The Silence Game

Following up on my post on the Sensorial part of the Montessori curriculum, I wanted to highlight the Silence game.  Yesterday on the way home, Tristan told me to turn off the DVD player and to stop talking so he could listen. We sat in silence for a good while, then he said, "I heard a sound. I think it was that tree falling." 

First of all, the fact that he put his attention to something other than the DVD player is astounding.  Secondly, the fact that he sat in his seat, very still, very quiet and very obviously concentrating on listening was amazing.  I realized what he was doing about half way though the silence. I was baffled at first trying to understand why he would ask me to turn off the DVD- he never asks that! But then as I watched him in the mirror and realized he had his hand to his ear and was looking out the window, I understood he was trying to listen.

I have read about the Silence Game and how silence fits into a Montessori classroom. It is a part of the sensorial curriculum and seems vital to the child's self-awareness.

Here is some history and one way the Silence Game is used (taken from Montessori Teacher Training Blog):

Dr. Montessori created the Silence Game while working with children who were partially deaf. She observed that their hearing improved when they were able to listen carefully for sounds. Standing at the back of the room with the children facing away from her, Dr. Montessori quietly called out the name of each child. When the children heard her call their name, they would quietly walk to where she stood.

The Silence Game takes practice. Young children and those who are not yet normalized have relatively short attention spans and find it ever so difficult to remain still and quiet for more than 20-30 seconds. With practice, attention spans lengthen and children learn to relax, absorb, and appreciate the world around them.

To play the Silence Game, choose a time when your Montessori students are calm. (Right after recess may not be the best time!) Begin by telling the children you are going to play a game. It’s called the Silence Game. They will need to keep their bodies still and quiet, and not talk. Tell them that they will need to listen very carefully for their name to be called. When they hear it, they are to stand up and walk quietly to the person who calls their name. You may want to tell them that it is okay to close their eyes if it helps them listen more attentively. Then, stand behind the class and softly call the children’s names.

As you begin to call their names, you will notice that the children will walk very quietly and purposefully towards you, not wishing to break the silence of their peers. Make sure you call everyone’s name as this encourages everyone to listen. If a child is having difficulty staying quiet, make sure you call the names of a few quiet children first to encourage them to be quiet.

Later, the Montessori teacher can simply whisper the word “Silence” or ring a soft chime or dim the lights. At first, only a few children may be aware, but soon all of the children will be aware of the quiet spreading through the environment and will adjust their movements and voices in order to experience the silence they create.

And once again, I am amazed to see the things I read about coming out of Tristan in real life.  He is using the things he is hearing/seeing while in school outside of class and that is a concrete example that he is picking up and retaining the things he is exposed to in class.

Sensorial

Children ages 3-6 learn through exploration using their senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.  The sensorial curriculum trains and sharpens these senses through isolating one sense enabling the child to better discern similarities and differences. This heightened sensory perception and awareness opens a wider door for learning in all areas of the environment. Language is integrated into all sensorial.

1. Visual Discrimination
• Size - matching and grading
• Color - primary and secondary colors, matching and grading
• Form - 2 and 3 dimensional shapes
2. Auditory Discrimination
• Silence
• Sound - matching and grading
• Musical tones - matching and grading
3. Tactile Activities
• Surface - rough, smooth
• Texture - matching
4. Stereognostic - sense of Movement
5. Baric - matching and grading weights
6. Thermic - matching temperatures
7. Olfactory - matching smells
8. Gustatory - matching tastes

More Snow Days

The school was delayed 2 hours today which at first I was a little peeved about. But then I realized both the neighboring counties on either side of us, were out a full day again! My husband and I both stayed homed Monday and Tuesday and then I came to work yesterday and my husband stayed home. Today, my husband went to work and I took Tristan to work with me until 10am and then took him to school for the 10:30am start. 

I will admit he was very good while with me at work except for when we called Gramma and he yelled into the phone "GRAMMA!".  Everyone got a kick out of that.  I am lucky that my boss and the people I work with are pretty easy going about situations where you have to bring your kids with you for a short time because you just have nothing else you can do with them.  I couldn't miss even more work and with the school delayed, we had nowhere to take him. 
 
Tristan played his Mobigo computer games, colored on some paper, typed on my computer and called Gramma and Daddy on the phone. Here is one of his pictures:

He surprised me by writing his name out. I have seen him do it before but never with such clear lettering.   Not sure if he has been practicing writing at school or maybe it isn't odd that he can write his name at this age? I didn't really expect letters until he was kindergarten age or so!  But I am proud of him for writing his name, such as it is with a backwards R and not exactly straight!

