Montessori on a Budget

Montessori Squeeze Orange Juice Tea Party

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:03:00 +0000

We are making orange juice and having a tea party! Come join us! I pre cut the oranges in half and placed them in a wooden salad bowl. I bought an orange juice squeezer on sale at Raley's for $3.19! The wooden tray is a hand-me-down, (we use it a lot); and there is a sponge for wiping.

(Warning, buy juicing oranges, like Valencia oranges! We used regular naval oranges because I had a whole bag of them and did not want to go out and buy more oranges for juicing, but naval oranges are very hard to squeeze, and don't make as much juice! I should also mention we planted a dwarf orange tree! But that's another blog post for another day!)

Here our guest, my son's buddy, JG is squeezing an orange half. I recommend using a dish cloth instead of a tray! This wooden tray, although it looks nice and can catch juice spillage, is too slippery when pressing down and squeezing. Next time we'll squeeze without it...

Now JG is pouring his juice into a glass measuring cup, which we use instead of a tea pot, for the tea party. (A tea pot would be too difficult for my son who has Down syndrome--but some day!) I and JG's mom also have a turn "re-squeezing" the naval oranges once we realized, bad idea! Should have bought juicing oranges!

JG is using the sponge for wiping spills...

Now it's my son JN's turn! (We had to take the tray out from under... because it was too slippery for him when he tried to squeeze the organges.) Notice he is bending down to squeeze... but not getting much luck with it! What to do?

Hmmm, maybe if he uses one hand and holds the container with the other hand? My son is persistent! He does not give up easily! (Which can be a pain, but also a blessing!)

My son decides to stand up again and use one hand on the orange and one hand on the container after his friend JG just showed him how. (Because goodness forbid Mommy should show him LOL!)

That's better! Now we're talking! He is now able to squeeze and get some juice out of that orange. Go to my online gallery to read the rest and see lots more pictures!

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Art Projects on a Budget Montessori #1

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:44:00 +0000

Like most families on a tight budget (and teachers too) it can be a challenge to replenish your art supply cabinet, let alone come up with affordable art projects for your Montessori home or classroom. But thanks to all the mommy bloggers who do arts and crafts with their child/ren and post their projects on their blogs, there is a wonderful assortment of affordable projects to try.

Here are just a few low-budget art projects that might interest you, and that would fit into a Montessori home or classroom, along with links to the blogs and the posts (give these moms a visit and leave a comment while you are there!).

1. Abstract Eggshell Art: an art project with many steps, from the Happy Whimsical Hearts blog.

Posted with permission from Happy Whimsical Hearts blog

*Save those egg shells.
*Dye them.
*Then make a collage with them.

Ideal for a weekly or monthly project (you need time to save the shells and enough time for the shells to dry).

Ideal for ages than can use glue or paste.

Wonderful for fine motor development and for learning colors or mixing colors.

***

2. Paper Plate Walrus from I Heart Crafty Things blog.

Posted with permission from I Heart Crafty Things

* You need white paper plates (maybe some gently-used ones).

* Brown paint, plastic spoons or pipe cleaners or cut up paper plate pieces for the tusks, string or yarn or pipe cleaners for the whiskers, glue or paste (or staples or tape).

* Make one first, as a model for the child/ren.

Ideal for 5 years and up.

Use for Animals of the World (maybe make a different animal each day for each continent--I'll be posting a lot more paper plate animal projects!).

***

3. Weaving Loom, DIY homemade with cardboard and string and a needle, from Jellyfish Jelly -- Creative Kids blog.

Weaving is a wonderful fine motor activity for four- and five-year-olds and up; as well as an example of how other cultures make various items, for your study of Peoples of the World and the Spiritual Needs of Man (art). Many weavers also use natural items from nature. If your child/ren have mastered paper weaving, this is a great extension to add to your weaving activities. This weaving activity also includes a free two-page PDF download with helpful instructions and pictures to keep in your art project folder(s).

***

4. Rolled Paper India Flag, from the Putti Prapancha blog.

Posted with permission from Putti Prapancha

Making flags is a wonderful addition to Geography and Study of a Country for four- and five-year-olds and up. Add to that food, music, artifacts, and stories, etc., for study of a culture and Peoples of the World.

These flags look so easy to make! And with just paper and watercolor paint or crayons, children can repeat this activity several times.

All you need is pre-cut paper, glue or tape, watercolors or crayons or markers. And of course, the Asia Continent Puzzle Map (or any map you have on hand) to find the country of India!

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5. Kid's Crafts: 4 Seasons Winter Colors/Colours from Red Ted's Art Blog.

Make a Winter collage with the colors of Winter for study of the seasons as it relates to the outside environment. And depending on where you live, the colors could be white and brown, or green and grey... The beautiful collages at Red Ted's were made to hang in the window using contact paper, a black paper frame, and a tree silhouette. You could use white construction paper, and if your child/ren wanted to add an object like a tree, they could use the Metal Insets or draw free hand (a rock, a mountain, and or a tree). You also need some glue or paste or a glue stick, and cut-up pieces of paper that fit a Winter color theme: crepe paper, wrapping paper, paper from paper bags, newspaper, junk mail, magazines, and so forth.

***

I hope you will be inspired to try some of these art projects! I will be posting several more each month, so come back again (you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or join my blog followers!). And remember to leave a comment when you visit these blogs, thanks! (You can leave a comment on my blog, too!)

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Lots of Free Downloads of the Montessori Nomenclature Three Part Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:22:00 +0000

Visit The Little List blog for a long list of free downloads for Montessori and homeschool activities including three-part cards and nomenclature for volcanoes, continents, plant/root, various life cycles, and much, much more!

This is my photo of the parts of a real flower, to be done prior to the 3-part cards!

Kudos to The Little List blog, "Exploring the world with a curious adventurer underfoot and camera in hand"! Go here! Happy downloading!

Vegetable Garden in a Box

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:57:00 +0000

My son and I are going to plant carrot seeds in a cat litter pail--which I washed out and filled with soil and sand (carrots like to grow in partial sand). I also drilled a few holes in the bottom, and placed in a layer of wood chips. (You can follow along in my online photo gallery!)

We use a basket (that is lined with a towel) and contains our packet of seeds--carrots, a salt shaker, and a Popsicle stick with the date of planting and the date of maturation (when to pick), as well as the name "carrot".

