Cheap and Practical Montessori

Kids don’t need perfection, beauty or big bucks spent to place a successful, intriguing work before them.

Stuff around the house can be put together in surprising ways for small hands to use.

My staff says I need to go to estate sale rehab. Years of bringing back random, strange objects has always paid off in the creation of a huge variety of manipulatives that are truly unique.

My box of unmatched items grew empty so off I went bargain hunting again. 25 cents an item or for the whole bag! I always pair each activity up with a 50 cent tray and a 10 cent spoon and my imagination. This week they are not so pretty, but I know the kids will love doing them.

My students inhale practical life works and I rotate them often. The bargain works are created and then bagged up, often with the appropriate 50 cent tray, for quick finding and easy rotation. I know I have over 100 practical life works bagged to switch out. Almost all objects are discount finds from Goodwill, Salvation Army, garage or estate sales.

See my other estate sale posts for more ideas!
http://inspiredmontessori.blogspot.com/search/label/Budget

http://inspiredmontessori.blogspot.com/search/label/Estate%20Sale%20Works

Estate sale bonanza. The odd parts fall together to make
this sweet activity for very young children.

I have been saving juice lids and must come up with more ways to use them all!

Old flag poles find their mate!

These unloved objects have been at the bottom of my unmatched items box for over 15 years. I never thought I could find a use for them until I found wooden eggs at an estate sale. Then, presto! Their hidden potential was finally made visible.  

Our toddlers love this and will do it over and over!  Open ended free choice matching of base to wooden eggs. 

This tall bread tin makes the perfect down the chute work with styrofoam balls. 

This is so elementary that I hesitated to put it out. The twos and threes did this non-stop all afternoon! 

This would make a church grandma proud.  Church bazaar craft of felt mittens with a hair clip inside is a perfect pinch open and shut work for my students.