I am being exposed to all new challenges as Tristan gets older. Things I never thought about before. What do I do when schools are out? How do I keep him occupied and busy while I am trying to work from home? How much tv is too much tv on days like this? Is it ok to let him eat M&M's for breakfast when he won't eat anything else?! 


Someday maybe I will become the all knowing, all prepared, and all organized mother I wish I could be, however, someday may not come until my 3 year old is 30! I will keep striving towards that goal and hope that I reach it sometimes if not all the time!


Here's wishing for sunny warm days!

Snow Days

We have been snowed in since Sunday here in Charlotte. Tristan just told me that he misses school and wishes he could go back. The school (rightly so) is closed again tomorrow - so 3 days in a row plus the weekend and we are going on 5 days of trying to keep the 3 year old busy.  Needless to say, the boredom and the 3 year old are winning! But it has been super nice to be at home with him and not be on a "hurry up and get there" schedule.  

The school sent out an email to let us know that school was closed again tomorrow and they let us know that private schools in North Carolina are not required to make up any lost days due to inclement weather. And that the instructional days are longer than those in public schools so for elementary students, that comes to the equivalent of over 7 extra days.

I did not realize the instructional day was longer at the school.  I can't find much about the length of the instructional day at Montessori schools but for US students in public schools, it appears that the average instructional day is 6.5 hours long so I assume a Montessori school must be a half hour longer approximately? 

So while the other kids are in school Martin Luther King Day and probably some of Spring Break, Tristan will be at home. If you think about it, it is only me who gets the bad end of that deal!  When I am off work and he would be making up days at school, I don't get a free day off and if I have to work, I have to find someone to stay with Tristan! Oh well - overall I am glad that they don't have to make up the days- I am sure the kids are all mad and resentful when they are making days up on Spring Break or Saturdays (!). At least that's how I felt when I had to make up days!

I personally cannot wait for winter to be over! I am not meant for cold weather and really see no reason for it to get below about 50 degrees!

Hope you are enjoying the snow though and let me know what you have done to stave off the boredom?!

An Example Lesson

The below is from The International Montessori Council and gives an example of a lesson plan used in Montessori Education.

Science for Everyday - Nature Walk

Tuesday, 19 September 2006 22:52 | Written by Erin Galvin Gutierrez

Lesson Plan: Nature Walk

NAME OF ACTIVITY: Nature Walk

AREA: Science/Observation/Classification

MATERIALS: A large piece of paper to make a giant graph on (the kind of paper you can get on a roll works best or tape together large pieces of construction paper!). Magic markers to label the rows and columns once you are ready to graph. You want the graph to be big enough to lay on the floor and hold all of the objects you collected on your walk.

AIMS: To get the children to look at the world around them. Observation! To introduce graphing/charting.

PREPARATION: Matching/Sorting

PRESENTATION BY THE TEACHER:

Presentation: Tell the children you are going on a nature walk to look at the environment outside. You probably want the children to buddy up for safety sake. Give them each (or each buddy team) a brown paper bag for collecting specimens. Explain that a specimen is a sample or piece of something that you find interesting or want to know more about. You may want to put a limit on how many samples each child may collect (3-5 is usually a good amount!). When you go out be sure to ask the children about the weather and what they notice, take a minute to discuss the weather: What does the sky look like? Is it sunny? Are there any clouds? Also ask about things you may see or point out things that they might not notice; Does anyone see any animals? Is there water around anywhere? Do you see any other people?
Once you are back in the classroom get out your big paper graph and lay it on the floor in the middle of the children. Use the top row for your column headers. Label with the names of the objects you found. Use the bottom row for tallying your columns. How many of each item do you have? Explain that one way to figure out what you collected is to graph it. Ask one child to empty the contents of his bag onto the floor. Take the first item and either have the children tell you what it is or you may tell them. In the first box on your graph paper write the name of that object (ex: acorn). Now have the child place his object in the box directly under the label. Ask the other children if anyone else has the same object. Have them place their same objects in the other empty boxes in the column. Continue until you have graphed all or at least a representative sampling (at least one item for each child) of what the class collected. You may have them bring home what you cannot graph or use it to make a new matching/sorting activity. Once your graph is full, have the class count what you have collected and write in the numbers in the empty box under each column. You may want to display your graph for a while or use it as work. Let the children remove the objects and re-graph them. Discuss what you have found.
Is it a plant?
Is it living or non-living?
What do we know about this object?
What do we want to know?
Do you have these objects in your yard?

Language: none at first, then environment, specimen, graph, categorize, and the names of the objects you collected.