First, my son helps me make holes for the carrot seeds, about an inch apart. He's very focused on his task!

Now that we have our holes we are ready to plant the carrot seeds--three to four per hole. (Earlier I planted chive seeds in the middle, followed by radishes, then green onion seeds around the rim: onions and chives help keep away carrot flies, and radishes grow super fast and make room for the carrots, which are slow to grow.)

The salt shaker will hold some carrot seeds. I will open the top, then shake a few seeds in my son's hand, and mine, for planting. I do this so we don't risk spilling all the seeds from the packet on the ground. And a salt shaker is easier to manage!

"First it's mommy's turn!" I show my son how to plant the seeds by first sprinkling a few in my palm (with the salt shaker). Now I sprinkle the seeds in a hole...And lastly I cover the seeds.

"Now it's your turn!" I sprinkled some carrot seeds (from the salt shaker) into my son's palm. He plants them and pats the soil. "Now it's time to water our seeds!" We use a spray bottle, which is easy for my son to manage.

"Ta da!" We are done! We will plant one box per week over a four-to-six-week period. (And I'm cutting off the cat litter labels!) We won't poke in the Popsicle sticks until the plants germinate so as to not disturb the seeds.

(You can follow along in my online photo gallery!)

Montessori and the Infant Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:13:00 +0000

Here are more Montessori resources for your infant and tot!

MONTESSORI ALBUMS FOR INFANTS & TODDLERS:

Susan Tracy, M.Ed., Montessori parenting coach: leads parent-infant programs and parent discussion groups. She founded Learning Together in 1999. She also teaches Parent-Infant at the Montessori School of Long Grove, Illinois. She has taught Parent-Infant and parenting classes for fifteen years. Susan has certifications from both the American Montessori Society and Association Montessori Internationale, and a Master’s Degree in Education, but insists that her greatest education has been through observing children.

BabyScholars: offers colorful Waldorf-type toys for infants and tots, including baby mobiles, rattles, soft fill and spill toys and stacking toys.

Lamaze Educational Items for Baby, Infant and Toddler: "These baby toddler and infant toys are designed with color and style to inspire interaction and entertainment from birth to toddler years. Lamaze educational toys help babies and infants start learning." From Learning Things.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

Active Learning for Infants (Addison-Wesley Active Learning Series) Also Ones, Twos, Threes, by Debby Cryer, Thelma Harms, Beth Bourland

Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home from Birth to Age Three by Paula Polk Lillard

The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori

Secret of Childhood by Maria Montessori

Montessori: The Science Behind The Genius by ANGELINE STOLL LILLARD

Einstein Never Used Flashcards by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Diane Eyer

Reclaiming Childhood: Letting Children Be Children in Our Achievement-Oriented Society by William Crain

Montessori and the Infant Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:14:00 +0000

Are you looking for information on Montessori, and more, for your infant? Here are some resources for you, including articles and blogs!

Happy yogurt face!

1. Daily Montessori: Montessori Education at Home (for 0-3 years): Lots of informative infant tot articles and more, if you can get past all the ads, click here.

2. THE FIRST YEAR - text from The Joyful Child: Michael Olaf's Essential Montessori for Birth to Three.

3. The Montessori Baby: "Babies are such delightful and mysterious creatures. One day your baby is lying on his or her back and a few minutes later..."

4. MONTESSORI PARENTING from Birth to Three: Sponsored by The Assistants to Infancy Program, The Montessori Institute Denver, Colorado.

5. Montessori Principles Can Be Used in Mainstream Infant Care: An article by Phyllis Porter, M.A.

6. Why babies don't need toys: "Educational psychologist Anita Hughes believes babies deserve something better than plastic rattles." Go here!
7. And last but not least, my Montessori infant book and program!

I will be posting more Montessori infant resources, so stay tuned!

Leave your comments!

Montessori Volcano Activities

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:02:00 +0000

Kids love volcanoes! And they can be a part of any Montessori home or school environment.

First, start with the concrete, sensorial experience and do a volcano experiment! You can make your own volcano with brown plasticine (set out in sun to soften), and use baking soda and vinegar for the eruption and red food coloring. You also need a deep tray to set it on (or cake pan) and a sponge or cloth for spills. To see a DIY volcano experiment go here. Or you can buy a pre-made one here. on Kid Advance. And there are many volcano kits here on Amazon.com.

You can also have parts of a volcano (nomenclature) cards, see this inexpensive set here at Montessori for Everyone; or make your own.

Third, have books about volcanoes in your book corner, check them out at the library or buy your own. Here is a list from Montessori Services.

Science: do some science experiments, too, including the Solid, Liquid, Gas experiment.

Lastly, draw volcanoes using the Metal Insets or stencils (the triangle or trapezoid shapes are best). You can also make volcano paintings!

And have fun!

To see lots of Montessori volcano images, go here to Google images!

DIY volcano from Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas blog.

What are your thoughts on volcanoes? Leave your comments!

Free Downloads: Earth Day and Make a Snail Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:07:00 +0000

Check out these free activities and printable downloads for Earth Day! (Make every day Earth Day!):

Montessori:
Montessori-Inspired Earth Day Activities from Living Montessori Now blog

Non Montessori:
Picnic for the Planet from The Nature Conservancy
Earth Day Sort and Match Recycling Game from Lakeshore
An Earth Friendly Breakfast from eNasco
Wax on Recycled Caps from eNasco
Make your own (paste) paper from eNasco

My tip for Earth Day:

Create a snail garden! Use an old fish tank, fill it with soil, living plants, rocks, water or a wet sponge and corn meal for the snails to eat. As part of daily/weekly chores (Care of the Environment) your child can refresh the water and cornmeal, as well as water the plants (or mist them with a spray bottle).

Making a snail garden from snails in your yard is a humane way to get them to stop eating your veggies and flowers!

Kids love it!

As a follow up, get books from the library on snails and bugs, draw a snail, make a clay snail, write your observations of the snail garden, learn the parts of a snail, and write a story about a snail.

Tons more snail resources from Montessori Mom and KiddyHouse.

Happy Earth Day!

