Confessions of a Montessori Mom

The Working Mom's Guide to Montessori in the Home by Meghan of Milkweed and Montessori

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:46:00 +0000

There are all sorts of reasons for bringing Montessori home. And there are all sorts of ways of doing it. There doesn't have to be a divide between working moms and stay-at-home moms (who are, of course, also working). There really are just moms, and we’re all just doing our best.

Let’s have a bit of grace with each other (and ourselves), shall we?

With that said, there are some practical differences. Those of us who go out of the home to work have to focus our efforts on shorter time slots and more specific times of the day. There may not be as much time for themed trays and seasonal artwork, but there can be simplicity, respect, and a prepared environment.

Here are a few ways we try to bring Montessori into our home:

1. Focus on the environment. Maybe you can’t give your child all of the time you’d like to, but you can prepare a space in the home that is his own. It doesn’t even have to be a lot of space. By creating a welcoming environment for the under three feet set, you are giving your child the gift of independence — and giving yourself a mini-break in a working mom’s jam-filled day of attention and tasks. When it’s time to brush teeth, I know my toddler, Jasper, can open the cupboard and get out his own toothbrush and toothpaste.

2. Keep it simple. Let go of all the advice, the shoulds, the time commitments, and everything else that works for someone online — and that doesn’t work for you. Spending every evening preparing shelf work is not a commitment that would be sustainable for me (if it is for you, by all means, do it). Instead, we incorporate the Montessori way into the little things. It’s waiting while Jasper puts on his own boots or shoes. When bath time is done, he pulls the plug in the bathtub. Like I said, little things.

3. Get your child involved in your daily routine around the home. Life is full of little tasks and frequent joys. As a working mom, in addition to loving and bringing your best self to your partner and child after hours, you likely also play a big part in the domestic duties around the house, and you need to get supper made and the rec room vacuumed on evenings and weekends. Practical life is most practical when it actually contributes to life at home, and no one feels this more keenly than your child. Get her involved in washing potatoes for dinner. Give him his own broom to sweep when you do. What better polishing work than wooden spoons that are really in need of oiling? Provide your child with the right tools (a Learning Tower is a dinnertime godsend), arm yourself with patience, and ignore the clock.

4. Find a caregiver whose values reflect your own. It doesn't have to be a formal Montessori program — sometimes that’s regionally unavailable, or out of reach in other ways. What is important is that your child is respected and given opportunities for exploration and independence. If you can’t be with your child full time, there’s no better feeling than knowing that they are in the care of the best substitute possible.

5. Intentionally set aside time for observation. Observation is an important part of the Montessori method, allowing the adult to learn about the child’s growth and needs just through quiet watching. With everything on my plate, I find it easy to get stuck in a do-do-do mindset. When I’m at work, I make a mental chore list for when I’m at home, when I’m at home, I make a mental grocery list for when we go out, and when I’m with Jasper I catch myself wondering about the next work I could add to the shelves or worrying that he hasn't had enough time outside that day. I’ve written before about the importance of observation, but now that I’m back at work, I find I need to make a priority of it — and even schedule time aside for it.

6. Stay connected. One thing stay-at-home moms have is each other; you can often find them at the park on a fine Monday morning or commenting with words of support on a Facebook status. Find your own tribe of folks, either in real life or online, who understand what your days are like and what your hopes are and want to know more and share their own. I’m still building my own tribe, but every confessed worry and every “I get it, I feel ___ too,” goes a long way to encourage me to continue on this journey.

Maria Montessori shared a lot of wonderful wisdom about the child as a teacher, and the child as the shaper of his own education. One of my favorite quotes says: “This is the first duty of the educator: to stir up life but leave it free to develop.”

I feel like one of the most important things I can do as a mama-guide to my child is to take a deep breath and remember it’s not about me.

Hello! I’m Meghan, mama to an outgoing and active almost-two-year-old. I was recently certified as a Montessori Infant-Toddler Assistant, but I'm no expert — I'm just a passionate learner. I love to share my enthusiasm about the things I'm learning on my blog, Milkweed and Montessori, where we spend our days exploring the natural world and inviting each other to be in the moment.

How to Boost Your Child's Creativity in a Digital World by Clarissa Brooks

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:39:00 +0000

1. Tell stories. Children love bedtime stories. It helps them to relax and fall asleep more easily at night. However, I’ve learned that with my children it can be more fun to TELL stories rather than simply read them. Back when I was in college, I used to take an improv acting class. Of course, my child is too young to understand what improv is, but he still understands the “yes, and” part of it. I start off by asking him what he wants to hear a story about. I start the story and pause with a “and then….” for him to continue. We take turns “passing the torch” with our “and then…” until we both feel the story has reached its end. Our stories may not always make that much sense, but this is still always a fun activity that teaches my child to think creatively without having to search Google for answers or depend on others to tell a story for him.

2. Put on puppet shows. When I was a child, I used to love to perform puppet shows with my older sister. We used to make up all kinds of stories and use our dolls and stuffed animals as puppets for it. Now I enjoy sharing this activity with my son. Sometimes we even use the previous night’s bedtime story as our “script”. Sadly, this activity is becoming rarer and rarer these days. Whenever I tell my other friends who have children about this activity my son and I do together they are always surprised. Most of them have stated that they didn’t even know you could purchase a puppet theatre. However, they are not too difficult to find online. I purchased this special space-saving one for my son. My family and I currently live in just a tiny apartment where space is scarce, so this is perfect for us. It gives him a place to channel his creativity in a fun and unique way without taking up too much space. Plus, it’s really easy to pack away when he is finished playing with it.

3. Arts and Crafts. Stories and puppet shows may not work for all children, but that shouldn't keep them from getting creative. Some children are more into hands-on activities. There are endless ways to allow your children to channel their creativity with arts and crafts. Pinterest should be your best friend when it comes to finding these activities. One that I found recently and did with my son is the “paint in a bag” activity. I don’t know about your kids, but my son is practically obsessed with paint. However, I learned over the years that my carpet and furniture are not big fans of it. Fortunately, with this activity, the paint never leaves the bag. Your child can still “write” and “draw” with the paint, but the paint will stay in a zip-lock bag that will act as a shield for your table, carpet, and other furniture. However, I still highly recommend using safe and washable paint like Natural Earth Paint just in case your child spills or ingests it.

Clarissa Brooks a busy mother to two beautiful children. As a family of four, Clarissa is always looking for new ways to entertain the family, stimulate their creativity, and keep the laughter coming! Visit her on Facebook here.

Montessori Homeschooling During a Crisis by Bess Wuertz of Grace and Green Pastures

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:37:00 +0000

If you walk a homeschooling journey for any length of time, you are certain to encounter some unexpected bumps in the road. Life has a way of surprising us with moments, both good and bad, that obliterate the best-laid plans. Those bumps can come in many forms – moving, a new baby, a job loss, prolonged illness, divorce, the death of a loved one, a family member deployment, a life-altering diagnosis, natural disaster, or adoption. These moments often drain our resources, elevate our stress levels, and overwhelm us emotionally. It can be difficult, if not impossible to focus the time and energy necessary to produce the homeschooling experience we desire for our children.

But what can you do to keep your homeschooling journey progressing while attending to the unexpected moments in life? I have personally weathered three life-altering diagnoses for my children in the past four years. It has been a defining experience for our family. Through it all, I learned a few lessons about keeping the homeschooling journey moving forward.

Recognize You are in a Moment of Crisis

While this step sounds obvious, it can be quite difficult to realize we’re in a situation that has significantly drained our resources until we hit bottom. Whether a major life event is anticipated or arrives in a sudden storm, it is important, to be honest with ourselves and recognize that the circumstances will limit our ability to function normally for an unknown period of time. At the onset of any change, the emotional avalanche can mask the exhaustion, making it seem possible to juggle it all. Be realistic about your limitations and the emotional toll of the situation.

Adjust Your Standards

One of the greatest advantages of homeschooling is the freedom to define your path. Countless hours are spent poring over the proper methodology, curriculum, and schedule. Perhaps you've decided that you won’t use electronic devices or rely heavily on workbooks. Or maybe you frequently utilize field trips and library visits for learning. No matter what your personal standards are, it is important to recognize that they may need to be temporarily adjusted to fit within tighter time and energy constraints. I realize that this is easier said than done, as most homeschooling families have strong convictions about the path they have chosen. At the same time, understand that simplifying the process for a short time will give you some additional breathing room to navigate and will ultimately get your family back on track quicker in the long run. You may want to consider officially writing out the changes you are going to allow and a specific date to reevaluate the concession to see if it should be extended or removed. This is an active way to stay involved with schooling and can help ease fears that a temporary change becomes a long-term habit.

Find and Accept Help

When a life change occurs, it isn't uncommon to have offers of assistance from family and friends. Take it, even if you think you have things under control. One of the biggest challenges is articulating how others can assist you. Write out a list of needs, both large and small. Then you can share the list with those who offer or, even better, designate a close friend or family member to be in charge of the list and organize your team. Begin with basic needs – meals, laundry, house cleaning, dishes, or basic errands, such as picking up groceries. Depending on your situation, you may have more specialized needs to consider – childcare, transportation, yard work, adding a ramp to your home, or assistance with making arrangements. The advantage of making a list is that you don’t have to feel as though you are imposing on specific individuals. Everyone can choose which need meets their specific abilities and available time.

We don’t often think of having others help with educating our children. If you have other local homeschooling families, ask if they would be able to include your children in their work one day per week. As mentioned above, this may mean temporarily altering your path, but the change of pace may ultimately be a welcomed learning experience for your children. And don’t limit your home-school-related help requests to other home-school families. Anyone who can read can read with your children. Aunts, older cousins, neighbors, grandfathers, and the like can help tutor your children in a specific area. Maybe this is the perfect time to have an uncle hold a week-long workshop on woodworking or to have a grandmother teach a class on baking. Perhaps a family friend would be willing to take your children on a local educational field trip for the day. This provides the added benefit of giving you some needed time to both heal and deal with the situation. The most important thing is that you come up with a few suggestions for those who ask. Most individuals won’t think to offer this type of assistance unless you suggest it first.

Prioritize Yourself

If we, as mothers, have one fatal flaw, it’s that we are so quick to put others ahead of ourselves. It’s easy for this need to become amplified during a crisis as we deal with the guilt of having less time and energy to pour into our children. What we really need in these moments is the ability to put ourselves back together. We must make ourselves a priority if we are going to successfully move forward again. You must set aside a few moments each day to sort through emotions. While it may feel foreign or even selfish, you must meet your own needs. Your need for sleep and proper nutrition does not diminish just because your time does. One of the top needs on your help list should be someone to watch your children from time to time just so you can catch up on rest. And believe me, I know this one is hard when there’s so much to be done. It is also important to manage your stress levels in whatever manner suits you best – exercise, prayer, a pedicure, a coffee date, etc. It’s easy to see those activities as frivolous, but in reality, the ability to manage your stress will profoundly impact your ability to see this situation through. There is no shame or guilt in meeting your own needs at the moment. When we neglect ourselves, we will ultimately take everyone down with us.

