Montessori Print Shop is hosting a huge giveaway of their entire collection! I have found their materials to be excellent and affordable.

For more information, visit: http://blog.montessoriprintshop.com

Good luck!

Rebecca

Fight the brain drain that inevitably happens during summer break. Join us for an exciting week of brain-boosting literacy activities August 20 – 24 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.!  Students will engage in individualized reading and writing work at their cutting edge of learning, under the supervision of a certified reading teacher with over ten years of teaching experience. This camp is designed for students reading between a kindergarten and second grade reading level. We will work in small and whole groups to practice reading, writing and word building together. We will also play games and do some group building to balance social learning with academics.

Please fill out the contact form below to register your child for specific days or the entire week. The cost is a sliding scale between $15 – 20/ day.

Enjoy your summer!

Rebecca
Fill out my form!

Rochester Summer camp for Preschoolers

I am opening registration for children between the ages of 3 – 5 for three days of summer camp fun Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the week of August 20th from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. at Sibley Learning Center in Rochester. Each day we will explore a different theme like: water, insects, super heroes and more!

Please fill out the contact form below to register your child. The cost is $20/ individual day or $90 for the entire week (if prepaid by Aug. 20th).

We hope you can join us!

Rebecca

Well, Montessori would advocate a scientific approach —  observe what works and then emulate it.

Here is a very succinct article that talks about the importance of modeling (monkey see, monkey do), attachment, empathy, setting firm but loving limits, and parental self-control in raising a child that you can be proud of.

I found #5 to be the trickiest for me as a parent. My secret for turning my reactive behavior into compassion has been studying and practicing Non-Violent Communication, as described by Marshall Rosenberg. That and giving myself a minute or two to really think about how I am feeling and then let it go so I can calmly and rationally deal with whatever situation is at hand. It’s amazing how giving yourself a few seconds before responding can really be a game-changer. And it IS difficult in the heat of the moment but well worth the practice!

Hope you enjoy the article as much as I did: http://www.ahaparenting.com/_blog/Parenting_Blog/post/How_to_Raise_Great_Kids/

Here is a very thought-provoking article on the potential benefits of enrolling your child in a Montessori school for kindergarten.

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Why_Montessori/

Although this article is one-sided, it did help me think about the importance of the early years and what I really think should be the focus of learning for the early years.

What do you think of the article? Do you think it is worth it to spend the extra money on a Montessori school experience for kindergarten?

I look forward to hearing your responses!

Rebecca

Montessori Print Shop is helping Living Montessori Now celebrate it’s 2nd Blogaversary with an awesome giveaway.

You can check out the details at: http://livingmontessorinow.com/2012/04/03/2nd-blogiversary-giveaway-2-montessori-print-shop-cd-rom-collections-and-mps-coupon/#comment-34358

Enjoy!

Rebecca

Reading preschool children’s books (and yes, young adult fiction too) and sewing are two of my favorite hobbies. So you can imagine my delight at finding this tutorial on how to sew a preschool reading book shelf at: http://pennycarnival.typepad.com/penny_carnival/2009/02/tutorial-hanging-book-display.html

I love that these shelves can be made low, so little hands can grab whatever book their little heart desires. And that you can sew it up in whatever fabric suits your fancy or matches your bedroom decor. You can even make them reversible so you have options to mix and match!

Well, I need to make about 100 of these, so off to work I go.

Enjoy!

Rebecca

One of the preschool reading questions I get asked the most is, “How do I find quality books that are at a kindergarten (or first grade) level?” The sad truth is that there is a sore lack of quality children’s literature pitched at these lower levels. Especially given the fact that beginning readers are voracious and need to read LOTS of little books to cut their teeth on and become proficient enough for higher levels.

But don’t fret little buckaroo! There ARE some trade books you can find at the library to feed your hungry reader. I was going to compile a list of my favorite beginning readers like Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggy books or his Don’t Let the Pigeon . . . books or anything by Cynthia Rylant. Then, I found a great site that already has nicely leveled lists at each grade level, although they do seem to be missing some of the newer ones I mentioned above: http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/index.html

I also recommend making books for the earliest of readers, with a simple pattern and lots of picture support. Books like: I see a red balloon. I see a yellow balloon. I see a purple balloon. And the last page can break the pattern a bit or have a little surprise like, “See my balloons!” with a picture of a person being carried away by 8 balloons. Large blank note cards make great pages for these little books. Just staple them together and presto, you have a book for your child! Another favorite of mine is the No book. You draw a face with something missing and the text underneath reads: No mouth. Next page: no eyes, etc. Kids get a big kick out of this one.

Another strategy is to take wordless picture books like Goodnight Gorilla or My dog, Carl (there are several Carl books) and write text together for the story with your child. If the text comes out of your child’s mouth, they will remember it and that will help them decode it later on (assuming you don’t write down anything TOO verbose).

I also use nursery rhymes and songs that a child knows well and write them on very large paper. You might also be able to find illustrated books that include these. When the child is familiar with the rhyme/song/poem, it frees them up to pay more attention to the words on the page and you can encourage them to start pointing as they read. We have made lots of fun pointers here to make this task even more enjoyable. Once your child can easily point to each word as s/he reads the words, the finger pointing is no longer necessary and you can encourage them to “point with your eyes”.

Okay, those are my tips for beginning readers.

Ready, set, read!

Well, Montessori Print Shop is doing it again folks. They are holding a huge giveaway to celebrate their 8th anniversary delivering affordable Montessori materials via pdf and Cd-rom. I use their materials all of the time!

Check it out at: http://blog.montessoriprintshop.com/2012/01/24/gifts-for-you-pink-blue-green-language-series–deluxe-cd-rom-collection.aspx

Good luck! And be sure to let me know if you are a winner (you’re already a winner in my book, but you know what I mean)!

Rebecca

Here is a cute anime book, for higher level readers who love anime!

Product Description
CHRISTMAS CONFLICT

Suzuka can’t wait to spend Christmas with her new boyfriend, Yamato. But then she’s invited to an exclusive collegiate training camp over the holidays. She breaks the bad news to Yamato, hoping that he’ll beg her not to go. Aiming to be a supportive boyfriend (and forgetting all about Christmas!), Yamato insists she attend the camp. Now Suzuka is furious, and clueless Yamato can’t figure out what he’s done wrong. Will Suzuka and Yama… More >>

Suzuka, Volume 10