One of the first things a parent might notice after their child starts in a Montessori programme is their child’s increased ability to function independently in their environment. Learning to pour their own water, button their clothes, serve and feed themselves food may seem like mundane tasks but for young developing children, these actions help them to master complex motor tasks of pouring and scooping. This area of learning is aptly named “Practical Life”. Practical Life Exercises focus on the care of self and daily essential activities of the children.  This in turn teaches them to be independent and develop their self-confidence. Did you know that children also learn important skills such as sorting in the process as well? Sorting involves making a variety of thinking and decision-making skills. It also enables higher order thinking of the children when they sort objects with two or more attributes such as colours, sizes, or shapes. It is relatively easy to work on sorting exercises with your child at home using materials that you already have. The colour exercise here can be practiced with children as young as 18 months old. Start with one attribute first (here we are working on colours) and add on more attributes to make the exercise more challenging for older children. Remember to model the activity for them before letting them try it out for themselves. Tip: To learn to set up your home for Montessori at Home work and how to teach Montessori at Home, do check out our new Monti beta test! Colours Sorting Fun! Materials Needed Containers or bags (colours of your choice) Assorted objects of different colours for your child to sort In this activity, the child is learning to sort objects of different colours. Steps: Step 1. Place the coloured bags on the floor or designated space. You may want to discuss with your child the use of the object to build on your child’s vocabulary and understanding Step 2. Next, place the object on the bag with the respective colour. Step 3. Let your child continue independently. Remember to give positive encouragement to your child when the object is sorted correctly! *Activity extension for older children (4 years old and above): Place the sorting bags or containers at a distance from your child. Ask them to run or skip (or pick an action together) to retrieve the object and bring it to the correct coloured bag or container. Don’t forget it’s all about having fun with your child, as well as an interactive way for your child to work on their sorting skills. Have fun trying this out!

This month’s Montessori at Home activity is both delicious and nutritious: making a healthy fruit smoothie drink with your child! Did you know that fruits are an excellent source of dietary fiber and vitamins? Sometimes, getting children to eat fruits can be a challenge, but blending them into a smoothie is a sneaky yet effective way to ensure they get all their essential nutrients. Plus, it’s a fun and interactive way to involve children in the kitchen and teach them about healthy eating habits. We believe a child who learns to love nutritious and fresh fruits, will have a healthier life in the long term. Have fun making your fruit smoothies! Time to Create your Delicious Fruit Smoothie Now it’s time for you to create this delicious fruit smoothie with your child. Before you start the process of making the smoothie, here are some additional Montessori tips: 1. Discuss fruits and vegetables with your child. Which ones do they like the most? Why is it important to include fruit and vegetables in our diet? Older children may have combination ideas that they would like to try out – this is a fun and fruitful discussion to have. You could even search for the nutritional makeup of ingredients before making the smoothie. Do you need to go on a trip to the supermarket to purchase ingredients? Maybe you need to make a shopping list? Read here for some tips on how to shop at the supermarket, Montessori style. 2. Set up your prepared environment. Do you have all your materials? Have you laid them out before activity time? Can you involve your child in preparing for the exercise? Are you excited to see the recipe? Here goes! Fruity Smoothies Ingredients / Equipment Needed Bananas, strawberries (suggested) Ice Greek Yogurt Blender Knife Directions Step 1.  Cut the fruits into smaller pieces. Step 2. Place the cut fruit in a container. Freeze them for a few hours! Step 3. Place the frozen fruit in the blender, remember to add in the yogurt and ice to blend together as well! Step 4. It’s time to enjoy the fruit smootie! Cheers! Research consistently demonstrates the importance of balanced diets in helping children stay focused and energised. Here at House on the Hill, we take pride in our distinctive menu, which has received accolades from various reputable sources. Not only has it earned the stamp of approval from Singapore’s Healthy Meals in Pre-schools Programme (HMPP), but it has also garnered recognition from internationally renowned nutritionist Ian Marber. Most importantly, our menu has won the hearts and taste buds of the children and families of House on the Hill! We’re committed to providing wholesome and delicious meals that nourish both body and mind.

