Summer Lesson Plans

Incorporating Montessori Elements

Sensory Balloons

Warning! Balloons are a choking hazard.

Children under eight years old can choke or suffocate on deflated or broken balloons. Adult supervision is required with balloons. Do not allow children to put balloons in their mouths, discard balloons immediately if they become torn, and always supervise children closely while they are playing with balloons.

Activity:  

• Sensory Balloons

Lesson plan developed by:  Aurora Tollestrup, BS Ed

Age Group:

• Mobile Infants
• Toddlers
• Preschool

Objectives:  

Children will: 

• be able to explore different textures without visual cues.
• be able to explore different textures without visual cues and match them to pictures of the contents.

Sensory Balloons

CDA Competency Standard:   

II.4.3a

• Activities and materials encourage children to develop their senses.

o   a) Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch experiences are encouraged through a variety of developmentally appropriate materials and activities

11.5.2a

• Materials and equipment stimulate children’s thinking and problem-solving.

o   a) Materials and equipment provide a variety of opportunities for cognitive development

Materials: 

• Assorted items to fill balloons such as:
  • Same colored balloons
  • Sand
    
  • Mini Marshmallows
    
  • Marbles
    
  • Hair gel or shampoo
    
  • Flour or cornstarch
    
  • Birdseed
• Large white piece of paper or poster board with photos of the different balloon fillers

Procedure: 

To create the materials:

• Fill balloons with the various items.
• Print photos of the various items and affix them to a large white piece of paper and laminate.

For the lesson:

• Place the balloons and paper on a shallow tray.
• Mobile infants and toddlers should be guided through the process of feeling the balloons for texture and weight.
  
• Teachers should ask questions, make observations, help the children compare the materials and help them place the balloons on the appropriate photos.
• Preschool children should be given a demonstration of the lesson as well as understand the purpose for it, which is to explore and match different textures.
• Place the tray in an appropriate area of the classroom, keeping in mind the ages of the children in the room.

Assessment: 

Mobile infants and toddlers:

• Observe and record the student’s reaction to the different textures. Do their reactions change with different sensory objects? Do they prefer one texture over another?

Preschool Children:

• Observe and record the student’s ability to match the textures with their photos. Did the child need help? Did they have questions?

Extension:

• When the preschool child is able to match the photos and balloons easily, add a label card that corresponds with each photo for them to match.

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Ages or Ability Levels

In a Montessori classroom, students are arranged in their classroom, not by grade or age, but instead by a range of ages and ability levels. Often Montessori classrooms are organized by several traditional grade levels. You may find a Montessori preschool classroom which contains children from three to six years of age, a lower elementary classroom with children aged six to nine years of age, and more. Combining these different ages gives students a range of peers to collaborate with and mentor. This also gives children greater access to more challenging work, if they are in need of it.