Creating a Montessori Garden Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:57:00 +0000

To set up a Montessori outdoor garden environment, first you need to include some rubber mats, and milk crates to place them in (rolled up). Crates can now be found at places like Stacks and Stacks, the Closet Store, and Target. As for the rubber mats, use car mats--the kind that are used to put on the floor by the front car seat to keep the carpet protected. I think they make them in clear plastic, now.

For outdoor furniture use child-size wooden picnic tables or wood benches and a long table (wood furniture is more expensive but it lasts longer and can withstand the wind). You can also get picnic tables in plastic include used ones. I don't recommend small, child-size plastic chairs as then blow over too easily and collect water on the seats.

Use plastic storage boxes for your materials and activities, instead of trays, and keep the lids on when not in use!

Consider having an elevated area, like a deck, for children who want to sit on the ground and work.

Consider having an outdoor cabinet or shed for putting activities in for the children to access.

Prepare for all types of weather
Make a shady area for hot weather, have a sun umbrella, some sun hats, and sun screen.

For rain and wet weather have rain boots, raincoat, rain pants available
and towels for wiping.

Allow for jumping in puddles, or show children how to walk around them--recommended.

Prepare for mishaps
First aid kit for falls and scraped knees

Ice packs for bumps

Ointment for bee stings

A bell for calling all the children together when there is an injury

Access to water
Child goes indoors for water

Water is accessible outdoors from a hose, a bucket, a jug, or an ice chest

Talk about the importance of conserving water

Establish ground rules
Child needs to walk when doing garden/outdoor activities.

They can run at playtime.

Consider having a separate area for balls, bikes, and running games.

Compost
A compost is a great addition to your outdoor classroom. However, it will attract rats and skunks: you have to dig several feet below the ground for the mesh/wire siding so rodents can't dig under it; and you have to keep the lid/top securely attached to the compost. If you use a store bought compost, make sure the lid is secured so rodents can't get into it. Children can dig and turn the compost, water it, and of course place leftovers in it, but no meat or dairy. Cover up the leftovers in the compost with soil. Child will need garden gloves and boots.

Plants and trees
Children will naturally want to pick flowers and leaves. However, make it a rule that children need to learn the name of the plant/flower/tree, first!

Teach also the plants/herbs that are edible, non-edible, and poisonous. To do this, write the name of the plant/tree and hang it or place it on a stick in the ground. If the plant is edible (like a cherry tree or mint) the name should be written in black. If not edible, write the name in red. You can use round plastic lids from food containers and write the name on the inside; or glue on cut-out letters. Attach to the plant with string.

Caring for the outdoor classroom
Garden activities to include outside: watering plants, weeding, gathering leaves, and raking.

Other outdoor activities could include washing windows and sweeping. You will need child-size garden gloves, a place to keep them when not in use, and have them easily accessible for the child (we hung ours on hooks in a shed). The left and right hand gloves can be marked with permanent marker (r for right in red, l for left in green).

Also, a large bucket (or better yet a tub) needs to be available for weeds and leaves to be placed in.

Child-size garden tools can be hung on hooks or placed on a low shelf. Only have one child do garden work at a time, for a while. Mishaps can happen and you need to watch the child carefully! The other child can watch or do another activity.

Weeding begins with lessons on what a weed looks like, the name, and most importantly, what is not a weed. Go around the yard, for example, hunting for weeds. A weed can also be pulled previously and examined by the children.

Give a lesson on weeding: go get the mat, unroll it, and place it near some weeds. Then, get the garden tool you use for weeding and place it on the mat, next the gloves (many lessons might be needed to help the child learn how to put gloves on!). Put the gloves on, pick up the tool, and dig around the weed, put it down, pull the weed, carry it to the tub, return, and do another weed.

When done, everything needs to be put away, mat last. Then the hands can be washed. At our school we have them wash the tool, but it is more an extension than a necessity to clean the tools.

Now the child has a turn.

Do the same for gathering dead leaves around plants but use a basket or bucket just for that activity only. When basket is full, throw the leaves in the tub.

Same for raking but show child how to hold rake down, never up, or it gets put away. Rake dead leaves in a pile, place in yet a different basket or bucket just for raking, and so forth. When rake is not in use during the activity, it gets placed down flat and points down, for safety.

Other outdoor activities
Observe critters with binoculars, insect houses, and magnifying glass: birds, worms, butterflies, ants, spiders, ladybugs.

Feed the birds.

Grow a vegetable garden.
Cook and bake in the sandbox with sand toy works: use dishpans with pots/pans/mixing bowls and wooden spoons in each of them. The child puts the work away when they are finished.

Play stove
Have a play stove available with two small pots and a small metal spooning. Put some large pasta or beans inside the pots for scooping. This makes the stove a practical life spooning work.

The younger children love this work! They can pretend to make soup, boil eggs, etc., as long as they do the work correctly: they don't throw the pasta or beans, they don't bang the lids or pots together, or mix them with another work because who would notice such a breech? the other children!

Art
Art activities are a great addition to your outdoor environment.

Consider having wet sponges available for wiping messes.

A mural can be created by placing large paper on a fence, a wall, a long table, or around a tree trunk.

Other outdoor art projects: leaf rubbings, flower arranging, nature collage, rock painting, sidewalk chalk and scrubbing it clean.

Here are a few resources...

Recommended books:

Ready, Set, Go Green: Eco-Friendly Activities for School and Home K-1 (also books for older age groups).

Let It Rot: The Gardener's Guide to Composting.

Help the Environment Book Set/Series by Charlotte Guillain, ages 4 to 6 (at MontessoriServices.com)

Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning: Using the Outdoors as an Instructional Tool, K-8

Sharing Nature with Children, 20th Anniversary Edition

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

For older kids (8 and up): The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids, Families, and Classrooms

Montessori (and other) blogs:

The Montessori Schoolyard

School Gardens...blog: CBC News article on the benefits of learning outdoors

Discovery Days and Montessori Moments blog: Wet, Water, Work

The Work Plan blog: Scrubbing Table

Google images:

Montessori gardening

Montessori planting seeds

Montessori outdoor classroom

YouTube:

"Edible Garden" part one

Community Montessori Garden Classroom

Sevierville Primary's Outdoor Classroom (non-Montessori) "No child left inside" ; )

Outdoor activities for kids (non-Montessori news clip)

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Introduction to Montessori Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:17:00 +0000

What is writing? The ability to express thoughts with written symbols. This is a gift for the children. They will be able to express their thoughts. However, you can not put down anything in writing unless you can think logically, and you can not write at all unless you have control of the instruments with which you are writing. You cannot write until you are able to analyze each sound and can translate it into a symbol. In the adult this happens simultaneously, but the child has to analyze it first.

