The purpose of Practical Life in a Montessori classroom is to help the child gain control of her movements and build independence. These works appeal to Primary-aged children who can often be heard saying, “I can do it!” Practical Life exercises can be categorized into four different groups: preliminary applications, applied applications, grace and courtesy, and control of movement.
Over the past several weeks, we have been introduced to several engaging and exciting works in applied applications which are activities that can be found in every day life. Painting the house in our outdoor classroom with water is a popular work. Bags of carrots have been peeled in front of one of our beautiful windows. Our students have loved practicing using a real hammer (after donning real safety goggles first!) to pound golf tees into an enormous pumpkin that they planted in our garden last Spring. Finger muscles are then strengthened by pulling tees back out. These pictures show concentration and pride as our students practice and master what they see adults doing every day.
