From Child and Me Blog--Montessori Resources

Montessori Resources for more information click here

October 15, 2009 — Alenka | Posted in Educational Ideas, Montessori, Teach Your Child.

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So, here are the Montessori resources that I found useful! Enjoy and please share if you discovered something that I haven’t seen yet!

• Books
• Websites for ordering materials or reviewing what’s there
• Montessori Courses for Parents and/or Teachers
• Websites for learning how to make your own materials, blogs, and free printables.
• Video demonstrations of Montessori presentations, classrooms, homes.

Books

There is one of the original books by Maria Montessori that is available online for free: “The Montessori Method” by Maria Montessori .

• Basic Montessori: Learning Activities For Under-Fives, by David Gettman. Terrific book: outlines the basics of the Montessori philosophy and has lists, charts, detailed descriptions and explanations, directions and goals for activities. I loved that many activities can be reproduced in the home environment with home tools, while for some he recommends true Montessori materials. Very useful book.
• Teaching Montessori in the Home: Pre-School Years: The Pre-School Years
  by Elizabeth G. Hainstock. This book is terrific for homeschooling parents. While Gettman’s book is applicable to Montessori school, this book actually emphasizes how to make/use home materials, making it indispensable for the at-home Montessorians!
• Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three by Paula Polk Lillard. For the first time I tried reading this book when my older one was just born. I never could get pass the introduction. In the introduction the author describes how her mentor emotionally exclaimed, that nobody would like her daughter for not being independent enough, and then proceeded to teach the author, how letting the kid cry in the parking lot the girl learns to rely more on herself, rather then using her mother as a human horse. I couldn’t go on - to me it was too pushy, it wasn’t teaching the little girl who is used to be carried by her mother and now, in a flash has to walk all by herself. My son has always been walking. I never used a stroller for outings, I never went anywhere where he couldn’t walk by himself. Nevertheless, this example was so anti-positive discipline and so cruel… The second time I started reading this book after my second baby was born. My attitude hasn’t changed. I still don’t like lots of the advices: early weaning, how to dress the baby, etc. When it comes to baby’s mobility - I’d recommend Doman’s approach: the book advocates so much clothes on the baby, that it would be too hard to move, and Doman’s suggestions get babies earlies physical development much further. This book proudly announces, that following author’s advice you are going to get your baby to sit unsupported by six months and to crawl at 7-8! Following Doman’s advice, my baby was sitting unsupported at 4, crawling by the end of 4th month, creeping into every possible place at six and… walking by 8! What I really liked - was the practical life chapter. The directions on how to introduce practical life activities to the little ones are absolutely wonderful: I wish it was in a list/chart structure, to make later reference easier, but the explanations are thorough and very inspiring.

Other recommended books that I haven’t had a chance to read myself yet:

• Montessori in the Classroom
• Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook
• The Advanced Montessori Method
• How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin

Web sites for ordering materials or learning how to make them yourself

• Nienhuis Catalogue: these are “official” Montessori classroom toys - well made and, unfortunately, incredibly expensive. Nevertheless this site is great: it offers a terrific reference on what materials can be useful/necessary. Afterwards, they can either be found someplace else, or made at home.
• Educational Toys Planet: while not pure Montessori, I’ve used this site to order lots of Melissa & Doug, Educational Insights, and other great toys that can be used for Montessori activities.
• Montessori Materials: another terrific site to use as a reference. I haven’t tried ordering from there, but I loved how all the toys have description on how it can be used
• Local crafts store: I visited our local Michaels and discovered that it’s a dreamland for a montessori-wonna be! It has lots of raw materials, jars, wicker baskets, wooden balls, pegs, eggs, boxes, other tools that can either be used as is, or further painted and adjusted for appropriate activities.
• Montessori in Motion: wonderful directions and explanations on wonderful Montessori mobiles - the first essential learning tool for the youngest montessorian-babies. Maria Montessori stresses the importance of early introduction of the sensorial activities, and mobiles provide newborns with a great opportunity to exercise that: “Mobiles are an aid to the visual sense. Babies of only 2-3 days have been observed in concentration of 20-25 minutes watching the black and white images of the Munari mobile.”
• Montessori Services: this site originally has been recommended to us by our friends kids’ Montessori school. I was ordering practical life sets from them - jugs, jars, boxes and whole activity sets - pouring rice set, color dropper set, etc. These sets arrived today. Seem very nice - everything is ready for the activity and, most importantly, suggestions and instructions are inclosed!
• Adena Montessori: Montessori toys for a lot more affordable prices. I’ve ordered from them and I’ll definitely do it again - toys arrived fast, were packaged well, looked good, the quality was fine. No complains here.
• Montessori Outlet: site greatly recommended by many Montessori parents. Parents who had more experience with ordering Montessori toys, rated it higher then Adena Montessori. Well, the prices are a little higher too and products look very similar on the web, while parents who used other stores, praise Montessori Outlet the most.
• Pink House: I ordered an egg and a peg. Well made, no complains. But after I placed my order I found these items in my local Michaels for a fraction of that price. So, check your local craft store first: you might find just everything that you need - yarn, wooden eggs, pegs, etc.
• Alison’s Montessori: I haven’t used this store, but I’ve heard many positive reviews about it’s materials.
• Montessori Equipment: That’s the site I wouldn’t recommend. The ordering process is fine and the prices are good… too good. The products are not that good. I’ve ordered some infant toys and was really upset: Maria Montessor insisted, that toys should be simple - and beautiful. These are just simple. And cheap. The handles are so tiny, that it is very hard for little fingers to grab them. Some handles are so tiny, that it is hard for my adult fingers to pull - I am currently replacing them by myself! Some items are not done right -there is a sorting box, where you insert the triangular prism at the top, and take it out either by opening a small door, or by putting your hand through the circular opening in the door. Opening is so small, that you can’t even push a prism through it, forget about a hand! Many items are choking hazards - balls that are perfect for blocking the windpipe, disks, etc. All toys that we’ve got have a label, that states that it shouldn’t be used by children younger then…4! Wait, but these are infant-toddler toys!! Very-very disappointing.