VARIATIONS: You do not always have to collect things! Sometimes you may just want to go on a nature walk to observe and discuss the weather, the seasons, the things you see! This is a good way to discuss how to be “environment-friendly”. Explain to the children that if we always collected things from nature when we went out walking, then those things would not be there for us and others to enjoy and observe next time. This is a difficult concept to get across to small children, but it is one that should be introduced and reiterated often! It is okay to collect samples sometimes but not all the time!
What did we find?
How many things did we collect?
How many different things did we collect?
What could we do with what we collected?

EXTENSIONS: Go out with a specific thing to collect; different types of leaves, rocks, or grasses. You could press the plant specimens in a leaf/flower press (or between wax paper and some heavy books) and make a booklet out of your collections. A three ring booklet that can be added to is best.

SOURCES: Erin Galvin
By E.G. Gutierrez

Two Things

So we have noticed two things so far. Tristan still says he is happy to be going to school and when we pick him up, he does not want to go home. 

But this morning, he didn't want me to leave. I gave about 6 hugs and kisses, checked out the fish and the gerbil, and looked at the snack table with him! I was freed when Ms. Suzanne asked Tristan to come help her with setting up. He went to help happily enough and there were no tears.  It seems like he just wants a playmate more than he doesn't want me to go.  It may be because we get there so early and there are no other kids in the class yet so maybe he feels a little lonely? But as soon as he is given something to do, he seems fine. So we will keep a watch on that and see what happens. I am going to have my husband take him into the class tomorrow and see if it is just me!

The other thing we have noticed, two nights in a row, is that he is wide open after we pick him up. He talks a mile a minute about anything and everything and doesn't stop moving. I don't think it is a bad thing - it seems he is just more outgoing and more active. He has a ton of energy and he does not want to sit still. We will keep an eye on that too - I am certain they are not feeding him straight sugar or caffine so I have to think it is just an "opening up" of his personality. He really is talking quite a bit more and he is also not so shy of people he doesn't know.  He says "hello" more readily and talks to them.  

Lunch was a success yesterday. Of course, he did get to take Chick-fil-a nuggets to eat. The only thing he didn't eat was some cheddar cheese. I think it is a little too sharp for him.  So today - some more nuggets, apple cinnamon muffin, blueberries, applesauce and a breakfast bar (because I know he will eat that!). I am positive I need to find a way to get some veggies in somewhere. I need to look for a book on hiding good stuff in foods kids will eat!  
 

4 Goals for Myself as a Mother for 2011

One of the blogs I read is Life...Your Way.  Today's post asked us to write down our goals as mothers for 2011. So I thought I would share and see if any others out there had their own set of goals for themselves as mothers or any other area of your life that you want to concentrate on.

Here are 4 that I came up with for myself:

• Stop what I am doing, and look and listen completely, when Tristan is trying to speak to me. Sometimes, I forget that whatever it is I am doing at that particular moment is really not nearly as important as my child. Even if he wants to talk to me about his dolphin-mountain goat picture.  I never ever want Tristan to feel like he has to yell or act out or beg for my undivided attention.
• Break the yelling habit.  I will admit that when I get busy, late, or overwhelmed I have the habit of yelling, when I think I am not being heard or Tristan or my husband are not moving as fast as I think they need to move.  (See above about yelling to get attention!) I need to remember to take a deep breath and change my own reaction to things. This will be a tough one - Tristan seems to have selective hearing most of the time. He is in his own world, and getting his coat and shoes on is not generally at the top of his list.  But I need to remember that he has no idea about the concept of time or being late or even just the idea that someone somewhere is waiting on us to get there. My husband on the other hand...lol
• Become more organized. I am, I like to think, relatively organized. I try to get things ready the night before and have the things we need set out for us to grab on the way out the door. But there is more I could do to make mornings and even evenings a little smoother. My "planner" is steno book and the calender from the school. And I am planner junkie - I have tried them all! But nothing so far seems to be the perfect fit. I have heard that the planners on erincondren.com are excellent. We are on a tight budget this year as we try to work out paying tuition and bills and life in general, but as soon as I can save the money, I think I will try one.  
• And lastly, I want to continue this blog and continue to learn all I can about the Montessori Method so I can help my son learn and grow into the young man I know he can be. I want him to remember that his mom was always interested in what he was working on and that I was always able to help when he needed it. I need to be able to understand the reasons behind why he works with sandpaper letters and block towers so that I can help and encourage that at home. I am lucky because Tristan's school has Parent Ed nights every month. I will be attending those as often as possible to learn what I can do to further his learning and education.

So that is what I will be working on in 2011! Maybe not necessarily resolutions - there seems to be so much pressure associated with resolutions- just goals to work towards.  How about you?

