Raking Leaves

Kit Li, a UMA graduate from Alberta, Canada shares her UMA original project, which is a clever Practical Life activity for the classroom entitled, "Raking Leaves." 

Start out with:

• A mat 
• Wicker basket filled with leaves
• Bamboo rake

Kit marked the rake with two separate lines to indicate hand positions as a control of error. 

 

Although Kit used real leaves in this presentation, she has found that colorful silk leaves work very nicely. They do not dry out (avoiding a crumbly mess) and you can continue leaf raking throughout the entire year.

Steps in presentation include:

• Roll out mat and place to right of wicker basket
• Kneeling, gently scoop leaves with both hands onto mat, starting at top, moving in a left-to-right direction until all leaves have been removed and the mat is covered
• Stand, hold rake by placing hands carefully on marked lines, and begin raking leaves into a pile in the middle of the mat, starting at the top left
• Return rake
• Kneeling, gently scoop leaves in similar manner back into the wicker basket
• Roll up mat, stand, and return

Variations:

• Hay
• Pinecones

Purpose:

• Raking leaves!
• Order
• Concentration
• Independence
• Hand-eye coordination
• Indirect preparation for language (left to right - reading/writing)

 Thank you, Kit Li, for sharing!

Comments

[Deb Chitwood @ Living Montessori Now]

I love this activity! I think it's a great, easily managed introduction to raking leaves as well as a good activity when children need to be indoors. I've featured this post at http://livingmontessorinow.com/2010/11/15/activity-of-the-week-raking-leaves-indoors/.