Websites for making your own materials, reading other “montessorian’s” blogs and getting free printables

• World Wide Montessori: a terrific online course for parents and teachers by AMS accredited teacher. I can’t praise this course enough. I have my own review of the course here: Montessori for parents and teachers course

Websites for making your own materials, reading other “montessorian’s” blogs and getting free printables

First of all, there are a number of yahoo groups that you can join for more advice:

• Montessori Homeschooling: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/playschool6/
  - terrific group for homeschooling parents. Wonderful community of parents, lots of materials, ideas, suggestions.
• Montessori Online: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/montessori_online/
  - this group seems more oriented for professional Montessori teachers, then parents. Lots of wonderful discussions, but not everything is applicable in the home environment.
• Printable Montessori Materials-HEATHER: http://www.montessorimaterials.org
• Direction in Making Materials + 5 Sub groups-DAISY: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/montessorimakers/
• Buying/Selling Materials-MARY: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Montessori_Swap/
• Montessori Marketplace-KAREN: AMS Certified teacher instructed lessons and a place to purchase materials
  http://www.amontessorimarketplace.com/
• Files Shared for Montessori Material Making: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mm_share/
• Livable Learning through Montessori-SUZANNE: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/livablelearning/
• Livable Learning/Preparing the Home and the Heart-SUZANNE: http://jmjpublishing.com/index.htm

• Montessori Materials
• Montessori For Everyone
• Montessori en el hogar: Spanish blog with lots of materials in both English and Spanish

Nurture Shock: How Praise, Protection And PBS Are Ruining Our Kids

With the rise of stay at home dads, Einstein babies and hyper competition, being a kid today is radically different than it was a generation ago. As a parent, I have to say that I find the controlled environments and high expectations surrounding how to raise our children to be so different from when I was a kid that it is hard to keep up.

This blog is the first in a two-part series exploring the recent trends in "Over-Parenting." Today, I will focus on some of the circumstances involving younger children, and next week I will turn to teens.

While there are many improvements for life as a kid today - like car seats and really cool playground equipment - a lot of things are downright stressful and disappointing. Here is a top ten list of things I personally can't stand as a modern American parent:

1. Playdates.
   


2. Endless "after school activities" that eliminate dinner altogether
   


3. Uggs, Beatles Guitar Hero and cell phones for 9 year-olds
   


4. The lack of freedom for kids to ride bikes all over town for fun
   


5. No paper routes or lawn mowing or weed pulling for extra cash
   


6. No more "Come Home When the Streetlights Are On" neighborhood standards
   


7. Fighting constantly to "downshift" our family routine.
   


8. Having to serve macaroni & cheese or pizza at every kid gathering
   


9. Texting instead of using the spoken word to communicate
   


10. Eight% of kids walking to school today vs. over 75% when I was a kid.

What has HAPPENED to us as parents? We bought into the notion that the world is a very scary place, when it is safer than ever. Toddlers are strapped down with every safety device known to man just to get out and learn to rollerskate or ride a bike, and all of their recreational time is carefully planned and monitored from the moment they can crawl.

We have succumbed to the consumer haze, and sold our souls to China. The seductive acceleration of our time over-saturates kids with choices, over-books their time with activities, and pushes them to stress before they should ever know the word.

I recently read a groundbreaking book for parents: NutureShock- New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. I was underlining like mad, dog earring pages left and right, and calling my husband every five seconds to read a passage. It's a must-read. Essentially, the take-away is that parents today are treating their kids as if they are mini-adults, when, in fact, they require vastly different tools and parameters to grow up.

