Learning about geometric solids can be so much fun when using these amazing 3 dimensional shapes activities and printables.  There's something for everyone here including a FREE geometric solids sorting printable designed to be used with the Montessori geometric solids.

Check out these amazing activities!

3 Dimensional Shapes Activities & Printables

Recycle & Create:  Upcycled Polystyrene Shapes & Colour Boats from Danya Banya

This is such an adorable way to introduce 3 dimensional shapes to little ones with some added sensory fun. I love that each boat is a different shape to compare and contrast.

Rainbow Geometry Painting from Left Bran Craft Brain

I love that this activity incorporates learning about 3 dimensional shapes and art all at the same time. It provides such great opportunities to study each shape as paint is used in a variety of ways.

Montessori Math Trays from Racheous-Lovable Learning

This 3 dimensional shape activity is definitely for all those little builders out there.  There's something about creating that feels so good and satisfying. I also love that this activity comes with so many fabulous steps and controls. 

Inexpensive and DIY Geometric Solids and Extensions from Living Montessori Now

If you are looking for a basic introduction of how the geometric solids are used in a Montessori classroom, this is the post for you!  It provides links to so many different resources including the shapes themselves to printables that go along with them.

FREE Geometric Solids Nomenclature Cards from The Helpful Garden

I always love it when I find an incredible Montessori resource available for free. It means I don't have to create it myself, which saves me so much time. If you're looking for a printable resource to match the Montessori geometric solids, this it!

Mama Always said "Never play with your food" from The Best Life... Kindergarten Life

There are so many creative ways to teach about 3 dimensional shapes. For children who love working with food, this idea is fabulous! It provides an entirely different sensory experience and is definitely memorable if you're able to eat what you've sorted. 

Beading Attributes: Pattern, Color, Shape, Size, and... Straws! from The Map is Not the Territory

I honestly never would have thought of an activity like this to teach about 3 dimensional shapes, but I absolutely love it! For those who love stringing beads and creating works of art, it's a fabulous choice. What I love most about it is the way in which children learn about creating equal sized parts.

Introduction to Geometric Solids from Antarctica Unit

In our home, I love to apply learning concepts like 3 dimensional shapes to every day life. For this reason I created a basket full of items collected from around our house that match up with a few of the geometric solids. 

One of the main reasons for putting together a round up of 3 dimensional shape activities was to find a FREE geometric solids sorting printable.  

I searched for hours and could not find one anywhere.  

This left me no choice but to make the printable myself.  (This was exactly what I was hoping to avoid.)  So, for all of you looking for this, ENJOY!  It is my gift to you.

The Geometric Solids Sorting Printable is a Subscriber's Only Freebie.  For your free copy, follow the directions below.

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4. Click the confirmation link in the thank you message.

5. Once the confirmation is complete, you will receive another message with the Subscriber Only Freebies Link and Password.

6. Click on link and type in password. (The password is cap sensitive.)

7. Find the printable pack you are looking for listed in alphabetical order, click on it, and viola!

We hope you enjoy your free printable.

Note: If you are already a newsletter subscriber, open your most recent newsletter. At the bottom you will find a link to the Subscriber Only Freebies page, along with the password in case you forgot it.

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Montessori-inspired Fruit Unit w/ Free Printables

Learning time, both last week and this week have been dedicated to the study of botany.  

I LOVE that Montessori focuses on this area of science.  We've studied flowers, vegetables, and finally we're introducing a Montessori-inspired Fruit Unit with Free Printables.

The kiddos are loving every minute they spend working on activities.  Bulldozer came downstairs tonight to tell me that his LEGO Star Wars guys have taken a break from battles to plant a garden.  

My heart melted.

Princess continues to ask questions, usually about how fruits and vegetables grow.  

When I showed her our newest Fruit Plant Match Up she jumped in delight.

Dinomite, who doesn't touch foods he doesn't care for (which includes all fruits and vegetables), actually decided to try the watermelon balling activity today, and touched the melon with his fingers! 

Our fruit activities are simple, but there are so many variations and sensory experiences to each activity.  Here's what we're doing!