We are Educating the Whole Child

As homeschoolers, we worry about academics. Yes, reading, math, and science are very important. However, when we homeschool, we are not simply holding school at home. We are attempting to provide our children with a rich experience that prepares them for the world. The reality is that one day, they will help their friends through a crisis or experience one themselves. The lessons our children learn by watching us cope with a major life change are critically important and can’t be taught in any boxed curriculum. Do not underestimate the opportunity a family crisis can present for your child. It is a profound time when compassion and empathy are experienced, where the unique chance to rise to the occasion is presented. In those moments, we see what community is. We learn to love and be loved. And that’s the most important lesson they could ever learn.

About the Author

Bess Wuertz is a Montessori enthusiast who has been using the method at home with her three children for five years. She completed primary training with KHT Montessori and received a paraprofessional certificate from Montessori Garden Academy. She is currently undergoing training for Montessori Elementary through Keys to the Universe. She writes about her experiences at: graceandgreenpastures.com and on Facebook at GraceAndGreenPastures.

The Arctic: Montessori Activities

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 13:00:00 +0000

In a Montessori environment, the study of a continent (for ages 3 to 6) entails introducing activities in Geography, Zoology, Botany, and Culture, to name a few. Today we are going to look at the continents of Arctica and Antarctica. When we think of these continents at both ends of the world, we think of ice and snow. So the very first day or week of activities to introduce to your home school or classroom environment are Sensorial activities and should include ice (and snow if you live near snow in wintertime). FYI: The links on this page were updated on 12/10/2023...

The following are Arctic animals and ice cube and snowflake activities from the My Montessori Journey blog:

Don't live near the snow? Try this "Make your own Fake sensory snow that feels real" activity.

The second day or week the set of activities to introduce would be Practical Life, like feeding and caring for a pet. We don't have polar bears and penguins in our homes or schools, but you could go to a local zoo or a habitat museum. Upon returning from the trip, talk about the needs of the Arctic and Antarctic animals: what they looked like, the sounds they made, plus food, shelter, and their habitats.

One mom suggested looking at YouTube clips on your computer. You would want to screen the video clips beforehand.

Third day or week: get books from the library, look through travel magazines, and maybe visit some websites like National Geographic. The books can go in your book corner and be read at storytime. Some books have related activities you can do afterward. Google the name of the book, or do a search on Pinterest, followed by the words 'activities, downloads', and or 'printouts'.

Fourth day or week Geography: Animals of the World lesson. Here are my Animals of the World lesson from my training manual. First, you introduce one animal from each continent. (Then you can start studying a group of animals from one of the continents the next day or week, like the animals from Arctica and Antarctica.)

Animals of the World Lesson

Materials: World puzzle map, animals of the world cards, or toy-sized animals (at least one for each continent).

Colors of continents: North America is orange, South America is pink, Asia is yellow, Africa is green, Europe is red, Australia is brown, and Antarctica is white.

Animals: North American bear, eagle, and buffalo; South American lama and parrot; Asia panda and tiger; Africa: lion and giraffe; Europe wolf and wild bore; Australia kangaroo and Koala; Antarctica penguin.

Introduce the Animals of the World after children have been exposed to land and water forms, globe, and continents if possible at age 2 1/2 to 3.

Presentation

1. Bring out the World Puzzle Map and take out continents (or you can have a poster-size drawing of the world and the seven continents color-coded; or make continent cards, one continent on each card).

2. Put the continents out in a row on a rug or mat. Check to see if the child remembers the names of the continents.

3. Take out the first animal and match it to the continent it lives in (panda for Asia, for example). Give the name of the animal. Match the next animal, etc. Put animals back and let the child have a turn.

4. You can make a booklet as a control of error, with the continents and the names or pictures of animals that come from each continent. You can also put a dot on the back of the animal or animal card that matches the color of the continent.

You can buy line map "replicards" at Montessori Services. Click on Card Materials and then on In-Print for Children $$. Choose Geography, then World and Continent "Replicards": Ten

line maps "replicards" show 6 continents, the U.S.A, and the World. "Replicards" (8½" x 11") are photocopied to make worksheets for the child to color after working with the Montessori puzzle maps. These worksheets can also be used in extension exercises, for coloring geological features, continent, country and state names, etc.

More activities of interest: Toddler World Map with Animals

Fifth day or week Zoology: Pictures, here is my lesson from my training manual:

Classified Pictures Lesson

Material: Boxes of flash "teach me cards" or cards with pictures of animals, which you can make with magazine cutouts; or use books from the library and show pictures (of what their natural habitat looks like).

You can also have puppets too, of the animal you are introducing, and do a puppet show giving facts and or a story about that animal. Let the children do puppet shows.

Do one animal a week (ideally).

Classify the order you present the animal (ideally): in week one, introduce the fish, in week two the insect, etc.

Presentation of (Arctic/Antarctic) mammals:

1. "Here is a special group of animals, the mammals."

2. Present the mammal card[s] or book[s]:

Presentation:

These presentations can also be done at Circle. Start each presentation with a concrete experience. Show the child live creatures in the environment (that your presentation is about) if possible, or go on a nature hike. Then bring out the picture cards (or library books). Show just the picture, for instance, a mammal: "Would you like to know what this mammal is called? It's a polar bear."

3. "The mammals take such good care of their babies that they keep them inside of their own bodies until the baby has grown large enough. When the baby is large enough and strong enough inside the mom's tummy it comes out."

4. "The mammal baby still starts as a tiny little egg in the tummy and it grows and grows and grows until it becomes a mouse, a cat, a dog, or an elephant."

5. "When the little mammal comes out, it has fur, its eyes are closed, and it makes little noises similar to its mommy and daddy. Soon it can run and hop around."

6. "It is not like the bird, in that the mommy and daddy do not have to teach it to fly, but still the mommy has to feed the baby. At first, only the mommy can feed the baby. As the baby eats, it gets bigger, but it always stays close to its mommy until it can take care of itself."

Note: Whenever an animal comes into the classroom or home school, don't kill it, just gather it up and let it loose outside.

Indirect Aim: Appreciation of animal life

Direct Aim: Zoology

Sixth day or week arts and crafts:

More arctic activities here:

~ Lisa Nolan

Photo by Mike Jost

Asperger's Syndrome and Montessori: A [Short] Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Sun, 10 Dec 2023 17:18:00 +0000

I was excited to receive Jennifer Cook O'Toole's book in the mail, Asperkids: An Insider's Guide to Loving, Understanding and Teaching Children and Asperger Syndrome. It was one of the best memoir and self-help books I've read in a long, long time. And every moment I put it down to cook, check email, go on Facebook, or get my son ready for school, I cannot wait to pick it up again and continue reading! (I have a big pile of books just eager to be read, so much to do, and so little time with all the demands of modern life!)

The story of Jennifer's life as an Aspie growing up was revealing and helped me understand the syndrome beyond any textbook or blog I've EVER read. She survived a difficult childhood including having a mom who did not understand her; and a father who could not reach out to her with any solutions or answers to her being 'different. (Jennifer did not know she had Asperger's Syndrome until her early thirties.) Her father, she would later find out, had Asperger's. Yet despite all that, Jennifer did not hold a grudge against her family.

As a mom (now) to 'Asperkids', Jennifer never gave up trying to help her children. Her innovation with both Montessori and non-Montessori materials and activities grew from both her struggles as a child and as an adult with Asperger's, plus her background as a teacher. Her understanding of Montessori was uncanny, given she is not a Montessori-trained teacher.

As a Montessori teacher myself, I can say she did not miss a beat in her depictions of the Montessori methodology, philosophy, and materials. To me, she sounded like a trained and experienced Montessori teacher and author. Yet, her love and understanding of Montessori could not change the fact that a Montessori preschool classroom setting would be a challenge for her special needs children. But instead of giving up, and in spite of trying other schools, she came back to Montessori education as a means to best homeschool her family for several years, then she created progressive methods to further enhance her family's education at home.

I highly recommend this book to parents of children with special needs, developmental delays, and or challenging social skills, as well as to parents who have children attending a school with an Asperger student so that they can better understand what that child must be going through. I also recommend Asperkids to educators who have or might have an Asperger student in their classroom including a Montessori classroom.

Her book is available on Amazon.com, and other retailers, both online and off. You can learn more about her book on Goodreads. You can find Jennifer on her blog, jenifferotooleauthor.com. ~Lisa Nolan

Photo by M. Jost

Where to Find Inexpensive Montessori Materials for the Home [In a Nutshell] by Teresa of Montessori by Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 19:13:00 +0000

In the classroom, and while trying to use the Montessori method at home, keeping a child’s interest is critical. I found that I often had to change activities and find ways to keep them interesting. I didn’t have the budget to constantly buy things from big Montessori stores, so I got creative! But where to look? Well, I learned that there are many places available to find inexpensive materials for Montessori jobs, you just need to know where to look. Here’s a list of places where I’ve found treasures:

1. Dollar stores: Great for kitchen utensils, inexpensive trays, small bowls, seasonal items, and cheap crafting supplies.

2. Thrift stores: These places can be a goldmine! I’ve found lots of neat bowls, plates, baskets, vases, etc. One thing to remember- you won’t always find what you are looking for, so come with an open mind.

3. [World import/export] stores: Several of my favorite materials came from [world import/export] stores. My favorite one is World Market (also known as Cost Plus), although they aren’t always cheap. I’ve found beautiful placemats, unique pitchers, unique boxes (the ones pictured), nesting dolls, objects for counting, etc. Some ethnic stores, (Asian, in my experience) have imported items that are usually cute and much less expensive than department stores. Chopsticks, chopstick rests (both pictured), and other such treasures can be found there.

4. Craft stores: The area I always head to first when I go to the craft store is their clearance section. The last time I went I found lots of tiny jars, ribbons, and cute notepads. One point to remember: Craft stores can be expensive, so check clearance items first and look for coupons.

5. Garage Sales: I found an adorable little glass tea set that is just perfect for pouring. You never know what you can find at a garage sale!

Sometimes, one piece I find while shopping will become an inspiration for an entire activity, whereas other times I’ll go in looking for something specific. Just remember to enjoy the search and not get discouraged if you can’t find exactly what you are looking for.

Building Your Own Jobs

Sometimes, to keep a child interested in an activity, it’s as easy as changing one item. For instance, If a child seems to have lost interest in a transfer activity using pompoms, try switching to marbles, or acorns. This may be enough to reignite interest in the activity. If this doesn’t work, you may have to totally revamp the activity using all new items or change the level of difficulty. (Maybe your child has surpassed this skill and is ready to move on to the next concept.)

Here are a few things to ask yourself when building your own Montessori Activities: 1) Can my child work with it independently? (This is probably the most important question to ask yourself.) 2) What is its purpose? (what is the child going to learn?) 3) Is it aesthetically appealing? (would you want to play with it?) 4. Can I change the level of difficulty? (Being able to scale an activity as your child masters the concept is helpful.) 5. How long will it keep my child engaged? (This prevents you from going crazy by making tons of jobs that your child will only work with for a few minutes.)

