Go Nuts!

This bowl of mixed nuts in the shell kept us occupied in the school room for nearly an hour on Friday.

We learned all about the nuts - names, textures, colors.  Then, of course, we cracked them open, ate them, and discussed the differences in tastes. Unfortunately, the only nut the boys could crack with the nutcracker was the peanut. But they put in a good effort and learned a little about technique.

It gave me a chance to share some memories of my Grandfather, who spent hours shelling pecans into two perfect halves. ♥

We sorted them by type into this muffin tin.

Big Brother has almond-shaped eyes!

Little Brother used the nutcrackers like tongs.

You can get FREE three-part cards for these nuts from Montessori Materials. I wish I had done this, but I don't have a color printer. I probably should get one, since there are lots of free printable resources online.

I noticed on My Montessori Journey's post today that they went nuts as well! I love her idea of incorporating numbers and counting. I think I'll try that next week.