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.”

Related posts:

1. Happy BeLated Birthday to John Lennon October 9th marks the birthday of a great legend in...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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)

Related posts:

1. Online Class: The Peaceful Child: Spiritual Tips and Strategies on promoting peace in today’s child The Peaceful Child: Spiritual Tips and Strategies on promoting peace...
2. Online Learning….another sneak peek Who says you have to go to a brick...
3. Online Courses Upcoming Classes Coming Soon! Learn about Montessori from the comforts...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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!

Related posts:

1. Just a sneak peek of the “Peaceful Child” Online class I’m really excited about my upcoming online class. I think...
2. Online Learning….another sneak peek Who says you have to go to a brick...
3. Happy Birthday Gandhi! In case you are wondering why there’s a picture...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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.

Practical Life Set Up PDF

Related posts:

1. It’s been a while….. Hello guys. Yes, I know. I’ve been a very bad...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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.

Related posts:

1. Ok….Where do I start first! SETTING UP YOUR CLASSROOM……. Tip #2: The first thing...
2. October is here…. October is here and what does that mean? Witches, ghosts,...
3. Change it up a bit… The following are works found in the Practical Life area....

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Who would of thought that getting into Nursery school was harder than getting into Harvard?

Is this crazy or necessary? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Related posts:

1. Who would of thought… I’m too burnt out to write anything clever today, so...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Materials:

The numerals 1-10

A box of 55 red chips

Presentation:

1. Invite the child to a presentation

2. Lay out the numbers starting at the upper left hand corner of the rug.

3. Point to the number “1″, trace it, and say, “This says one”

4. Take one red chip from the box and place it under the numeral saying, “This is one”.

5. Point to the number “2″, trace it, and say, “This says two”.

6. Take two red chips from the box and place them side by side to make a pair. (See picture above)

7. Continue in the same way for the numbers 3-10. Make sure that you put the odd red chip on the “left” side.

Aims:

1. Introducing the Concept of Odd and Even

2. Reinforce Sequencing

3. Reinforce association of quantity and symbol

Indirect:

1. Preparation for understanding grouping of numbers into multiples.

2. Development of Concentration.

**This activity is very easy to make. If you don’t have the wooden numerals 1-10, you can always use paper numerals instead.

Related posts:

1. A new way to learn Math Montessori materials can be pretty pricey, and since I am...
2. Freebies Math Extensions: The Color Bead Stairs Color Box #1 Intro...
3. 1-10 Sorting This is a fun sorting activity that we have...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This is a fun sorting activity that we have in our Math area. In my personal experience, I would say this activity is great for a 3 1/2 year old. But your best bet is to “Follow the Child”, as my girl Maria Montessori would always say! You might have a child in your class who is way younger, but has shown signs that they are ready to go on to this activity. As the teacher, it is up to you to observe the child, and follow your instinct.

Get a box and divide it into 10 compartments. Label it 1 to 10. Mix a variety of similiar objects and place them in a basket. (ie. erasers as pictured above) The object of this activity is two-fold

A) Sort each of the objects into separate groups

and

B) Match the quantity with the symbol

In our classroom we use different tiny erasers as our objects. I would of preferred to use natural materials. Montessori believed that children were more attracted to natural objects because they were more aesthetically pleasing then man-made objects. I think the activity above would be beautiful if the objects were switched up with Crystals and Gemstones! How attractive would that be????

For example, you could get a basket of the following:

1 piece of  Malachite

2 pieces of Tigers Eye

3 pieces of Citrine

4 pieces of Amethyst

5 pieces of Kyanite

6 pieces of  Clear Crystal Quartz

7 pieces of Turquoise

8 pieces of Moonstone

9 pieces of Hematite

10 pieces of Rose Quartz

Can you think of any other natural objects children can sort out? I’d love to hear you r ideas! I hope you enjoyed this activity!

Related posts:

1. A new way to learn Math Montessori materials can be pretty pricey, and since I am...
2. Who would of thought… I’m too burnt out to write anything clever today, so...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This activity helps a child develop fine motor skills by stregnthening their coordination and concentration.

All you need is some construction paper with various shapes outlined in black. In our class, we use a small piece of carpet to put underneath the paper. The child uses a large pushpin to carefully punch out the shapes!  Voila! A fun and exciting activity!

Related posts:

1. It’s been a while….. Hello guys. Yes, I know. I’ve been a very bad...
2. Continent Felt Map…on a poor man’s wallet Continent maps are a great way to introduce children...
3. 1-10 Sorting This is a fun sorting activity that we have...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Related posts:

1. 2 more…1 to go! So, this weekend was my 2nd Institute. On top of...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.