Good luck, and don’t forget to enjoy the process! - Teresa Hadsall

*Original post from Montessori Mom*

Teresa is an AMS-certified teacher and owner of Montessori By Mom. She has a passion for education and the Montessori Philosophy. She and her husband Nathan hope to help make Montessori more accessible to parents and children through their small business.

Website: https://www.MontessoriByMom.com * FB: https://www.facebook.com/montessoribymom

This is a re-post from my Montessori on a Budget blog.

Montessori and Composting with Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 15:53:00 +0000

When I was a Montessori teacher for 20 years, I learned how to compost with the children at our Montessori school. Now that I am a work-at-home mom, and my son is older, I started composting with him this summer: I combined what I learned as a Montessori teacher with what I had around the house.

First, I grabbed an old Styrofoam ice chest that was taking up room in our garage. I poked holes in all the sides, including the bottom, with a large screwdriver. Then I layered a little soil and manure on the bottom and watered it just a tad.

Next, I got a basket with handles for my son to gather "brown waste" from our yard: leaves and dried grasses, and small sticks.

We then retrieved our kitchen-counter compost and poured some "green waste" on the compost. FYI: No dairy or meat goes in the compost.

So now we have both brown and green waste together. That's important for healthy compost!

Next, we added a few cups of soil. It is not necessary to add soil. I use it to help the compost decompose faster and to give my son a job to do on a regular basis as part of composting.

Then we added some chicken manure. It is not necessary to add manure. I use it to help the compost decompose faster and to give my son a job to do on a regular basis as part of composting. FYI: There are other manures you can use.

The next step is to sprinkle water on top of the compost. We used my son's frog watering can. Then we covered up the compost with the lid and let it sit for a day or two,

We came back and turned it with a large wooden spoon (later we used a garden tool with four prongs in it).

You do not have to turn your compost. We turn our compost once or twice a week to help it decompose faster and to give my son a job to do on a regular basis as part of composting.

Here are my Montessori tips for composting with children:

1. Use materials that are child sized.

2. Allow the child to choose to do composting as an everyday activity including taking out the kitchen scraps and gathering "brown waste" from the yard. The child should also wash their hands when finished.

3. Talk about what's going on inside the compost. Get books from the library about composting, earthworms, slugs, and fungi.

4. Use the compost material when it's time to plant in the garden in the Springtime.

5. Help the child to take care of all the materials, clean them when necessary, and put them away when finished using them.

6. Allow the child to turn the compost once or twice a week.

Here is an outline of the Montessori botany materials, lessons, and activities to present throughout the year:

1. Planting a seed (germination)
2. Dissecting a real flower
3. Parts of a real plant

4. Puzzles

5. Leaf cabinet and cards
6. Botany/plant card sets (classified botany card sets): parts of a tree, parts of a flower, parts of a leaf, parts of a root.

7. Classified (flower) pictures
8. Planting science experiments
9. Gardening and composting
10. Caring for plants in the environment

~Lisa Nolan

This post has been a part of:

You know you have a Montessori child when...

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 15:59:00 +0000

"You know you have a Montessori child when..." I posted this question on my Montessori Facebook page, and I received a lot of responses! Here are a few of my favorites!

"My son was taking a REALLY long time in the children's library bathroom so I peeked in the door and he was wiping the sink and mirror dry with paper towels!" OK, that one was mine!

"When your two-year-old says 'Excuse me' when she needs to interrupt your conversation!"

Sophie eating snack! Copyrighted: Lianne

My daughter, 18 months, went to get a bib before a meal. When all the bibs fell on the floor she began to sing 'Clean up, clean up . . . ' while picking them up and putting them back."

"Caught my son using his spoon, meant for his cereal, moving milk from his cup to his bowl."

"A few months ago I realized I had a Montessori child in the making when after looking at a book she got up and put it back in the box where it had come from, without prompting!"

And from our Facebook group members...

"When you're killing time waiting at a restaurant and your two-year-old sorts the bottle caps she found on the table by color, lining them up neatly, while your friend's kid plays games on her dad's phone... no judgment... it was a looonnnnggg wait!" ~Becky L.

"When mopping the kitchen floor is exciting and something all three kids want to help with!" ~Bethany A. H.

"When your child calls a shot glass a 'toddler glass.' " ~Jade T.

"Your child is walking towards Target to go shopping and says, 'Look! There's a verb symbol!' He was referring to the round red balls outside of the front of the store." ~Renae M. E.

"When the dog tries to take his toy and he yells, 'No! That's MY work!' " ~Brittney B. B.

"When he puts away a play dough color before taking a different color out." ~Martha A.

OK, another one from me: "When my son keeps all his shoes neatly lined up by his bed! And fixes them when our dog knocks them out of order!"

~Lisa Nolan

Top photo credit: theloushe via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

How many Montessori materials do you REALLY need in the home?

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 14:00:00 +0000

A Montessori mom recently confessed in my Montessori Facebook group about the constant feeling of needing MORE: more Montessori activities and materials, more quality toys, and more art supplies... When do you feel satisfied? When do you have enough!?

"You are not alone!" That was my short answer. It is so easy these days to get sucked into all the Montessori materials and related activities that are now available online, on blogs, on Pinterest, and showing up in Facebook groups! There is so much out there compared to five and ten and fifteen years ago when I first started Montessori online!

Here's my long answer: My family and I have a really tight budget. My time is limited. I'm craft-challenged and impatient with making stuff. We have a small home with an overflowing garage. So that pretty much stops ME dead in my tracks!

But not having all those Montessori materials and activities can make you feel guilty; unsure of your job as a Montessori mom; and maybe even depressed.

More often than not we moms end up thinking about what we don't have rather than being thankful for what we do have. (This is my daily reminder, to count my blessings... That, and staying off Pinterest for a while! LOL.)

Many summers ago, we did not have extra money for camps and activities and materials, so I found free things to do around the house: I made a reading tent with baskets of books outside, under our three-story high plum tree. (I used an old card table with a sheet over it and an extra dog bed under it.)

I dug out an old, dust-stained black boombox from my hubby's closet and set it up outside with music CDs from the library, as well as some of my old Motown CDs; and we listened and grooved to music outside in the sun every day.

We gathered purple-red plums all summer and made plum apple sauce in our crock pots and some very sour prunes in our dehumidifier.

We took weekly trips to the library; had some play dates at a local farm; made fruit salad; and played with our new kitten, Neo.

And it was the best summer we had together! It was so relaxing and stress-free! Something money can't buy.

Update: During COVID 19 our options were not the same as in recent summers. No library trips, no camps, no swimming pool trips, no playdates, no movie theaters. Instead, we took his new scooter out to local parks, played softball or badminton in the front yard, and experimented with our newish bread maker.

Above it all, I try and feel thankful for summertime!

~Lisa Nolan

Creating a Montessori Infant Home Environment FAQs

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 14:00:00 +0000

My infant is 13 months old... I learned only recently about starting out on a mattress. I tried it for about 10 minutes and put his crib back together because I wasn't quite sure how to train him to stay in his bed. I do love the concept of him waking up and being able to play with his toys, but now he can open doors too and I do get worried about him roaming about the house while we may still be awake. I've thought of putting a lock on the outside of the door but wasn't sure about it. I was wondering what your thoughts are...

The mattress on the floor only works if you have a baby gate in the doorway, and yes, I used a baby gate, too! In fact, we now use a pet gate (made of wood and plastic) that goes up in 5 seconds... we put it in the hallway so my son can go from his room to the bathroom but not the rest of the house (at bedtime).

My next step is setting up the environment and I just feel so lost: whenever I look at pictures of other people's setups I get so overwhelmed. Am I to have a little bookshelf for each area, sensorial, language, science, etc.? Am I supposed to have a play kitchen area for him? Can he just wash dishes in our skin? But then I remembered he is only 13 months old and won't be able to do those yet.

I feel like I am constantly buying "Montessori" toys and it seems he only sticks with those for about 5 minutes max... however the other day I noticed him transferring these plastic locks from one container to another for about 20 minutes! So then I get a toy that encourages that and he doesn't show interest in it. I just feel like I'm throwing money all over the place without a plan. I was hoping you could direct me a bit here.

Shelving is not recommended at this age, they are too easily pulled down by your tot. What I did was put activities on the floor in each room, against the wall. When my son was past the early walking and climbing stage, I was able to use small wicker shelves.

As for "sensorial, language, science" areas, you can begin doing this at ages two and three. For now, focus on infant tot activities, both Montessori and non-Montessori, as they are safer and (hopefully) more of an interest to your tot.

A play kitchen area is fine for a home environment, but you may want to wait until your child is two--that is, when your child will start to copy you and will start to "pretend play": just have a few items in the play kitchen area, made of wood and metal, and or real items from your own kitchen.

Washing dishes can also wait until age two or two-and-a-half, three at the latest.

Infant-tot short attention span: This is typical for tots under the age of two. They flutter about the environment like hummingbirds! Your infant tot will not slow down until age two. Right now he is in a "large motor movement" stage of development--on the move all the time! This will continue until past age three, but it will slow down as your child begins language development, fine motor movement, social development, and so forth.

So then I get a toy that encourages that and he doesn't show interest in it.

That's why you want to rotate activities every week or every two weeks! That is what Montessori infant and toddler classrooms do, but not in Montessori preschool: you do not rotate activities for 3 to 6-year-olds...

He doesn't quite have the attention span to let me show him how to work things - he just grabs for it.

Again, very typical!

Truth be told, tots and toddlers do not like lessons! It is almost impossible to give a toddler a lesson! So you only want activities that you don't need to show your tot how to do, just let them explore the activities, even if only for five minutes at a time. And if an activity is too hard and frustrating, your tot will ignore it (and you can rotate it out).

...but he HATES getting his diaper changed - it is a constant battle.

Join the club! Very, very common! Try to do it standing up, no more changing tables and lying him down...when he's standing he can see what you are doing and that is how he will learn to do it himself: it would be like you reading him a book and not showing him the pictures, or giving him food but covering it up. But he doesn't know this! He just gets fussy!

I also get worried that I may not have a set routine and veer from it out of a lack of habit.

Don't worry about routines, they don't matter to your child until age two-and-a-half, then your routine will be the single most important thing in the world (to your child).

For now, think of your day as a rhythm, a rhythm that changes day to day and month to month! At age 24 months you can start thinking about a daily routine...

Max is starting to show some interest in eating with a spoon - is there a "right" or "wrong" way when doing this - one thing I've been doing is using my spoon to put food on his spoon - right now he just fist grips it and usually puts it in upside down - I figure her will get it eventually.

Yes, allow him control of the spoon, even though he is not doing it with precision. If he does allow you to feed him, give him his own spoon at the same time so that you both have a spoon...

How many toys are too many?

Too many are how tired you get putting them all away several times a day! I found seven per room was plenty, and I rotated each week or so... you want to have no more than or less per room so that when your son is 21 to 24 months old he can start putting them away (as a new skill that he'll want to repeat, not as a social courtesy or to be neat or clean).

When you say paper recycling - do you mean magazines? Or boxes? or just things like that in general?