4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour Singapore’s National Day is around the corner! It marks the day when Singapore gained her independence and celebrates the nation’s perseverance in achieving success throughout the  years. Thinking of what to do with your child to celebrate National Day? A fun, engaging and delicious hands-on activity would be to make a National Day sandwich together! Simple cookery is one of our favourite ways to introduce topics to the children. It is a great way to talk and discuss just about everything. To start, discuss with your child about the ingredients they want to have in their sandwich (with the younger ones drawing the items, whilst older ones can write it out). Then, plan a trip to the supermarket together! Through this exercise, children undergo various learning opportunities. For example, naming the ingredients, understanding of food/nutrition labels, concept of money and so on. You can recreate this activity with just about any theme! We recommend picking one, and then planning out what sorts of discussions you would like to have around it. For example, with National Day, you could have a discussion about the colours of the Singapore flag. Thereafter, brainstorm, discuss and list out the ingredients that could symbolize the colours of the national flag! Remember that your role throughout the activity is a facilitator, parents should only assist when necessary! Begin by setting up the environment and materials for sandwich-making. Focus on just one step at a time. If your child needs guidance, begin by modelling the action slowly and quietly while getting them to observe your demonstration. Next, step back and allow them to do it independently. When adults step back, you trust in the child’s ability. This allows your child to learn and master new skills. Enjoy both the process and having the homemade sandwich together! Don’t forget to make one or have one made for yourselves! National Day Sandwich Ingredients Needed Wholegrain Bread Tomatoes Sliced / Shredded / Swiss Cheese Butter Equipment Needed Knife Spoon Cutting Board Cup or Wine Glass (optional) Frying Pan Bread Toaster Directions Step 1.  Press the wine glass onto the bread to cut out a circular shape. Step 2. The same goes for another slice of bread. Step 3. Remember to remove the packaging of the cheese! Step 4. Press the wine glass onto the cheese to cut out a circular shape. Step 5. Start to stack the ingredients onto the bread! You could place sliced cheese onto the bread first… Step 6. …the Swiss cheese (the holes could represent the stars on the Singapore’s flag) … Step 7. then, the tomatoes! Step 8. Place another slice of circular-shaped bread on top and spread butter onto it. Step 9. Pan fry the sandwich! Step 10. (optional) Alternatively, you could toast the remaining bread… Step 11. (optional) Place the toasted bread into a Ziplock bag, then make them into breadcrumbs! Step 12. (optional) Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top to make your sandwich taste crispy! Step 13. Finally, enjoy your handmade National Day Sandwich! Have fun with sandwich-making at home! Happy National Day!

Having a hard time thinking of how to entertain the children at home during the Heightened Alert Phase? One of the activities that excites the children the most in school is the Laser Maze! It is great fun and they really have to exercise their brains to figure out how to coordinate their bodies and the movement needed to get through the ‘laser beams’. When making your own laser maze at home, we recommend involving children from the beginning. Let the child take the lead! It encourages them to be independent and tests their creativity to design a challenging maze. Of course, you can get involved in part of their creation process too. You can give suggestions, help to cut the strings, help to tape the strings at a higher point and so on. The materials needed to build the maze are simple and can all be found at home – you’ll need some space, strings, tape and a pair of scissors. Laser Maze Materials Needed String Tape A pair of scissors How to make your own laser maze at home: Step 1. Tape the strings across the walls… Step 2. … at any height you want! Step 3. Get the children to go through the maze by crawling and bending… Step 4.  … to avoid their bodies touching the imaginary ‘beams’! You can try to get through it too! Race each other or change up the strings to make it more challenging. Hours of fun! With that, we hope that you had fun with the children building and playing your self-created ‘Laser Maze’. Stay home, stay safe!

