Montessori Cultural Areas and Activities for Multi-Level Learning

January 12, 2016 By Deb Chitwood 10 Comments

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The Montessori cultural curriculum can seem overwhelming. It’s impossible to thoroughly cover every area. But Montessori cultural areas and activities can be some of the most rewarding and fun if you approach them based on your child’s interests and ability levels.

General Overview of Montessori Cultural Areas and Activities

Montessori Cultural Activities (my post with a general overview of the Montessori cultural curriculum and links to free Montessori cultural resources).

Free Montessori Cultural Videos (a variety of helpful cultural videos on YouTube)

Montessori cultural activities for the primary (preschool) level typically include geography, history, general science, botany and zoology, music, and art. Montessori elementary goes into greater depth along with adding the Great Lessons.

Some Montessori homeschoolers like to approach these subjects by using unit studies or themed activities. That was one of my favorite ways to approach them at the elementary level. If you have a variety of ages in your classroom or homeschool, you might like the versatility Montessori-inspired unit studies give you with the cultural subjects.

Montessori Cultural Areas and Activities Organized by Subject/Area

Updated September 18, 2017

Today, I’m going to arrange my unit studies according to general areas of geography, history, general science, botany, zoology, music, and art along with the individual themes. Of course, many of the unit studies include a number of cultural areas. I’ll organize them according to the main one. Some of the activities will be specifically Montessori while others will be Montessori-inspired activities.

Montessori-Inspired Geography Activities

Maps and Directionality: DIY Cosmic Nesting Boxes, Map Towers, and “Me on the Map” Activities, Continent Map Work, Montessori-Inspired Compass Rose Activities and Outdoor Compass Walks

World Travel: Resources for a World Travel Unit Study, Continent Map Work, DIY Pin Maps, Montessori Continent Boxes, DIY Cosmic Nesting Boxes, Map Towers, a nd “Me on the Map” Activities, Montessori-Inspired State Box – Colorado,Laura Ingalls Wilder and Montessori Washboard Activity (South Dakota and Booking Across the USA Tour), Montessori-Inspired Map Activities Using Pin It! Maps, Earth Exploration Activities from Montessori By Mom, Montessori-Inspired Little Passports Global Adventure (with links to all my Little Passports activity posts), Easy-to-Prepare Animals of the Continents Activity, Montessori-Inspired Global Adventure Pinterest Board (introductory geography resources and 7-continents activities) *South America Educational Resources *Asia Educational Resources *Europe Educational Resources *Africa Educational Resources*Australia Educational Resources *North America Educational Resources *Antarctica Educational Resources, Kids’ Geography Activities Pinterest Board

Land, Water, Air, and Landforms – Montessori-Inspired Fun with Land and Water Forms (my roundup post), Land, Air, Water, Land, Water, Air Activities from Montessori By Mom

Arctic and Antarctic: Montessori-Inspired Arctic and Antarctic Unit, Montessori-Inspired Continent Activities – Penguins of Antarctica, Montessori-Inspired Multi-Level Penguin Activities, Montessori-Inspired Toddler Geography Activities with Baby Beluga, Free Arctic Animal Printables and Montessori-Inspired Arctic Animal Activities, Free Polar Bear Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Free Arctic Animal Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Simple Arctic Sensory Bin with Vocabulary or Grammar Activity, Free Penguin Printables and Montessori-Inspired Penguin Activities, Free Penguin Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Free Penguin Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Simple Arctic vs. Antarctic Cut-and-Paste Activity {Free Printables}, Free Arctic Animal Songs and Educational Videos, Free Penguin Songs and Educational Videos, Free Arctic vs. Antarctic Songs and Educational Videos, Easy and Fun Antarctic Sensory Bin for Winter or Summer, Kids’ Winter Activities Pinterest Board, Antarctica Educational Resources Pinterest Board

States: Montessori-Inspired State Box – Colorado (Booking Across the USA)

Montessori-Inspired History Activities

Calendars and Time: Montessori-Inspired Months and Seasons Work, Montessori-Inspired Months and Seasons Work, Montessori-Inspired Winter Themes and Activities, Montessori-Inspired Spring Themes and Activities, Montessori-Inspired Summer Playdough Activities, Montessori-Inspired Summer Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}, Montessori-Inspired Fall Activities

Family Tree: How to Prepare 3-Part Family Cards and Family tree Activity

Little House on the Prairie: Little House on the Prairie Unit Study, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Montessori Washboard Activity, Free Pioneer Printables and Montessori-Inspired Pioneer Activities, Frontier Life Unit Study Pinterest Board

Native American: Montessori-Inspired Native American Unit

Pirate: Montessori-Inspired Pirate Unit, Pirate Unit Study Pinterest Board

Patriotic (with history resources for a variety of patriotic holidays): Montessori-Inspired Patriotic Unit

