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kristinannie
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I would love to do a more Montessori approach to preschool, pre-K and K in my house. Can anyone share some resources to get more of an idea of what to do?
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JennGM
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Kristinannie,
I was trying to think what could I succinctly suggest, and then I remembered at the top of this forum is a whole list of Early Childhood Resources, with Montessori included.
My CGS training suggested further reading, I can send you the list if you're interested. Just PM me.
Of particular note from their suggestions:
::Recommended Books on Montessori Theory:
From the Start, Montessori in the Home from 0-3 by Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen;
Montessori Today by Paula Polk Lillard;
Montessori A Modern Approach by Paula Polk Lillard
::Recommended websites for accurate information regarding Montessori:
http://amiusa.org/;
http://www.cgsusa.org/;
http://www.montessori-namta.org/ North American Montessori Teachers Association website (excellent resource for parents as well)
::http://www.michaelolaf.net/ the Michael Olaf Essential Montessori website
– a catalog of Montessori materials for the home form birth through age 12. The website has many excellent and short video clips of young children working in the home environment and Montessori Classroom environment. The website also has excellent brief and practical points of Dr. Montessori’s theory in its explanation of the items for sale. The print catalogs had all the theory on every page. They are discontinuing printing, but all the information is on the website, too.
I recommend to not get too caught up in having all the materials and shelling out so much money, but also don't think you have to make everything (like all the printables). Understand more the philosophy and applying it. About 2/3 of Montessori is the preparation of the environment and most of the environment not the classroom but the Teacher/Directress -- her direction, her attitude, her observation. It's not too different than what CM expected.
Key works are practical life -- never give that up, and that is one of the easiest to implement in the home.
There is a wonderful book and DVD that gives some practical tips for Montessori at Home.
And I highly recommend reading about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, especially Listening to God with Children by Gianna Gobbi. This title talks particularly about the Montessori aspects in the atrium, but even if you weren't doing CGS, the Montessori philosophy is presented in such an understanding and practical way.
But as far as language arts and some other subjects, I think the list of the Montessori resources has some solid suggestions.
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lapazfarm
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Also, do a search on this board for Montessori topics.Many of us older moms (such as myself)used Montessori methods when our children were younger, and as our children have grown have moved on to other modes, such as CM, for the most part. I think we have discussed everything under the sun regarding Montessori at least once or twice here on these boards!
You are also welcome to visit my blog, where I have a bunch of Montessori posts from way back.
Montessori tab
list of posts tagged Montessori
These might give you an idea of one way Montessori is adapted to the home environment.
Good luck!
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kristinannie
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Thanks!!!!! I have so much to look at during naptime today. Montessori really appeals to me for the younger years. I can see how I could go way overboard with spending.  I would like to do more homemade and cheaper alternatives! CM is going to work really well for our family as they get older (and even now), but Montessori will be great for my littles! Thanks for taking the time to post!!!
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CatholicMommy
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Just to tag in here that Montessori is not just for the little ones ;)
I recently set up a blog just about Montessori - Montessori Nuggets. While I have some posts on the materials, I want my focus to be on inspirational, foundational, environmental factors (the philosophy and practice, in other words).
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I'm so glad you're looking into Montessori, Kristin!  I have learned so much about introducing and presenting (an activity), stepping back, allowing the child to choose, and especially the importance of observing my children. The skill of observation, so underscored in Montessori philosophy, has probably been one of the most valuable tools I have ever learned as a home educator and I fall back on that habit of (step back, deep breath, be quiet) observation frequently. I really think it taught me to be a better home educator and has helped me better serve my children throughout their education.
In addition to really enjoying the Paula Polk Lillard books that Jenn recommended (so much!!), I really appreciated some of the practical basics I learned in the Elizabeth Hainstock books. You might check your library for those.
I really like the Michael Olaf catalog (for the little nuggets of information shared throughout the catalog), and also the Montessori Services catalog.
Now, I'm going to say something blasphemous so if you feel like you might be scandalized, please put your fingers in your ears now (  ) -- I utterly dislike written presentations for Montessori activities.  Intensely. Most presentations I just ignore. Some I skim through just to get a sense of how a material could be used. When I present an activity, I do try to follow Montessori principles of saying as little as possible, being quiet, not getting in the way of the child and the activity...and then I just step back and let them go with it. I may also use a material in a way that is altogether different than it was intended. I like things simple, streamlined, intuitive - so that's how Montessori looks in our home.