Results from Scientific Study on Montessori Method

The below is from The International Montessori Council and discusses the results from a study done on the Montessori Method.

 

New Scientific Study Supports the Montessori Method

Thursday, 05 October 2006 09:27 | Written by Tim Seldin 

Dr. Angeline Stoll Lillard has clearly summarized the research that explains why, after 100 years, the Montessori approach to education continues to be a phenomenal worldwide success.

A study comparing outcomes of children at a public inner-city Montessori school with children who attended traditional schools indicates that Montessori education leads to children with better social and academic skills.

The study appears in the Sept. 29, 2006 issue of the journal Science. You can read more in a specical article and interview with Dr. Lillard that was published in the Fall 2006 issue of Tomorrow's Child magazine. Click here to download the PDF of that article.

Montessori education is characterized by multi-age classrooms, a special set of educational materials, student-chosen work in long time blocks, a collaborative environment with student mentors, absence of grades and tests, and individual and small group instruction in academic and social skills. More than 5,000 schools in the United States, including 300 public schools, use the Montessori method.

The Montessori school studied is located in Milwaukee and serves urban minority children. Students at the school were selected for enrollment through a random lottery process. Those students who "won" the lottery and enrolled at the Montessori school made up the study group. A control group was made up of children who had "lost" the lottery and were therefore enrolled in other schools using traditional methods. In both cases the parents had entered their children in the school lottery with the hope of gaining enrollment in the Montessori school.

"This strategy addressed the concern that parents who seek to enroll their children in a Montessori school are different from parents who do not," wrote study authors Angeline Lillard, a University of Virginia professor of psychology, and Nicole Else-Quest, a former graduate student in psychology at the University of Wisconsin. This was an important factor because parents generally are the dominant influence on child outcomes.

Children were evaluated at the end of the two most widely implemented levels of Montessori education: primary (3- to 6-year-olds) and elementary (6- to 12-year-olds). They came from families of very similar income levels (averaging from $20,000 to $50,000 per year for both groups).

The children who attended the Montessori school, and the children who did not, were tested for their cognitive and academic skills, and for their social and behavioral skills.

"We found significant advantages for the Montessori students in these tests for both age groups," Lillard said. "Particularly remarkable are the positive social effects of Montessori education. Typically the home environment overwhelms all other influences in that area."

Among the 5-year-olds, Montessori students proved to be significantly better prepared for elementary school in reading and math skills than the non-Montessori children. They also tested better on "executive function," the ability to adapt to changing and more complex problems, an indicator of future school and life success.

Montessori children also displayed better abilities on the social and behavioral tests, demonstrating a greater sense of justice and fairness. And on the playground they were much more likely to engage in emotionally positive play with peers, and less likely to engage in rough play.

Among the 12-year-olds from both groups, the Montessori children, in cognitive and academic measures, produced essays that were rated as "significantly more creative and as using significantly more sophisticated sentence structures." The Montessori and non-Montessori students scored similarly on spelling, punctuation and grammar, and there was not much difference in academic skills related to reading and math. This parity occurred despite the Montessori children not being regularly tested and graded.

In social and behavioral measures, 12-year-old Montessori students were more likely to choose "positive assertive responses" for dealing with unpleasant social situations, such as having someone cut into a line. They also indicated a "greater sense of community" at their school and felt that students there respected, helped and cared about each other.

The authors concluded that, "when strictly implemented, Montessori education fosters social and academic skills that are equal or superior to those fostered by a pool of other types of schools."

Lillard plans to continue the research by tracking the students from both groups over a longer period of time to determine long-term effects of Montessori versus traditional education. She also would like to replicate the study at other Montessori and traditional schools using a prospective design, and to examine whether specific Montessori practices are linked to specific outcomes.

Lillard is the author of Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius. More information is available at: www.montessori-science.org

For a copy of the study in the journal Science, call 1-202-326-6440, or email: scipak@aaas.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Second Day Success

So the second day went well again. I am so relieved! Lunch was another bust though. Tristan ate his breakfast bar, yogurt and cheese. The delicious nutella and grape jelly sandwich went untouched, as did the grapes and surprisingly the blueberries. Will have to keep working at it. Trying cold chicken nuggets tomorrow and of course yogurt, cheese and a breakfast bar.  

Today Tristan came home with all kinds of art work - one picture was a "dolphin mountain goat" in blue finger paint! He was very proud of that.  So another good day at Countryside Montessori School.  Hopefully, we will get into a good routine and Tristan will continue to flourish at his new school.  

A post tomorrow on a study between a group of kids who had a Montessori education and  a group who went to traditional school. 


