is my hope these tips will be something you can incorporate to avoid slump and overwhelm later

Back-to-School Time Management Tips

Pick a method and stick with it- Don’t “throw the baby out with the bathwater” too fast. It takes at least 40 days to adjust to a new routine. Just because a routine or planning method doesn’t work at first, doesn’t mean it will never work. You may need more time to iron out the wrinkles.

Expect the unexpected- We lay out our bright, shiny new schedule at the beginning of the year. Then life happens. Someone gets sick. There’s a job transfer. You face a death in the family. Your schedule gets out of whack and you get frustrated. Leave in flex time! Add in a few “buffer” days- sort of like how public schools add in extra days for snow days.

Buffer your day- Often we forget to add in transitional time to our daily routine. It can take children a while to transition from activity to activity. This is not because they are stubborn or not listening. It’s because their brains take longer to transition and transition is sometimes hard. Give yourself a 5-10 minute buffer between each activity. You may even need to make that longer if you have young children, a baby at home, or a child with special needs. This can make a dramatic change in your homeschool routine.

Plan like a funnel- Start out with a broad overview of where you hope to be by the end of the year. Then schedule out each element. It can be helpful to have goals for each month set at the beginning of the school year. Then, perhaps, only do a detailed schedule for every six-eight weeks. Keeping the idea of a funnel in mind is helpful. Broad for what’s to come, narrow for what’s happening now.

Schedule in time for YOU- Give yourself at least an hour a week of YOU time. No kids, no responsibility. Make it two if you can. An hour to relax and unwind alone does remarkable things. If you can add in another hour to take time to learn and nurture your interests, even better.

Track your time- Use a time tracker app, a Bullet Journal spread, or a piece of paper. Write out everything you spend your time on in a week. Then evaluate it and see what you can drop, outsource, or needs better balance. Use this to help inform your decisions about scheduling.
 

Put it down in paper and pen (or pencil)- The neurological process is different when we plan with paper vs digital. Using real paper and writing out goals, schedules, and plans can be revolutionary in and of itself. We even made it easy for you with a beautiful FREE printable planner. Homeschool planning takes on a new life on paper!

Give loop scheduling a try- Instead of scheduling specific subjects on certain days, try looping. This way if you have something come up on, say your “History Tuesday” you won’t miss it. To loop, write down the subjects you want to cover daily and the subjects you want to cover weekly. Start at the top of your weekly list and cover at least one of those subjects a day. The next day, move to the next subject(s) on the list. Then if you miss a day of school, you won’t miss a topic- you move to what’s next on the loop.

Follow the lead of the child- This is a core component of a Montessori education. If your child needs to spend an entire quarter covering the same 4 sections in Math Book 1, that ’s ok. Adjust your plans to follow their lead. This also applies you find your child dawdles, struggles with focus, or seems to zone out. We’ll talk more about this in an upcoming blog. Montessori homeschooling is the perfect environment to follow your child’s lead.

Get a little help from ShillerLearning- We have made planning easy for both parents and students. Check out our FREE printable planners- there’s a set for homeschool parents that we brought you last month. This month, we’re happy to bring you a Student Planner Pack. In it you’ll find back-to-school activities your kids will love. We have activities like timer races, schedule card creation, cutting strips, clockworks, and more! Plus it has a FREE Student printable planner to help your child get organized along with you!

Focus on your next best thing- A time will come in planning, or in your year when you’ll get overwhelmed. Or an unexpected situation will arise, a new baby will come, etc. and your schedule will get backed up. In those moments of overwhelm, ask yourself “What is my best next thing?” Maybe that’s working on Math, or maybe it’s going out back to lay in the grass and watch the clouds. In moments of overwhelming- all you need to focus on is one thing at a time. No matter what it is, go from one best thing to the next and before you know it- you’ll be feeling calmer.

I hope some of these tips and tricks are helpful. I would love to hear about some of the things you do to help schedule and plan too. Plus, make sure to check out these other blogs and resources:

Montessori Homeschool Parent Planner Pack

How The Montessori Three-Period Lesson Changed My Homeschool

TED Talks For Homeschool Reading Inspiration

We hope this pack will encourage you to enjoy and learn more about Homeschooling. Plus this month’s pack is just as free as fresh air and sunshine! So download it now and start reading with your child!

