A comment was left by one of my readers on an old blog informing me about a school that is closing down in Michigan. Basically everything is up for grabs!
If you are looking for materials and would like to have complete class sets, the website is worth checking out!
Click on the link to get directed to the site! www.montessorisale.com
Sun, Oct 11, 2009
October 9th marks the birthday of a great legend in history of music. John Lennon, one of the geniuses behind “The Beatles”, inspired thousands, if not millions of people. Take the time to reflect on his work, and continue to spread his legacy of peace.
Enjoy!
Lennon/McCartney
From The Blue Album
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy.
There's nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you
in time - It's easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
There's nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
All you need is love (all together now)
All you need is love (everybody)
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
Wed, Oct 7, 2009
October is here and what does that mean? Witches, ghosts, and goblins? Well, not in a Montessori classroom! LOL When I think of October, I think of all the signs of Fall…..brightly colored leaves, cool crisp air, and pumpkin patches.
I love changing the classroom to match the seasons, but I think some teachers go a little too overboard. Putting Pumpkins and Ghosts all over the wall, is not cool! (Believe me, I’ve seen this before!) Remember, Montessori emphasized how important it was for a child to have consistency. You can change some things around (like counters, beans, glasses, ect.) but be carefully not to over do it where your children feel overwhelmed.
In our classroom, we reserved a small place for “BIG WORKS” which we occasionally used for seasonal activities. The bottom picture below was a work that we called, “Pumpkin Scrubbing”.
The children LOVED this work! It was amazing to see them take pride in their work. They really enjoyed cleaning the pumpkin, and were able to follow through with the entire work cycle. If you are looking for interesting and purposeful activities to spice up your classroom, try giving this activity a try. I’d love to hear your comments!
Fri, Oct 2, 2009
In case you are wondering why there’s a picture of Gandhi on the homepage of Google today……it’s because it’s his birthday!
Gandhi was an extraordinary man who will always be remembered as a man fighting for peace.
Take the time out today, and talk to your children about peace and the great accomplishments Gandhi made towards changing humanity. If you don’t know too much about Gandhi, check this wikipedia article out here and educate yourself!
Here are some great quotes by Gandhi:
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty the ocean does not become dirty.”
“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
Thu, Oct 1, 2009
Who says you have to go to a brick and mortar school to learn? The above picture is from a previous online class I conducted recently. We had people from all over the world!
Spots still open for The Peaceful Child. Click here to learn more about the class.
Wed, Sep 30, 2009
I’m really excited about my upcoming online class. I think that what I have to share will be very valuable and useful. My goal is to help parents become more aware of their role in their child’s life. In my course, I will talk about different ways parents can promote “peace” in their child’s life. There are a lot of ancient practices that have proven to be effective, and I’m going to share one of them with you today!
Click on the links below to REGISTER today!
October 6th 12:00pm EST
October 7th 10:00pm EST
Hand Held Labyrinth:
What is a Labyrinth?
Labyrinth patterns can be found in various ancient cultures throughout the world. While a labyrinth may look like a maze, it actually is quite the opposite, since there is only ONE way to the center. The Labyrinth represents guidance, trust, reflection, and a path to the heart.
The( above) picture represent a Labyrinth based on the design of the Chartres Labyrinth located in France. (below)
Labyrinths have been used as a sacred journey. Labyrinths are a way to connect with the divine for inspiration and guidance. It also helps with finding direction.
How can Labyrinths benefit your child?
Working with Labyrinths brings calmness, peace, and deep relaxation. I’ve witnessed the miracles of Labyrinths,and can attest that even the most hyper child can benefit from tracing the path of the Labyrinth. I did some research on the web, and found that many parents with ADHD children have had positive results with Labyrinths. It helps a child remain focus, and centers them.
Check these items out!
Mon, Sep 28, 2009
The Peaceful Child: Spiritual Tips and Strategies on promoting peace in today’s child
Online Class
Scheduled Times:
(each class covers the EXACT same information)
October 6th 2009 12:00pm EST click here to register
October 7th 10:00pm EST click here to register
CLASS DESCRIPTION:
“It is the child who makes the man, and no man exists who was not made by the child he once was.”
-Maria Montessori
In this century alone, we have witnessed many changes in our world. More recently, we have experience an evolutionary shift. More and more people are beginning to explore the world of spirituality. It’s very common now a days, to visit a bookstore and see a Self-help book or a Spiritual Healing book as one of the books recommended on the best sellers list. This, and many other reasons, show us that humans are beginning to think on a deeper level. A lot of us are seeking to find ways to add peace into our lives and are becoming more conscious. We are seeing movements, such as “The Green Revolution” and “UN Millennium Goals” (just to name a few) that are promoting awareness and responsibility.