Writing, therefore, is a process of going from the known to the unknown. So, in order to prepare a child for writing we have to take into consideration his spiritual, his physical, and his intellectual development. The spirit of man urges him to communicate his experiences, and gives him the self-confidence to say what he wants to say at the right time and in the right manner. The self-confidence is gained through the free oral expression at circle time. The intellect of the child is being prepared. We contribute to this preparation with such things as talking, reading stories, and with such language games as I Spy, Question and Answer, The News Period, Classified Cards, and Nursery Rhymes...This is the spiritual and intellectual indirect preparation.

Now comes the physical preparation. Physical preparation deals with movement. In writing, two kinds of movement are required. One is the handling of a writing instrument, and the other is the movement that reproduces the form of the letter. The preparation is on two levels always, indirect and direct.

The indirect preparation for the handling of a pencil are all of the exercises of Practical Life, such as polishing, pouring, etc., for coordination of movement. Also, the sensorial material, like cylinder blocks, geometric forms, and leaf cabinet, which have the little knobs to be picked up with the three fingers. Also, the pink tower and the brown stairs for grasping. The rough and smooth boards and the tactile tablets for the light touch. To develop the clean movement for reproducing the letters, we use the geometric cabinet and the leaf cabinet for tracing the outlines with two fingers. This leads to a clear cut feeling of the form of the letters.

Now, we come to the direct preparation. This includes three materials: the metal insets, the sandpaper letters, and the moveable alphabet. The metal insets give the child the physical ability to hold and manipulate the pencil correctly to sustain the light touch and control necessary for writing. This is the physical part of writing.

The sandpaper letters help with the intellectual part of writing, namely, to reproduce the movement in the shape of a symbol which corresponds to a sound the child has been aware of in the I Spy Game. Now these sounds become concrete symbols which he experiences with motor muscular movement.

The moveable alphabet aids in the spiritual aspect of writing. The moveable alphabet allows the child to express his thoughts even though he does not know how to write yet. The child has analyzed the sound which makes up word in the I Spy Game. He has absorbed their concrete forms in the symbols with the sandpaper letters. And, now, he recognizes these forms in the graphic symbols of the moveable alphabet. With these symbols he is able to form words without having the ability to write yet. Then when he has acquired the physical ability to reproduce the correct form of symbol, he explodes into writing.

My son writing the number two on a Montessori chalkboard

("Introduction To Montessori Writing" is an excerpt from COSMIC EDUCATION, by Ursula Thrush.)

Montessori pre-reading and writing resources:
Montessori Preschool blog
Montessori Miracles blog
Julia Volkman Creating unlimited opportunities to learn... Writing and reading comprehension
Info Montessori blog
Montessori Read and Write book
Montessori for Everyone blog
The Learning Ark blog

Leave your comments and suggestions!

Montessori Grammar Part Two: Function of Words

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 04:06:00 +0000

"Montessori utilizes a child's urge to read by giving the him useful constructive reading experiences which, without his realizing it, gives him concrete experience in the workings of grammar. (It also supplies him with classified information on botany and geography, etc.) And finally leads him to total reading.
"Now, the function of words is made real to him through reading exercises coupled with fun activities. The knowledge of the function of words is necessary for precise expression. He needs to follow where a word stands in a sentence and what its function is in a sentence...

Aims for the Function of Words: "From the point of view of grammar, it is to give the function of each word. In the work, the role of each part of speech is represented. Only one kind is given in order to give the child a strong impression. The name of each part of speech is given, but not its classification, e.g. The child is not told whether the nouns are proper or common. Although the child is introduced to the definite and indefinite article, he is only given one name. This holds true for all the other parts of speech.

Order of Presentations: Function of Words

"The noun family is presented first because it is the easiest. This family is composed of the easiest parts of speech. The conjunction and the preposition follow because they facilitate the writing of long sentences. The verb family follows since it is the more difficult of the two; it is less concrete. The interjection is presented at the end because it belongs to no family."

FUNCTION OF WORDS: GRAMMAR FOR READING AND WRITING
Order of Presentation:
The Noun Family--the first grammar family

1. Noun

2. Article

3. Adjective

The Verb Family--the second grammar family

4. Conjunction

5. Preposition

6. Verb

7. Adverb

8. Pronoun

9. Interjection

Notes on grammar for adult:
*Grammar used to help reading to become “total reading”.

*Reading not preparation for grammar as ordinary schools.

*(MM) Grammar is means of building order in language already within Child.

*Grammar is natural and doesn’t have to be understood to be used.

*(MM) Function means the task done, the role played by each word in speaking.

*(Psycho grammar) The study of function of words is way of penetrating the language which already exists verses the Child is a means of perfecting and fixing this language.

*This study important for Child who is organizing this language by himself.

*Refer to Adv. Montessori Method, Vol. II, Chapter I.

Psychology Presentation: Story "The Multitude":

"Names are something full of life & secrets, they inflame our interest. One must know them to understand and love them. Some societies have secret names because a name has power. If people don’t know my name they can’t hurt me, have power over me. These secret names given out of fear. All things have names, plants, animals, places. All parts of boats men navigated had names, frightening weather had a name, frightening animals and their cries had names. Men's thoughts of the heavens above had names. The lens and tiny things 1st seen through it had names. Each new perfected thing, and each thing that brought well being, including one feeling had names. Man’s new strength, intelligence, experience & complexities had names. From generation to generation the men died, the names accumulated. (Give examples) So everything has a name."

(The above quotes are from my Montessori training notes and albums.)

Montessori grammar and the function of words resources:

Please leave your comments!

