Ripley's Montessori School

On Friday, Ripley's Montessori School had a "Holiday" Celebration. The best part of the whole event was that parents were allowed to go into the classrooms and "work" along side their children. Every time I go to his school I'm amazed and inspired by the clever tools they use to teach the students. Of course, when I arrived, Ripley was busily working away on this puzzle -- which we have at home! He can do the entire thing without help and knows a lot of the states by name.


This is such a clever idea. It's thick clay inside a wooden box. Kids hammer "nails" - or golf tees - into the clay.

The infamous Tower Cubes and Brown Stairs. This is another child's work, but I took a picture of it because it's Ripley's favorite. For days on end when I asked him what he did at school he told me that he worked with the Tower Cubes and the Brown Stairs, to the point where it became a joke between us. "You worked with them again?!" I'd exclaim. "No, I'm just teasing you." Ripley would say.

I loved this work. The little basket of items (basket #6) coordinate with these wooden sandpaper letter cards (kept in slot #6). Each item is put next to the letter the word begins with. So, as you can see kaleidoscope, kangaroo and koala are placed at the top of the letter K. Jet, jack-o-lantern, jeep and jack-in-the-box are placed at the top of the letter J. Isn't that fabulous?! It would be so simple to make these projects at home. (Incidentally, sandpaper letters are used as a work. The children practice tracing the letters with the texture underneath their fingers.)

Here is their snack area. Only two children can be in the snack area "snacking". To indicate the they are taking their turn, they put on a little bell necklace that hangs around one of the two chairs at the small snack table. They are responsible for pouring their own juice or milk, and often times have to count out how many pretzels or crackers they can have. The chalk board will read for example "4 Pretzels" along with 4 individually drawn pretzels along side. Isn't that fabulous? Teaching them Independence, gross motor skills and counting all at the same time!

This is a small little thing that I saw just as we were getting ready to leave. I took a picture of it because I thought it was so clever and adorable. All of the various "works" sit simply and organized on shelves that are eye level for the children. Here is a miniature Christmas Tree and a basket that is full of little decorations. Cute?! Is it not?