Montessori-inspired Fruit Unit with Free Printables

Fruit and Plant Match Up

The kiddos will match up fruit plants to their corresponding fruits.  

This can be done as a game or just a simple match up.  

I'm also hoping that questions will lead to a discussion about fruits that grow on trees versus vines, etc. 

A great sorting activity could be easily accomplished using these cards.

Source:  I created the printable for this activity as part of my Fruit Unit Printable Pack 1.  This is a subscriber's only freebie.  See directions at the bottom of this post on how to access your free copy.

Life Cycle of a Peach/Nectarine

We've studied the life cycle of a pumpkin and an apple.  I decided it was time to introduce another type of plant.  Welcome to the life cycle of a peach/nectarine!  The photos are stunning and are numbered as a control for the kiddos.

Source:  I created this printable as part of my Fruit Unit Printable Pack 1.  This is a subscriber's only freebie.  See directions at the bottom of this post on how to access your free copy.

If you'd like an updated copy of the life cycle of a peach, be sure to check out the resource below.

Life Cycle of a Peach Printable Pack

The FREE Montessori-inspired Life Cycle of a Peach Printable Pack includes multiple ways to learn and sequence the life cycle of a peach.

The printable pack meets the needs of all children.

Searching for Seeds

Every day during our unit, the kiddos are given the opportunity to select our fruit tray, used for discovery and exploration.  

The kiddos will examine the fruit using a magnifying glass and various tools, finding seeds, etc. 

At the same time the kiddos will be given the opportunity to touch, smell, and taste various fruits.

Squeezing Citrus Juice

All fruits have juice in them.  Studying fruit provides the perfect time to practice squeezing citrus fruits.  You never know, a seed may fall out as juice falls.

Watermelon Balling

I was a little disappointed to learn that the grocery store isn't carrying watermelon with seeds.  Oh well. The activity still works well.  

The kiddos will practice melon balling using the tool provided.  It's much trickier than it looks.

Cutting a Banana

A fruit unit wouldn't be complete without some sort of cutting activity using our child size cutting board and knife.  The fruit in the activity will change throughout the week.

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1. Click on the Subscriber's link at the bottom of this post.

2. Subscribe to our free newsletter.

3. Open the thank you message you receive after subscribing. (Be sure to check your spam folder, as sometimes it ends up there.)

4. Click the confirmation link in the thank you message.

5. Once the confirmation is complete, you will receive another message with the Subscriber Only Freebies Link and Password.

6. Click on link and type in password. (The password is cap sensitive.)

7. Find the printable pack you are looking for listed in alphabetical order, click on it, and viola!

We hope you enjoy your free printable.

Note: If you are already a newsletter subscriber, open your most recent newsletter. At the bottom you will find a link to the Subscriber Only Freebies page, along with the password in case you forgot it.

 

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For more fabulous botany activities and ideas, take a look at posts included in the 12 Months of Montessori Learning.

Amazing blogs involved in the 12 Months of Montessori Learning

Natural Beach Living ~ The Natural Homeschool ~ Living Montessori Now

The Kavanaugh Report ~ Mama’s Happy Hive~ Grace and Green Pastures ~ The Pinay Homeschooler

If you're looking for other botany resources resources, you may enjoy the posts below.

 

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Spring FINALLY arrived where we live this week.  The kiddos can't get enough of it.  

For over a month they've been talking about planting a vegetable garden, adding flowers to our flower garden, and more.  

It's the perfect time of year to map out garden plans, especially with Earth Day just around the corner.  

I don't know about you, but Earth Day is one of my favorite holidays.  

The Earth is such a beautiful place to live.  It's so wonderful to have a special day to celebrate it.  

Whether you have a little one who's just learning what the Earth is, or kiddos who are capable of learning more, I hope you take the opportunity to celebrate such a special day!

This year we're celebrating Earth Day by dedicating time to planning and preparing for our vegetable garden.  Check out our fabulous Earth Day Vegetable Garden Unit with Free Printables!

Earth Day Vegetable Garden Unit with Free Printables

We kicked off the week with a family night dedicated to teaching our kiddos the importance of having a garden.  