Montessori Science Part Two: Physics Experiments

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:59:00 +0000

The physics/science exercises are extremely important. They are the earliest introduction of the child to the concrete experience of the process of physics, which the child can repeat at will. She has no such control of them in life. We are not teaching physics, we are only sowing the seeds of interest: seeds of awe and wonderment at the phenomena of nature. These experiments are the very essential and integral part of the fundamental need of cosmic education. Introduce them to the child and them stand back, observe, and let her draw her own conclusions. All the cultural subjects have a two-fold purpose: to arouse the child’s interest and to give her the sensorial tools with which to classify her experiences.--Ursula Thrush

Here is an outline from my 6 to 9 Montessori training manual, "History of Creation Experiments Outline":

First you need to do some experiments with the children to spark their imaginations before going on to present the history of creation (first story in the Great Lessons): "Cosmic Tale: God Who Has No Hands." These experiments are key experiences. An atmosphere of magic and mystery is recommended!

The experiments (outlined below) should begin in the fall with #1 Cold--freezing, and continue throughout the year. The tales are usually told in early spring, followed by the Timeline of Life.

Impressionistic Geography Charts: one set is called "The Formation of the Earth and Insulation" and the other is called "The Work of Air and Water." These charts go hand in hand with the 6-9 experiments (also called elementary physics/science experiments or history of creation experiments).

The Physics Experiments Outline:
1. Cold--freezing
2. The formation of the star
3. Solid, liquid, gas
4. Liquid, viscous
5. Passing from solid to liquid to gas
6. Passing from gas to liquid to solid
7. Particles which love each other and ~ which don’t
8. Mixture
9. Chemical combination of gas
10. Crystallization
11. Chemical reaction
12. Precipitation
13. Properties of solids, liquid, and gas
14. Elastic, plastic, rigid
15. Matter changes at different temperatures
16. Law of gravity
17. Rapidity of cooling and mass of bodies
18. Volcano
19. Matter expands when it is heated
20. Quick evaporation

Montessori Resources:

Book of interest:
Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary Classroom

Please leave your comments and suggestions!

Montessori Science Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 23:04:00 +0000

One of the areas in the Montessori 3 to 6 and 6 to 9 curriculum that gets little attention, but is so important, are the Science and Physics Experiments!

"The first science experiments are designed to give the child the basic knowledge which will make possible the understanding of the development of the solar system, the earth and its configurations, life on earth and the needs of plants and animals."--Voyager Montessori.

So I went searching around for free science lessons and downloads to share with you!

Online article: Science for Babies, Montessori Life, Spring 2004 by Miller, Darla Ferris.

Here is a nice 3 to 6 color experiment with pics from Montessori By Hand blog.

A PDF of Physical Science Curriculum for 3 to 6 year olds from Meg Fedorowicz at Meadow Montessori.org.

Montessori Spinning Bucket from Jocelyn Scotty.

A photo journal of Montessori inspired science projects from Inspired Montessori blog.

Non-Montessori: extensive list of science activities and resources from A to A Home's Cool Homeschooling.

Leave your suggestions and comments!

Toddler Tips for Moms

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 23:19:00 +0000

I found (and read!) a helpful toddler document on Scribd called Insider Secrets on Parenting Your Toddler, containing several short, easy-to-read chapters by different professionals, all collaborated by Ron Huxley, LMFT, and the author of the out-of-print book Love & Limits: Achievinga Balance in Parenting. The document is twenty pages long. Some of the chapters include:

"Emotional Intelligence and Your Toddler" by Susan Dunn
"Why Creativity and Self-Expression are Important to Little Kids" by Sherry Frewerd
"Toddler Skills for Personal Responsibility" by Margaret Paul, Ph.D
"Solving Baby Sleep Problems" by Graham Nicoll
"The Gracefull Art of Defrazzling - For Mothers" by Darlene Hull
"Parenting Confidence - Who Needs It?" by Frank McGinty
"Go Fly a K.I.T.E. - Assertiveness Training for Children"

At the end of each chapter you will find a link to that author's web site, and a brief bio.

I have to say I agreed with much of the advice! Go here to read the document:
http://www.scribd.com/full/17054380?access_key=key-18epquzft1mdd9aa9av6

Happy reading! Leave your comments!

Montessori Fraction Insets

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 23:55:00 +0000

The Montessori fraction insets begin in the primary 3 to 6 classroom as a sensorial foundation for fractions in the 6 to 9 classroom including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of fractions. They are very expensive to buy since most sets are still made of metal. There are PDF downloads you can print, as well as non-Montessori fraction insets (I found some inexpensive sets on Amazon).

For how to present the Montessori fractions, visit these two blogs:

1) Montessori fraction lessons (using the Montessori fraction insets) with pictures, very extensive! From Info Montessori blog.

2) Article of interest "Sample Article for Fractions Montessori Lesson for Teaching Fractions" (scroll down) from My Montessori House blog.

Go here for a free download of the fraction insets in PDF from Montessori Mom blog, however, printed fraction insets are not ideal since they can tear, rip, or curl. More fraction ideas at MM blog.

This wonderful YouTube clip shows children in a Montessori classroom interacting with fraction insets, fraction blocks, and more!

You can also look at Montessori fraction Google images.

Here is a nice, non-Montessori fraction lesson: Representing the Day Using Fractions.

In Montessori on a Limited Budget, there is a Fraction Tubes activity (as well as "variations and parallel activities") using four cardboard tubes, each a different color, one whole (grey), two halves (green), three thirds (yellow), four fourths (red). Page 133-134. They also recommend making fraction circles out of pizza round cardboard pieces and covering them with contact paper.

In my Montessori 3 to 6 training, the very first fraction lesson was given with an apple! Try introducing fractions, therefore, with food: having a sandwich, two halves make a whole; and 1/8 of a pizza, eight pieces or eight eighths make a whole! Use also pancakes, muffins, oranges, pineapple, and toast!

Here are some non-Montessori fractions made of magnets and foam: $ Magnet Fraction Circles; $$ Foam Magnet FC (on Amazon.com).

And here they are in wood (Montessori).

Free Downloads: Montessori Art Cards & Art Appreciation

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:25:00 +0000

My son's painting at age three!

Art cards are a staple of the Montessori classroom and art appreciation. You can make your own three-part art cards by printing out two sets of cards for matching, one set will need to be labeled, one set will need to be mute. Lastly, you need to make a set of labels for the mute cards.
For a brief overview of Montessori art, read Montessori Philosophy & Practice AGE 3-6+ YEARS—Art by Michale Olaf.

Listed here is a free resource and YouTube clip for how to present three-part cards:
From Montessori Print Shop

And here is a blog post, Montessori Three-Part Cards, from Montessori Candy.

