Place Value - My First DIY Montessori Project

When you think of place value, art doesn't necessarily come to mind - unless your approach is Montessori.  In our homeschool, we use a variety of methods to make learning exciting.  For LionHeart, it happens to be Montessori.  This approach helps me bring his learning off the page.  Place value is perfect for "off the page learning," and because mastering place value is such a foundational math skill, I wanted to make sure that the material we use for repeated practice would be beautiful and have meaning.  This ready made place value mat from Alison's Montessori was boring.  So I started searching around, and, as I should have known would happen, my inspiration came from another homeschooling mom.  Making Montessori Our's DIY place value mat seemed easy enough and didn't involve sewing - just my speed.  So off to JoAnn fabrics to acquire materials for my first foray into DIY Montessori materials land.  A few days later, and for a little less than $10, LionHeart and I created a place value chart that is beautiful and hopefully will be fun to use.

LionHeart couldn't wait to get his hands on the fabric glue, which I hear is like Crazy Glue for fabrics!

We explored division with the yardstick as we figured out how far to space the dividing lines (ribbons).

Whola! Our place value masterpiece was completed in under 2 hours.  I think I'm inspired to make even more Montessori materials, especially when I saw the prices of Montessori Mats at Great Extensions.  Sometimes having a tight budget can be just the creative push one needs.