As a school based in multiracial Singapore, one of the most important celebrations for us is Eid or Hari Raya Puasa in Malay. It marks the end of the fasting month Ramadan; it is also a time of forgiveness and building bonds amongst family members. 4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour Homemade treats are a highlight of the festive season. This is a sweet and tasty snack that you and your child can make easily at home. Plan a trip to the supermarket together to gather the ingredients and make a list (older children can write it out, younger ones can draw the items). You can even discuss the individual ingredients – for example, what is honey, how is it made… the possibilities are endless! Refresh your memory about how to plan a supermarket field trip with our blog post here. Remember that your role is to facilitate the making of the treats. Begin with a prepared environment and make sure the materials are ready beforehand. Focus on just one step at a time, and if your child does not know how, begin by doing the action slowly and quietly and letting them observe, and then give them the opportunity to do it on their own. Enjoy the finished product together! Honey Cornflake Cups Ingredients Needed Honey Sugar (optional) Melted Unsalted butter (45g) Cornflakes (approximately 3/4s of a box) Small Paper Cups Baking Tray Weighing Scale Directions Step 1. Measure 30g of honey Step 2. Add in honey into the melted butter and sugar (optional). Step 3. Mix it! Step 4. Pour the mixture into the cornflakes. Step 5. Ensure that the cornflakes are well coated with the mixture. Step 6. Place a spoonful of cornflakes into the paper cups and bake for 10 mins. Honey cornflakes are ready to be served! With this simple and easy recipe, we hope that you will have fun working together with your child. We wish Eid Mubarak and Selamat Hari Raya to you and your family if you are celebrating this special festival!

In case you missed it, we celebrated Earth Day on 22 April 2021 this year! Earth Day is always a good reminder for us to go green and make our Earth a beautiful place to live in! It is very important that we, the adults, educate our children to learn about respecting our Earth. It is not difficult at all and can be done through simple and fun activities. We have one for you to try in this article! At House on the Hill, we are deeply committed to doing our best to be responsible for our waste. All of our preschools take special care to recycle and incorporate recycling of milk bottles, plastics and paper into our activities. HotH families have been asked to support this by bringing these items to school. We are glad to see children bringing in these materials often and placing them into our recycling containers! It is not that hard to do this at home as well! Recycled materials are extremely useful in craft activities – plus children can admire and talk about their artwork after completion. Instead of giving stickers to encourage your child, why not make a medal together? Read on to see how a medal can be made using recyclable materials that you can easily find at home! Earth Day Medal Craft Materials Needed Recycled papers from magazines of pamphlets Glue Scissors Plastic bags Round container lid (punch in a hole for the strap to go through) Star-shaped cardboard Directions Step 1. Tear the recycled papers into smaller pieces. Step 2. Paste the shredded paper as decoration onto the cardboard star using glue. Step 3. The strap of the medal is made by cutting the plastic bag into 3 strips. Step 4. Braiding of the 3 plastic strips can be done to strengthen the strap. This can be done with the assistance of an adult. Step 5. Thread the strap through the hole of the round lid. Step 6. Paste the decorated star onto the round lid. Step 7. The medal is ready. Look at how excited the child is! Go ahead and try this at home! Before you start, have a conversation with your child about how you can customise the medal to make it special for them. You can make a medal to suit every occasion – or as gifts for loved ones! Most importantly, have fun working on this together!

