History of Earth for Kids: The Montessori Second Great Lesson

"Imagination can thus picture for us the primeval earth of hard, brown rock unrelieved by verdure of grass of leaf, without sound of bird a living creature, the silence broken alone by plunging waterfalls, booming thunder, or stones dislodged in avalanches. The grim brown crust is slowly being modified and overlaid with hospitable coverings, but before it can become the home of living beings some agency must ensure the purity of the air they will have to breathe...The plant life that was already established in the ocean heard the call and took the necessary leap to land."

- Maria Montessori

We’re back today to share the history of earth or the Second Great Lesson materials and follow-up for elementary and family-style learning. We really took our time and spent a couple of weeks exploring works related to The Coming of Life.

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You can check out our Montessori Elementary Curriculum resources as well as our Earth Science Books, Botany Books, and Zoology Books for more details on what you see below.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out the First Great Lesson to see where this story starts.

What is the Montessori Second Great Lesson?

The Second Great Lesson in Montessori's Cosmic Education a.k.a. The Story of Life picks up where the First Great Lesson ended: the formation of the Earth. The Second Great Lesson introduces students to the Long Black Line, the Clock of Eras, and the Timeline of Life. It's traditionally given to Elementary students after The First Great Lesson Follow-Up work is complete.

The Second Great Lesson tells the story of how Mother Earth changed over time and came to be the home of a variety of life forms, beginning with the simplest microscopic life in the ocean all the way to the appearance of humans.

The Long Black Line was originally used by Maria Montessori as a lesson in humility for a group of students. Together, Montessori’s Five Great Lessons provide children with a contextual understanding of who they are, where they come from, and their unique purpose or cosmic task.

What Subjects are Covered in the History of Earth for Kids?

Since we are including Primary and Elementary students in our History of Earth for Kids, our goal was, again, to strike a balance between what we’ve taught in Primary in the past and what we would like to introduce to a Lower Elementary student. Also, we like to introduce content and materials that are buildable, knowing that some topics will be revisited in the future.

Our Montessori Second Great Lesson covers Sensorial, Language, Math, Science, Nature, Geography, History, and Art. There are many different directions you can take with this lesson.

Our kids spent a lot of time engaged in activities related to the Clock of Eras, Earth's layers, Earth's atmosphere, Water, and Botany. We're in the middle of harvest season, so that has definitely added interest to Botany-related work.

You'll also find materials and follow-up work for exploring animals, including prehistoric animals.

Free Montessori Great Lessons Series

Join us for the Great Lessons, an introduction to the Cosmic Curriculum, traditionally given to Elementary students near the beginning of the school year. This 5-part weekly email series will help you tell the story of how our universe began all the way to the origins of language and numbers.

We've expanded upon the traditional lessons geared toward elementary students to include works applicable to environments of various ages and learners with a variety of interests. This family-style approach supports everyone in your homeschool, nurturing the wonder and joy of all who participate.

History of Earth for Kids: The Montessori Second Great Lesson

This Montessori Second Great Lesson contains materials and follow-up work for all ages, but especially ages 2-12. It contains books, printables, and hands-on activities. More specifically, it covers topics such as the Clock of Eras, Layers of the Earth, Layers of the Atmosphere, the Water Cycle, Landforms, First Plants, and First Animals.

We also revisited some geology and paleontology materials, including prehistoric animals such as dinosaurs, and our collection of geology and paleontology books.

Second Great Lesson

For the Long Black Line demonstration, we decided to create our own line on the floor using some washi tape and our Waseca Biomes Animals of the World Measuring Tape. The original Long Black Line is 30 meters with 1 cm of red at one end, indicating the appearance of humans on Earth. Get $15 off your first Waseca Biomes purchase.

I divided the original measurements by 3 to make it simpler for us to create. Maybe not as dramatic as the original line, but just as effective for our storytelling purposes. I followed the suggestions of Children of the Universe and told The Story of the Earth and The Story of Life as we walked the line. At the end of the line, our kids finally found out what the red mark they drew actually signified.

As practice for this great work, our kids spent time using these Montessori Measurement printables prior to the Second Great Lesson. Get 16% off your purchase from Montessorikiwi here.

