Motown Montessori

October's Montessori activity:
all you need is water and sand.

Trow took the kids to the beach. No shovels, no buckets, no fancy toys.
Just the items you find on a beach: water, sand, seaweed, stones, shells.

Despite the current cost of the iconic wooden Montessori toys, playing just in nature is very Montessori:

"Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning as it wakes every living creature that divides its day between walking and sleeping."

Everything in this paragraph is just about being in nature.

Open-ended toys, with more than one object, spur creativity and problem-solving. Playing with natural objects in "loose parts play" provides countless ways to build, roleplay, or explore.
When at the beach, with only objects found at the beach, children can become creators or engineers. A handful of shells can become a herd of animals; a series of building blocks; the foundation in a sand castle; or sparkling jewels being washed clean in aqua waters.
This encourages both STEM and imaginative brain-building.

To be truly Montessori on a trip to the beach, you don't need a slew of toys or just the perfect metal-and-wood shovel.
You can just go. With your selves.
If your kids are accustomed to toys, they might need support as they engage in loose parts play at the beach.
So sit down. Dig in the sand. Build moats and tunnels and drape them in seaweed and pan for jewels amongst the rocks. Invite your kiddos to join you. And try to relish the simplicity of being away from all the clutter of your home, and just engaging in nature as it is.