Here are some Montessori art card free PDF downloads:

O'Keeffe Art Cards 3-Part Cards
Picasson cards
Leonard da Vinci
Monet
Renoir
Art cards (various works of art)
Artists cards (various artists)
YouTube video clips on Montessori art:
Art Appreciation in the Montessori Early Childhood Classroom

Online resources for women artists:

Art books to get from the library:

Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists, a series for children
Express Yourself! (Art Explorers) a series for children by Joyce Raimondo

A beautiful Montessori Art at Home post from The Montessori Child at Home blog. And lots more art resources, links, and downloads at Living Montessori Now's Montessori-Inspired Art Appreciation blog post!

Personal Note: I love art. Both my parents were artists. My son loves to do art. Sadly, I think art gets left out of many classrooms: it's messy, it's costly, it's not as important as math or language, yada, yada. But art is such a vital part of our lives, whether it is photography, drawing, painting, or collage. For our children it is a means of self-expression, builds fine motor skills, practical life skills, and it's fun!

Linking to ABC and 123 Show and Tell Blog Hop!

Montessori Grammar Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:57:00 +0000

The preschool grammar lessons precede the elementary grammar boxes and cards. Usually the first preschool grammar lesson is The Article with the words "the" and "a" using strips of paper, and can be given to five and six year olds.

It's important to remember the preschool grammar lessons are a direct preparation for reading! Let me repeat that, the preschool grammar lessons are a direct preparation for reading: "Direct Aim: Reading. Indirect Aim: Grammar."

By ages 6 to 9 children can read and go directly into the study of grammar including the grammar boxes.

So if you are presenting the preschool grammar lessons, your direct aim is reading. If you are presenting the elementary grammar boxes, your direct aim is teaching grammar.

Here is a list of the preschool grammar (direct preparation for reading) lessons:
Articles
Adjectives with Farm Animals
Logical Adjective Game
Detective Adjective Game
Conjunction
Prepositions
Verbs
Verb Tenses
Commands
Adverbs
Logical Adverb Game
Conjunction Game with Roses
Preposition Games with Roses and Farm Animals
Verb Game
Verb Game with Farm Animals
Verb Command Cards & Function of the Verb
Adverb Game
Logical Adverb Game

Suggested Montessori books for grammar lessons and activities and games:

Montessori on a Limited Budget by E. Farrow and C. Hill: Grammar Games from page 167 to 178, including a Noun Game with objects like farm or dollhouse and labels; Article Game with objects and strips of paper and cards; Adjective Game with farm objects and labels; The Triangle Game; antonyms and superlatives, synonyms; Conjunction Game with farm animals and labels; The Preposition Game with farm cards and objects and other games; Pronoun Game with nursery rhymes; Verb and Adverb Games with command cards. Grammar symbols (how to make, how to use for sentences).

Montessori Read and Write A Parents' Guide to Literacy for Children (1998) by Lynne Lawrence: page 121 to 126. "Using descriptive words" using objects, paper, pen, labels. "Discovering how important word order is" with paper strips. "Using more than one descriptive word" using labels and objects. "Making the [grammar] symbols"; "Looking at the way words can be joined together" using grammar symbols, objects and strips of paper. "Using the comma"; "Investigating the preposition" with grammar symbols and objects and paper strips; and "Identifying verbs and adverbs" with grammar symbols and paper.

Teaching Montessori in the Home The School Years by Elizabeth G. Hainstock: various pages. "The Parts of Speech Noun" games using noun cards with names of objects in the room, black noun cards with family names, farm objects and black noun cards, baskets with noun strips. "The Adjective" with command cards, farm objects, cards. "The Verb" with the farm objects and cards, command cards. "The Adverb" using a blackboard, farm objects, cards. "The Preposition" using cards and farm objects. "The Conjunction" using objects in the room, farm objects, cards. "The Pronoun" using cards. "Interjection" with paper. "Using Symbols for Parts of Speech" cards and grammar symbols. "Commands" with grammar symbols and paper. This book also has several pages for how to make the above materials.

The Montessori Elementary Material by Maria Montessori: (Copied from the table of contents.) Download it free here.

III. ARTICLE AND NOUN 22
Singular and Plural ... 25
Masculine and Feminine 27
Singular and Plural in English 33
IV. LESSONS COMMANDS 39
Nouns 40
Commands on Nouns . 48
V. ADJECTIVES 51
Analyses .... 51
Descriptive Adjectives 51
Permutations 55
Inflection of Adjectives 56
Logical and Grammatical Agreement of Nouns and
Adjectives , 59
Descriptive Adjectives 61
Adjectives of Quantity 63
Ordinals &
Demonstrative Adjectives 64
Possessive Adjectives . . .... . . 65
Comparison of Adjectives 65
VI. VERBS 66
Analyses 66
Permutations . 68
Lessons and Commands on the Verb . . 69
Lessons with Experiments . . . 74
VII. PREPOSITIONS ... . . 77
Analyses ...... .77
Permutations . 80
Lessons and Commands on Prepositions . 81
VIII ADVERBS . 85
Analyses . . 85
Permutations . ... 87
Lessons and Commands on Adverbs . . 90
A Burst of Activity, the Future of the Written Language
in Popular Education 93
Commands Improvised by the Children . . 96
IX. PRONOUNS . 98
Analyses ..... 98
Personals . . 98
Demonstratives . ... 99
Relatives and Interrogatives . . 99
Possessives . . . .101
Permutations . .... .... 101
Lessons and Commands on the Pronoun . 102
Paradigms ... 106
Agreement of Pronoun and Verb . . . .108
Conjugation of Verbs . 110
X. CONJUNCTIONS 113
Analyses . . . 113
Coordinates . 113
Subordinates ... 114
Permutations . ... 115
Lessons and Commands on the Conjunction . . .115
Comparison of Adjectives 117
XI, INTERJECTIONS .. .. 120
Analyses 120
Classification 122

Toddler Montessori-Inspired Art

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 06:22:00 +0000

I went in search of Montessori-inspired art projects for toddlers, here is what I found!