Second Great Lesson Revisited

The next day we revisited the Second Great Lesson using From Lava to Life. We read the story together before making our way over to a workspace to explore the Clock of Eras Charts. I explained how the Clock of Eras relates to a regular clock using a Montessori Learning Clock. Then, I gave a simple explanation of how it tells time on Earth up to the present day, just like our Long Black Line.

Afterward, they explored the Mirus Toys Fraction Manipulation Board as we learned more about each era. Our 4 y.o. used the Time Ring with his Fraction Circles and our 5 y.o. used the Fraction Ring. I originally thought it may be a bit confusing to learn about all the eras on the clock. However, we found the colors on the Clock of Eras helpful for remembering what took place during each era.

The Clock of Eras

The purpose of the fraction manipulation board is to stimulate interest and explore geometric concepts, not replicate the clock of eras. The beginning of the Cenozoic Era is very close to the present day or 12:00 and is, therefore, smaller than the smallest fraction piece (1/10). However, that is precisely the point. It's meant to reinforce the impression of how short a period of time humans have been on Earth.

This Clock of Eras Puzzle is another fabulous hands-on resource. It includes eons and eras as well as major events associated with each one and a control card. We use it along with the Fossilicious Clock of Eras Three-Part Cards.

A precise clock can also be made using the Clock of Eras Charts printables mentioned above. Get 16% off your purchase from Montessorikiwi here.

We also had some books out as additional timeline resources and for examples of early plant and animal life. The Dunkleosteus has always been a big hit in our homeschool.

The Timeline of Life

This timeline of life is an example of ongoing work related to the history of the earth and the second great lesson.

After introducing this timeline to our kids, our daughter chose to start at the beginning of the timeline. Meanwhile, our son hopped right into his favorite era, the Mesozoic, and colored his favorite dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.

This timeline deepens the work of the clock of eras while providing a linear representation for learners. It's a lot of fun and it opens so many opportunities for further exploration into your child's favorite topics. We plan to hang ours in our homeschool room when it's completed.

Prehistoric Animals

Grab your FREE Dinosaur or Not a Dinosaur Prehistoric Animal Sorting Activity.

Kids can place the prehistoric animals on the appropriate location of the timeline of life or use them as a prompt for further research.

These sorting cards also make excellent three-part cards for introducing vocabulary related to prehistoric animals and dinosaurs. To use these as 3-part cards, simply print two copies of the printable and then cut the labels off the cards on one of the copies. Children can match the picture and then match the label as they show readiness.

The youngest of children can use them for object-to-picture matching with their favorite animal figurines.

Kids can also sort the cards into rows or columns using the heading cards: dinosaur & not a dinosaur. The colors of the cards provide a control of error so that kids can self-correct when completing this work independently.

History of Earth for Kids: Earth and Atmosphere Shelf Work

• Layers of the Earth Puzzle by Mirus Toys
• Layers of the Atmosphere Puzzle by Mirus Toys
• Bilingual Spanish Nature Cards

The Layers of the Earth nomenclature cards were included with the Layers of the Earth Puzzle and Guide. There's a lot of content that covers several topics (landforms, plate tectonics, etc.), helpful images, and diagrams, and it even includes a couple of activities. Our kids have been working with these materials a lot.

The Spanish Nature Cards are gorgeous and we've been changing them out as we rotate the materials on our shelves. They're a great way for us to label the environment. You'll notice further down we also use them with our Movable Alphabet as Language shelf work.

Stop by our homeschool tour for more earth science materials.

The Layers of the Earth Guide that comes with this puzzle is an excellent resource for homeschoolers.

A Layers of the Earth Fan craft activity is included with the Mirus Toys Layers of the Earth Puzzle, Guide, and Nomenclature Cards.

This Layers of the Atmosphere Puzzle was also a great segue into weather and the Water Cycle. Both of our older kids enjoyed matching the appropriate puzzle piece to its corresponding layer.

Water Cycle Shelf Work

• Water Cycle Mat by Waseca Biomes
• We Are Water Protectors

We also used our Waseca Biomes Water Cycle Mat and We Are Water Protectors to visualize the water cycle and learn more about the importance of stewardship. This mat includes several lessons. As a result, our kids completed a couple of activities in each session with the mat.