Good night all! Talk to you tomorrow!

Second Day

For a long time now, everyday Tristan would wake up and say "Are we going to school"? and I would "yes" and I would always get the "OOOOHHHHH, I don't want to go to school". This morning he asked his usual question and when I said "yes", he said "YEAH". That one reaction is enough to make my day. 

I am so happy that he wants to go. When both parents work, as so many of us do, you generally have no choice but to take them somewhere.  But to take him somewhere he wants to go, is a whole different story.  It was always so hard for me to leave him at his other school, crying, screaming, begging me to stay. He was always fine after a bit but to leave with the thought in my head that he thinks I am abondoning him, always broke my heart. And today, I got none of that - no tears and no begging. I got a "Bye, Mommy". 

He had a great day yesterday. The teacher told me this morning that he did just fine and had no trouble.  Parent-teacher conferences are on the 21st so I guess we will get more detail then about his progress over the 3 weeks that he will have been there.  I will be so interested to hear about what they see in him and how he learns.

Today, I packed his lunch with less input from the peanut gallery. Grapes, Crasins and blueberries. A yogurt, a slice of cheese and a little nutella and grape jelly sandwich in the shape of a dinosaur. Did you know that nutella and grape jelly tastes EXACTLY like a grape Tootsie Pop? We will see what comes back in the bag today. And I finally wised up to the lunch process. I put all his cold stuff in one tupperware so that it could easily be put in the fridge at school. I pulled out the label maker and made labels with his name and the date on it to put on the tupperware and yogurt.  And I have realized he has a hard time opening the tupperware by himself so I have to find other ways to send his food - ziplocs I guess but the thought of using thousands of ziplocs a year makes me cringe a bit.  Let me know if you have any ideas about what to send for lunch and/or creative ways to pack it.

So far so good as of Day 2! I will start posting some more curriculum and other posts soon but will also keep you updated on Tristan's thoughts and progress!

Tristan's Thoughts on the 1st Day

I picked Tristan up this afternoon with great anticipation. But no need! In Tristan's own words " I had a great day!".  He seemed to enjoy his day and said he couldn't wait to go back tomorrow. Whew! 

Lunch was another story - looks like he ate his yogurt and some cheese, oh, and a half a breakfast bar! Everything else was still in his lunchbox.  Oh well - lunch will be trial and error, a learning experience. 

His teacher was already gone when I got there, so I will speak to her in the morning for a report on how he actually did yesterday. He came home with a "pterodactyl" that he cut out. When I asked him if he took a nap, he said "yep and I took off my socks and shoes to go to sleep.  That is a new experience because at his other school he always slept with his socks and shoes on. And he must have put his own shoes and socks back on, because his shoes were on the wrong feet! 

We are off to bed now! Will give another update tomorrow! Hopefully the "newness" will not wear off and his second day will be as good as the first! Have a great night!

First Day!

First day at Tristan's new school today! He did so well! Last night, we packed his lunch. He wanted blueberries in every container and nothing else. We compromised on blueberries in one container, yogurt in another and cheese and crackers. He refused all offers of an actual sandwich so we went with cheese and crackers instead.  He also took fruit snacks and a breakfast bar and some extra cheese just in case.... the boy loves cheese. He must get it from me. 

We left the house at 7:05am and got to the school right at 7:30am. When we went in, we happened to see the director of the school and she walked us to Tristan's classroom. He was the first student to arrive. I was very happy about that as it gave him time to get acclimated to the class before lots of kids got there.  He remembered his teacher's name, Ms. Suzanne and said hello to her. She already had his little cubby labeled with his name on it and he was so excited to see it. He put his things away in the cubby, we put his extra clothes in his little plastic box (also already labeled) and he put his lunch on the shelf for lunches.  He was very busy looking around at everything. There is a class gerbil named Chocolate. Ms. Suzanne got the food out to feed him so Tristan could watch and Chocolate  scampered right out and Tristan stood there entraced. It came time for us to go, so I kneeled down and had the "be a good boy" speech with him. I got my squeeze and sugar and went out the door.  There were no tears, no clinging, no sadness.  He was so busy looking around and deciding what to do first, he wasn't worried about what I was doing! When I snuck a peek back in the room, Ms. Suzanne was showing him around. 

As I sit here writing this, I wonder how his day has been and what he is doing now. I wonder if he actually ate his lunch and if so, how much?  I would not be surprised to see it all back in his bag, except the blueberries!  Has he made any friends, is he having a good time, is he worried I won't come get him? I wish I could be a fly on the wall so I could watch him all day long.  But it is part of growing up I suppose and for my part, I guess learning how to let go. 