1. MyHomeMadeMontessori blog: Textured Sensory Fossil Art

2. Mamalooma blog: Kid Art Play dough

3. To the Lesson blog: Paper Tearing

4. Natural Kids blog: Festive Feast for the Birds

Bonus:

Pineapple Paintbrush blog: Online Preschool Art Class

*Lively, short YouTube toddler clip "using fruits, vegetables, crackers, or other materials you can find at home, dipped in finger paints, your toddler will have a lot of fun making different kind of prints." Maybe if food wasn't getting so expensive lately, but still, very cute video!

My two idea sparklers for homemade toddler arts and crafts:

*Plain yogurt and food coloring for finger painting on a place mat.
Glue stick, soup can labels, brown paper bags or old gift bags.

Can your toddler clean up his materials?! Watch this YouTube video "20 month-old putting away play dough, Montessori home" from SewLiberated (one of my favorite Montessori blogs BTW). It can happen, just be patient!

For non-Montessori crafts, visit this mom and son YouTube channel, SimpleKidsCrafts, I like that they use recycled materials! (Recommended for older kids... hundreds of crafts!)

Note: A "Montessori" art project is one that is 1) available in the environement for the child to repeat, 2) usually on a tray with all the pieces necessary for the child to complete the art activity from beginning to end. 3) The child also cleans up the activity and 4) puts it away when finished!

*Personal comment on using edible materials for art: I never used edible art materials because of my son's cognitive delays (I wanted him to eat food and not play with it); and we did not use them in our classroom--instead we used found objects and recycled materials... Some teachers prefer not to use food art with toddlers as it might be confusing... I think it is up to you entirely! (Maybe painting with veggies will get your tot to eat them, just not with paint on them!)

Montessori Land and Water Activities

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 23:53:00 +0000

The Montessori land and water forms consist of eight land form pans (lake and island, peninsula and gulf, strait and isthmus, cape and bay). You can make your own L & W forms or buy them. They used to be very expensive to buy, however lately they can be found under $50 and made of plastic (for six pans). Land and water form CARDS are less expensive to buy or make.

Aim: The L & W forms are a practical life exercise for large and small motor movement and sequencing of steps. They are also the concrete experience for the Geography curriculum, 3-6 & 6-9.

Age: You can introduce the L & W forms as young as 2 1/2 as a Practical Life pouring exercise, however I recommend doing this OUTSIDE in the late spring or early summer months when the weather is warm... The L & W form CARDS are given at a later date as a matching work to the L & W forms. The names of the L & W forms can be taught giving a Three Period Lesson (ideally with the forms, the pans). But you can teach the names using the L & W form cards. At age three to three and a half children can do the L & W form cards alone without the pans, matching them including the labels.

Tip: the cards and forms need to match! If you buy the cards, don't get the photos, and don't buy L & W form cards with green land if your L & W forms have brown as the land!

My tips on How to make land and water forms
Everything you wanted to know about making L & W forms at Living Montessori Now blog.
$$ I found plastic ones at Kidadvance (in two sets--which makes it more affordable if you buy one set at a time).

Land and Water Form Cards:

Tip: Get three-part cards! Make sure they will match your L & W forms.

Free downloads at Montessori Mom blog.
$ Montessori-Print-Shop.
$ Land and Water Form Cards from montessoriforeveryone.
$ from Kidadvance in card-stock, or $$ wood.
Try also Montessori Outlet.

Land and Water Form Lessons and Activities found in Montessori books:

1) "Land Form Boxes," plus "Variations and Parallel Activities" including making vocabulary cards to go with the boxes, from Montessori on a Limited Budget on pages 183-184.

2) "Land and Water" activities including forms, globe, and pictures from David Gettman's Basic Montessori on page 188-190.

3) "Making land models" from Teach Me To Do It Myself on page 158-159 (with a sidebar of other activities to try).

The land and water forms are always a favorite activity in the classroom, and the concrete experience for further study and understanding of geography including the globes,world puzzle map, and the continent maps.

Do you have a L & W form resource or comment to share?

DIY Montessori Math Bead Works

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:23:00 +0000

(These are not hand-made, they are tradtional Montessori glass beads.)

I came across this blog several years ago on how to make your own Montessori bead materials, and for the crafty homeschooler, consider giving it a try! I used to make them and sell them on eBay (when my son napped twice a day! Ha!).

Typically you start with the colored bead stair around age four (and for children with good fine motor skills for counting each bead). For children who may find this too challenging, stick with the large number rods or spindle boxes or cards and counters and try again in a few months...). Go here for the Colored Bead Stair

For making the Golden Beads (like the tens for the teen and ten beads and boards) go here.

Montessori Bead Chains (for teaching multiplication, skip counting) go here.

Once you make enough colored beads and ten bead bars, create a set for the Positive (Addition) Snake Game. (For this you need to make at least four1-9 colored bead stair sets and five or six ten bead bars.)

Children can also make a color bead stair with paper and colored pencils, that is they draw it, perfect for children who enjoy writing and drawing!

For a variation on a theme, visit the Early Learning with Marta and Eaton blog and see the colored bead stair matching works she made for her toddler here (scroll down)! She got the PDFs here.
Also visit Living Montessori Now for a heart-bead work DIY!

Children by age four (when you give the colored bead stair) should already know their numerals from one to nine. This work then leads to the teen beads.

Leave your comments or questions regarding DIY Montessori bead materials!

Special Needs Activity Downloads and More

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:27:00 +0000

Affordable and free special needs activities, hand-outs, and information sheets from Your Therapy Source, "online resource for special education, pediatric occupational therapy and pediatric physical therapy."

I found Your Therapy Source through a search on eBay for Montessori stuff... where they had an eBay store. I Googled them and found their website!

They offer both PDF downloads and print copies. They also offer many free activities, like Hunt and Find here (nice photos, too). Unfortunately some of their free sample links are broken or do not work...

Costs range from $2.99 to $4.99 and up!

There are too many activities, freebies, etc., to list here! But they are categorized:

Fine Motor
Gross Motor
Sensory Processing
Handwriting
Activities of Daily Living
Visual Perceptual
Miscellaneous
Video Activity Ideas

Some of my favorites were the cutting activity books (ebooks) with free PDF samples: Cut, Create and Play; Cut and Paste; and Cut and Fold.

Be prepared to spend a few hours looking around! Tons of great activities!
Your Therapy Source's free stuff page.