5 Montessori Works You Can Create With Materials From Your Craft Supplies

Montessori materials can be extremely expensive. The cost of materials is often off-putting to families looking to begin homeschooling, or a co-op.   I know when I began working in a Montessori school, I was amazed at the sheer amount of materials and works. Our head of school happened to be a frugal and financially-minded woman who had a lot of creative ideas to save on costs.   When I began homeschooling my son, I decided to look in my arts and crafts supplies to make my own Montessori Materials for our homeschool. These are some of my favorite works which you can easily create yourself at home!

The Top 5 DIY Montessori Materials

Montessori Color Matching

This work can be created with tissue paper, colored paper or cardstock. You have a couple options for variations.

Beginning color matching- Clip out two 2-inch x 2-inch squares of 6 different colors of paper. Use the same type of paper in each color for very young children (2 and under), for older children try using different types of paper. The child will then match the correct sets of colors to one another.

More advanced color matching- Use the squares of paper from above and cut one into smaller squares. Start with 3 colors at a time. Place 3 of the larger squares at the top of the work area and all the smaller squares into a bowl. Allow the student to place the smaller squares on the proper corresponding larger square. This also works well with beads, buttons, or other small items in the corresponding colors. You can also choose to cut our circles, hearts, or any other shape you desire for the child to use for matching.

Math Counters

Counters are a huge part of Montessori Math. These are extremely easy to create yourself from beads or buttons. It is fun to change out the counters based on the month, using hearts in February and pumpkins in the Fall, for example. You may also want to cut out counters into the desired shapes from paper. Wrapping paper can also be fun to use and cut out the little shapes found on the pattern.

Fabric Textures

Texture matching with different fabrics is a classic Montessori material. Raid that basket of unused fabric for 4-6 different textures of fabric. Cut them into equal sized squares (usually somewhere between 4-inch x 4-inch to 6-inch x 6-inch). Younger students match the fabrics by touch and sight. Older students can be blindfolded to match the fabric textures by feeling only. It’s also fun to put the fabric scraps into a bag or pillow case and have the child find a match by feel. This also works well with different grits of sandpaper.

Lacing Cards

Save your old greeting cards for this one! Or, use scrapbooking paper, or cardstock. Use a hole punch to punch around the outside of the card. Provide the child with a child-safe needle and some string or thread. Then allow them to lace around the card. This is also a pretty activity to create holiday decorations when laced by hand with ribbon. Older students can work on different types of stitches and even different patterns.

Pouring, Spooning and Scooping

Gather up all those cute little things in your arts and crafts supplies. You know what I mean, all those cute buttons, marbles, small trinkets, and beads in the $1 bins that you just can’t resist and then never do anything with (or is that only me?). These, along with basic dried beans and rice, make the perfect materials for Practical Life works. Use them in the ShillerLearning pouring cups to practice pouring back and forth or pouring into cups and bowls. Place them into a bowl and allow kids to practice spooning them back and forth between bowls. Give students a small child-sized ladle and watch as they ladle the materials. The possibilities are endless.

Hope you enjoy these easy to create Montessori works. Go raid your arts and crafts supplies and see what you can come up with, we’d love to see your DIY works!

Like these ideas?

Check out these monthly activity packs that are full of DIY Montessori activities and FREE Printables:

This Planner Created By Moms for Moms Will Help Set Your Best Homeschool Routine Yet

FREE Montessori Based Summer Activity Pack for Homeschoolers

FREE Montessori Based Spring Activities For Kids

How This FREE Grace & Courtesy Printable Pack Turns “Chores” into Games

This Planner Created By Moms for Moms Will Help Set Your Best Homeschool Routine Yet

I’m coming into my second year of “official” homeschooling. We have a list for our back to school supplies and I have a fairly good idea of what our homeschool routine looks like. I’m no expert by any means but I feel better equipped for at home schooling than I did last year. Having a solid plan and being prepared for whatever may come your way is an important part of choosing home education.  

ShillerLearning’s FREE Montessori Homeschool Printable Planner

Our kids are quick, if we’re not prepared they’ll know it. The team here at ShillerLearning decided to put together our dream planner. We hope it will help you in preparing for a new school year, or launching into your first year of home education. It is full of useful pages to help you get set up for success. It’s included below in the free printable pack. You’ll also find handy information on Practical Life and Sensorial works, self-care ideas, and a plan for a mini-getaway to prepare yourself for the coming year.  
 