I will update again with his thoughts on the first day and let you know whether or not he changes his mind about how happy he is about his new school! I can't believe it is finally here and we are "living" what we have only thought about for months.  The routine will work it's way in and we will all get used to the new things!

Tomorrow is the BIG day!

So tomorrow is the big day! Tristan starts his new Montessori school. Kids who stay for lunch are asked to bring a place mat so I have that ready to go as well as a change of clothes for him to keep at school. I will pack his lunch tonight and we should be all set.  He has been excited about it so far - we will see what happens tomorrow morning when reality sets in!  I will post again tomorrow and let everyone know how it went! Have a great Sunday! See you tomorrow!

Practical Life

Practical life prepares the child for life. It is the foundation of the Montessori approach.  The preparation includes nourishing and nurturing of the special needs, which arise in the child during 3-6. Practical life activities build the child's self-confidence by allowing the child to be successful at a given task.

There are 4 main goals of Practical Life activities:
1. Order
2. Coordination
3. Concentration
4. Independence

These activities performed are "... to aid the inner construction of discipline, organization, independence and self esteem through concentration on a precise and completed cycle of activities."

1. Grace and Courtesy
• Control of Movement
• Social Relations
2. Fine Motor
• Twisting/Turning/Scooping/Spooning
• Squeezing
• Pouring
• Folding/Wrapping/Rolling
• Fasteners
3. Care of the Person
• Personal Care and Habits
• First Aid/Health/Safety
• Dressing Frames
• Grooming
• Sewing
• Weaving
4. Care of the Environment
• Sweeping
• Washing
• Polishing
• Care of Plants/Animals
• Use of Tools
• Care of Outside Environment
5. Food Preparation
• Snack
• Cooking
• Manners
• Serving Friends

Typical Day at a Paris Montessori School

The below is from The International Montessori Council and discusses a typical day at a Montessori school in Paris as remembered by a well known Montessori teacher. To follow my previous post, it also speaks to food preparation and how the children learn from that.

Reflections on All Day Montessori

Tuesday, 19 September 2006 22:52

Curriculum & Best Practice

Margot Waltuch, who died in 2003, was one of the best known and dearly loved members of the senior leadership of the international Montessori community.

She was one of the last remaining Montessorians who actually knew and worked with Maria Montessori. She spent a long, productive life in Montessori education, setting down in her wonderful slim volume, A Montessori Album, many of her reflections and personal memories and photos of the children and schools with whom she worked.

In 1996 Margot wrote an article for the NAMTA Journal that described the typical day at the school with which she is best remembered, La Maison des Enfants in Paris, France during the years from 1933 to 1938. I believe that there could be no better description of the classic Montessori experience than hers:


"The children attended school all day. Sometimes we would take the cots outside for their naps. ...


Sometimes at the beginning of the school year, when first meeting the children, it would be enough simply to let them talk. We would listen to music, or we would share some food, or simply go on a little walk and pick wildflowers. Presentations were much shorter and fewer than what are done with a new class today.


There was not a separation between outdoors and indoors. They were treated as one. No division should exist. Laughingly, we used to say, "There is never any bad weather, only wrong clothing." The terrace was easily accessible for outdoor work. The only requirement for working on the terrace was to put on outdoor clothes when necessary. We worked outside in all weather.


Sometimes we would go out, and other times nature would come in. When a grasshopper would hop among the tables, that would be the start of a research. Magnifying glasses were all around. Little flowers were also on each table, freshly cut, water changed daily, and labeled. Many times the children would pull them apart: "Where is the stamen?" Children planted seeds and subsequently made graphs of plant growth. We always allowed time for observing and questioning.


Paris was an ideal setting. Oftentimes in the afternoon we went out simply to sit and embroider-to enjoy the sun and trees. No bell rang. No command was given. "Now it's time for this exercise or that exercise." Throughout the day, mental work and physical exercise were held in balance as a result of this constant contact with the seasons and the natural world.


Walking of the line was a daily occurrence about midday-often out-of-doors. This involved bringing out a little table with flags, glasses with water, and other things to carry. The children took a stick or small shovel and made a large circle or oval on the ground. Of course it was not perfect as an indoor line. Music played on the piano indoors, or sometimes we brought the phonograph out on the balcony. I was in the background, usually, observing but seldom directing. And yet informally this activity meant daily exposure to music, rhythm, and coordinated movement.


There is quite a contrast between enforced silence and silence "from within" the children. Children sometimes want silence-they play statues or hide-and-seek or simply sit opposite each other to see who can last the longest without moving or even smiling. They love silence and immobility and practice it spontaneously. ...