I don't think I've ever seen a set of kiddos so excited to plant a garden.  

Every day they come up with new questions and concerns for me to find answers to.  Some of the activities in this unit are a result of some of those questions.

Plant Picture & Sentence Match Up

Dinomite & Princess are amazing readers.  Within the last three months Bulldozer has made great strides in his reading efforts.  

In this activity the kiddos will match up pictures to their corresponding sentences.

Source:  I created this printable as part of my Vegetable Garden Unit Printable pack 1. This is a subscriber's only freebie. For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Garden Tool Nomenclature Cards

Part of gardening is learning about and using some pretty neat tools.  The kiddos have seen me garden, but other than planting their very own rose bush, they've never participated in the planting process.  In the case of the rose bushes, I had already dug the hole.

In preparation for this unit, I ordered kid sized large and small gardening tools and accessories just for the kiddos.  When they arrived I took a picture of each one to make these cards.  

The kiddos LOVE these cards and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their new gardening tools.  

Source:  I created the printable for this activity as part of my Vegetable Garden Unit Printable Pack 1. For your free copy, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

Measuring Out Seeds

Part of gardening is planting seeds.  The kiddos have never done this before.  

In this activity they will be introduced to the directions on the back of the seed packages.  Once they have read the directions, they will flatten out the play dough (using their hands).  

Next they will mark the recommended distance between seeds, place holes in the play dough (using their fingers).  Then they will place the correct number of seeds in each hole.  

It will be a great measurement and skip counting activity!

Vegetable & Plant Match Up

Princess has been asking a TON of questions about gardens, plants, fruits, and vegetables.  Her most popular question seems to be what type of plant each fruit and vegetable comes from.  This activity was designed for her.

The kiddos will match up vegetables to their corresponding plants.  

I'm pretty sure Dinomite and Bulldozer will turn this activity into a memory game.  

No matter how they choose to complete the activity, they'll learn what each of the vegetable plants look like and learn to identify A LOT of different kinds of vegetables.

Source:  I created this printable as part of my Vegetable Garden Printable Pack 1. This is a subscriber's only freebie.  For your free copy, follow the directions at the bottom of this post.

Planting Tomato Seeds

The kiddos are super eager to start planting now.  Unfortunately our outdoor growing season does not start until the end of May.  

So, instead of purchasing tomato plants at that time, I thought we'd try to grow our own from seeds. 

They should be ready to plant outdoors when it's time.  

The kiddos will scoop the dirt out of the bowl and place it in the "pot."  They will add their seeds, cover them, and add water.

Outdoor Exploration & Discovery

A major part of our vegetable garden unit this week is spending time outdoors, cleaning up our lawn, and getting it ready for a garden.  

The kiddos love using their new tools and exploring as they work.  Dinomite was so proud to find all of the parts of a plant in tact and identified them all accurately. 

Bulldozer loved raking leaves into a pile to jump in.  (Snow came before we were able to do our fall raking.)  

Both boys loved digging holes with their new tools and found a few fun worms they loved studying and observing.  This already has been and will continue to be quite a fun unit!

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1. Click on the Subscriber's link at the bottom of this post.

2. Subscribe to our free newsletter.

3. Open the thank you message you receive after subscribing. (Be sure to check your spam folder, as sometimes it ends up there.)

4. Click the confirmation link in the thank you message.

5. Once the confirmation is complete, you will receive another message with the Subscriber Only Freebies Link and Password.

6. Click on link and type in password. (The password is cap sensitive.)

7. Find the printable pack you are looking for listed in alphabetical order, click on it, and viola!

We hope you enjoy your free printable.

Note: If you are already a newsletter subscriber, open your most recent newsletter. At the bottom you will find a link to the Subscriber Only Freebies page, along with the password in case you forgot it.

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If you're looking for some fabulous Earth Day Play Ideas & Activities, look no further!

Earth Day Sensory Play with Shaving Cream from Golden Reflections Blog

Layers of the Earth (Free Printable) from The Pinay Homeschooler

Sensory Play for Earth Day from Mama's Happy Hive

Creation Sky and Water Hands-On Learning Activities from Christian Montessori Network

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