These resources are also part of our winter nature studies and can be found in our 12 Winter Bucket List Activities for Homeschool.

Get $15 off your first Waseca Biomes purchase.

Rock Cycle Shelf Work

• Rock Cycle Mat by Waseca Biomes

The rock cycle mat can be used to further explore the layers of the earth and to introduce the rock cycle. Children will learn about igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock processes using a hands-on approach.

The mat also encourages kids to explore language and can be revisited as follow-up work to grammar lessons.

Get $15 off your first Waseca Biomes purchase.

Rocks, Fossils, and Prehistoric Animals

• Mineral ID Kit - Streak Plate, Glass Plate, Magnet, Nail, Copper Square, & more
• Fossilicious Rock and Mineral Collection with Complete Curriculum (Igneous pictured)
• Fossilicious Paleontology for Kids Books and Fossil Set
• Schleich Prehistoric Animals Collection (Spinosaurus and Mosasaurus pictured)

The rock and mineral collection includes a complete curriculum and is a comprehensive learning experience for kids interested in geology. The mineral id kit can be used to help kids discover the properties of various rocks and minerals.

The paleontology books and fossil set are an exciting collection of materials for aspiring paleontologists and anyone interested in fossils. We've found many cross-curricular opportunities for engaging with these materials and the books contain just the right amount of information to keep kids interested as they explore their favorite topics.

• Treasures From Jennifer Custom Rocks and Minerals Box
• Treasures From Jennifer Custom Pangea Box

These custom boxes hold our Fossilicious Rocks and Minerals collection as well as our collection of Schleich prehistoric animals, including dinosaurs.

Learn about your favorite dinosaurs, dinosaur classification, and non-dinosaurs that are often mistaken for dinos with Dinosaurium: Welcome to the Museum.

History of Earth Read-Aloud Duology

Not only are the covers of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and The Rise and Reign of the Mammals by Steve Brusatte absolutely stunning, but the illustrations and photographs found inside are also incredible. The very start of this duology includes a jolt of excitement and adrenaline, giving us another reason to look forward to our read-aloud experiences.

If you're looking for a read-aloud for your family or an independent read for elementary learners and up, you may be interested in these books.

Discover new and favorite history books in our shop.

History of Earth: External Parts of Plants Nature Study

• Watercolor Paints
• Paintbrushes
• Watercolor Journals
• Assortment of leaves, pinecones, and acorns
• Wooden Craft Boards

Using books such as Nature Anatomy and Trees: A Rooted History, we spent some time looking at the anatomy of early plants: seaweed, moss, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants. We also looked briefly at the difference between deciduous and coniferous trees.

Afterward, they spent some time in the forest behind our house collecting leaves from ferns as well as pine, oak, and maple trees. They also gathered some pinecones and acorns for their journaling activity.

Another extension to these works would be Building a Native Forest Garden.

They examined a pine leaf specimen under the microscope and then sketched what they saw in their notebooks. For First Knowledge questions, we talked about them very organically as we looked at our Montessori Botany Books.

History of Earth: Tree Shelf Work

• Montessori Tree Puzzle
• Parts of a Tree Nomenclature (FREE)
• Bilingual Spanish Nature Cards
• Waseca Biomes Parts of the Biome Plants Readers
• Farm Anatomy Book
• Mirus Toys Life Cycle Board - Apple Life Cycle Coins
• Mirus Toys Parts of a Tree Trunk Puzzle
• Periodic Table Booklet by Mirus Toys
• Periodic Table Puzzle including tiles, key, & companion guide

We focused more on Botany this year. As a result, our History of Earth studies included some tree shelf work. There was also an introduction to dendrochronology using the Parts of a Tree Trunk Puzzle. We studied flowering plants recently with our Montessori Bee Unit Study so that was also still fresh in their minds.

Our Periodic Table Puzzle and guide are still on the shelf from our Astronomy work. There is a persistent interest. Also, it's still a very relevant part of the story as we examine The Story of the Earth and The Story of Life.

Get $15 off your first Waseca Biomes purchase.

To extend the fun, add this FREE Parts of the Redwood Four Part Card Activity to your Parts of a Tree Trunk Puzzle.