Our children gardened, sometimes an hour a day. The materials were always there: wheelbarrows, rakes, hoes, shovels, spades, watering cans, and baskets. Children chose the activity. And of course, all knowledge takes off from gardening. You must choose a place for your garden. It must be flat, or the rain will roll away the seeds. Let's measure for a space that can be well taken care of as opposed to a garden too big for total attention. Find a place in the sun. Plants need sunlight to make food. What to plant? Foods for salad, foods for soup, and foods to eat right off the plant-all these make for a garden of variety. ...


The work that the children enjoy most is the harvesting, and because our school went nearly year round, the children could reap what they sowed. ...


Through cooking, children are introduced to a whole new world of sensations-tastes, smells, colors, textures, blending and changing-all that cooking entails. They are given the opportunity to explore the otherwise forbidden realm of knives and fires. Working with the tools of cooking develops manual dexterity. And of course cooking and eating is an occasion for interaction with one another.


We had a full-course meal daily. We ate with the children and discussed their experiences in the parks, the museums, their parties, etc. They talked about future events and past events, always making laughter and jokes. The French children were masters of conversation at the table. Also typically French was the style of waiting on the table. The eating and talking alone usually took an hour.


Introduction of foods and their preparation is still another form of sensory exploration. Noodle-making, bread-making, peeling, cutting, grinding, chopping, slicing, grating, squeezing-these are not only ways of extracting from nature what you need to eat, but great builders of hand-eye coordination, sequence, and social life."*

* Waltuch, M. (1996). The casa of Sèvres, France. The NAMTA Journal, 21 (3), 43-54.

December Newsletter

I received an email from Tristan's new teacher last night. She let us know she was looking forward to meeting him on Monday and having him in class. She also sent along a newsletter that she apparently sends every month (she sent some previous month's newsletters too). 

In the letter, she let parents know that they will begin studying Antarctica and mammals when they start back to school.  It is so great because Tristan loves animals! And knowing he will be exposed to something that interests him right off, is very comforting. 

Also included in the letter, were some pictures of the class working on holiday crafts. I showed the pictures to Tristan and he wanted to know what all the kids names were.  They made little reindeer, gingerbread men, paper ring chains. They also made cinnamon dough ornaments, decorated snowflakes and painted little sleighs.  It was nice to see some pictures of the kids and some of the things they got to do last month. 

In the November newsletter, we were told of the Thanksgiving feast. The class project for the feast was to make a soup. Each child brought a vegetable to add to the soup. They brought their veggies uncut and unpeeled. Each child peeled and cut their own veggie to add to the soup.  How great is that? They all got to add their own special thing to the soup and get a real sense of accomplishing something.  These are exactly the types of things I am looking forward to seeing Tristan do.  Being able to be a part of something and using his own hands and skills to contribute. For him to feel inside that he helped make something for others and to be proud of that.  This exercise leads me nicely into the next post regarding the curriculum.  After grace and courtesy, the next big lesson is Practical Life. Part of the Practical Life lesson plan, is food preparation.  It is great to see the lessons in action in such concrete ways.

This morning on the drive to daycare, Tristan asked if we were going to his new school. I said, no that they were on winter break and weren't open right now. He was very upset.   I am probably more excited about the new school than he is! I can't wait to volunteer my time in class and to see first hand how he will learn and grow in this environment.  Two more days to go at the current school! And in between a visit from Tristan's favorite aunt! It is going to be an exciting few days for him!

As mentioned, in the next post, I will expand on the Practical Life lessons.

Grace and Courtesy

As promised, here I will start to expand on the curriculum for the 3-6 Montessori program. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments.

Grace and courtesy should be encouraged from the very beginning and consistently reintroduced to the children. These are lessons given on how to interrupt, how to speak during work time, how to roll up a mat, how to handle conflict between themselves, how to greet a visitor, how to sit at circle time, how to say hello and good-bye, etc so that there exists less need for intervention by the Guide (teacher).

Grace and courtesy is essential to the smooth flow of the work cycle (i.e. a child would have a difficult time building their concentration if they are constantly being interrupted by another child walking on their mat.) Grace and courtesy are essential to the framework of a working Montessori class and must be given the same value by the Montessori guide as reading or writing. These are skills a child will use their whole life, in many different capacities; and the practice of grace and courtesy makes it possible for 24 children to move about, all doing separate work and having the freedom to answer each of their own inner "calls to work".

