Montessori-Inspired Vegetable Unit

Welcome to the August 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Farmer’s Markets

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about something new they’ve learned about their local farmers.

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I always loved to visit the farmer’s market with my kids. A vegetable unit is great at any time, but I especially love it when it’s the season to find produce at the farmer’s market.

My family always enjoyed finding fresh versions of our favorite vegetables, such as sweet corn, carrots, beets, and string beans. But we often liked to try a new vegetable or even pick up some fresh flowers to add to our table. It’s awesome whenever you can add activities that will make the most of your farmer’s market experience.

Here are links to Montessori-inspired vegetable printables and activities you can use to add to your family’s farmer’s market experience (or your own gardening experience):

Montessori-Inspired Vegetable Printables

Leaf Vegetable Picture Cards (Image from Montessori Print Shop)

Vegetable Cards (a number of different types available for purchase) from Montessori Print Shop

Types of Vegetables Nomenclature Cards (available for purchase) from Montessori for Everyone

Parts of a Pea Cards Age 3 to 6 (Image from Montessori Helper)

Vegetable Cards Age 3 to 6 and Pea Nomenclature Cards Age 3 to 6 (available for purchase) from Montessori Helper

Free Fruit and Vegetable 3-Part Cards from Homemade Montessori (with download page at Homemade Montessori Free Downloads)

Free Vegetable Cards from Jojoebi

Free Vegetable Nomenclature Cards from Montessori for Learning

Free Fruit and Vegetable Matching Cards and Free Vegetable Match Game from The Helpful Garden

Free Montessori Botany Materials for a Gardening Unit (my roundup post)

Humans and Plants (Botany Elementary Sample Lesson), including activities for exploring fruits and vegetables from North American Montessori Center

Montessori-Inspired Vegetable Activities

Montessori-Inspired Food Art (my post using fruits as examples, although vegetables could be used)

Potato Mashing (Photo from The Moveable Alphabet)

Montessori-Inspired Food Preparation for Preschoolers (my roundup post, which includes a number of activities with vegetables) Photo from Potato Mashing Makes a Smash Hit at The Moveable Alphabet.

Montessori-Inspired Gardening Unit (which includes activities related to vegetable gardens)

Sensorial Activity: A Basket Full of Fruits and Vegetables from Montessori DOTNET

Fruit and Vegetable Sorting by Kylie from How We Montessori at Modern Parents Messy Kids

Discovering the Butternut (squash activities) from Caminem Plegats

Fantastic Fruitty Fruit (and Veggies Too)! (with ideas for encouraging kids to eat healthy foods) from Kathy’s Montessori Life

Healthy Food Activities the Montessori Way: Getting Children to Taste New Foods by Jocelyn Scotty at Kids Activities @ Suite 101

P is for… … Peas! from The Good Long Road

Matching Seeds to Vegetables (Photo by Shana McCarty-Ebler at United Montessori Association)

Science Theme: Fruit, Vegetable, and Herb Garden by Shana McCarty-Ebler at United Montessori Association

Seed Collection Matching (Photo from Little Schoolhouse in the Suburbs)

Seed Collection Matching from Little Schoolhouse in the Suburbs

Gluing a Vegetable Rainbow by Julie from The Adventures of Bear

Gluing a (Vegetable) Rainbow from The Adventures of Bear

Guest post: Loving the Greens – Montessori and Dogme, Guest post: Loving the Greens – Montessori and Dogme Part 2, and Guest post: Loving the Greens – Montessori and Dogme Part 3 (posts showing a vegetable unit) by Yitzha (Icha) Sarwono at The Teacher James

Preparing Food Dyes from Vegetables, Vegetable Cards and Vegetable Matching, Vegetable Vocabulary Cards, Parts of a Plant That We Eat, Food Groups, and Fruits, Vegetables, and Purple Cows at Just Montessori

I’d love to hear if your child has some favorite vegetable activities (or favorite vegetables)!

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be live and updated by afternoon August 14 with all the carnival links.)