Junk mail for tearing. And, yes, food boxes for stacking. I'd keep the magazines separate because they are more like books and not let him tear those up...

I'm trying to potty train Max but I'm having a hard time figuring out his BM - I have tried tracking for the last couple of days but I always seem off - and/or he waits until I put his diaper on?? He is finally to the point where he will stay on the potty as long as I have things for him to do - ie we have a special frog he can play with and I just put some textured items he likes to touch.

Usually, tots are not regular with BMs, because their "systems" are still developing, as well as their diet and even how much they eat. So don't expect regular BMs until age three and up. What you want is to send him in at the same times each day, so that when he does become "regular" including number one, he will already have a potty routine! (And that is half the battle). So let's say he was 18 months old and going to a Montessori infant toddler class, he would get sent to the bathroom when he first came to school (8:30/9) and again in the late morning (before outside playtime); and again before and or after lunch. So you want to add when first waking from sleep, and before and after naps. And any preschool does a similar routine for children who are potty training...

I want to implement more music - ie once we get a routine established and have music time - maybe we just dance around to music or I introduce a musical instrument like bells he can play with?

Yes, at circle time or story time, you can introduce an instrument, then play music so that he can use the instrument, as well as a simple dance step or animal movement: tots relate more to animals.

I got him a toy that he can drop wood chips into - but he will pull out the drawer first and then put the coins in - Should I correct this? Or should I just let him explore the toy on his own?

Just let him explore--don't worry about accuracy until age 2 to 2 1/2 and as I've mentioned before, if an activity is a problem, rather than go head to head with your son, just take the activity out of the environment...

What is done during work time? Is that when lessons are given?

Yes, and it is when you can spend time playing/working with your child and or observing him. Or he is occupied with activities while you are working around the house...

Is circle time only for music?

No, circle time can also be storytime. Our circle time was music, and we had a separate time for stories (after lunch). We also had a separate time for Walking on the Line. But some schools do both music and storytime at circle time. In Montessori preschool, circle time also includes doing a daily calendar and the silence game--but that is for three years and older...

Maybe this would be his working time and I just need to plan on being completely involved rather than observing?

Yes, that would be his working time, however, you might want to limit your play/work time with him to either three activities or fifteen minutes, or he will become dependent on you all day as a play partner (this happens a lot to moms who feel that can't do anything at home away from their child when the child turns three!). And what you want is to promote independence early on. I did this with my son, and limited my playtime with him to fifteen minutes or three activities (I still do it today and he's almost seven! And it is not an issue because he is so used to it).

Going outside and giving him some water to play with?

Yes! ~Lisa Nolan

Top photo from Foter.com

Infants and Late or Not Crawling

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 14:00:00 +0000

"What to do about late crawlers?" I get asked this question (about infants and late crawling) more than a few times! It is good to encourage at least ten minutes of tummy time several sessions a day by placing your infant on her tummy. Many infants are sleeping on their backs because of SIDS, and as a result, are more likely, over time, to get fussy or not like being placed on their tummies when they are out of the bassinet, crib, or mattress.

While your infant is on his tummy, try to entice movement with various baby-safe objects placed in his line of vision. Perhaps add some musical objects because you might not be aware of any visual issues with your infant, and may want to get his eyes checked out.

My son got his vision checked as young as five months and started wearing glasses at six months! But that was more predictable due to his Down syndrome. Usually, the issues with eye-crossing, etc., clear up by five or six months... but other issues might not come up until much later, like having no depth perception--which my son also has or doesn't have; and this was an issue for him in his development.

So check with a pediatric ophthalmologist about any vision issues.

Back to crawling: try musical objects to entice your infant to crawl and move across the floor, in case eyesight is an issue, but also there is an attraction to new sounds in infants!

Two things that also help late crawlers:

1. Infant swim classes: Is there a pool nearby that offers infant swim? A YMCA or a JCC? Or is there a gym that you can join monthly, with a pool? Infant swimming is very helpful to infants and gross motor development (my son did not crawl for a very long time but crawled almost instantly after his infant swim classes). The infant swim is especially helpful for infants who sleep on their back, who do not get much tummy time, or like your infant, who have reflux.

2. Second, have your infant around other infants who do crawl, maybe join a local mother's club and some playgroups, or a co-op nursery, perhaps an in-home daycare with crawling infants, a few mornings a week...

3. You can also try placing him on a towel (on his tummy) and gently sliding him around a smooth surface, as well as tugging the towel.

~Lisa Nolan

Montessori and Baby Sign Language Question

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +0000

"If Dr. Maria Montessori were alive, would she suggest baby sign language?" I used to ask myself that question a lot! I do not think she would be against it since she worked with handicapped and special needs children early on in her career. But I don’t think she would have included it into her infant toddler curriculum, either—just a hunch.

I was opposed to it for my son, who has Down syndrome until I watched a DVD for parents of young children with Down syndrome. And it had to do with auditory skills.

For example, if I were to say to my son, “juice,” he might hear “juh” or “u” or “s” but not “juice.” Now, let’s say I hold up a cup of his juice and I sign “juice,” he would understand me by seeing the sign and the juice, but he probably would not hear the word correctly. (It later turned out my son had hearing loss.)

So now you sign to him “juice,” and he has a mental picture of “juice” and can sign it back.

After I watched this DVD and they talked about sign language, and how I understood it for my son, I was convinced it was the right choice for my son. However, he did not show an interest in baby signs (and sign language) until age 2½.

I do not think you can harm your baby’s language development by using sign language.

If you want to teach signs, use the concrete object as much as possible (I think Maria Montessori would agree with that).

We used the Signing Time DVD series to teach our son sign language, he loved each and every one! He learned over 50 signs (I lost count after a while) including the signs for the letters of the alphabet! I LOVED these DVDs, too, because they taught me sign language as well!

You can also watch YouTube sign language video clips to learn all the different signs.

Top photo from Foter.com / CC BY-NC

Pulling Your Child Out of Montessori School

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 18:40:00 +0000

During this recession, I get more and more emails from moms who are faced with the heart-wrenching decision to pull their children out of Montessori school and place them in a local public school for financial reasons... emails like this one: "I have two children almost 7 and 8. They have been in a private Montessori school since the age of 3. I have just taken them out and they actually start public school on Monday. I’m terrified. This was not by choice that I made this decision, but rather by necessity. Private school is really expensive.

"My thought is to work with them in the evenings and at some point maybe just pull them out of public school and home school them. My main concern is whether I can do this or not.

"We love Montessori, and taking them out of school was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to
make. I literally cry when I think about it. I loved what they were learning in class, but I have no concept of how they learned it.

"I want to implement Montessori at home and have my children continue to receive a Montessori education, but I also want to make sure that I’m capable of doing so. My fear is that I will do more harm than good. Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated."

My heart goes out to moms in this situation! I know this is a difficult decision!

My advice as a Montessori teacher and a mom: give the public school a chance, wait and see how it works out for your children.

Chances are your children will be advanced compared to the other children in their class. This is not a bad thing, but one issue to watch for is boredom. Stay in close communication with their teachers and the administrator regarding keeping your children challenged.

Some public schools have programs for "gifted" and "advanced" children, ask your school what they offer such students.

My friend has a very bright child who can get easily bored if not challenged. He just entered a public school from a Montessori preschool, but the public school is one of the better ones, and starting in the third grade, they have a program for advanced, gifted children. The mom is already on the ball. And she volunteers one morning a week at the school.

What I can say above all else, what is most important, is that you want your children to love and enjoy learning, be it Montessori or public school

As for your feelings and fears, I don't want to say hide them, but help your children feel supported. Start off by trying to have a positive attitude about their new school, new teachers, and new friends.

What I do not recommend is trying Montessori at home while they are in public school. Public schools nowadays demand a lot from their students in the way of homework, etc. Children in school have a lot more pressure than when we were in school.

So stay positive and support them as much as you can. Keep in close contact with the school. And if things do not work out, you now have Plan B: Montessori homeschool.

~Lisa Nolan

Linking up with Montessori Monday!

TOP Photo by Alex P2006 on Foter

Should Your Child Continue On In Montessori

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 18:13:00 +0000

I receive emails from time to time from parents who question whether or not they should keep their child in Montessori school, especially if the child is five, because the question becomes whether the child should stay in Montessori for their Kindergarten year, or enroll in a public school or non-Montessori private school, enter a Waldorf school, or stay home and be homeschooled. It is a big decision! The following is an email from such a mom:

My almost five-year-old is finishing his second year at a Montessori school, and though we love it, I am not sure their approach is what is best for him. He has been building the same words for the past six months [Movable Alphabet] and generally is not motivated to do new harder things because he isn't good at it. He gets the greatest satisfaction out of easier work. The teachers try to get him working on more serious stuff, but he generally seems bored at school and tells me he doesn't want to go because it's boring. I know that Montessori likes everyone to move at their own pace, but he is telling me he is bored and I know that he is not getting the push that he needs to keep things challenging for him.

In a nutshell, this mom was wondering if she should take her child out of the Montessori school and was asking for my opinion on her son's current situation...

Learning to read: In Montessori's view, there are two sensitive periods for reading: one at age five and another one at age eight. However, not all children have an interest and a hunger to read at age five--to get them to read is like pulling teeth! Instead, they show interest around age eight. (Waldorf begins reading lessons at age eight, but not before.)

So it may be that this mom's five-year-old son is not interested in reading or getting to reading, and it may not come until age eight. The problem now is if he is pushed too hard to read, at age five, it may turn him off altogether to reading so that by age eight he just hates it--then you really have issues.

He may be more interested in numbers and counting and math, social interaction, geography, or plants and animals.

So I do not think pushing him in reading or pre-reading is an answer, at school or at home. And there are plenty of other areas of the classroom that he can work in.

What you want more than anything is for your child to love learning, and if he is not loving learning, ask yourself what changes you need to make to get him on that path. Sometimes it is a different teacher! But we don't always have control over that. Maybe you are the answer and homeschooling is more appropriate. But make your number one goal to teach your child to love learning, not to teach him to learn how to read or build longer words. A good, experienced Montessori teacher will know and understand this, even if it recommends that the child not continue in Montessori.

I recently had to make the heartbreaking decision (for me) to take my son out of his Montessori school and place him in a special needs class, a decision I did not make lightly! But I knew that most importantly, I wanted him to love learning, to love school, even if it meant not sending him to Montessori.

~Lisa Nolan

P.S. You might be interested in my affordable e-book, "Should You Montessori Homeschool"!

Photo by Yvonne Goodrich

Montessori and Potty Training Boys

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 19:26:00 +0000

My son E. is 26 months old and has been wearing underwear for about a week during the day (cloth diapers at night). For the first day or two, he'd make it to the potty about half the time... But after those first few days, any suggestion of the potty upset him very much. So, I stopped mentioning the potty, thinking he was still learning about his body... The past few days he has not attempted to go to the potty at all, just has accidents all day. Should I be doing something else? If so, what? Should I try to get him to help clean up? If so, how? Have I missed his window of opportunity?

Oh! The joys of potty training! Boys? Oh boy! Boys (when they potty train or potty learn) act just as you described! They are fickle! What to do?

