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    Home » Preschool

    Montessori Art and Handwriting Space

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    kids coloring and drawing in homeschool art space

    “An ideal Montessori environment looks and feels like a combination of a home, a library, a science laboratory, and an art studio.”

    – Letty Rising

    Recently, I shared a look at our homeschool space for our four kids and as promised, I’d like to share an updated look at our Art and Handwriting space as well.  

    I’ve been thinking a lot the last few weeks about the quote listed above.  We are in a bit of a transition right now as we plan and prepare for our oldest to start Lower Elementary in the fall.  We’re currently adding a few things here and there but this post will still serve as a great snapshot of our Montessori space and materials for the primary years (3 – 6).  

    Contents hide
    1 Our Current Montessori Art and Handwriting Space
    2 Drawer 1
    3 Drawer 2
    4 Drawer 3
    5 Drawer 4
    6 Drawer 5
    7 Drawer 6
    8 On the Shelf
    9 Some Additional Info
    10 Plan Your Minimal Montessori Space
    11 More Montessori Art
    12 PIN FOR LATER

    Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Amazon links are not affiliate links. You can read my full affiliate disclosure.

    Our Current Montessori Art and Handwriting Space

    Our kids are doing most of their Art and Handwriting work in the living area right now but we have some additional Art supplies including an easel, sandpaper letters, and a variety of paper in the homeschool space I shared previously.  

    If you’ve been with us awhile, you’ll notice we have a larger work table now and that’s a recent addition.  Not only were we outgrowing the previous table as our youngest daughter participates more, but our oldest daughter is engaging in some bigger project-type work that requires considerably more time and space than in previous years.  This table is beautiful, it will grow with our children, and we’re loving it already.  I found out about this gem and the sweet discount that came with it at The Kavanaugh Report’s Elementary Must-Haves.

    Our last look at our Montessori Art and Handwriting Space (here) was when our kids were 4 and 2.5.  We’re still using the same Ikea Alex Drawer Unit to house our materials.  If it ain’t broke…  It’s really durable and our kids grab the individual trays they want or push the entire cabinet around to wherever they’re working.  When they’re done they can push it back to the nook where it lives.

    Our kids use their Art and Handwriting materials every single day.  Here’s a look at what’s inside now:

    colored pencils, crayons, watercolors, scissors, and tape in trays

    Drawer 1

    • Washi tape, separated by pattern
    • Safety Scissors
    • Stabilo Paintbrushes
    • Stockmar Watercolor Paints
    • Lyra Waldorf and Skin Tone Colored Pencils
    • Stabilo 3-in-1 Crayons

    I would highly recommend all of these items for multi-age environments.  They’re all perfect for small hands and the paints, pencils, and 3-in-1 crayons last a long time.  No broken crayons or pencils, peeled crayon paper mess, or lost crayons.  The washi tape is great for decorating everything and they also use it to hang their completed work.

    I keep a replacement pack of the pencils and replace the colors as they’re used up.  Also, I keep a few duplicate colors of the crayons in the tray and an extra tray in the drawer in case anyone wants to work separately.  When using the Stockmar watercolors, I don’t provide a separate paint set for each child.  Our kids each pick a few colors and they share the palette they’ve created.  That works well for us.

    Art coloring books and curriculum resources

    Drawer 2

    • Watercolor paper
    • Variety of construction paper
    • Different Differenter (affiliate)
    • Feelings and Dealings:  Color My Emotions
    • Little Engineer Construction Trucks Coloring Book

    We rotate these out based on the season and their interests.  Different Differenter is brand new and part of our Anti-Bias Multicultural Education Curriculum resources.  If you’re not familiar with it and would like to learn more about Anti-Bias Education, this course by ABAR teacher-educator Britt Hawthorne is a great place to start.

    Montessori Metal Insets in Art and handwriting Drawer

    Drawer 3

    • Metal Insets

    Our oldest two love taking these all out, lining them up on top of the drawer unit and making unique designs using a combination of the insets and frames.  Very cool!