In this planner you will find:

- A beautiful cover page with a Maria Montessori quote
- Weekly menu planning page
- Space for you to set monthly goals- personal or school related
- Your weekly goals- use this for schooling, personal, work, spiritual, etc.
- Reading log to track all you read this year (link to mother culture blog), plus a book list of some of our favorite books
- Weekly spreads- we have two layouts for this one.
                One is our student planner to help you plan the schedule for your student(s), this is set up with the most common Montessori subjects along the top and days of the week down the side. We’ve provided you with a couple blank spaces to add in additional subjects.
                One is a planner for you. The spaces along the top are blank. Your possibilities are endless on this one. Use it for keeping track of chores, kids activities, work schedules, extracurriculars, co-ops, etc. Or use it in place of the student planner by listing your students names along the top and planning for your school year within these pages

- Field-trip plans sheet
- Habit tracker
- Highlight of the week- including a spot to glue a photograph or draw a picture of something you loved from the week
- Quote page- to collect your favorite inspirational quotes, verses, and other encouragements

 "The child should love everything he learns. Whatever is presented to him must be made beautiful and clear. Once this love has been kindled, all problems confronting the educationalist will disappear." - Maria Montessori

The weekly spreads you might want to laminate to use with dry-erase markers. Or perhaps print as many copies as you plan to have weeks of school. Then get them bound at the local office supply store, or put them into your favorite discbound or 3-ring binder. Last, give yourself time and space to go get your planning done.  

A current trend among at home schooling parents is to go for a kid-free night away at a motel to plan the upcoming school year. If you can’t swing that, head to your favorite coffee shop for a bit or even work at the library while the kids are in a class. Find some time you can sit down with all your materials to schedule and think about your homeschool routine for the year.

Planning ShillerLearning’s Materials

All of our Montessori lessons are open and go. There is no prep-work required on your end beyond making sure the proper materials are available. Each child has their own pace and we don’t designate a set schedule. In the front of each ShillerLearning lesson book, you’ll find helpful tips for working through the book with your student. In our math books, for example, we suggest 15 minutes per day for 4-year-olds, adding 5 more minutes per day for year of age.

How you choose to schedule our lessons is totally up to you. Students may want to repeat a lesson to gain competency and closure. We do suggest flexibility in your scheduling. Occasionally children will want to repeat the same lesson many times. In most cases, it will take one school year to get through each book. Make sure to also schedule in time to allow your student to create practice problems and use the flashcards.

Remember, sometimes a child is not ready for covering a certain subject or topic. If you find your student is really struggling with something, that’s ok. Pencil it in for a later date and skip onto the next concept. Use these planner pages to jot down notes and reflections as you work through the materials.

Set-up Your Homeschool Space After You’re All Planned

Now that you have your school year planned, get that classroom set up. Check out this video to see Aurie’s room tour with school supply list:

FREE Montessori Based Summer Activity Pack for Homeschoolers

Summertime is often when many of us take a break from homeschooling. Even if we school year-round, we usually go a bit lighter in the summer to enjoy those nice warm days while we’re able. It’s the perfect time to work on nailing down skills our students have previously struggled with and explore a new subject of interest. We are thrilled to bring you this free summer activity pack. It’s perfect for homeschoolers, or families looking for engaging activities for kids who are out of school.

Summer Activities For Kids

In this over 30 page activity pack, you’ll find gobs of easy to put together activities and the free printables you’ve come to know and love from ShillerLearning. In addition to the activities in this pack, here are more ideas to curb hearing “Mom, I’m bored!” this summer.

• Create Your Own Lesson- Kids are constantly saying “if I was in charge I would..” Give them the chance to do it their way! Set them loose with materials and let them design their own dream homeschool or summer lesson plan. Take them to the library and let them grab a bunch of books on something they are interested in, encourage them to create their own learning, and see what they come up with! You might be pleasantly surprised as they come up with something to implement into your homeschool, create an awesome game or (shhhh, don’t tell them) learn a new skill.

• You-Pick farms- This is always fun way to create family memories. Find a local you-pick farm and head out to pick your own food. Oftentimes these farms are growing berries and sometimes what you eat as you pick are free. Then bring them home and enjoy baking, canning, or freezing of your bounty. Check out fallingfruit.org to see free local you-pick options too!

