One of my favorite learning tools that's commonly found in a Montessori classroom is the Grammar Farm. In short, it's a farm setting (complete with a barn and farm themed figurines) and its purpose is to introduce the parts of speech to children in a fun, interactive way. You can read more about Grammar Farms here.
Over the past year and half, I have been creating a Grammar Farm of our own. Because I love farms, and because I love natural toys, and because I wanted this set to be something my children could pass along to their own children, I invested a bit of money into this little farm. I purchased our wooden animals from here and here, and the barn was purchased second-hand, but you can find it here. I made the cards myself ages ago and they are color coded (In Montessori, the parts of speech are color-coded.)
This is James' first introduction to the Grammar Farm, and as such we're focusing on just nouns at the moment. Very soon we'll move to articles, adjectives, and verbs. Next, we'll create sentences by lining up the cards (like this) and finally I'll introduce these grammar symbols to accompany not just this farm, but other language activities as well.
I really enjoyed putting together our own farm, but you can purchase Grammar Farms online - here are a few links I found:
:: A very basic set, which you can add to.
:: Complete sets here and here that appear to have everything you'd need (minus the grammar cards).
:: Don't forget thrift shops - Montessori Tidbits found a fantastic set at the Goodwill!
:: For the grammar cards, you can make your own or you can purchase them from my favorite store for Montessori printables, Montessori Print Shop.
Here's a link on how to make your own farm (to keep it thrifty, you could use these animals) and here's a link on how to present the Grammar Farm to a child.
Lastly, (if you're not all linked-out by now!) be sure to check out these posts:
:: The Work Plan made her Grammar Farm work for toddlers!
:: For another DIY farm, check out A Bit of This and A Bit of That.
~Thank you for your comments!~