Montesecrets » Montessori At Home

October is here….

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:33:01 +0000

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!

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It’s been a while…..

admin — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 04:00:17 +0000

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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Another famous Montessori graduate…

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:17:17 +0000

Did you know that Will Wright, creator of the best selling PC game in History, “The Sims” was a Montessori kid?I had no idea, but thanks to the beauties of twitter, you can find out anything now a days. Anyways, here’s another TEDtalks video where Wright briefly talks about Montessori and how it contributed to his success.

Enjoy!

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Bringing Montessori Home

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:06:16 +0000

Montessori Your Home!

Tip:

Montessori Schools can be super expensive and most Parents who would like to send their children to a Montessori school simply can’t afford the high price tuition. My suggestion to you, is if you can’t bring your child to Montessori, then bring Montessori to your child. There are a plethora of books out there that teach you how to make your home more “Montessori friendly”.

The above picture is a snack table in our class. Everyday, we cut up pieces of fruit and set up snacks that the children are allowed to have any time during class. The snack table is very low so the children do not have a hard time serving themselves. If you have space in your kitchen, create a little area where your child can pick and choose snacks by themselves. Be sure to include a small plate, a small jug with water, napkins, and serving bowl. On the last shelf, in our class, we have a small garbage and recyling can. We also have a table brush that the children can use to clean up after themselves. Designate an entire cabinet to your child if space permits. This encourages your child to make their own choices, and promotes independence.

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Continent Felt Map…on a poor man’s wallet

admin — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:14:34 +0000

Continent maps are a great way to introduce children to geography. Unfortunately, they can be super uber expensive. Ideally, I’d love to have the real Montessori continent maps because they were carefully designed by Montessori herself. They are durable, made of natural wood, and highly attractive. If you don’t have the resources to purchase a continent map, there are alternative ways you can introduce the concepts to your child, without putting a huge dent in your wallet!

Creating a felt continent map is very easy. Go to your local fabric store, and get the following colors:

Orange=North America

Pink=South America

White=Antartica

Green=Africa

Red=Europe

Yellow=China

Brown=Australia

Blue=Oceans

**I recommend purchasing scissors especially made for felt. Regular scissor often tear up the felt.

Go to google and search for: “outline of continents” or “continent maps”, and you should find a bunch of different options. Trace each continent on the appropriate felt color.

After all the continents are cut out, trace two large circles on the blue felt. Cut them out, and those pieces will be your oceans. Lay the continents on top (in the appropriate place ofcourse!) and VOILA! Your Continent Map!

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A new way to learn Math

admin — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 03:18:34 +0000

Montessori materials can be pretty pricey, and since I am a broke single mom, I have to be creative with my ways. I absolutely love the sand paper numbers, but they can go up to $60 bucks for the set! That’s too big of a dent for my wallet right now! A lot of the materials we see in the classrooms, can be duplicated….you just have to think outside of the box!

The following activity is an extension of the sandpaper numerals.

Materials: A set of numerals 0-9, a basket filled with 45 of the same objects (ideally choose natural objects such as stones or rocks, ect.), A stamp pad, stamps, and paper.

Start off with the first numeral. Tell the child, “This says one” and trace the numeral. Hand the numeral to the child and invite them to trace the numeral. Take one object from the basket and say, “This is one. One”Next, take out the numeral two. Tell the child, “This says two” and trace the numeral. Hand the numeral to the child and invite them to trace the numeral. Take two objects from the basket and say, “This is two. One, two”. Continue with the rest of the numerals.

Depending on how advance your child is, you can invite them to stamp out the numbers they just learned. (My kids LOVE this)

If your objects are pigs, for example, try to find a stamp that has a pig on it, to remain consistent.

Try to change the objects once in a while to make the work more enticing.

I created a PDF file of the numerals 0-9. Feel free to download it and use it for your math activities at home. Click here!

If you can, go to your local Home Depot store, and buy sandpaper. Try to duplicate the numerals and paste it on the cards. Good luck!

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The importance of our environment

admin — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:05:50 +0000

Anybody who has studied Montessori can tell you the importance of a child’s environment. Take a look at the current environment your child lives in. Does it promote independence? Do they have opportunities to explore? These are all questions we must ask ourselves when trying to come up with the perfect area for our children.

I put a lot of thought when I created my daughters playroom, and fortunately, I was able to dedicate an entire room solely for her. I have provided her with works and activities that will enable her to explore all of her senses. It’s amazing just sitting back and watching her learn. Often, I work my way towards one of the corners of the room and try to blend in the background. I spend hours observing her, and I take mental notes of what she is sensitive to. If I see that she’s getting joy out of sorting shapes, the following week, I might add another work on the shelf that requires her to do the same thing but with different objects. What I try to do is follow my child to see what she wants to learn. As Montessori always pointed out-the child directs their learning. The teacher is the servant who provides them with opportunities.

Make sure your child has a clean, and orderly room. Don’t overcrowd the shelves-it might overwhelm the child.

Provide the child with age appropriate activities. Don’t jump the gun! They’ll let you know when they’re ready.

Choose puzzles that have large knobs. This helps children develop the pincer grisp, which is later used in writing.

This would rarely be seen in a Montessori school, and I honestly can say it is the one thing about Montesori I have a hard time agreeing with. I believe children learn through play, but in most Montessori schools, imaginary play is frowned upon. Either way, EVERY little girl deserves a play kitchen!

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