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CatholicMommy
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Mackfam wrote:
| Now, I'm going to say something blasphemous so if you feel like you might be scandalized, please put your fingers in your ears now ( ) -- I utterly dislike written presentations for Montessori activities. Intensely. Most presentations I just ignore. Some I skim through just to get a sense of how a material could be used. When I present an activity, I do try to follow Montessori principles of saying as little as possible, being quiet, not getting in the way of the child and the activity...and then I just step back and let them go with it. I may also use a material in a way that is altogether different than it was intended. I like things simple, streamlined, intuitive - so that's how Montessori looks in our home. |
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I see where you're coming from! To follow the album pages step-by-step (especially with the album page next to you!) can be very robotic at worst and unnatural at best. The idea is to have read it and practiced it so many times that the presentation comes very naturally. That way, you're hitting on the key points yet following the child, and going with the flow of interruptions or something the child says that is not "part of the album page."
A huge point to the album pages themselves is to get the adult actively aware of the particular steps involved, the most foundational points, and the proper flow of presentation. Hence AMI Montessori training centers have the trainees write their albums from scratch - so it's truly absorbed. It probably contributes to why AMI teachers rarely stray from their albums and the depth of the materials at hand - because they know it so intensely.
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kristinannie
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I just ordered a few books to look over. I am so excited to start looking into Montessori! Does anyone have any blogs about Montessori I could read through? Or Pinterest ideas on activities I can make at home? I think this is going to be great for my littles.
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There are SO MANY Montessori blogs and sites!
Two that I will humbly pass on are my own:
Montessori Nuggets - linked above
and
Montessori Trails - Our family's Montessori journey - I've just started it; I'll have posts on the primary years coming next week; then the elementary the following week; from there it will be largely anecdotal from a variety of time periods.
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keac
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Another great resource for you that I'd highly recommend Montessori at Home! by John Bowman .
What I like about it:
*The author includes lists of the most useful materials to buy and how to make homemade or equivalent materials on your own;
*It's an all-in-one resource with introductory philosophy, how-to and step-by-step instructions;
*It could be a good stand-alone resource for the early years, making use of the great blogs that are available to give you additional ideas for presentations; or
*You could get it and put it into practice right-away, even while doing more in-depth personal reading/learning;
*It's super-cheap---like under $10 and available by download (for those who like instant gratification  );
*It's written for the at home mama who may not already be steeped in Montessori philosophy and terminology.
I love Montessori for the early years and the emphasis on concrete-before-abstract fits well with CM, too! We've found in our home there to be a very natural progression from Montessori into Charlotte Mason.
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kristinannie
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keac wrote:
Another great resource for you that I'd highly recommend Montessori at Home! by John Bowman .
What I like about it:
*The author includes lists of the most useful materials to buy and how to make homemade or equivalent materials on your own;
*It's an all-in-one resource with introductory philosophy, how-to and step-by-step instructions;
*It could be a good stand-alone resource for the early years, making use of the great blogs that are available to give you additional ideas for presentations; or
*You could get it and put it into practice right-away, even while doing more in-depth personal reading/learning;
*It's super-cheap---like under $10 and available by download (for those who like instant gratification );
*It's written for the at home mama who may not already be steeped in Montessori philosophy and terminology.
I love Montessori for the early years and the emphasis on concrete-before-abstract fits well with CM, too! We've found in our home there to be a very natural progression from Montessori into Charlotte Mason. |
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Thanks!!! I just bought it and love the looks of it!
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kristinannie
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OK, I just used my tax return to buy some basic Montessori materials. I think I got some of the more common items (pink tower, knobbed cylinders, etc). So, is this where the albums come in? I can see where my kids can benefit just by playing with these items, but is there some place that I could learn more about the different ways to use these items? I have been watching some youtube videos. 
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One more question: my oldest is going to be 6 next month. Will any of this still interest him? Are there any good activities or materials for 6 year olds? Thanks!
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Mackfam
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kristinannie wrote:
| OK, I just used my tax return to buy some basic Montessori materials. I think I got some of the more common items (pink tower, knobbed cylinders, etc). So, is this where the albums come in? I can see where my kids can benefit just by playing with these items, but is there some place that I could learn more about the different ways to use these items? I have been watching some youtube videos. |
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These are my favorite bookmarked sites for Montessori presentations:
** Montessori World Educational Institute
** Using the wayback machine you can see the MTC Albums
Along with checking out the books suggested above, these two sites taught me the basics, and then, as I scandalously pointed out above, I ignore what I don't care for or doesn't make sense, present a material in an intuitive-to-me way, and am not afraid to color outside the lines. While I do like to understand the intended purpose of the activity and object, I do NOT mind if a material is used in a creative, unorthodox way AS LONG AS it is purposeful and not destructive.
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CatholicMommy
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There is a great online site that has most of the album pages/presentations for this age group for free:
Info Montessori - Primary
Be sure to follow Montessori Nuggets too - as the goal is help clear the confusion that abounds with Montessori.
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I was watching some Montessori training videos and I wasn't sure about this video. I know that CM states that we should never see a word misspelled and I completely agree. In this case, would you just tell them that "ph" also says "f" and that "a" has another sound? Or would you just not do a word like elephant?