• Progressive Game Night (or afternoon)- Some participation and help coordinating might be needed on the part of parents for this one, but it is so fun! (Plus, of course, parental supervision). Get together with neighbors and nearby friends. Have each family pick a lawn game, board game or outdoor activity (like sidewalk chalk or sprinklers). The kids can work together to decide who will do which activity, make a master map ahead of time and set the schedule. Each home can host something different for a fun afternoon, or evening, of time together and exercise as you bike, or walk, between houses. Make sure to invite lots of friends, have plenty of healthy snacks & water, and have a blast! This is a fun activity around 4th of July weekend

• Amazing Race- Let the kids come up with their own version of the Amazing Race. Have them create activities and pit stops to do around your house, the block or your town. Then let them get together with friends and play out their show. Older kids might even enjoy filming and making their own episode.

How to Use this Free Activity Pack

There’s no right or wrong way to implement this pack. We’ve provided you with an extensive book list covering all reading abilities. It is our hope that you’ll grab some of these books for your students to enjoy this summer. The rest of the pack is pretty open-ended. You can work through it in order, pick and choose the activities you’d like to do, let the kids pick, do one a day or do them all in a week. It’s really up to you! Most require little to no prep-work and only a few need materials. It’s good to peek ahead and see what you might need to pre-purchase or borrow from a friend.

What’s Inside?

You'll find over a dozen activities. We have Montessori-inspired works like Nomenclature cards, map work, and even a matching game. Then we’ve included a couple easy summer crafts followed by nature activities. Many of these nature activities would be awesome to do on a camping trip but can easily be done in your own yard or at a local park. Lastly we end the pack with a couple delicious recipes of some ice-cold treats to enjoy on these hot summer days!

We hope you’ll enjoy this pack and have the best summer yet.

Our 12 Favorite Free Activities for Homeschoolers in Need of Late Spring Crafts for Preschoolers

For a lot of us our homeschool year is starting to wind down. Many homeschoolers school year-round and are looking for fun, engaging activities to incorporate in late Spring and early summer. Summer fun for kids is important to keep boredom from creeping in. Here are some of our top ideas to inspire a love of learning all year long.
 

FREE & Cheap Ideas for Spring and Summer Homeschoolers

• Nature Journal- grab a plain notebook, some high quality colored pencils and head to a beautiful spot to let your children lose to study. You’ll be amazed at how much they enjoy studying the world around them.

• A Phrenology Wheel- we’ll look more at this in a few weeks. This is a great way to document milestones, moon phases, or the change in the trees and plants in your area.

• Water- What kid doesn’t love to play in water?!? Set up a few five-gallon buckets and let them make predictions about if items will sink or float.

• Flower color walks- Grab paint sample strips of each color and head on a walk or to the local botanic gardens. Encourage children to try to match the colors of the flowers to a color on their paint strip.

• Farmer’s Market- A trip to the farmer’s market is a great place to work on social skills, learn about farming, see new foods, and work on counting money.

• Garage sale- Speaking of counting money- holding a garage sale or lemonade stand is an incredibly educational experience! From advertising to organizing, payment and everything in between- a yard sale is a great learning opportunity.

• Free events at the library- The local library usually has all kinds of great opportunities, especially once the local public schools start to let out. Check them out!

• Summer camp at a local school- This one isn’t free but it’s worth noting. Sometimes the local schools will allow homeschoolers to participate in summer camp or sports.

• Create a nature sensory basket- Sensory baskets are a classic part of a Montessori education. Give your homeschooler(s) a basket or bag and let them fill it with items from nature they find interesting. Keep it available at home so they can look at it whenever they’d like.
   

• Foraging walks- Herb foraging, and urban foraging, are gaining popularity. Local herbal apothecaries often offer free or cheap herb walks where you can learn about local edible plants and how to prepare them.
   

• Sidewalk chalk- practice your handwriting and math facts under the sun!
   

• Learn about the water cycle- Spring showers are the perfect way to start studying the water cycle with your homeschoolers. Grab that rain gear and head out to learn.
   

• Stargaze- Send the kids to bed early and then surprise them with a star watching trip by waking them up and loading up the car to head out. You can even download an app to help you know what you’re viewing.
   

• Visit a petting zoo or local farm- Spring is the perfect time to learn about animals and see baby animals and plants in bloom.  

What are some of your favorite activities for Spring? We’d love to see what you’re doing to bring spring into your homeschool routine. Share pictures on Instagram and make sure to tag us with your favorite activities!