Easter celebrations are always fun! We usually will have Easter egg hunts, bunny mascots and even chocolate treats in school! This is an easy and cute Easter Craft that your child will enjoy creating together with you. It is a great way to re-use what we can easily find at home – bottle caps and yarns! Crafting is fun, and it also enhances the fine motor skills of your child. This is especially important as these skills are essential for pencil grip development and eye-hand coordination. It can also be used to encourage independence. One of the key principles of Montessori is to allow the children to do, see and learn for themselves. For instance, using the scissors and hole puncher. With supervision, start with the basics. Show your child how to use these tools and encourage them to do it on their own. When they are provided with items they can hold and manipulate with their small hands, the more success they will feel and the more satisfaction the child will achieve. Can’t wait to find out more? Let’s get started! Easter Bunny Streamers Materials Needed Papers (white/coloured) Hole Puncher Scissors Paint of various colours Paing Brushes Directions Step 1. Dip the bottle caps into the coloured paint of your choice. Print it on the white paper. Step 2. Draw the long bunny ears as long as you can! Leave it to dry. * Make as many as bunnies as you can with different colours and bottle caps sizes! Step 3. The Easter bunny is formed after the facial features such as eyes and mouth are drawn. Step 4. Cut the shape of the bunny. Be careful in cutting the edges to ensure that the ears stay together! Repeat for the rest of the bunnies. Step 5. Make a hole in the bunny’s ear with the use of a hole puncher. Step 6. Thread the bunnies using a yarn/string. Now, you will have the bunny streamers ready to be used to be placed around the house! Happy Easter Holidays! And may the Happy Easter Bunny bring us Spring time joy!

鱼生 or Yú Shēng is traditionally a spring salad eaten by the Chinese community in Singapore and Malaysia to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It is considered a symbol of prosperity. You may have taken part in the shouting of well wishes as the salad is tossed by everyone at the table! Fun for the adults – and fun for children as well. In this Montessori at Home Activity, we have created a simple and healthy recipe to plan and prepare with your child.   Jump to Recipe & Montessori Tips 4 Beautiful Locations Islandwide At House on the Hill, we strive to embody the true Montessori method and philosophy in every lesson and activity. Book A Tour Our Mount Sophia Parent Liaison Yng Sze and her family kindly tried our recipe out for us. After making their shopping list, they trooped off to the supermarket to pick up the ingredients! Here they are selecting their cucumbers and radishes.   It was time to prepare the ingredients when they got home! Don’t forget the sauce! Time to Lo Hei! Don’t forget to say the well-wishes out as you build the salad! And toss! 新年快乐！Happy New Year to everyone celebrating this festival! Healthy Yu Sheng Recipe for Children Suggested Ingredients: 100g fresh smoked salmon, thinly sliced *please note that this is to replace the raw fish component  2 cups white radish, thinly shredded 2 cups carrot, thinly sliced 1 cup cucumber, thinly shredded 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced 1 tsp pickled ginger, thinly shredded 4 sprigs of fresh Chinese parsley ¼ cup of chopped peanuts, roasted and unsalted Toasted sesame seeds for garnish 1 tbsp five spice powder ¼ cup whole-wheat crackers, crushed Dressing: ½ cup of plum sauce 1 tbsp lemon juice ¼ cup of water 1 tsp peanut/ corn oil 1 tsp sesame oil 1/8 tsp five spice powder (Serves 6 to 8) Method: To make the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients and set aside. Arrange the fish slices in the centre of a large platter. Place each type of vegetable in sections around the platter. Sprinkle the pickled ginger, peanut, sesame seeds, parsley and whole-wheat crackers over the vegetables. Pour the dressing evenly. You are ready to toss for good health! Recipe adapted from the Singapore Health Promotion Board  Here is a helpful guide video about the ‘lucky phrases’ to say while you’re tossing the salad. Tip: Play the video while they’re adding the ingredients to the salad! It’s OK to get as messy and playful with the tossing as possible. P.S. Don’t forget to get everybody a set of chopsticks!  