Montessori Handwork

There have been a lot of big changes in my world lately - perhaps that is why I have been so drawn to this craft that is all about change....

People often ask me how I manage the amount of time children spend doing handwork in my classroom. They worry that if they make all these...

We made beeswax candles on our Fundamental Human Needs Camp earlier this year and it was a huge hit. As we try to obtain all of our materia

If you haven't already heard all the chatter on social media about the huge online event planned in celebration of Dr. Montessori's 150th...

Since posting my lesson on Making and Using a Cardboard Loom I have had several requests for the next stage: removing weaving from the loom

I threw quite a lot of information at you in the webinar so I thought I'd collect some of it together here for easier reference.

I have tried to find activities that can be presented to children without very much expert input and with materials they might already have

Last week we took our three 9-12 classes on our annual Fundamental Human Needs Camp and it was EPIC! As our school year begins at the end...

As we slide into the New Year and start to look at fresh ideas and new things, I’d like to tell you about a way my students have...

Spring has most definitely sprung down here in the Southern Hemisphere and all our attention has turned to the garden. We use the produce...

I have a new love in my life. Indigo is one of nature's most incredible dyes. it is also one of humanity's oldest dyes and one of only...

Wherever we go, we take out love of textiles with us, so it didn't take us long to notice that many of the fabrics in the markets were print

It's been a couple of months since our students built their own shelters to sleep in on our school camp, but this week something caused...

But nature can be a bit of a trickster. Sometimes we find a flower or leaf that is full of beautiful colour but we just can’t get the colour

Over the last few months my class has be really into dyeing. We have mostly been working with natural dyes, like the turmeric we used for...

My students use sharp knives a lot. They have been chopping food since the casa and as we cook community lunch every week, they are very...

Last week we went on our 9-12 community camp. Our camp is a huge deal to us as, for one week each year, we try to meet all of our own...

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions for me and everyone around me. I have not managed to post for a while as a parent in...

Recently I had a student teacher observing in my class. We had a hectic day and the clean up at the end did not go well at all. When...

Recently I had a student teacher observing in my class. We had a hectic day and the clean up at the end did not go well at all. When...

One of that many wonderful things about the Montessori method is that it celebrates the interconnections of life, nature and the universe....

I'm getting ready to start the new school year and will be telling The Story of the History of Wool to my new children next week. The...

It's still the summer holidays down here in New Zealand. It's been a scorcher and I have been off enjoying life with my family and...

One of my students is working on a project on the history of writing implements. She plans to write up each piece of research using the...

There is so much curriculum-centred handwork going on in my class at the moment, it feels like there has been some kind of explosion! ...

We made soap! This has caused great excitement in our class this week. Soap is one of those things that we rarely stop to think about...

Whenever I am working with a new fibre with my students, I get them to think about the science and history that goes with it. Wool holds...

As children move into the third plane of development - usually around the age of twelve - they begin to show an interest in participating...

'The Workings of a Work of Wool workshop'. My inner grammarian is a little bit excited about managing to include the same root word three...

Over the last week or so, my class have been going crazy for clay. I introduced the work with a story, showed them how to make pinch...

When I introduce children to a new craft, I like to begin by showing how to make their own tools. We begin by exploring the tools others...

On my recent trip to Colorado I had the pleasure of visiting a few Montessori Schools and meeting many awesome Montessori teachers. It...

Something amazing is happening in the Montessori movement! More and more teachers are coming to recognise the importance of handwork and...

Stick weaving is a fun addition to the Handwork toolbox and is a productive alternative to the endless finger knitting of the lower...

Yesterday saw not one, but two monumental events for Montessori Handwork. The first was a legal requirement, the second was a...

Ladies and gentlemen - We have LIFT OFF!!! Everything has fallen into place. I now have the first run of The Work of Wool - A...

We all know that 6 -12 year old children love to hero-worship. Our job is to introduce them to a range of worthy contenders for this...

Because I have been working on my Handwork Album for the last few years, I am constantly trying out new crafts. I often share them with...

Sometimes simple questions spark a great deal of thought and not so simple answers. My dear friend Jess, a wonderful Montessori guide...

Guess what???!!!! I’ve finished writing my Handwork Album!!!!! I really have!!! Here is a sneak preview of the cover. For me, and my...

It’s walnut season here in New Zealand so my students have been visiting our walnut tree every morning to collect its fallen bounty and...

My class have pompoms on the brain at the moment, I don't really know where the craze has come from, but I have a group of children who...

In a post last December I wrote about our plans to produce all of our own food for this years school camp from scratch. Properly from...

Often in schools we are given odd balls of yarn with no labels, and we therefore don't know what size it is or what fibre it is made...

As promised in the Felt Balls Lesson post, here is the story I tell when introducing felt to children for the first time. I like to give...

The New Zealand school year is just about to begin and as I was wondering what activities I should offer the children to keep them going...

It probably feels hard for those of you battling heavy snow and mega storms to believe, but down here in New Zealand we are still on...

Once my students have grasped the basics of knitting, I encourage them to think about ways they can use their new skill to help others. ...

Ladies and gentlemen, I have, what is for me, and hopefully for some of you, some very exciting news: I have my first two Montessori...

Handwork fulfills any number of roles as a part of Cosmic Education. In the Elementary, one of these roles is to pick up where Practical...