• 10 Simple Ways to Make the Farmer’s Market More Fun for Kids — Lorie at Reading Confetti shares ideas and books to help kids get the most from the farmers market experience.
• 10 Things I Want To Teach My Daughter About The Importance of Shopping at the Farmer’s Market — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares the ten lessons she hopes to impart to her daughter about the importance of shopping at local farmers markets.
• Charmed by Two Small Town Markets — Shannon at GrowingSlower was charmed by two small-town farmers markets while on vacation.
• The Olympia Farmer’s Market (and a giveaway!) — Shannon at Pineapples & Artichokes and family took a trip to their state capitol to experience a new market. See what they saw, and enter to win a book written about that very market.
• — Exploring the farmers market by Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy writing at Natural Parents Network — with a scavenger hunt!
• Exploring the Market … Alphabet Style — That Mama Gretchen is in the midst of creating a learning tool for her toddler and it’s all about the market!
• Unschooling at the Farmers Market — Megz at Aspen Mama loves building memories as a vendor at the Market.
• Montessori-Inspired Vegetable Unit — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares links to Montessori-inspired vegetable printables and activities to help your family get the most out of a trip to the farmer’s market.
• Markets — How sustainable mum has fitted a monthly farmers market into a weekly food shop.
• The Farmers Market In Under An Hour (“Carl Style”) — Andrea and family at Tales of Goodness adapt their farmers marketing approach to make everyone happy.
• Tales Of a Troubled Gardener — Sam at Love Parenting writes about her dream of self-sufficiency and her lack of gardening skills!
• A Few {Of The Many} Reasons Why I Love Our Farmer’s Market — Even though the experience can sometimes be less than peaceful, MomeeeZen shares why she enjoys taking her family to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings.
• Experiencing the Farmer’s Market from a Different Perspective — Emily at S.A.H.M. i AM had a great time letting her toddler lead the way at the farmer’s market…
• Ask A Farmer’s Daughter — Abbie at Farmer’s Daughter answers questions about her life growing up on a small family farm in New England.

• Giving Up the Grocery Store — Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling shares her family’s summertime challenge to eliminate trips to the grocery store and rely almost exclusively on local, farm-fresh foods.
• Urban farming and fresh food in the city — Lauren at Hobo Mama takes trips to farms, gardens, and markets within reach of a big city.
• Market Tip: Get to Know Your Farmers — Justine at The Lone Home Ranger finally gets up the guts to talk to her farmers and learns she is among ardent food lovers.
• New Farmer’s Market Find — Kellie at Our Mindful Life is excited to make a new find at her new farmers market.
• “The Real World” Grassroots Edition — jessica at instead of institution takes some time out to write a love note.
• 9 Insider Tips for Farmer’s Market Newbies — Dionna at Code Name: Mama chatted with a few farmers to bring you some insider information on how to get the most out of your local farmer’s market.
• The Place Where I Can Say “Yes!” — Erica at ChildOrganics gives you a tour of her favorite vendors at her local farmers market and discusses the benefits of creating community through the market.
• Raw Local Milk — Jorje shares her family’s field trip to a local dairy. Learn what you can appreciate from a small town farm at Momma Jorje.com.
• Italian Secret Vegetable Soup Recipe — Alinka at Baby Web convinces an Italian Farmer & Cook to reveal a precious minestrone recipe and shares it with her readers.
• Where do our eggs come from? A visit to Sucellus Farms. — Carli at One Fit Mom takes her family to meet the chickens that have been providing their daily eggs.
• Beyond the Farm — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy and her family enjoy looking beyond the food at the local farmer’s market to see the wares of the over vendors.
• Magic at the Market — Do you ever take time to really look at the food you eat? Amy at Anktangle enjoys marveling at the beauty (and the utility) of the foods and goods available at the farmers’ market.
• Farmer’s Market Discoveries — Laura from Pug in the Kitchen reminisces about the discoveries she’s made at the Farmer’s Market throughout the years.
• Are You Getting the Most out of Your Farmers’ Market? (My List of Not-So-Common “Musts”) — Sheila at A Living Family shares some uncommon ways to squeeze even more joy and connection (and yumminess!) from your local farmers’ market experience.
• Pick Your Own And Eat It — Luschka from Diary of a First Child shares their trip to a PYO farm and the journey from picking to eating her favourite food

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