Spanish Language Shelf Work

• Bilingual Spanish Nature Cards
• Movable Alphabet

Our oldest two worked together to write the Spanish and English for each card using the movable alphabet. This Montessori Second Great Lesson follow-up work is perfect for incorporating language work into nature studies.

History of Earth: External Parts of Animals

Our kids looked at the parts of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals using the Waseca Biomes Nomenclature Cards. They used them alongside the associated Montessori Animal puzzles.

Get $15 off your first Waseca Biomes purchase.

History of Earth: Montessori Grammar Work

We recently introduced nouns and verbs to our 5 y.o. using our grammar farm materials. As a follow-up, we couldn't resist the opportunity to use the dinosaurs and our favorite prehistoric fish. Therefore, for this Second Great Lesson, we decided to play around with some prehistoric nouns. Our 4 y.o. even got into it. He guessed which animal to bring to the mat based on the first few letters of each label.

Traditionally, the Montessori Elementary sequence for introducing grammar is with the Fourth Great Lesson and The Story of Communication. We're a bit early for this work. Also, the lesson given to a Primary versus an Elementary child is usually different. It's generally geared towards the plane of development of the child.

We followed that up with a lesson on common and proper nouns using some of the Waseca Biomes Grammar Box Cards. Afterward, they copied their work into their Grammar notebooks, using a Grammar Stencil.

Get $15 off your first Waseca Biomes purchase.

Early Life Coloring Pages

These Early Life Coloring Pages by Montessorikiwi include 13 different animals and a beautifully illustrated 2-page poster. They are the perfect follow-up work for animal lovers in your family.

Each animal has a coloring page as well as a coloring page with the clock of eras and a writing prompt to extend the learning. Fun for all ages.

Get 16% off your purchase from Montessorikiwi.

Prehistoric Animal Cake

The plesiosaurus, a prehistoric marine reptile, is a big hit in our home. This delicious plesiosaurus einkorn brownie cake would make a perfect follow-up activity to the second great lesson. The brownies were easy to make and we used this nature's inspiration food coloring to achieve the beautiful blue color for the homemade icing.

Your child can substitute their favorite prehistoric animals and colors to customize the experience to their interests.

Apple and Pear Art

Our 2 y.o. never misses an opportunity to participate in art and this was no exception. We were inspired by this Painting with Apples Fall Craft for Kids. As a result, we decided to do the same with a couple apples and pears from our fall harvest. Lots of fun and a great activity for fine-motor strengthening.

This was a great way to bridge our older two kids' studies on the Second Great Lesson with our youngest daughter's desire to explore the world around her. An Autumn Apple Adventure is great seasonal fun for all ages.

Learn more about homeschooling in the preschool and kindergarten years with this free homeschool course.

Apple Lacing Cards

This apple lacing card is one of several fall lacing cards our 2 y.o. is enjoying right now. This is a great beginning sewing activity. She uses these along with a blunt needle and thread. Great for fine-motor skills and development of concentration. And yes, that's a fully dressed giraffe behind her.

Apple Art Activity Drawer

Our 2 y.o. and 4 y.o. really enjoyed these Apple activities with our 2 y.o. focusing on the cutting work. Our 4 y.o. reinforced his knowledge of the apple life cycle with nomenclature. Also, he explored apple anatomy some more with a cut and paste activity.

Montessori Work Plan, Review, and Folders for Ongoing and Completed Work

This is how our older kids document their work for each week. They use these folders to keep track of it. They fill out the Montessori Work Plan at the end of their day. The folders are for ongoing work and completed work.

History of Earth for Kids: The Montessori Second Great Lesson Conclusion

We hope you’ve enjoyed seeing how we do the Second Great Lesson. Using our Elementary Curriculum Resources, we put together a great mix of books, printables, and materials for a variety of hands-on experiences. There are a lot of directions you can take with this great lesson. This is how we did it. We hope you find it useful as you plan your Montessori Second Great Lesson experiences.

Don't forget to check out the First Great Lesson if you haven't already.

More History of Earth & Science Resources

• Third Great Lesson
• Fourth Great Lesson
• Earth Science Books
• Montessori Botany Books

Thanks for stopping by!

– Kristin