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kristinannie wrote:
| I was watching some Montessori training videos and I wasn't sure about this video. I know that CM states that we should never see a word misspelled and I completely agree. In this case, would you just tell them that "ph" also says "f" and that "a" has another sound? Or would you just not do a word like elephant? |
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I would never, ever spell out a word with the moveable alphabet that I was not prepared to spell correctly. If my child spelled something phonetically, I usually very quickly, and without much ado disassemble the word and say something like, "You found some of the letter sounds for that word. We haven't learned about all the sounds each letter makes, and some letters make strange sounds, while others break rules. Lets stick to the words we know. Can you spell __________?" I ONLY EVER use the moveable alphabet for a child to practice words he has met, or as a copywork tool for a non-writer.
The reason for this goes back to CM's very strong belief that a child should never SEE a word spelled incorrectly, and you instantly picked up on that Kristin. The power of visualization is SO STRONG!!! Seeing something, we build a memory, a word association memory. This is why dictation is such a strong skill for remembering the spelling of a word - because it picks up on this skill of visualization. Narration springs from cognitive visualization.
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Jen Mackintosh
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kristinannie
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Thank you, Jen. Those are my feelings exactly!!! I do use letter tiles with my son when learning new phonograms or word families, but it is always a controlled environment. I think I have suffered my whole life because I saw so many of my own words spelled incorrectly! I was liking everything she had to say until we got there.
Basically, I think I am down to trusting my gut with these awesome Montessori items. I like knowing the purpose of them and seeing them demonstrated, but honestly I am going to use them how they work in my family as well. So, I guess I am not a Montessori purist, but I am sure excited to get all this stuff in the mail. Thank God we got a gigantic tax return just when I was starting to want to try Montessori.
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Just to provide another facet to the movable alphabet (adding that I do agree with both of you ladies :) )
This topic came up in my training - if we strive so hard to give accurate representations of life to the child from the earliest stages, why are we letting them mis-spell with the movable alphabet?
And the question holds the primary answer:
WE are not showing the children how to spell incorrectly; the CHILD is laying out the sounds as he knows them.
The secondary answer is that we consider the movable alphabet a "sensorial material for writing" - so, where we don't expect perfection and we don't make corrections with the sensorial materials right away, we treat the movable alphabet the same - if they've had all the proper preparation, then development will take care of the rest.
If a child using the movable at 4-4 1/2 misspells, but does so *phonetically*, they are absolutely correct in their rendition. They have done nothing wrong. They have attained the goal of beginning to write. Above 4 1/2 with the proper preparation in a normally developing child, YES, point out "errors" in a helpful, teaching manner.
Keep in mind, that a child using the movable alphabet should have had ALL the sandpaper letters by now (including the phonograms - therefore the main letter blends), so is likely to include those as well; but is not required.
Developmentally, they will make natural corrections, as they gain more experience.
The perfect way to make the incorrect spelling stick, is to kill interest in the movable alphabet, making them correct things that are phonetically correct before age 4 1/2 and making them write it out on paper before age 5; not introducing all the sandpaper letters BEFORE getting to the movable alphabet; or introducing the movable alphabet too late without the proper circumstances.
Above 4 1/2 for a normally developing child, we can gently say for "elefant", "Hm. This word does have an f sound in the middle of it; in this case, we use the phonogram for the sound "f" - do you remember what it was? let's lay out those letters instead."
Then I might point out the puzzle word sound of the letter a, showing how the a is used instead.
The fact is, they see the word for a short period of time and they come back to the work so often, while continuing with other language work, that most issues work themselves out.
I hope that helps :)
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Haven't watched that video, so I may be speaking out of turn here, but I wanted to say that I do not completely agree with CM that a child should never see a misspelled word.
I have a child with a learning disability (dyslexia). She loves to write. She will write whole pages of wonderful, funny, detailed stories. Out of a page of writing she may only spell one or two words correctly. It's that bad. But if I stopped and corrected her every time she misspelled a word, she would never write at all. I have to allow her "invented" spelling in order for her to get her stories out.
I think there are times and places (dictation lessons, etc) where correct spelling is essential. But there are times when spelling can be overlooked in favor of honoring the child's honest efforts, and encouraging creative writing. This is especially true for the very young or the learning disabled child.
After all, when a 4yo lovingly makes us a birthday card and spells a word or two wrong, do we say "That's very nice, dear, but you spelled "mommy" wrong. Lets fix that. Of course not! There is a time and place, that's all I'm saying.
However, when I get a page full of invented spelling,(or a misspelled birthday card) it does give me a jumping-off place for her spelling lessons--at a later time, separate from her creative writing efforts.
In her defense, I do think CM was talking about older children when she was insisting on correct spelling. She did not have much to say about children below the age of 6 or so, if I am not mistaken, and in fact encouraged only oral narrations at younger ages.
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Montessori resources