Similar to Malcom Gladwell, Bronson and Merryman are journalists who know how to wrangle out some of the most groundbreaking research on children that has been conducted in years, and put it all together in a series of topics that will knock your socks off - like why kids lie, how praising kids paralyzes their growth, and how our focus on "prosocial" TV shows is contributing to relational aggression and bullying.

Let's face it, adults like to be praised. It raises our motivation, and is a key tool in any business environment. However, when children are constantly praised and told they are "smart," it reduces their confidence and motivation. Kids who are touted as smart are often afraid to tackle a challenge because they perceive they should be able to get it instantly. They stop trying.

Rather, children are best served by being praised for their efforts. 'Trying hard,' or 'doing your best' encourages their sense of autonomy and ability, rather than a vague notion of being smart. Think it's easy? Parents have the hardest time remodeling this one, but kids respond almost instantly.

One of the most controversial and potent chapters in the book revolves around "nice" TV, and its potential contribution to the rise in bullying. Interestingly enough, it appears kids are not watching any more TV than a generation ago, but the new trend in programming is towards "prososcial" shows often seen on PBS like Clifford and Caillou or even Sponge Bob. They are supposed to teach our kids how to be 'nice.'

But, it isn't working. We have forgotten that kids do not function like adults, who can learn a resolution or moral of a story at the end. The conflict is what they ingest. Dr. Jamie Ostrov and Dr. Douglas Gentile spent two years studying preschool kids from well off Minnesota families and monitored the types of television programming they watched; from the more violent Power Rangers to the educational PBS shows like Arthur.

They were shocked to discover the increase in any sort of physical aggression was no different between the two, and even more astounded to find that the educational television had a dramatic effect on "relational aggression," which shows up in comments like, "you're not my friend," or "we're not going to play with you anymore."

How can this be? I can see all the new parents bemoaning it now; PBS essentially saves the sanity of any adult who is raising a toddler- don't take that away! Yet, check this out: Ithaca conducted a follow up study to review 470 half-hour television programs commonly watched by children, and recorded every time a character insulted someone or put someone down.

Ninety-six percent of all children's programming includes verbal insults, and of the 2,628 put-downs identified, only 50 circumstances featured some sort of reprimand or correction -- and not once in an educational show. "Fully 84 percent of the time there was only laughter or no response at all,"found Dr. Cynthia Scheibe.

"The more kids watched, the crueler they'd be to their classmates," Ostorov reported from the Minnesota study. "The correlation was 2.5 times higher than the correlation between violent media and physical aggression. They were increasingly bossy, controlling, and manipulative, and it was stronger than the connection between violent media and physical aggression."

As a mother, I fully understand the power of guilt, and feeing guilty or responsible for every imperfection in our kids, or every misstep we may take as a parent. This book is not meant to make all of us feel guilty that we are wrecking our children's lives, but rather presents solid and even uplifting revelations into the unique make up of what kids need. Bottom line, kids need some conflict, they need to fight with their siblings, they lie, and they might even benefit from seeing their parents fight when they can also witness the resolution.

Some of the traditional concepts of more free time, being bored, setting consistent rules and not fretting over a game of cowboys and Indians may not be so bad after all.

By Kari Henley

What KLC Is Fund Raising For

Greetings KLC Parents,

Greetings KLC Parents and Supporters,

So what is all this fundraising going to? Over the last 6 months we have raised enough money to fund Phase I of curriculum implementation and teacher training. This is our first step in making KLC a "Montessori Inspired" center, and a critical step in improving overall quality and consistency at KLC.

Phase I includes:

--Training of the first 2 staff members in the North American Montessori Center (NAMC) Diploma Program (7 months to completion).

--Purchasing the Montessori Curriculum for all 4 rooms. Teachers will receive all classroom guides and teacher manuals necessary to begin implementing Montessori curriculum for children ages birth through 6 years old.

Phase II will include getting our third teacher enrolled in the diploma program, purchasing the classroom materials, and preparing the classroom environments.

We are really excited to begin the process of getting our staff trained. In this first year, training will include completion of the diploma program for our administrator and two lead teachers, in-service training for teachers and aides, and in-classroom practice using Montessori materials and methods.

Thank you for all your help and support.

Also please give big thanks to LISA HOWARD, Jeanne Yost, Alejandra Flores, Katrina Wurner, Lori Rommel, Jessica Howard, Katie Morris, Betsy Donehoo, Julie Evans, Tracy Taylor, Polly Kelly, Cendy Sangermano, when you see them because they have donated so much time and effort to make this happen!

If you have any questions please ask don't hesitate to ask we want to hear from you.

Erin Noojibail & Lisa Howard

Board Fund Raising Chair, KLC

PS: The curriculum committee meets the 4th monday of every month and parents are welcome to come. If you have an item you would like on the agenda please