President’s Day: Montessori-Inspired Activities Teaching about Money and Presidents , Montessori-Inspired President’s Day Activities , Free Presidents’ Day Printables and Montessori-Inspired Presidents’ Day Activities , Free President Songs and Rhymes for Circle Time , Kids’ Presidents’ Day Activities Pinterest Board

Thanksgiving (a mixture of curriculum areas): Montessori-Inspired Gratitude Activities, How to Help Your Child Feel Comfortable Greeting Relatives, Table Setting, How to Teach Your Child Table Manners for Holiday Gatherings, Homeschool Thanksgiving, Activity of the Week – Montessori Thanksgiving Noun Sorting Work, Montessori-Inspired Corn Unit, Montessori-Inspired Thanksgiving Activities, Kids in the Kitchen on Thanksgiving, Montessori-Inspired Thanksgiving Math Activities and Free Thanksgiving Printables , Thanksgiving Grace and Courtesy, Montessori-Inspired Native American Unit, Free Turkey Printables and Montessori-Inspired Turkey Activities, 20+ Family Gratitude Activities, Montessori-Inspired Thanksgiving Ideas, Free Thanksgiving Songs and Rhymes for Circle Time, Free Gratitude Songs and Rhymes for Home or School, Delicious and Nutritious Vegan, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Pie Squares, Kids’ Thanksgiving Activities Pinterest Board

Martin Luther King Day: Montessori-Inspiration for Martin Luther King Day, Montessori-Inspired Peace Education Activities, How to Prepare a Peace Corner, Montessori-Inspired Respect for Diversity, 100 Acts of Kindness Project Starts, Free Martin Luther King Day Songs and Rhymes for Circle Time, How to Prepare a Montessori Peace Tray, Kids’ Martin Luther King Day Activities Pinterest Board, Multicultural Education Pinterest Board

Montessori-Inspired General Science Activities

Magnetism: Montessori Magnetic and Non-Magnetic Activity, Free Magnet Printables and Montessori-Inspired Magnet Activities

Sink and Float: Sink and Float Plus Extensions

Solid/Liquid/Gas: Included in Montessori-Inspired Activities for Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

Astronomy: Astronaut Unit, Montessori-Inspired Astronomy Activities, Montessori-Inspired Star and Constellation Unit, Montessori-Inspired Moon Unit, Montessori-Inspired Solar System Activities and World Space Week Blog Hop, Montessori-Inspired Astronomy Units, Montessori-Inspired Moon Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers, Montessori-Inspired Phases-of-the-Moon Playdough Tray, Astronomy Unit Study Pinterest Board

Weather: Montessori-Inspired Cloud Unit, Montessori-Inspired Weather Unit, Montessori-Inspired April Showers Activities, Free Water Cycle Printables and Montessori-Inspired Water Cycle Activities, Montessori-Inspired Weather Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}, Weather Unit Study Pinterest Board

Exploring Nature: Nature Trays and Nature Tables, Exploring Nature Pinterest Board

Rocks and Minerals: Simple Excavation Sensory Tubs, Rocks and Minerals Unit Study, Story Stones – Farm Animal Families Treasure Basket, Rocks and Minerals/Geology Unit Study Pinterest Board

Montessori-Inspired Botany Activities

Gardening/Botany: Activity of the Week – Friendship Flower Activities, Free Montessori Botany Materials for a Gardening Unit, Montessori-Inspired Gardening Unit, Montessori-Inspired Flower Activities, Free Flower Printables and Montessori-Inspired Flower Math Activities, Shoots and Sprouts Activities + Free Printable from Montessori By Mom, Montessori Flower Identification and Arranging for Toddlers and Preschoolers, Montessori Nature Tray Sorting and Counting for Toddlers and Preschoolers, Nature Walk and Nature Cutting Tray for Toddlers and Preschoolers, Montessori Nature Tray with Magnification Work and Flower Arranging, Spring Book Lists for Preschool and Elementary Kids: Garden Adventures Around the World, Montessori Nature Tray with Vocabulary – Parts of the Plant, Flower Cutting with Great-Grandma {Montessori on the Go}, How to Help Children Experience Nature and Growing Plants Outdoors without a Garden, How to: Montessori Indoor- or Small-Space Gardening in a DIY Sensory Table, Encouraging Kindness with Gardening Activities and the Kindness Elves, Life Cycle of a Bean Plant and Seed Planting Activities, Montessori-Inspired Flower Activities with Spielgaben, Gardening/Botany Unit Study Pinterest Board