1. Don't show emotions when your child has accidents or refuses to try to go in the potty, just be matter-of-fact.

2. Don't expect the child to clean up accidents, you can invite them to help you, but at age 26 months they might not have the attention span or enough practical life experience (with wiping and cleaning) as they are still in a gross motor stage of development.

3. Don't be in a hurry to change them when they are wet... and exercise their "patience muscle". For example, if your son comes to you wet and wants to get changed, say, "OK!" and wait a few minutes. He'll ask again, say, "OK!" and slowly get his change of clothes together... in other words, part of potty training is letting the child feel wet; and part of having a toddler is teaching him to wait. Now is your chance!

4. Don't expect boys to be fully potty trained until age three (although at 26 months you have an early start).

5. Don't go back to diapers/pull-ups if you can help it! This just prolongs the potty training process and you end up starting all over again.

6. Don't expect independence, you have a toddler, some days he will refuse your help, and other days he will cry for your help! It is a between stage of development (and a frustrating stage for them).

OK, here are some dos:

1. Remind your tot to go to the potty upon waking, before or after eating, before playing outside, and before bedtime. Reminding is the best helper for potty training!

2. Allow your tot to experiment with dressing and undressing by leaving clothes in his room in a clothes hamper or basket.

3. Start stocking up on elastic waist pants (no more pants with zippers or snaps!).

4. Give hugs and kisses when he goes in the potty (in our classroom we used to sing a potty song!).

5. If you allow DVDs, show potty DVDs like It's Potty Time and Potty Power.

6. Start buying a few potty board books to read at bedtime.

What worked for my son (and it was suggested by a behavioral specialist) was to ask our son to go on the potty before we allowed him a favorite activity--like watching a DVD, eating a snack, or playing outside. So when my son wanted a snack, for example, I asked him to sit on his potty. (Shh, don't tell anyone but he also got a sticker! So not Montessori of me!)

One last potty tip, I promise!

A mom (the same mom who asked the question at the top of this post) e-mailed me a week later to say she and her husband found a great solution (from where I know not!): they allowed their son to put food coloring mixed with water into his potty before he used it (a Montessori pouring work!) and after he went he looked into his potty to see what happened to the color ("Yellow and red makes orange!"). I loved this tip and could not wait to blog about it!

So moms-to-boys, hang in there! And go out and buy some food coloring (and maybe a few stickers)!

Lastly, our MOST favorite potty DVD was Bear in the Big Blue House - Potty Time With Bear!

Need some children's book recommendations for potty learning and training? Here are the top three:

Diapers are Not Forever
Everyone Poops
Where's the Poop?

Top and Bottom photo credit: desertrice / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

Second photo by Lisa Nolan

Which Montessori Lessons to Give a Tot?

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 19:17:00 +0000

If a child at the age of 16 months comes to me, which Montessori lesson do I start with first? Shall I start with the sensorial, the language, the maths, or the practical life lesson first? How many types of lessons can be done in a day and how many hours for each lesson?

You need to observe the child in your Montessori home or daycare environment, to see what they choose to play (work with), then you will know what materials to add to the environment.

Maybe the child loves trucks, so have lots of trucks and give the language, count them, and learn the colors of the truck, and the noises it makes. When that same child is two or three, make a washing truck work (practical life); a sorting truck work (sensorial); draw a truck when they are 3 or 4; learn to sound out the word t-r-u-ck, and write it...

What I'm trying to say is you need to observe the child in your environment to see what he or she is interested in and give them activities that are not too hard or too easy, and sometimes you won't know what is too hard or too easy until you make or buy the activity and place it on your shelves.

A 16-month-old is not as interested in lessons as an older child of three, they want to explore! They are not ready for math unless they show an interest in counting, which you can do through counting books for children, counting food at snack, and counting blocks...

Language is more of an interest in building vocabulary: names of things; as well as singing songs and nursery rhymes at circle time. Practical Life interest comes at 2 to 2 1/2.

~Lisa Nolan

Photo credit: Foter.com

Can You Give a Toddler a Montessori Lesson?

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 17:40:00 +0000

Want to know the truth? Most toddlers don't really like Montessori three-period lessons: they are still learning how to control their bodies (and bodily functions!). They rebel against help and interference from adults, like diaper changes, getting dressed, sitting at the dinner table, and taking a nap...

And they insist on doing everything themselves! The trouble is they (still) need a lot of help! So you are always trying to help while letting them do it themselves!

So how does giving a three-period lesson work in a Montessori environment for this age group?

It doesn't!

(My son's Montessori toddler teacher--with over 30 years of experience, will laugh at you when you pose the question!)

If you are working with toddlers, my advice is to hold off on giving those three-period lessons until age three, and put out activities the toddler needs no help with.

And you can rotate activities: take out what is too hard or frustrating for her (what she swats off the table, or throws, or never chooses); as well as what she has mastered--what is too easy... while still keeping her favorite activities in the environment.

Why are toddlers so hard to pin down and give a lesson to?

1) They do not have an attention span, or it is fleeting (one day they do, one day they don't).

2) They do not have the social skills (during a three-period lesson) to say, "I'm done, let's put this away!" or "I want to do something else, now."

3) They are still in a large motor movement stage of development, so they will not sit for long!

Suggestions: Again, have activities that do not require a lesson. What's important is to spend more time observing your toddler in the environment for his interests--likes and dislikes; and his skill level (can he hold a piece of chalk or pour pasta, yet?).

And by observing your tot, you can add, rotate, and change activities, based on your observations.

I loved the following email comment I got recently regarding "Can You Give a Toddler a Lesson," and wanted to share it with you:

I am a Certified Infant and Toddler Montessori educator in Lincoln, Maine and this age group is a true test of Montessori philosophy when Maria Montessori said, "Wait while observing. That is the motto of the Montessori educator."

We as Montessori educators are here as observers and guides only. It is the children who are our teachers. I leave my toddler Montessori materials out always and they are very drawn to the materials at that time when I see the interest, I attempt to make a very quick lesson introduction, like the knobbed cylinders. If you set up discouraging materials that are not appropriate, you will almost see them stay away from the whole shelf. I can probably count the number of times on my hand I have successfully given a three-period lesson with a child under three but, oh my gosh what a "Montessori Moment" when it does happen. --K. N., Building Blocks Montessori in Lincoln, Maine

Here are other comments I've received from readers on what appears to be one of my most popular blog posts:

This blog post is 'the missing link' for me with Montessori - I have never tried lessons with her because it seems insane - she learns by imitation and by doing things herself - but sitting down and watching - no way! And your post about mats was helpful too - thanks--Gypsy

Ah, confirmation! I am a homeschooling mom who has been reading everything I can get my hands Montessori related. I have simply provided an ordered environment and I rotate work/activities that my just 2yo can do themselves. Every once in a while the opportunity for a lesson presents itself but nothing steady yet. Thank you for the confirmation that this is normal toddler behavior. I love your blog!--Theresa, hs mom of 4

Ok, I know this is a really old post, but I ran across it by googling. As a Montessori Assistant to Infancy (0-3), I give toddlers lessons all day long. They look a little different than 3-6 lessons and have more turn-taking in the middle of the long ones, especially for Practical life. 3-period lessons: I drop the 3rd period, and wait for the child to verbalize the word on their own. Sooner or later, they usually will, especially once they hit the language explosion (somewhere 18 mo-2ish, usually. we bake bread, washcloths and dishes, button, and polish shoes... and so many other things. Some of the lessons take a few minutes. Some take twenty or more. I've seen 18-month-olds sit for over half an hour practicing, after a 5-minute lesson on a material. It's all in finding the right material for the child, at that particular moment. It can definitely be challenging... but so wonderful too!

But following the child is always a good beginning,,, and as someone who worked with toddlers for years before taking the training, I also understand how hard it is to figure out how to do it without all the practice a training specific to toddlers provides. Best wishes! --Monte Celery

This is encouraging to know... I'm just starting some Montessori-style learning experiences with my daughter. However, it appears we've been using Montessori principles all along! I'm now following your lovely blog - come say hi at Just for Daisy next time you sit down with a cuppa!--rebekah (at) justfordaisy

~Lisa Nolan

First photo credit: shanntastic / Foter / CC BY

Are You a Montessori Junkie?

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:00:00 +0000

Do you spend more than one hour a day surfing the Internet for your next Montessori fix?

Have you bought several Montessori-related books this month on Amazon?

Perhaps you wander around the dozens and dozens of Montessori blogs reading posts, downloading activities, or making comments.

Maybe you've even downloaded a Montessori 3 to 6 album, or two, or three. (Tip: you only need one!)

And don't tell me you haven't downloaded a Montessori app to your iPad or iPhone! OK, maybe that's going too far... even I haven't done that (mainly because I have an old-fashioned cell phone that isn't capable of taking a picture much less checking my email or whatever-it-is smart phones do these days).

I think I am a Montessori junkie, I must be. I have Montessori on the brain every day, whether I'm posting to one of my Montessori blogs; answering email questions from anxious Montessori parents; updating one of my Montessori websites or online activity lessons, or looking for Montessori materials to buy (when I can afford them!), and so it must be true. I confess. I'm addicted to Montessori.

It started when I was twenty-three years old and I observed my first Montessori school, then sat in on a Montessori training class. From that early age (I'm now forty-eight!), I was hooked.

I spent the next three years taking my primary and elementary Montessori training courses, and the next twenty years in Montessori classrooms, not-to-mention the past twelve years doing just-about-everything Montessori on the Internet. And if that wasn't enough, I'm now working on two Montessori books!

Having all this experience with Montessori (including being a Montessori mom to a special needs child) has taught me a few things, and I want to share them with my fellow Montessori junkies, especially the newbies.

Tip number one: Start your Montessori journey by reading Montessori books, including the ones at your local library--there is a ton of information on the Internet, but some of it is sketchy at best, be it a Montessori YouTube clip, a Montessori mom blog post, or a free download--so to help yourself weed out the not-so-authentic-stuff, read a lot of Montessori books.

Tip number two: Spend less time on the Internet (I know that's a hard one) and more time (at least fifteen minutes at a time) observing your child. It's through observing your infant or tot or preschooler that you will learn the most--I can't stress that enough!

Tip number three: Spend less time online (you can do it!) and more time interacting with your little loved ones in your Montessori (or soon-to-be Montessori) environment. It is through interacting with them that you will learn even more! (There, I stressed it again!) Then, and only then (after you've read a few chapters in your Montessori book, observed your children playing and "working", and also interacting with them--and yes, that includes giving a lesson or two) can you go on your computer (or iPad or iPhone!) to get your Montessori fix.

