Montessori Minds Booklet 
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25 Princes Highway, Norlane VIC 3214
(03) 5222 8135
contact@montessoriminds.com.au 
Mon-Fri: 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Montessori Minds children organised a fruit and vegetable market which proved to be an enriching experience not only for the kids but also for the community. The intentional teaching of organising the market incorporated the concepts of buying, selling, dealing with money, and engaging the community while providing younger children with sensorial learning experiences:
The Concept Emerged: We came up with the idea of Fruit and Vegetable market with following intentions in mind:
“MM Fruit and Vegetable Market” – A fun, engaging event where children learn about fruits, vegetables, and the basics of commerce through hands-on experience.
Goals of the exercise were:
- Understanding of Money: Teaching children the basics of buying and selling through small-value transactions. Gold coins were used for easy counting, addition of numbers, and simpler transactions. Teach children the basics of trading, including the exchange of money, setting prices, and customer interaction.
- Confidence Building: Allowing children to interact with community members, giving them a sense of responsibility and boosting self-esteem. By playing the roles as sellers and buyers children can improve communication skills, build self-confidence, and foster independence
- Learning Fruits and Vegetables: Children identify and learn names, characteristics, and benefits of various fruits and vegetables.
- Sensorial Engagement: Focus on taste, smell, texture, and colors to enhance sensory learning for the younger children.
- Community Engagement: Involving parents, and community members of Geelong Health Precinct in the market experience, making it an interactive and supportive environment for the children.
The market was an eye opener for everyone where we as educators and parents felt that we usually underestimate our children in terms of their learning and experiences.
The children took over the market setup like effortlessly persuading parents to buy the things of their choice. Each child took turns as the seller, interacting with customers (parents, teachers, other children) and handling transactions with support from adults. Children used their interpersonal skills of basic greetings like “Welcome! How can I help you?” to build confidence in communication.
Our Kinder children practiced selecting items, paying for them, and learning the value of items. They also showed amazing enthusiasm collecting and counting real money. Our pre Kinders were not left out as they took this opportunity to have sensorial experiences where younger children could touch, taste, or smell different fruits and vegetables. They also learned to match vegetables with their names or colors.
Reflections:
- The market proved to be an event for reflection amongst educators. It served the purpose of encouraging positive interactions and model behaviours of buying and selling making this experience deliberate, purposeful and child centred.
- It was an event where children’s learning, their skills, and challenging interactions were assessed and documented through observation and educators reflected on their guiding strategies.
- An amazing relationship with children and community was established by giving children a real time experience and engaging community as stakeholders in this village.
The following outcomes were achieved by this exercise:
- Mathematics: Counting money, understanding value, and basic arithmetic.
- Social Skills: Communication, collaboration, and role-play during the buying and selling process.
- Science/Nutrition: Learning about the nutritional value of different fruits and vegetables, where they come from, and how they grow.
- Sensory Development: Through smell, taste, and touch, children develop sensory awareness and vocabulary around fruits and vegetables.
This event not only taught important life skills but also fostered a connection between children and the community while promoting healthy eating habits but also gave a real life experience to our children to achieve the learning outcomes in an effortless way.
Parents and adults in community were engaged by guiding the children through the process of buying and selling, ensuring they feel supported but still autonomous. They modelled interactions by asking questions like “What fruit is this?” or “How much does this cost?” to stimulate conversation and learning.
It was an event offered both educational and experiential learning, providing children with foundational knowledge about commerce, healthy eating, and social interactions in a fun, engaging way.
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