Corn: Montessori-Inspired CornUnit, Corn Unit Study Pinterest Board

Fruit: Montessori-Inspired Fruit Unit, Montessori-Inspired Food Art, Montessori-Inspired Fruit Matching and Tasting for Toddlers, Healthy, Yummy, Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins, Kids’ Kitchen: Berry Yummy and Healthy Protein-Rich Popsicles, Free Eat-a-Rainbow Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities, Free Fruit Rainbow Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download, Free Eat-a-Rainbow Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Kids’ Food Fun Pinterest Board

Vegetable: ontessori-Inspired Vegetable Unit, Free Eat-a-Rainbow Printables and Montessori-Inspired Activities, Free Eat-a-Rainbow Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Kids’ Food Fun Pinterest Board

Pumpkin (a mixture of a number of curriculum areas): Montessori-Inspired Pumpkin Unit, 20 Pumpkin Phonics Activities, Montessori-Inspired Pumpkin Hammering for Toddlers, 20+ Pumpkin Hammering Activities for Preschoolers, 20+ Fabulous Fall Gourd Activities for Kids, Free Fall Playdough Math Pack (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Montessori-Inspired Playdough Math Activities for Fall {Free Printables}, Yummy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, Montessori Pumpkin Scrubbing for Toddlers and Preschoolers, Delicious and Nutritious Vegan, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Pie Squares, Simple Fun with Pumpkins and Pumpkin Seeds for Toddlers and Preschoolers, Pumpkin Unit Study Pinterest Board

Squirrel and Nut (a mixture of curriculum areas, especially focusing on nuts): Montessori-Inspired Squirrel and Nut Activities, Outdoor Acorn Math Activities,Squirrel and Nut Activities Pinterest Board

Montessori-Inspired Zoology Activities (Arranged somewhat by animal classification)

Zoo: Montessori-Inspired Zoo Animal Unit, Montessori-Inspired Zoo Animal Unit(2012), Farm, Zoo, & Ocean Animal Sensory Bottles for Babies and Toddlers, Using the Montessori 3-Period Lesson to Teach Vocabulary to a Toddler, Montessori-Inspired Toddler Vocabulary with Animals and Silhouettes, Free Zoo Printables and Montessori-Inspired Zoo Activities, Easy-to-Prepare Animals of the Continents Activity, Free Zoo Animal Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Free Zoo Animal Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Simple African Animal and Continent Map Cut-and-Paste Activity {Free Printables}, Zoo Animal Unit Study Pinterest Board

Insect: Montessori-Inspired Insect Unit, Free Ladybug Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ladybug Activities, Montessori-Inspired Caterpillar-Butterfly Unit, Montessori-Inspired Life Cycle Activities, Free Butterfly Printables and Montessori-Inspired Butterfly Activities, Free Butterfly Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Butterfly Sensory Bin with Scavenger Hunt and Life Cycle Activities {Free Printables}, Montessori-Inspired Spring Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}, Free Butterfly Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Free Ant Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ant Activities, Free Ant Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download, Free Ant Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Ant Sensory Bin with Scavenger Hunt and Life Cycle Activities, The Best Ant Books for Kids, Ants on a Log Fun Food Preparation for Preschoolers, Free Invertebrate Cards and Presentations, Including Bug Activities from KHT Montessori, Free Bee Printables and Montessori-Inspired Bee Activities, The Best Bee Books for Kids, Free Honeybee Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Free Honeybee Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Insect Unit Study Pinterest Board

Spider: Free Spider Printables and Montessori-Inspired Spider Activities

Caterpillar-Butterfly: Montessori-Inspired Caterpillar-Butterfly Unit, Montessori-Inspired Life Cycle Activities, Free Butterfly Printables and Montessori-Inspired Butterfly Activities, Caterpillar-Butterfly Unit Study Pinterest Board

Shark: Free Shark Printables and Montessori-Inspired Shark Activities, Shark Water-Bead Number or Letter Sensory Bin, The Ultimate Montessori-Inspired Shark Unit, Ocean Unit Study Pinterest Board

Frog: Montessori-Inspired Frog Activities for Leap Year or Anytime, Montessori Frog Life Cycle Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers, Free Frog Printables and Montessori-Inspired Frog Math Activities, Free Frog Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Free Frog Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), “5 Green and Speckled Frogs” with Props and Free Printables, Lots of Learning and Fun with Frogs Sensory Bin, Kids’ Frog and Leap Year Activities Pinterest Board

Dinosaur: Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Unit, Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Fun with Printables, Water Beads, and Glass Gems, Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Activities Using Dinosaur Replicas, Make Fossils from Montessori at Home!, Free Dinosaur Printables and Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Math Activities, Literature-Based Dinosaur Activities for Preschoolers, Dinosaur Ice Melt Science Experiment for Toddlers and Preschoolers, Free Dinosaur Printables and Montessori-Inspired Dinosaur Language Activities, Free Dinosaur Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download), Free Dinosaur Cutting Strips {Montessori-Inspired Instant Download}, I Have, Who Has? Dinosaur Game, Dinosaur Unit Study Pinterest Board