Lastly, I want to say: Welcome to the club fellow junkies! In the meantime, want help saving precious moments and interactions? Need all your Montessori lessons, photos, and resources all in one place? Visit my sister site, Montessori for the Earth! ~Lisa Nolan

Best Montessori Books I Own

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 21:48:00 +0000

Welcome to my Best Montessori Books I Own series: Today I've highlighted four Montessori books including Teach Me to Do It Myself, Montessori Activities for You and Your Child by Maja Pitamic; How to Raise an Amazing Child The Montessori Way by Tim Seldin; The Essential Montessori Updated Edition: an Introduction to the Woman, the Writings, the Method, and the Movement by Elizabeth Hainstock; and Awakening Your Toddler's Love of Learning by Jan Katzen-Luchenta. Some of these books are available at your local library, as an ebook on Kindle, and or used and new on Amazon.com where you can add them to your wish list or purchase them on the spot.

Teach Me to Do It Myself, Montessori activities for you and your child by Maja Pitamic: The Introduction includes: a Preface; "Who was Montessori"; "How to use this book"; and "Frequently asked questions" (seven in all).

There are five chapters with activities you can do at home or in a classroom setting: "Life Skills, Developing the Senses, Language Development, Numeracy Skills," and "Science Skills."

Each activity has a picture, a numbered list of directions, a list of "You will need," and "Other activities to try." Most activities include a "Tip box," a "Word activity" (language), and a "Safety Point."

In the back of the book are worksheets to use (copy) for making several of the activities shown in the book.

The "Life Skills" chapter includes activities for personal hygiene, dressing, polishing, pouring, spooning, tonging, open-close, threading, weaving, sewing cards, and cutting.

The "Developing the Senses" chapter includes activities for exploring textures and objects and learning about shape, size, height, length, color, sound, smell, and taste.

The "Language development" chapter includes guidelines to help you select books for your child and guidelines for reading to your child; activities for wordplay, phonics and learning the letters of the alphabet, word building (Moveable Alphabet), and picture cards (Reading Tablets); making phrases, sentences, a diary, a book, a family tree, and a picture poem.

The "Numeracy skills" chapter includes sorting, counting, and learning numbers one to ten, number sequencing, simple addition and subtraction, introducing money, and number songs.

The "Science skills" chapter includes leaf collecting, flower puzzles, planting, understanding volume, float and sink, the weather, geography including globe and map and landforms, mixing colors, and baking.

Worksheets (in the back of the book) for several of the activities shown in the book:

Learning height and length (similar to the Number Rods). Make color copies, enlarge them, and cut them out.
Two-dimensional shapes: geometric shapes, in black outline, of circles, squares, and triangles from largest to smallest. Make a copy and cut out shapes or make two copies for matching shapes.
Identifying letters: alphabet letters in black and white lowercase shown on the line. Make copies and cut them out. You can also color them in using red and blue markers or colored pencils for the Moveable Alphabet. You can also enlarge them when you make a copy for making the Sandpaper Letters.
Word building: black and white cards with pictures and three-letter short vowel phonetic words (six cards for each vowel for a total of 30 cards). Copy and cut them out for a Reading Tablets activity, or your own language creation. You can also color the pictures (recommended).
Constructing phrases: a list of articles, adjectives, verbs, and prepositions.
Make a flower puzzle: black and white drawing of a flower, and its parts in labels.

I give this book five stars out of five. It is well organized, full of information, and easy to understand with nice photos and drawings. The activities are those found in Montessori classrooms and can be duplicated at home. I think it is ideal for ages 2 1/2 to 5.

Recommended for parents who are new to Montessori education:

How To Raise An Amazing Child the Montessori Way (second edition, 2017) by Tim Seldin: First published in 2006, it was one of the newer Montessori books on the market.

This is a lovely book, with fantastic pictures and very well designed. (I would buy it just for the photos!) It is an easy read and only 186 pages. It is also Montessori at-home friendly.

It covers much of what you want to know about Montessori education with a simple, in-a-nut-shell style, including: "What is Montessori?"; "The sensitive periods for learning"; Montessori schools (about); Montessori from birth and "your growing baby"; "making your home child-friendly"; a Montessori style nursery; Montessori around the home; "discovery through the senses"; home-made Montessori activities to do and make at home; "keeping the peace" (how to handle negative behavior); Montessori outdoors; and more!

This is not a book for Montessori homeschoolers, who want to create a Montessori classroom or unschool environment at home

It is, however, for families who are looking for an alternative and who may be interested in a Montessori lifestyle for the home.

The Essential Montessori Updated Edition: an Introduction to the Woman, the Writings, the Method, and the Movement by Elizabeth Hainstock.

First published in 1978 (then again in 1986 and 1997), this book is a classic. (It was one of the first books I read about Montessori education.)
It explains all the basic aspects of Montessori education in easy-to-understand terms.
Another popular aspect of this book is how Hainstock makes Maria Montessori's sometimes dense and challenging-to-understand writings, more accessible. In fact, Hainstock is considered the first to "rewrite" Montessori philosophy and methodology to make it easier to comprehend.
At only 127 pages long, you can read it very quickly.

~Lisa Nolan

Top photo by Lisa Nolan

Teacher Pushing Children with Down Syndrome Into Special Ed Kindergarten

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 14:00:00 +0000

I was wondering if you could direct me to any research done regarding children with Down Syndrome benefiting from Montessori schooling. Several of my children attend a public Montessori school in N.C. and I would very much like for my 4-year-old daughter to attend kindergarten there next year.

However, her preschool teacher told me today that she does not think my daughter should be in an inclusive kindergarten class, even though she is in an inclusive preschool!

It’s clear to me from other comments she’s made over the past year and a half that this is not about my daughter but about this teacher’s low expectations of children with Down syndrome and misunderstanding of the benefits of mainstreaming and of the Montessori method.

The county is presently focused on mainstreaming most children with special needs and I was told at an event sponsored by the county Special Ed Department that of the 600 or so children leaving preschool this year about 500 of them will go into regular kindergarten classes.

My daughter is not profoundly delayed. She most definitely fits into that top 5/6 of the preschool children in special ed, but her teacher just doesn’t get it and is trying to push all four of her children with DS into special ed kindergartens.

Anyway, the decision is not up to her but she obviously has some sway. I would like to educate her about Montessori and about mainstreaming children with DS without being adversarial. Any ideas you might be able to share would be greatly appreciated.

My husband and I have thought that our approach will be to point out the ways in which our daughter learns which can be best met through Montessori: eg hands-on learning, learning at one’s own pace, her great sociability, and imitative behavior style…

What you want to focus on is mainstreaming, on having your child in an inclusive environment (whether it be Montessori or public school). So try to focus on that broader issue. (“How is being in an inclusive, mainstream environment better for your child?”)

You also need to observe the special needs program the special ed teacher is referring to, you can’t debate her (or anyone else in the IEP meeting) without seeing this other program, first hand! Do that ASAP!

I have a friend who was in the same boat as you, her daughter’s teacher did not support the family’s decision for inclusion at the local public school, and the local public school did not support inclusion, either! So no one in the IEP meeting supported the family. So the parents did not sign the IEP and later requested a second meeting, and they (the school district) brought in a mediator… by that time, the local charter school (a Waldorf school) was willing to take her (with an aide) and the parents had the support of the charter school. To make a long story short, their daughter is now in the charter school with an aide!

You just have to stick by your convictions!

My story: when my son was four, and we had our IEP meeting about Kindergarten, I did not feel my son was ready for Kindergarten (and his special ed teacher agreed)! So he stayed in a special preschool class one more year. I’m glad I made that decision! He is now attending our local public school with an aide. Luckily, I did not have to “fight” for that to happen.

I did observe the special day Kindergarten/first-grade class where he might have gone to in and I felt it was “too restrictive”. I also observed our local charter Montessori school and felt it was not restrictive enough (my son is a MONKEY! but a smart monkey!).

So make sure you observe all the available schools and classes and programs! And make your decision based on your observations!

Is there someone else who supports inclusion for your daughter? A speech therapist, maybe? Another daycare teacher? Try to find at least one more person who has worked with your daughter who supports your decision!

And you may decide like I did, that you want your daughter to wait one more year before she goes to Kindergarten public school (so she would be closer to age six).

~Lisa Nolan

Child Screams and Runs Around the Classroom When Asked to Put Montessori Activities Away

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nolan) — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 11:03:00 +0000

I have a child in the class who just turned three. Very smart. His parents are bilingual. Repeats words, phrases, or sentences you say in the third person. He can sit down and do work but when he is done he would start screaming or running around the room wall to wall. Then would have a hard time going back to work. He has a fascination with fans and makes fans out of most of the materials. Recently he has been pulling hair in random no apparent reason and no show of emotions toward the child. Are these signs of something about the child or just simply a child lacking communication skills that will come soon. Thanks.

"When he is done he would start screaming or running around the room wall to wall..." I suspect he gets away with not putting his belongings away at home, too, and uses tantrums to get his way. Ask for a good time to talk with the parents over the phone (try not to talk in front of the child) and find out what their child does when he is asked to put something away (jacket, lunch box, blocks, etc.). If he can get away with it at home, then why not at school!

Plus, he is in the Sensitive Period for Order! The family needs to follow the same Montessori principles at home as far as Practical Life Care of the Environment (putting your things away, and always in the same place).

So what to do at school? When we encountered this problem, we gave group lessons on how to put your work away. We'd ring the bowl, and have everyone stop and look, while one of the teachers took out a material, did the activity, and then put it away (Montessori Social Grace and Courtesy). Then, the teacher picks a child to have a turn. Do this once a day for a few days.

We also did puppet shows after playtime, and we did the same thing, only with puppets (and talking), then the puppets would ask the children questions about it... sort of like a Q&A.

Another method we tried was pairing up the young child with an older child, they did an activity together and the older child would model the behavior (put the activity away).

Pulling hair: Give lessons on how to touch someone, on how to be gentle (Montessori Social Grace and Courtesy). Do a puppet show. Ask the parents if he does this at home, or if another sibling pulls hair. Also, give lessons on how to ask someone to play with you...

Thanks, Lisa. For sharing your time and knowledge with us. These are great suggestions. What do you think about his fascination with fans or anything shaped or moved like it? Is it just a phase?

It's very common in preschool children! A new practical life skill is almost always repeated, given the chance! To move him forward, you can make fan-matching activities, fans from Japan, fans from China, counting fans, color-matching fans... Once you know a child's interest, expand on it!

~Lisa Nolan

Photo credit: Nisha A / Foter / CC BY

Montessori DIY: Tips for Creating Montessori Inspired Activities by Teresa Hadsall of Montessori By Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Creating Your Own Activities

Creating your own Montessori-inspired activities can be a lot of fun, but challenging as well. Parents can “Bring Montessori Home” with a few simple principles:

1. Create an ordered environment for your child to work in. Have all the materials ready and in their proper place. After the work\fun is done, guide your child to take responsibility and help clean up.

2. Plan an activity that promotes concentration. TV and video games distract, while Montessori activities require your child’s full concentration.

3. Make sure you know the activity’s purpose. Ask yourself, “What is my child going to learn?” It is especially important to use activities that teach real-life skills. (Tying, pouring, folding, matching, mixing, etc. are all great.)

4. Rely on your child’s inner motivation. Kids are built to learn and LOVE it. Most of the time, they just need the opportunity.

