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Angel
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| Posted: Feb 16 2007 at 4:21pm | IP Logged
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I have a Thing 1 and Thing 2 as well. At this point, I am not really wondering how to teach *them* to use mats, but I would like to know how to teach them to walk around and respect the work of others. For instance, my 3 yo could definitely use a mat on the floor, my 7 yo might also like to use a mat on the floor, but as soon as anyone gets on the floor, the babies are literally all over them, as well as their stuff. Since there are two of them, you could be preventing one of them from wrecking everything, and the other will just sneak in behind you. Or they bite and pull hair. 
So all 3 of the older kids have resorted to using non-child-sized tables. Problem: one of the babies is a climber. Today he learned to climb onto the bench and up onto the table. This amazes me, because they are only 16 months old, and they are *little* for their age. So now apparently nowhere is safe.
I *do* actually own mats, though. I bought some of the felt mats from Montessori Services. They are the size of place mats and she generally uses them for math at the table. They are a soft beige color, which means that most materials are easily distinguishable when laid atop them, and they help keep the workspace bounded. I also ordered some of their big rugs because I couldn't find any at Wal-Mart that I liked; they were all odd colors I thought would be visually distracting. (Since we have some visual problems in my house, this is a major consideration.) Our nearest Target is over an hour away, so I didn't have that option.
Unfortunately, we haven't actually *used* any of the big rugs yet. We are working on gating off some spaces, so hopefully we will be able to use mats in the future. The problem we have with gating is that many of our openings are very oddly sized.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Feb 16 2007 at 9:33pm | IP Logged
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We have been using placemats, towels, etc on the table for work. The floor just has never worked for us because in our last house it was so cold (uninsulated basement). The new house is better, but I do have that toddler issue.
But... I decided I will start mat training him and the three year old next week, so I will let you know how it goes. 
Anybody want to join me so we can share our progress (or lack of progress, whatever the case)?
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Theresa
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JennGM
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| Posted: Feb 17 2007 at 1:02pm | IP Logged
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ARe we talking about small floor rugs? Montessori Services has the small one one sale for $8.00...are the Target ones you use Rebecca cheaper than that?
But ideally something for the table and the floor? I think it would be a good practice for my little one.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: Feb 17 2007 at 1:16pm | IP Logged
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I think my Target ones were $10.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Rebecca
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I don't remember how much they cost as I bought them years ago though $8-12 sounds about right. I have seen similar rugs at the dollar store for less. The important thing about the rug is that it is large enough for the child to work on but not so large (or stiff) that a little child could not put it away easily.
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Willa
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| Posted: Feb 17 2007 at 1:59pm | IP Logged
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lapazfarm wrote:
But... I decided I will start mat training him and the three year old next week, so I will let you know how it goes.
Anybody want to join me so we can share our progress (or lack of progress, whatever the case)? |
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Me!
This will be a four year old and a special needs seven year old who functions like a twin of the four year old. So I have Thing One and Thing Two: Next Generation 
I have to find something that will work as mats, though. I don't have opportunity or budget to buy something. I think I have some neutral colored place mats, and I was going to ask -- would poster board or simple fabric sheets work for the purpose? Any problems you could foresee or something that goes against Montessori purposes?
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Willa
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CatholicMommy
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By all means, use whatever you have hand. Some of our mats need to be stacked (they are too small and thick to fold or roll), others can be rolled or folded. Other than having bought some placemats and 2 bigger rag-rugs, we use what's on hand: towels, old sheets cut up smaller, etc.
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lapazfarm
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Oh, good, Willa! I also will be making use of whatever I can find as far as mats.
I wish you luck!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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Cindy Mac
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Can I join in on the mat training? My 3yo ds goes to Atrium one day a week, so he's being exposed, but he's very scattered at home, and the 2yo ds has no exposure, so I'd certainly love the company and support of other moms. 
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Theresa
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I bought a nice sized rug at Ikea tonight for $3.99 and am going to be using it with Andrew.
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Angel
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| Posted: Feb 18 2007 at 3:47pm | IP Logged
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I think I am going to call a break from school next week to get the house in order before I think about mats. Dh will be out of town all week, and we have 3 days in and out of the house, so it's not like we'll have our regular routine going anyway.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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Willa
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A couple more questions before we close up for Lent:
What kind of containers do you use for your mats when they are not in use? I realize that you COULD use anything, but I just want to brainstorm. Where do you keep the container? (see, ground zero questions -- these are the details that make it difficult for me to try new things!) Do you ever put a mat in the same container with the activity you intend it to be used with?
How do you teach children to use the mats without a lot of words (because one of my children doesn't verbally process all that well)?
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Willa
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Rebecca
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Willa,
We have a learning room of sorts where we keep the Montessori type materials and where we do the majority of our lessons. I have kept my rugs rolled up (standing on end) in a taller basket near the shelves where the materials are housed. I think the rugs should be stored separate from the materials since they are used to designate a workspace rather than to go with a specific activity.
I think you could demonstrate, without any words, how to remove the rug from the basket, unroll it and set up an activity on it. (Maybe taking care to spread it out and smooth it flat with your hands slowly) After the work is done, you can be there to show them how to reshelve the materials, roll up the rug carefully and replace it in the basket.
Also, I wanted to add that I was at Target tonight and they had several colors of solid rag rugs with the fringe on the ends for $3.99. They were nice and sturdy.
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Maryan
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Willa -
Ditto what Rebecca said and I just bought those rugs at Target yesterday! (you can see a picture of four of their colors/selections here).
Our mats
We keep ours in a small wicker waste basket that's in the picture.
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Maryan
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JennGM
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Maryan wrote:
Willa -
Ditto what Rebecca said and I just bought those rugs at Target yesterday! (you can see a picture of four of their colors/selections here).
Our mats
We keep ours in a small wicker waste basket that's in the picture.
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I just got back from Target and bought a blue one! It did take me forever to find them!
I also got some place mats that he can roll and put away. We're going to work on this.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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PDyer
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Maryan wrote:
| I just bought those rugs at Target yesterday! |
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We don't have Target within a reasonable drive here.  So for anyone who goes without Target like we do, Pier 1 has a really nice selection of rugs as well. I stopped in late last week and bought one for my daughter. She was SO happy.
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Patty
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Mats?