    Montessori Metal Inset tray, pencild holder and paper in Art and Handwriting cabinet

    Drawer 4

    • Inset Holder
    • Inset Paper
    • Additional Pencil Holder
    • Spare Tray for Completed or In-Progress Work
    Chalkboard, chal, eraser, and wooden box in handwriting drawer

    Drawer 5

    • Eraser
    • Chalk
    • Lined Chalkboard
    • Bead Stamps

    Still keeping the stamp pad for the bead stamps separate now that our youngest daughter is using some of the drawers in this unit.

    Art boards in Art drawer

    Drawer 6

    • Craft/Painting Boards

    We have three boards altogether now and we like having them for art projects and to protect the surfaces in our home.

    handwriting course books and story notebooks

    On the Shelf

    • Draw.Write.Now. Handwriting Course for Kids
    • Kids Handwriting Story Notebook

    Draw.Write.Now. is a great way for our oldest 2 kids to extend their continent studies and art experiences at the same time.  They love these books and they love having their own uniquely designed story notebook with a compatible layout for Art followed by Handwriting.  We keep these items on a shelf near their work table and out of reach of our 1 y.o. daughter. Draw.Write.Now. is Charlotte Mason inspired but the self-correcting content makes them a great choice for us as well.  These, along with our Waseca Reading Program Blacklines that correlate with our kids progression through the reading program, comprise our handwriting resources.  

    Some Additional Info

    We did try out a couple of other options last year, but there was not a persistent interest in the Learning Without Tears or The Good and the Beautiful Level K so we did not continue.  Special thanks to Christie from One Blessed Mess for The Good & The Beautiful Handwriting Book.  She’s a sweet homeschooling mom of five little ones and I won the book in one of her giveaways last year.

    We did not try Waseca’s Language Works but I think we’re going to stick with what we’re using for now as it seems to be a good fit for our family.  

    Our kids also really enjoy using their books as inspiration for their artwork.  If you’re interested in what they’re currently enjoying, here they are:

    • Drawn Together
    • Farm Anatomy
    • The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
    • The Arts:  A Visual Encyclopedia

    For more of our Art selections, check out our shop’s Art list.

    So that’s about it.  Our journaling supplies are the same from our last post as well as the materials we rotate.  Our kids have been using the Spielgaben and Nature Inspiration Cards a lot lately for creating.  Artwork tends to accumulate on top of the unit, inside the unit, and around our home so I usually do a weekly collection and sort of what’s not already hanging.

    If you’re looking to create a simple and functional Montessori Art and Handwriting space for your little ones, we hope we have provided some inspiration and useful tips. 

    Spielgaben board with shapes

    Plan Your Minimal Montessori Space

    • Montessori Minimalist Homeschool Planning: A How-To Guide
    • Montessori Homeschool Space for FOUR Kids 5 & Under

    More Montessori Art

    • Penguin Art for Kids

    Thanks for stopping by!

    - Kristin

    PIN FOR LATER

    Looking for ways to incorporate other subjects into Art shelf work? Looking for inspiration, materials and resources, and how to organize your Montessori Art and Handwriting materials in a minimalist space? Take a look at how our large family is doing it in our homeschool. #montessori #homeschool #montessoriart #montessorispace #montessoriminimalism
    « Montessori Homeschool Space for FOUR Kids 5 & Under
    Books By Indigenous Authors »

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    We reside on the ancestral lands of the Kalapuya and Luckiamute Tribes as well as the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.  The land was ceded in the Ratified Indian Treaty #282 on January 22, 1855.  The languages of the Indigenous peoples of this area are Kalapuya and Chinuk Wawa.


    montessori mom and two children

    About Kristin

    Hello! I'm a Montessori homeschooler of 4 living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We're nature lovers and environmental minimalists sharing our experience in guiding our little ones from the back of the boat.

    Learn more about me →


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