Making activities that rely on inner motivation:

The first thing to think about is your child’s interests. Build activities based on what you find them talking about a lot, or that seems to keep them engaged. If your child is really into sharks, print out shark pictures and discuss the similarities and differences between the species, create shark counting activities, and crafts, and have lots of books available for the child to explore. They will absorb what you present to them because it is based on what they are truly interested in. You can do the same with almost any theme or interest.

Tiny things: Kids love, and I mean LOVE, tiny objects. Representations of real things such as miniature hangers, tiny chairs, itty bitty shells, etc. Something about them really captures their interest. Some of the best miniature items I have found at craft stores are dollhouse items. They aren’t designed for children but are perfect representations of the real thing. Of course, when you use miniatures in your activities, you have to be sure your child is ready for them and won’t try to eat them.

Treasure Hunting

Searching for the perfect items for your activities can be exhausting, but turning it into a treasure hunt can help with that. Always be on the lookout for unique items that might spark the interest of your child. Sometimes, I would find one cute item and that would give me the idea for a whole new activity.

Good luck, and don’t forget to enjoy the process! - Teresa Hadsall

Teresa is an AMS-certified teacher and owner of Montessori By Mom. She has a passion for education and Montessori Philosophy. She and her husband Nathan hope to help make Montessori more accessible to parents and children through their Themed Curriculum Boxes - For Home, School & Daycare at Montessori By Mom!

How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Simone Davies of The Montessori Notebook

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 20:00:00 +0000

How to talk with children is a lesson we all seem to need. Even as infants they learn from how and what we say to them. We are thrilled to have Simone Davies back with us to walk us through the How2Talk2Kids method of communicating with our children.

It’s a pleasure to be back guest blogging here. I love the energy of this group and your passion and interest in incorporating Montessori into your homes.

I’m exactly the same. When my children were born (already 12 and 13 years ago!), I wanted to learn a different way to be with them. I didn’t want to force learning on them; I wanted to discover and explore the world together and guide them along the way.

But I found my communication skills lacking. A repertoire of “good girl/good boy,” “what a great job,” or “don’t worry, it’s just a scratch” came flowing out of my mouth in the same way we had been raised by our parents.

The words I used just didn’t seem to be consistent with the way I wanted to raise my kids, for them to think for themselves, and work out for themselves what was right and wrong.

Then I heard about the “How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk” approach (“How2Talk2Kids”).

Overview

How2Talk2Kids is like a communication handbook for

Montessori parents, teachers and carers

The communication techniques in this book really complement the Montessori approach. They let you observe your child, empathize with them, really listen, and work out solutions together. Even for the youngest children.

How2Talk2Kids has been updated and revised several times since its first publication in 1980. The authors, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish have written down their experiences working with many parents and the book is full of examples from various family situations so the book can be picked up every few years and you will gain new insights.

How I used the book

I read the book, devoured the comic strips, photocopied the summaries, and stuck them in places I would see them - inside the kitchen cupboard for example.

So many parenting books I read are great at telling you what not to do, “Don’t put your child in time out”, “Don’t threaten your child”, or are vague with suggestions like “Care for them”. In contrast, it is so refreshing to find in How2Talk2Kids, exactly what not to say and do, but here is what you could do and say instead.

At first, I began noticing everything I was doing “wrong”. How many times have I tried to redirect my child without really listening just to keep them quiet, giving them empty praise, and negotiating arguments between my kids?

Then I started using phrases suggested in the book. At first, it felt quite formulaic and not really words I would use, but was encouraged that my children seemed to be responding.

And now, with 2 teenagers in the house and a busy parent-toddler group, I find that it is automatic for me to respond in a gentler, calmer, respectful way.

What age child is this book meant for?

People often ask me for what age child this book is most helpful. To be fair, the examples in the book are often school-aged. But I recommend starting straight away. If you could start when your child is a baby, by the time you reach the toddler years, you will have all the tools to handle tantrums and strong-willed independent children. And I’m hoping it will hold me in good stead into the teen years too.

The things I use every day from How2Talk2Kids

1. To see the world through the child’s eyes

A child who takes a toy from another child is not trying to be naughty. They just wish they could play with it now. You learn the language to describe how the child feels and this is sometimes even enough to diffuse the situation. “You really wish that toy was available right now! It can be hard to wait huh?”.

I use this every day with my own kids and the children in my classes. I even write things down in a notebook to acknowledge their feelings, even if the child is too young to read. For example, if a child doesn’t want to leave the farm animals in class, I might write down the words “Farm Animals” on a piece of paper whilst reading it aloud and they are usually quite happy to swap the paper for the farm animals.

2. Alternatives to praise

The book gives a good outline of why rewards - including hollow praise like “good job” - don’t work. And offers a way to describe what your child has done in a more objective way.

I find it useful now to describe what a child has done, “You carried the glass across the room with two hands.” To a painting, “You used red and blue and made some stripes here”. To a child who has packed their bag ready for school, “Now that is what we call preparation!”

3. Alternatives to punishment

For me, the best tip is to get the child to make amends. I’m not a fan of forcing children to say sorry if they have done something to hurt another. But I love helping a child work out a way to make it up to the other child. For a young child, they may go fetch a tissue for some tears. For an older child, my son once decided to make French toast to make it up to his sister when he set her alarm to go off in the middle of the night. He’s not done it since either :).

4. Engaging cooperation with one word

Children become easily deaf to our repeated requests to get ready, come for dinner, etc. And they dislike hearing lectures, sermons, and long explanations. So I love the idea in the book to use one word to get cooperation.

If you want your child to move their shoes from the hallway, you can just say “shoes” and the child is often more cooperative as they work out for themselves what needs to be done. A simple “milk” will remind the child to put the milk in the fridge without the child being nagged.

Summary

To help you improve your communication with your children, I have prepared a summary that you can print and hang somewhere to remind you. And if you have not already, I highly recommend buying or borrowing a copy to read - for me it changed the way I communicate with my kids and the children in my classes. Happy reading.

Simone Davies is a qualified 0-3 Montessori teacher through the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and mother of two children who attended Montessori preschool and primary school. She is from Australia and lives in the Netherlands where she runs a Montessori playgroup for babies, toddlers and preschoolers in Amsterdam.

Update: Have you read Simone's new Montessori toddler book!? It's getting rave reviews!

The Montessori Toddler A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being

Lastly, visit her website at themontessorinotebook.com

The Bilingual Home by Jo Ebisujima of My Organized Chaos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 20:00:00 +0000

How to create a Montessori-friendly bilingual home: I really want to say, before I dig into today's post, that every family and situation is different, what works for one might not work for another. This is how we run our bilingual home and it works for us, although there have been tweaks along the way.

My name is Jo Ebisujima; I'm a Brit and live just outside Tokyo, Japan with my husband and 8-year-old son (Ebi-kun). From the offset, there was no question on which language we would use with our son, we knew he had to be bilingual. Japanese is the community language but I also feel that the minority language, in our case English, is equally important.

We introduced the minority language first, knowing that he would soon catch up with the community language, this caused some issues with the in-laws, who were convinced their grandson wouldn't be able to communicate with them! They have finally come round and don't think I am quite as crazy as they used to

I used the Montessori method when it came to reading and writing, reading did come first as he knew his letters by 2 and was reading at 3 years old but he wasn't ready to write until he was a bit older

Daddy helped him with hiragana, the first of the three Japanese scripts using Kumon cards where you trace the letters, similar to the sandpaper letters but without the tactile element, he taught himself katakana (much to our surprise) and started learning kanji by himself before he started school

We bought books, lots and lots of books in both languages. Including encyclopedias and dictionaries and lots of factual books.

Any labels we use around the home are in English

Games and activities are all done in English unless he has non-English friends around to play

When he was younger we only watched English TV or films. We don't watch a great deal of TV and still as a family, we watch things in English but sometimes the boys want to watch football and that is in Japanese. The other thing that came up was that Ebi-kun was having a hard time finding a common ground with his friends at school, there is a particular TV show that all his friends watch, a football animation and so we decided that it was OK for him to watch that a couple of times a week, to make his life easier.

We don't do workbooks. We do lots of after-school activities, crafts, science, arts but no workbooks. He has some available if he wants to use them, but they rarely get touched.

After lots of reading we decided that at home or as a family we would use English, we felt that this would give Ebi-kun a bit more exposure than using OPOL (One parent One Language). We stuck with this until he reached school age and changed it up a bit. We still use English as the family language but now when my son and his dad are alone together they use Japanese, we did this because we noticed Ebi-kun was making some mistakes in Japanese and needed correcting.

To prevent this post from turning into a book, I will break things down a bit to what exactly we did.

· When it comes to reading, I read exclusively to Ebi-kun in English and daddy does the same in Japanese. In a nutshell, we made sure that he had plenty of access to English in the home, it helped that he loved books from the offset and will devour anything I put in front of him. There are two key points that I believe have made a big impact on Ebi-kuns bilingualism.

We Made It Relevant

We made sure from the start that he knew how important it was to be able to communicate well in both languages. We talk to my mom in the UK using Skype at least three times a week plus my friends and he gets to chat to their kids and his cousins too. It is pretty obvious to a child that the community language is important but if they are learning a second language and can't see the point, they will have no interest in trying.

We Created Our Own Community

Foreigners with kids are few and far between where we live. Ebi-kun goes to an elementary school with over 1400 kids and as far as we know, he is the only English-speaking child. When he was a baby I joined a baby group for bilingual children, a few have left over the years but the core group is still going strong. We meet a couple of times a month and it's great for the kids and the parents.

The kids understand that they are not weird or strange because they can speak English and the parents support each other with tips and resources. We do have a strict, English-only rule which works well and we rarely have to enforce it (it's usually a parent breaking the rule!)

Raising a bilingual child isn't easy and both parents need to be on the same page to help make it happen. The common factor in our bilingual playgroup is that we make it fun and make it relevant.

Are you raising a bilingual child? Share your success stories in the comments below.

Jo Ebisujima is a no-nonsense organizer and child wrangling expert extraordinaire, who believes that a child’s number one teacher is their parent and that it's a parent's job to help their child fall in love with learning. She is the best-selling author of Montessori Inspired Activities For Preschoolers and is also the founder of My Organized Chaos; where she helps busy mamas organize their home, kids, and themselves so they have quality time to do the things that they love.

She understands how difficult it is to squeeze everything into the day and has an uncanny knack for showing you how to break things down into bite-sized chunks plus how to set up systems to make your life run smoother.

Find Jo on her blog and on Pinterest.

Montessori Sewing Works by Aimee Fagan, author of Sewing in the Montessori Classroom: a practical life curriculum

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 20:00:00 +0000

If I had to pick just one type of work to stock my practical life shelves with, it would be sewing. I am NOT an accomplished sewer. Actually, I think it has been over a year since I pulled out my sewing machine, and then I prefer to make clothing with elasticized waists. But, when it comes to the classroom, I think nothing beats handwork.

Maria Montessori stated that the activities of practical life should be meaningful, looking around my classroom, I wanted to find activities that still had meaning for today’s children. Polishing is great, but how many children really see their parents polishing the silver place settings? Spooning, tonging, pouring, and the like are quickly mastered when we leave the lessons simple and isolated on the tray. What materials could we use that would appeal to the 3-year-old and remain enticing through age 6 or beyond? Sewing.