Montessori Tips: Food and cooking are some of the best and most fun ways to include Montessori learning at home. Children love being involved in cooking for the family and being able to contribute in some way. They are also more receptive to eating (or trying something new) the food they have prepared. Engage your child by giving them a part in picking the ingredients to purchase: write the shopping list together and ask them to help you find items at the shop. What would they like in the dish and why? This is a great, fun way to have discussions about healthy food and how it nourishes them. There are lots of variations but yu sheng typically consists of raw fish strips (replaced with smoked salmon in our child-friendly recipe), crackers, shredded vegetables, five spice powder and a sweet plum sauce.  When you are planning this activity, feel free to substitute with your child’s favourite fruit and vegetables – they may even prefer their favourite savoury cookie instead of crackers! Once you get home, the little sous chefs can help out in the kitchen. Let them wash, prep the vegetables and lay them out in bowls. Prepare a small knife to cut the vegetables (supervised). Make sure there are bowls and spoons ready to measure out the ingredients for the dressing. Older children can help you to measure out the ingredients for the dressing together too. While you’re working on this together, have discussions about colours, smells, tastes and textures. Check out our Free Montessori at Home Activity Booklets! This is a collection of Montessori at Home activities that you can do with your child. All are engaging and fun, but they also have developmental intentions. They are easy to do and require minimal preparation. Most materials can already be found in the home! Highlights Tips on how to get the most out of these booklets How to create the ideal learning environment at home Guidelines for each age group Easy to do Montessori at Home activities for you to learn and bond with your child over Montessori Tips for each activity Learn More

Jing, House on the Hill Founder and Mum of Kai and Hans, made some Christmas Truffles with the boys as a Montessori at Home activity! Let’s see how they got on! First, they discussed how to make it, made a shopping list together, then they picked the items from the supermarket together with Daddy and Mummy. Sticking to Montessori principles at home, Jing laid all the ingredients out for them. Kai chopped the chocolate buttons up Hans helped to transfer all the chopped chocolate into a prepared bowl Kai measured out the cream He stirred it on the stove Hans helped to stir the mixture together Kai put his apron on and poured the chocolate sprinkles out He coated the truffles with sprinkles carefully Here’s the final product! Doesn’t it look good? They popped them into the fridge to set. The next day, it was time to taste their Christmas truffles! A resounding thumbs up of approval! Here’s the recipe and some Montessori at Home tips for you to try this for yourselves at home! Chocolate Truffles Who doesn’t love chocolate? This simple recipe (adapted from BBC Good Food) is crowd-pleasing and easy to make! Be prepared for a delicious mess, and lots of lip smacking, finger licking fun! Ingredients: 150g dark chocolate, chopped 150g milk chocolate, chopped 150ml double cream 50g unsalted butter cocoa powder, sprinkles, lustre powder, icing sugar, chopped nuts, for coating flavourless oil (such as sunflower), for shaping How to:  STEP 1 Put the dark and milk chocolate in a bowl, then put the cream and butter in a pan and bring to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until it melts. Leave to cool, then chill in the fridge for 7 hrs. STEP 2 Put the coatings into separate bowls. To shape the truffles, lightly rub your hands with flavourless oil and roll teaspoons of the truffle mix between your palms – this can get messy! STEP 3 Gently roll the truffles in the bowl until evenly coated, then put in a box and chill. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for three days, or freeze for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge overnight. Montessori tips: Your child is the chocolatier today and you are there to help guide your child through the steps. Begin with a prepared environment and make sure the materials are all ready:  ingredients, bowl, large spoon. Let your child do the scooping, stirring, and rolling into balls. Focus on just one step at a time, and if your child does not know how, begin by doing the action slowly and quietly and letting them observe, and then give them the opportunity to do it on their own. Enjoy the finished product together! And remember, they can help clean the bowls when you are all finished! Pop these homemade Christmas truffles in a pretty box if you want to give them as a gift. Children will love giving them to family and friends, plus preparing the gift is an additional Montessori at Home activity. Want More Montessori At Home Activities? Download Our Free Montessori at Home Booklets! Montessori shouldn’t end when school ends. We have created a collection fun and engaging Montessori at Home activities for infants, toddlers and children in nursery and kindergarten! Learn More