Practical life: From Buttons to Baking to Bird Seed
Presented by Michele Aspinall

The area of practical life lays the foundation for work in all areas of the primary classroom. Use of proper names helps to develop language. Careful sequence and presentations develop order and exactness necessary for math work. Polishing, scrubbing, and baking develop a sense of social responsibility and appreciation for the environment. Work with the dressing frames develops independence. All of the work in the practical life area helps the child establish a healthy relationship with the surrounding people and environment, one in which the child sees herself as affecting change rather than being affected by it.

But how to get the children interested? This is not always so easy. One aspect of this challenge is to make the materials beautiful. No plastic. No Rubbermaid. Instead, copper and glass, and wood and fabric. Presenter Michele Aspinall has a unique gift for assembling irresistible Practical Life exercises. During this session she will share her secrets with you.

Another aspect to be considered is making Practical Life relevant. Michele has created an environment with exercises that meet the real needs of the classroom today. The standards like table scrubbing and silver polishing remain. But Michele has carefully considered many other tasks that need to be accomplished in the Montessori classroom and guided by Montessori theory assembled materials to meet those needs. One of the most popular exercises is baking.

Finally, Michele has also worked on Grace and Courtesy Lessons that address some of the social difficulties many children are currently exhibiting.