1.  Self (Individual)
• How to dress
• How to wash hands and face
• How to brush hair and teeth
• How to unpack and eat lunch
• How to blow nose
2. Environment (Individual)
• How to care for plants
• How to clean up spills
• How to tuck in chair
• How to create workspace
• How to keep work.class beautiful
3. Relationships (Group)
• How to solve simple conflicts
• How to use kind words
• How to have and show respect to adults and others
4. Manners (Group)
• How to introduce people
• How to eat and use manners
• How to wait for turn
• How to interrupt
• How to respect other's workspace
• How to share
5. Cultural Awareness
• Cultural holidays
• Songs, games
• Foreign language
• Similarities to child's own culture
• Differences from child's own culture
6. Geography
• Space study (our world and it's place in the universe)
• Land and water forms
• Continent study
• Country study
• Environmental awareness
7. Activities that enhance Individual/Group/Global Peace education in the classroom/school
• Moral stories
• Birthday celebrations
• Dance, music, singing, yoga, art, etc
• Gardening
• School wide celebrations
• Community service 

Holiday, Snow and Back to Work

We had a great holiday at our house. Tristan got more toys than he needed but loved them all! The house is a wreck and it's back to work and school today. But we got some snow Christmas day so we have a delayed opening at Tristan's current school.  So we are here at the house, currently discussing whether Tristan can go outside "just one time" and "he has a jacket"....  


One more week essentially until Tristan starts his Montessori school. I keep asking him if he is ready to go to his new school and he always says yes.  But I am not sure he really gets that he is starting a whole new school. Next Monday will be interesting! 


So hope everyone had a great holiday season and as 2010 comes to an end, best wishes for a great 2011!

3 to 6 Year Old Curriculum

Here are the major areas of the 3-6 year old curriculum for a Montessori school:

Grace and Courtesy (Peace)
Practical Living
Sensorial
Math
Language
Science
Geography
Music
Art
Movement

I will make a post about each of the areas and what they involve! There is a lot of overlap in the ten curriculum areas.  Montessori curriculum's are very interrelated and integrated.

All of the information here and in the future posts about each area comes from a curriculum guide given to me by Countryside Montesorri School.

The Montessori Method

The below has been borrowed with thanks from Montessori Mom. I think it is a great summary of the Montessori method. Feel free to comment!

The Montessori Method

"I have studied the child. I have taken what the child has given me and expressed it and that is what is called the Montessori method." Dr. Maria Montessori.

The Montessori Method is a way about thinking about who children are. It is a philosophy that respects the unique individuality of each child. Dr. Montessori believed in the worthiness, value and importance of children. Her method does not compare a child  to norms or standards that are measured by traditional educational systems. It is founded on the belief that children should be free to succeed and learn without restriction or criticism.

It is also an approach to education that takes to heart the needs, talents, gifts, and special individuality of each child. It is a process that helps children learn in their own way at their own pace. The main concept of Montessori is to promote the joy of learning. This joy of learning develops a well adjusted person who has a purpose and direction in his or her life. Children, who experience the joy of learning, are happy, confident, fulfilled children. In essence, Montessori helps bring forth the gift of each child.

Another important skill it teaches is self-reliance and independence. It helps a child to become independent by teaching him or her life skills, which is called practical life. Montessori children learn to dress themselves, help cook, put their toys and clothes away and take an active part of their household, neighborhood and school.

Montessori works in a methodical way. Each step in the process leads to the next level of learning. When a child plays, he or she is  learning concepts for abstract learning. Repetition of activities is an integral part of this learning process.

For young children Montessori is a hands on approach to learning. It encourages children to develop their observation skills by doing many types of activities. These activities include use of the five senses, kinetic movement, spatial refinement, small and large motor skill coordination, and concrete knowledge that leads to later abstraction.

For a grade school child, Montessori encourages a child to proceed at his or her own pace onto abstract thinking, writing, reading, science, mathematics and most importantly, to absorb his or her culture and environment. Culture includes interaction with nature, art, music, religion, societal organizations and customs.

A Montessori teacher or instructor observes each child like a scientist, providing every child with an individual program for learning. Phoebe Child (Head of the Montessori trust in London) said "we must be prepared to wait patiently like a servant, to watch carefully like a scientist, and to understand through love and wonder like a saint."

Most of all, Montessori wanted to help free a child's mind to be unfettered to learn without any negative input. It is success oriented in that almost everything is self-teaching and self-correcting. The children learn by doing and by experimentation. The environment is specifically prepared for the children to allow them to interact with it freely and unfettered, everything is child sized, and safe for children to touch and use. In fact, Dr. Montessori called her center "The Children's House".

The main goal of Montessori is to provide a stimulating, child oriented environment that children can explore, touch, and learn without fear. An understanding parent or teacher is a large part of this child's world. The end result is to encourage life long learning, the joy of learning, and happiness about one's path and purpose in life.