What if we had this knowledge at an earlier age? What if when we were younger, spirituality had become a daily part of our lives? Where would earth be today?
The Peaceful Child class was created for anyone who has some interaction with children. Whether you are a parent, aunt, uncle, grandmother, teacher, godparent, babysitter, or even planning on having children in the future, this class will show you different ways on how you can promote spirituality and peace into a child’s life.
As Franklin D Roosevelt put it, “We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future.” Our fate lies in the hands of our children. If we can give them the tools they need to develop confidence and awareness at an early age, we WILL see a change in the future.
All students who register will receive a FREE pdf file of:
1. Affirmation Cards
2. Peaceful Beings: Famous People who promoted peace
Just print on card stock & laminate.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Looking forward to class!
Space is limited.
Class is 60 minutes long.
Special introductory price: Only $5 eduFire SuperPass Subscribers FREE!
To create a FREE account on eduFire, visit www.edufire.com and click on “sign up”. If you need further instructions, I’d be more than happy to help you. Just send me an email. Click on the contact link above for more information!
Sun, Sep 20, 2009
I visited a few Montessori schools, and I must say that I’m quite suprised that Montessori classrooms don’t have a lot of “special needs” children.
It’s quite ironic since Montessori’s method was conceived from her work with mentally handicapped children. It’s true that Montessori schools aren’t for everyone, but I strongly believe that the Montessori Method is perfect for all children. Not many parents have the resources to get an in-home tutor, but if you do, I highly suggest looking into getting a private Montessori tutor, if you fear “mainstream” school isn’t right for your child.
It’s sad that our schools are still operating how they were 100 years ago. Rather than adapting to the learning styles of our children in this day and age, schools are still expecting children to adapt to the old methods of teaching. Many children are right-brain thinkers, and unfortunately our schools only cater to left-brain learners. It’s absurd to think that our schools still believe it’s ok to have our students sit in a desk for 6 hours a day, listening to teacher after teaching reciting the same old boring lessons!
It’s time for us to reinvent our education system. Rather than sticking to the old ways, because it’s “safe”, we need to think outside of the box. Clearly, our education isn’t as effective as we would like it to be. Since this is the case, why not restructure our schools to be more inviting to students of all abilities?
This thought isn’t new. In fact, Montessori had been preaching the same thing over 100 years ago. What will it take for us to finally realize that we need some serious change….our future depends on it.
Mon, Aug 10, 2009
SETTING UP YOUR CLASSROOM…….
Tip #2: The first thing you should do is create a floor plan. Decide where each section of the classroom is going to be, and organize the shelves accordingly. Take in careful consideration to minor details.
Some questions to ask yourself:
Is the Practical Life area close to a water source?
Does the Math area have enough Floor space?
Does the Language area have enough tables?
Are there a enough options for children to work independently or in pairs?
How do you think the classroom will look when the children are actually inside?
Don’t try to do everything all at once. Start with one section. Setting up a classroom requires a lot of trial and error. Before putting ANY materials on your shelf, it’s important that you are content with your set up and it makes sense!
After you are done, make a layout for your classroom. This will be particularly helpful for your assistant and future classroom set ups.
Click below to see an example of a layout of Practical Life.
Fri, Aug 7, 2009
Hello guys. Yes, I know. I’ve been a very bad blogger. I blame life. You know, things happen. A lot of things happen! It’s been a long bumpy ride the last few months, but I’m happy to say that I’ve completed my AMS Early Childhood course and am anxiously waiting to receive my diploma in the mail. Receiving my college diploma wasn’t this exciting! I really worked hard and I am super excited to see my efforts documented by a piece of paper. I know that is so not “Montesssori”, but I grew up in the traditional system, and am conditioned to like “rewards”. (I’m working on it!)
How do you transform your classroom into the perfect environment? I underestimated the amount of work teachers go through when organizing their rooms. I know teachers who have spent 2 entire days solely on Practical Life. If you weren’t anal before you took the Montessori training, chances are you’ll become obsessive compulsive by the time everything is over. I remember when I set up my first classroom, I switched around small glass containers, changed beans, trays, utensils just about 100 times…..
I’m going to try to free up some time so I can document my experiences teacher. I’m sure a lot of people are in the same boat, and if I can offer any tips, that would be cool.
Tip #1
When setting up your classroom, allocate a good chunk of time towards Practical Life. Don’t underestimate it’s simplicity. The Practical Life area is CRUCIAL to the child’s success in the other areas of the class. With that said, it’s important to concentrate on tiny details to make sure that you provide your students with the best possible environment.
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Mon, Nov 9, 2009
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