Did you find this resource helpful? Leave your comments!

Free Downloads: Montessori Puzzle Words, Spindle Boxes, Ant City in a Jar

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:26:00 +0000

Here are three, free Montessori downloads!

1. Language: Montessori Puzzle Words, ten pages with twelve word labels on each page for a total of 120 words! From Montessori Print Shop.

2. Math: Montessori Spindle Boxes, for counting 0-9. Print out and make the box using card stock and glue or tape or staples, then use skewers, straws, craft sticks, or unsharpened pencils as spindles! From Livable Learning at JMJPublishing.

3. Zoology: Ant City in a Glass Jar from Montessori Mom. This is a great (and free!) concrete experience for insect study! Next: ant puzzle, ant books, and parts of an ant. Also, use a magnifying glass to look for and study ants in your backyard or local park; and draw an ant.

Leave your comments!

Montessori Movable Alphabet

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:37:00 +0000

The MOVABLE ALPHABET is used to build words and comes BEFORE reading. Age: 4 to 5-year-olds. Children need to have practiced writing their letters, know I Spy, sand paper sounds, and breaking down a word by sounds. Lots of (Google) images here!

For MAKING MATERIALS, including Montessori language, join Montessori Material Makers, "A place to help you make Montessori materials." This is an active group that started in 2002 and has nearly 5000 members!

1. Free Moveable Alphabet lesson with nice phonetic word list at the bottom and free "Excercises for the Moveable Alphabet" from Montessori Mom.

2. $ Make your own (print and cut and laminate) letters and picture cards from Montessori-Print-Shop

3. $$ Small Moveable Alphabet Plastic Letters from Montessori N' Such.

4. $$ Montessori Outlet has several wooden Movable Alphabet letters, the best one is #510400090 "Small Movable Alphabet (Print, Mix Blue & Red)". They also have a frequent buyer program, so make sure to register before you buy (and log in each time you return).

MA Cards
Here are some phonetic picture cards for a great price, laminated, from Montessori Research and Develpoment. You would use just the pictures for the moveable alphabet (for spelling), and move on later to the classified reading cards using these in full (for reading) with labels!
$$ http://www.montessorird.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_14_46&products_id=66
$$ http://www.montessorird.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_14_46&products_id=67

Do you have any Movable Alphabet comments or resources to share?

Can You Begin to Teach Geography Without Buying all the Montessori Materials

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:38:00 +0000

Can you begin to teach 3 to 6 Geography without buying all the Montessori materials? Here's what Montessori on a Budget has to say!

"Geography activities should begin close to home so the child has a concept of the structure of his immediate environment before he tries to comprehend an abstract representation of a more remote area (e.g., maps and globes). The concept of a map can be learned through making a map of the child's yard, or neighborhood or town, or having treasure hunts utilizing maps. For Ithaca, N.Y. children [in the U.S.], terms like lake, gorge, woods, waterfall, creek, hill, inlet, etc., will be more valuable at first than ocean, bay, peninsula, etc., (which might come first for a Floridian)." From Montessori on a Limited Budget on page 181.

When I taught in Sausalito, on clear days I used to take the 5-year-olds and a walk up the hill by our school. When we reached the top we'd look down to see the bay and an island (Angel Island). They really enjoyed it!

So begin by exploring and discovering your own neighborhood and town!

Then begin making a list of what materials you want to make (or dare I say buy). But hopefully, before you do, I can help you save some cash!

For a basic overview of just a few of the 3 to 6 Montessori Geography materials, try this YouTube clip. In it you'll find a gem! Cost? Zero! All you need are a couple of jars with lids! (OK, and a map and globe.)

One of the best lists of links and downloads for Montessori Geography is at MontessoriMom for Free Map Printouts of Continents, States & World.

I really enjoyed reading about how to make your own continent boxes at Montessori for Everyone! Nice pics and a whole list of resources at the end of the article!

Visit this blog if you do decide to buy the World Puzzle Map and want to do punch outs:
My Montessori Journey's Continent Map Work

Lastly, one more piece of advice from Montessori on a Limited Budget:

"In studying other countries, use concrete objects and experiences rather than pictures... Food experiences can be a good introduction to another country, for example, eating at a Chinese restaurant and trying to handle chopsticks. You can structure [the study of other countries] by putting together a box of objects [from] several different countries. For example for Japan, have a haiku poem, chopsticks, a kimono, a flag.... You can make labels for the objects, too." From Montessori on a Limited Budget on page 181.

My tip: go take a walk and explore, then visit your local library and check out a cookbook with food recipes from a different culture, then find where that culture comes from on a map! Try a different culture each week and explore another part of your city or town!

Leave your comments and suggestions!

Toddler Mom Sticker Chart, Dusting Tip, and Dry Pouring

noreply@blogger.com (Confessions of a Montessori Mom Lisa Nolan) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:48:00 +0000

Sticker chart for mom!? OK, I wish I'd thought of this! Alas, I give credit to Nursery Rhymes and Nightlights blog: this mom created a sticker chart for HERSELF to remind her what to focus on through out the day to help her young son with potty training and getting dressed, as well as brushing his teeth.

To see her blog post (and chart) go here.

You can make one for yourself and write down seven things on it to help your infant or toddler: things like, pet the cat gently with your hands; tuck in your chair after meals; or my favorite, say or sign help when you need help...

If you have a toddler, you must know by now they want to help out around the house and copy what mommy (and daddy) do, but much of what parents do is too challenging for a tot! So instead of saying no, allow the child to use a duster and dust the (you fill in the blanks but here are some ideas: dust the table, dust the laundry, dust the bookshelf...).

In our classroom we had 2 1/2 year-olds and when they wanted to choose an activity that we knew was too hard for them, we allowed them to take it off the shelf and go get the duster and dust each piece. They got to interact with the activity! So try it at home!

Lastly, a favorite Montessori activity is dry spooning, check out a terrific post on the subject from Mummy Hugs blog (and with great pics, I'm jealous!).

For more Montessori spooning pics go here!

If your tot is not ready for spooning, use a bucket or tub filled a third of the way with beans, a few small bowls, and or cups, and a Chinese soup spoon. If you are brave, use rice.

For some more ideas with what to do with rice go here! (Note, you'll be doing a lot of sweeping!)

Leave your comments!