Seems like these days I’m always making something new, It must be a teacher’s never-ending nesting. Montessori for my own children has become a passion for me, and an extreme benefit to my girls. While I’m creating something new for school, I’m making something tailored just for my three beauties. This week, I made them global address nesting boxes.
At the craft store, I bought three different size boxes and some paints. The whole project cost me around $10. Since my oldest is off to kindergarten in a few weeks, I want her to know her address forward and back. She has been writing out cards for the mail, and learning how to write an address. These boxes represent each line (street address is omitted for the post, the red door is our home). The boxes hide nicely inside one another, and also stack up in order of size much like some of our favorite sensorial materials. I also put little artifacts or photos inside representing each area. From large to small, I made one for our country, state, and home, followed by a mini doll for each person. I have made one for the wide universe, the order starts with the largest. Universe, milky way, solar system, Earth, Continent, Country, State/Region, Town/City, Building, Person, Atom. For Primary aged children, I love presenting this work along with my favorite map book, This Is Me and Where I Am by Joanne Fitzgerald.
I’m no artist, but my children know that I make them things from the heart! How do you explore your global address?
Jessie is a Primary Montessori Teacher and Mom to twin three year olds and a five year old. Jessie has a Montessori blog at The Education Of Ours, and can be found on Twitter. See her other Mommy Moment posts here.
Very nice nesting boxes! Great work!
I’ve made several of these. One set, for older kids, explored life on Earth–the largest box was the Biosphere. For another set the largest box was the human body. I am an avid adherent to Montessori methods.
Jessie this is a really great way to visually represent addresses. I think this would make the concept of space and place a lot more easily understood. I really like this idea – I’ve started collecting ideas for when J starts preschool next year
xx
This is a great idea! Doing this when we get home!
I LOVE these, Jessie! Nesting boxes are great in general, but this is one of the best nesting activities I’ve seen! Wonderful job of creating and painting the boxes … definitely a creation from the heart! Thanks so much for linking up with Montessori Monday! I featured your post at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page.
This reminded me of a cartoon on Sesame Street when I was younger of a little girl looking out her window describing how her house was on her street, in her city, in her state, in her country, in the world. But, I couldn’t find it online…
Now you need a “world” box.
I’m working on a world box, solar system box, and universe! You should see my garage.
Yes, I know that song from Sesame Street. I couldn’t find it on YouTube.
I had fun revisiting this, Jessie! I just featured your global address nesting boxes post and photo in my DIY cosmic nesting boxes post: livingmontessorinow.com/2012/09/17/montessori-monday-diy-cosmic-nesting-boxes-map-towers-and-me-on-the-map/