Share Montessori materials you've made yourself?

[gabbyraja]

I want to incorporate some Montessori into our HS mix. I've bought some placemats for the activity rugs, have some blocks, child-sized table/chairs, made felt boards, basics. But I want some other things and I don't want to spend another penny if possible. I want to make some things.

Have you made your own sandpaper letters? How about counting rods? (These are some of the things I remember from ds#1's Mont class a few years ago...)

Share with us the things (infant-safe things, as we have one of those, too) you've made and how you did it?

[LilyGrace]

We made a new multiplication mat/place value mat at the beginning of the year to use with our Math U See manipulatives. I took an old pillowcase and marked off lengths of 4 1/4 in along the top and side, leaving a 2-3in border on the bottom and right side. I slipped an old paper bag inside, marked off sections with masking tape, and we colored the squares (green - ones, blue - 10s, red - 100s) with our fingers and let it dry overnight. I printed out sheets of numbers from the computer and glued them to 1x1.5in cardboard squares. The numbers home is an ice cube tray now.

When the boys were smaller, I made dressing frames with old picture frames and shirts. I cut the center of the shirt the height of the frame and wide enough for the two pieces to wrap around and be stapled under.

I made our own sets of beads with way too much work involved!

I've printed out plenty from www.montessorimaterials.org

Sandpaper letters were done with cut sandpaper, but the tray of sand was used much more often.

Placemat - thrift store navy blue cotton placemat, bleach pen. I traced around the cup, plate, spoon and fork with the bleach pen.