Bird: Montessori-Inspired Bird Unit, Montessori-Inspired Life Cycle Activities, Bird Unit Study Pinterest Board

Horse: Montessori-Inspired Horse Unit, Farm Unit Study Pinterest Board

Anatomy: Montessori-Inspired Heart and Circulatory System Activities, Montessori-Inspired Skeleton Activities, “All About Me” Free Printables and Activities for Back to School, Handwashing Activities for Kids – Free Songs and Lessons, Free Skeleton Printables and Montessori-Inspired Skeleton Activities, Human Body Unit Study Pinterest Board

Dental Health: Montessori-Inspired Dental Health Unit, Dental Health Unit Study Pinterest Board

Hygiene: Handwashing Activities for Kids – Free Songs and Lessons, Montessori-Inspired Hygiene Lessons to Help Kids Stay Healthy, Fun with Handwashing + Handwashing Song by a 2 Year Old

Montessori-Inspired Music Activities

Montessori-Inspired Art Activities

Art Appreciation: Montessori-Inspired Art Appreciation, Art Appreciation and Creation for Kids, Art Appreciation Activities from Montessori By Mom, Art Postcards: Montessori Art Appreciation for a Variety of Ages, Free Art Appreciation Resources for a Mystery of Easter Tray, Kids’ Art Appreciation Pinterest Board

This post is part of the 12 Months of Montessori Series!

12 Months of Montessori Series – Culture

Easy Ways to Teach Montessori Culture (Free Printables) | Natural Beach Living

Montessori Culture: Holidays & Observances during the Calendar Year {Free Printables} | The Natural Homeschool

Montessori Cultural Areas and Activities for Multi-Level Learning | Living Montessori Now

Exploring North America with my Preschooler | Planting Peas

DIY Montessori Flag Pin Map | The Kavanaugh Report

Children of the World Activities | Mama’s Happy Hive

Montessori Culture 3-6 Checklist | Study at Home Mama

Cultural Landmarks around the World (Free Printables) | Christian Montessori Network

Culture & Traditions of People Around the World | The Pinay Homeschooler

Culture Studies: Finding Topics | Grace and Green Pastures

I’d love to hear about your favorite cultural activities at home or in the classroom!

Learn more about Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy!

If this is your first time visiting Living Montessori Now, welcome! If you haven’t already, please join us on our Living Montessori Now Facebook page where you’ll find a Free Printable of the Day and lots of inspiration and ideas for parenting and teaching! And please follow me on Pinterest (lots of Montessori-, holiday-, and theme-related boards), Twitter (blog posts by me and others along with the Parent/Teacher Daily and other interesting information), and Google+ (post updates and Montessori Community). You can find me on bloglovin’, Instagram, and YouTube now, too. And don’t forget one of the best ways to follow me by signing up for my weekly newsletter in the right sidebar. You’ll get two awesome freebies in the process!

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Comments

Nicole says
January 12, 2016 at 6:32 am
So many wonderful ideas in one place!
Reply
Elaine Goh says
January 12, 2016 at 10:38 am
As always, an awesome and helpful compilation. You have the best reference site on Montessori!
Reply
The Natural Homeschool says
January 12, 2016 at 5:05 pm
Holy moly! This is the holy grail of Montessori Culture lessons and ideas! Love!!!!!!
Reply
Bess says
January 12, 2016 at 6:25 pm
Wow. This is a wonderful list of culture options. I will be saving this page so I can refer to it later. Thank you for putting it together!
Reply
kimberly says
January 13, 2016 at 7:06 am
WOW! This is an amazing resource. I know I will be visiting this post a lot.
Reply
Renae says
January 13, 2016 at 9:39 am
Wow! What a resource! Thank you so much for taking the time to put all of this together. I’m sure I’ll be back to look through things again and again.
Reply
Erin says
January 13, 2016 at 6:52 pm
Wow, so many great resources. Thanks so much. I can’t wait to dive in.
Reply
Jae says
January 17, 2016 at 3:37 pm
So much information and resources! Thank you for sharing Deb. I love this!
Reply
Vanessa says
February 5, 2016 at 6:03 am
Wow! This is an amazing list of unit studies on culture areas! I love unit studies. Thank you for putting this collection together as a wonderful resource.
Reply
Sonali Roy says
March 30, 2019 at 9:56 am
Thank you so much for the wonderful resources! Very helpful
Reply

Montessori Cultural Areas and Activities for Multi-Level Learning

General Overview of Montessori Cultural Areas and Activities