Children learn to read in a specific way in the Montessori environment. First, they learn to read phonetic words (think short sounds) that are no more than three sounds (letters). We label these as pink words. Secondly, they learn to blend more phonetic sounds in longer words (four or more sounds/letters). These are blue words. Then the child is introduced to our green series that highlight difficulties or phonograms (non-phonetic sounds).
Going for a walk, either in the neighbourhood or on a path, can be an enriching learning experience for a young child. Integrating a scavenger hunt can help your child engage, become more observant, and practice some reading! Here are lists of words, according to the reading level of your Casa child. Some of the words are more suited for a neighbourhood stroll and some are more suited for a nature walk. Note: this usually applies to second and third-year Casa students.
Make the length of your hunt dependent on your child’s length of concentration. For example, the hunt I make for my four-and-a-half-year-old usually has between 8-10 items. Keep it fun. If they lose interest and don’t finish, it’s okay. If they need help reading, it’s okay. Writing each word in a different colour can help your child identify the word with a hint, rather than pointing it out or reading it for them. And you can always invite your child to help write the words too! Happy hunting!
Pink Words (short phonetic words)
ant
bag
bin
bud
bug
bus
cat
cab
can
cop
dog
elm
egg
hat
jet
kid
log
man
mat
mud
pet
pod
pot
red
six
van
Blue Words (long phonetic words)
basket
black
bell
brick
crack
duck
frog
flag
grass
hill
nest
plant
pond
rabbit
robin
rock
sand
seven
slug
stem
steps
stick
truck
Green Words (non-phonetic words)
bee
bike
bird
blue
branch
brown
car
coat
duckling
five
gate
garden
goose
green
gutter
handle
leaf
jeep
mailbox
nine
path
pebbles
planter
pole
porch
puddle
river
road
roof
root
rose
seagull
shed
shell
stairs
stream
stroller
screen
trunk
yellow