A child’s engagement with practical life materials is what prepares him for later success in the classroom. These handwork activities directly tie into the main goals of Montessori practical life works — coordination, concentration, independence, and a sense of order. These truly are the most important goals of Montessori pedagogy. Without a strong foundation in practical life, the child won’t have the necessary skills to be able to do the bank game, the moveable alphabet, and such. Through my observations in my class, I always find that sewing works produce the deepest moments of concentration of any of the practical life works I have available.

Set-up

We group our sewing works into four general categories — preliminary activities, early sewing, intermediate sewing, and advanced. We do follow a sequence, where different lessons build on one another, and the child does have to master some skills before moving to the next lesson. At the moment we have over 30 sewing lessons and projects that we use in our classroom.

As you can tell, I really like sewing, and because of this, we have an entire sewing shelf in our classroom. Do you need a whole shelf? No, not at all, these works can easily be incorporated into an existing practical life area or an art area.

Last year, for our class of 22 children, we had two dedicated sewing trays and then about 4 to 6 self-contained sewing works on the sewing shelf at any given time. Depending on your home or class, you can adjust as needed.

Basic Materials

•Sewing Trays - Scissors, embroidery thread, magnet, needle threader, needle (sharp enough to go through felt and with a large eye), a dish to hold all the little pieces, and a pin cushion

•Assortment of felt, cloth, buttons, and various colors of embroidery floss, all in different containers. These are added to the shelf as we introduce new works that need the materials.

•Trays for self-contained works

Necklace Making

This seems like such simple work, but I think it is an important part of our sewing curriculum. It is a work that some of our youngest children can do right at the beginning of the year, and as we increase the difficulty by changing the beads and the thread, it remains relevant — and really what child doesn’t love to make a necklace.

Materials

•Prepared strings in a container on the shelf. I measure the string to fit my neck, that way they are always long enough. Tie one bead to the end of the string, and place a piece of tape on the other end.

•Container with beading materials on a tray.

Presentation

•Invite the child to the lesson.

•Show them how to take a string from the container (we leave the sting container on the shelf) and take the tray to the table.

•Holding string in the subdominant hand, use the dominant hand to add beads to the necklace.

•Help child tie necklace.

Notes

•We do not limit the number of beads a child can use.

•We start the year with yarn and wide straws. Then we move through regular straws, large pony beads, smaller pony beads, Perler beads, and mixed beads. For the string, we go from tape-tipped thick yarn to thinner yarn and finally elastic string.

•We do help children tie their necklaces, but each time we do it we show them, as a mini-lesson.

•By the end of the year we like to have a container with a spool of elastic thread and a pair of scissors on the shelf. The child can then cut their own thread and prepare the necklace on their own.

Age: 2.5+

Sewing Cards with PostCards

Materials

•A container holding postcards (or the front of greeting cards). The cards have holes punched around the edge and a length of yarn tipped with tape and attached to the postcard.

Presentation

•Invite the child to take a postcard from the basket.

•Take the material to the table.

•Holding the card in the subdominant hand, use the dominant hand to go “up from the bottom, down from the top,” through the pre-punched holes, demonstrating a running stitch.

•Invite the child to try.

•Child can take home the postcard when finished.

Notes: Most likely, the child will not sew perfectly along the edge when they start this work, and that is fine! It is just a reminder that next time we see the child choose that work, we might want to come over and sit and simply say, “Up from the bottom, down from the top” for a few of the stitches and then allow them to practice on their own.

Age: 2.5+

Threading a Needle

Some years we have set this up as a self-contained activity, but there are plenty of years that we just incorporate this into the early sewing works. It doesn't matter how you want to use it, the basic lesson remains the same.

Materials

•Pincushion or cork

•Needle with large eye

•Needle threader

•Precut length of thread (if this is being used as a stand-alone work)

•Magnet (optional, to hold needle and needle threader)

•Small dish for magnet

•Tray to hold materials

Presentation

•Invite the child to the lesson and take the tray to the table.

•Holding the needlepoint out the eye and naming it. I say, “This is the eye, it’s not like our eye, but it’s the same word.”

•Place the needle in the pincushion, showing that the eye is still up.

•Take the needle threader in the dominant hand and slide the large hook through the eye — do not let go of the needle threader.

•Pick up the thread with the subdominant hand, and place it over the hook with about a two-inch tail at one end.

•Using the dominant hand that is still holding the needle threader, pull the hook of the needle threader back through the eye, and until one end of the thread has come through the eye, you will have to brace the needle with the subdominant hand.

•Point out that there is an end of the thread on each side of the eye.

•Remove the threader, and invite the child to try it.

Notes

•This is a hard task to master, often with younger children, I place my hands over their hands as they guide the needle threader through the eye, and I help them keep it steady as they place the thread on the hook.

•The hook can get caught on the side of the needle, I try to show the child what has happened (otherwise they just keep pulling), and then we push the needle threader back through and try to remove it again slowly.

•We don’t require perfect mastery of needle threading before the child moves on, but we do have them practice as often as possible. If they are still struggling, we have the ask an older child to hold, or if we are available, we will represent the lesson.

Tying a Knot for Sewing

Again, this is not a work we set up as a self-contained lesson every year. Usually, I just give the knot-tying lesson as part of the early lessons on sewing. If a child can’t tie a knot when they have finished their sewing, they come to a teacher or an older child and we do this as a mini-lesson with their work. The above video gives you somewhat of an idea of how we help the child with the initial lesson.

Materials

•Pincushion or cork

•Needle with large eye

•Needle threader

•Embroidery floss wrapped on a plastic bobbin

•A pair of scissors

•Magnet (optional, to hold needle and needle threader)

•Small dish for magnet

•Tray to hold materials

Presentation

•Invite the child to the lesson and take the materials to the table.

•Measure the thread and cut. We use the measurement of the length of the table or the length of the child’s arm — it ends up beginning about 20 inches. Based on your environment, you can adjust your method of measuring the thread.

•Thread the needle.

•Remove the needle from the pincushion.

•Holding the ends of the thread in the dominant hand, make sure they are even and the needle is in the middle of the thread.

Now, also in the dominant hand, grab the end of the needle by the eye...

•With the subdominant hand, grasp the hanging floss in the middle.

•With the subdominant hand, wrap the floss around the needle three times.

•Now hold the tip of the needle with the subdominant hand.

•Slide the dominant handgrip up to include the thread that was wrapped around the needle.

•Holding the tip of the needle with the subdominant hand, slide the dominant hand (which is holding the wrapped thread) off the end of the needle and to the end of the thread.

•Cut the knot and return the materials to the tray, or start sewing

Notes

•This is one of the lessons that I usually do interactively, rather than the traditional Montessori way of the teacher presenting the whole lesson, and then inviting the child. Since it is so complex, I find that children tend to master it faster if we do it together, and I use my hands to guide them — hand over hand.

•This is a challenging lesson, and again if a child hasn’t mastered it, we just continue to give this mini-lesson in whatever sewing work they are doing.

•If a child develops another way of tying a knot, fantastic!

Stitching prepared shapes, Introducing a Hoop

Materials

•A prepared sewing tray

•A collection of fabric (can be burlap or regular broadcloth) with basic shapes drawn in marker

•A variety of embroidery hoops — I prefer the sturdy plastic ones, but any will do.

Presentation

•Invite the child to the lesson, gather the materials, and take them to the table.

•Have the child thread the needle and tie a knot, help as needed.

•Demonstrate how to open the embroider hoop — close it and invite the child to open it.

•Lay the bottom hoop on the table, and then place the cloth on top. Push the second hoop over the top and tighten the hoops.

•Hold the hoop in the subdominant hand and the needle in the dominant hand.

•Sew up from the bottom, following the line for the shape.

•Continue to sew along the line.

•Tie a knot when finished.

•Remove embroider hoop.

•Return the materials to the shelf.

Notes: Usually, I demonstrate “missing” the line when coming up from the bottom and then pulling the needle out to reposition the needle on the line.

Age: 4+

Pillow Making

Materials

•A prepared sewing tray

•To start we have precut felt, in squares and circles, that are safety-pinned together. Once the work has been out for a while, we move to fabric with the “right” sides pinned together. Towards the end of the year, we also have a collection of fabric and safety pins, so children can design their own pillows

•Black marker

•A container holding poly-fil

Presentation

•Invite the child to the lesson, and take all the materials to the table.

•Have the child thread the needle and tie a knot.

•Using the marker, draw a line around the pillow, about 1/4 of an inch from the edge. Do not connect the line, rather leave a 1-inch space between the two ends. This step is only necessary when a child is new to pillow sewing, once they are used to the idea that they have to stop short so they can stuff the pillow, it is no longer needed.

•Show the child to start at one end, and use a running stitch to sew along the line to the other end.

•Once the child has reached the other end they tie a knot.

•Remove the safety pin and set it to the side.

•Felt Pillow - Stuff the pillow with the poly-fil.

•Fabric Pillow - Turn the pillow right side out by pushing it through the opening. The child will most likely need help with this the first few times. It can be helpful to have an orange stick to help poke the cornets out. Then stuff with poly-fil.

•Have the child re-thread the needle and tie a knot.

•Sew the pillow closed.

•Return the materials to the shelf — have a space to collect safety pins.

Age: 4.5+

French Knitting

Materials

•Toilet paper tube with four or more popsicle sticks taped securely to the side

•Yarn Basket

Presentation

•Invite the child to the lesson, and take the materials to the table.

•Thread the end of the yarn all the way through the tube so it peeks out at the end.

• Start with the pop-stick at 12 o’clock, and wrap the yarn around once in a clockwise direction.

•Move to the stick at 9 o’clock and wrap in a clockwise direction.

•Repeat for the 6 o’clock stick.

•Same for the 3 o’clock stick – (it should look like a square spider web).

•To knit, have the child place the yarn over the next stick on the outside of the tube (continuing to work counterclockwise) and then pull the bottom yarn over the top yarn and off the pop. stick.

•Continue in a counterclockwise direction (it is easy and natural for the child to hold the tube near their stomach and turn the tube as they work.

•To finish, cut the working end from the ball, and then thread the end under the loop and then remove the loop from the stick. Repeat for all sticks.

•To make it really secure, I then loop the end through the last loop that was removed and tie a knot.

Notes

•For a while we help the child get set up and usually help them make the first round of stitches. We do allow them to do as much as they can, moving from actually doing the set-up for them, to taking them through it.

•I use this story that reinforce the work that they are doing. The child is a sheep farmer and the first loop on the stick is the sheep, and then the child builds a fence (lay the yarn across the stick, above the first loop), but the sheep jumps over (move the lower loop over top loop) and this continues around the knitter.

Aimee Fagan is a Primary Montessori teacher, blogger, and author of Sewing in the Montessori Classroom: A Practical Life Curriculum. She lives in Virginia with her husband, her 14-year-old stepdaughter, a 5-year-old daughter, a scruffy dog, and two new hermit crabs. You can follow her on the Montessori Works blog.