Saturday 25 October 2014

List of montessori materials



Honestly, I was a bit surprised there wasn't a comprehensive list of montessori materials yet! There are a lot of materials, introduced at different ages and in specific order. I found it quite overwhelming. I needed a list so I knew what to make next, in order of when I'd need it. There isn't much point in hurrying with making the beads when it's not actually used until they are 4!

So, painstaking research, but here's the list! I've put them into the 5 categories of practical life, sensorial, math, language and other. Other being geography, biology, etc. This happens to be the order in which most materials start! The first 3 years is really practical life only and some sensory. When plane 1 starts (age 3-6), you start with sensory. Math and non oral language doesn't really start until they are 4!

I've made the list based mostly on info montessori, plus looking at what's for sale in the official montessori shops.

This list is for home schoolers,  starting at age 3. I've linked to diy posts, hoping to make them all over time. I've marked the ones I would recommend buying with a *, except for the practical life things which mostly need to be bought unless you're super clever with loads of time on you're hands (or you have a grand dad). I've also ticked off the things I've got. 


Practical life
I didn't get much especially for this, most things are in our house. I've just adapted what iI got and made it accessible for my child.
✔Variety of bowls, pitchers and cups
✔Variety of cuttlery and cooking equipment
✔Variety of cleaning materials child sized
✔Block with screws, screw driver
✔Mats
✔Trays
✔Living plants
✔Ellipse on floor
✔Lace cards
✔Flowers for flower arranging
Weather station


Sensory
✔Knobbed cylinders, 4 blocks *
✔Pink tower *
✔Brown stairs *
✔Red rods 1 2
✔Knobless cylinders,  4 boxes *
Constructive triangles 1 2 3
Geometrical figures
Geometric cabinet 1
✔Binomial cube *
✔Trinomial cube *
Touch boards 1
Touch tablets
Fabric boxes
Baric tablets
Thermic bottles
Thermic tablets
Sound boxes 1
Bells * 1 (this blog explains how to make cheap bells great)
✔Smelling jars
Tasting jars
Geometric solids *
✔Mystery bag
Colour box

Math
Number rods 1 2
✔Sandpaper numbersr
Spindle box 1 2 3 4
Beads sets 1 2
Stamp game6
Fraction circles

Language
Books *
Sandpaper letters
Movable alphabet 1 2 3
Metal insets 1 2
Geometrical cabinet 1 2
Sand tray
Chalk boards

Other
Land/water models 1 2
✔Sandpaper globe
Continent globe
Political globe *
✔Natural globe *
Puzzle maps (continents and one for each continent)
Flags
✔Variety of model animals and plants
Animal puzzles *
✔Musical instruments

Edited to add: having shown this post on Facebook, the person who writes carrots are orange told me she did similar thing! And added ages. And I'm not going to reinvent the wheel, so here you go!

Practical life and sequence
sensorial
math cycle and sequence
language cycle and sequence

1 comment:

  1. I think part of the reason there isn't a comprehensive list is because the materials needed vary with the "curriculum" (the curriculum being a combination of the child and the albums). Some albums for primary go into fractions as you listed above; others don't. This is why most people are encouraged to select their albums first, then plan from there. Several available albums have a comprehensive materials lists for THAT album or album set, still with the caveat to follow the child.

    Now, a core Montessori materials list - that could be useful - the items that are core across all versions of Montessori. Although, actually, a study was done across training centers of various styles and they couldn't entirely agree on the "core" set either. There are a good deal of commonalities, but some say some things are essential where others say those are "extra".

    I DO love your list above. It helps YOU and it will help others.

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