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Meredith
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| Posted: April 28 2006 at 1:38pm | IP Logged
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We are starting to incorporate more Montessori into our learning especially for my littler two, and I have a few questions.
1) What do you feel to be your MOST essential Montessori items that are used from birth to aged 4-5??
2) How have you set up your Montessori materials for ease of use and accessiblity for your younger learners without it being a hazard to babies and new walkers??
3) What book has been the most helpful for you in your basic set-up of your learning area/room/shelves that includes pictures?? ( I am very visual and would love to see pictures of how to set up the trays/shelves, etc.)
4) Do you continue Montessori into the older years (after aged 6) or do you go more Charlotte Mason (or another method)??
Thanks for any responses, am looking forward to some great ideas 
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
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Kim F
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I have a craft room with black coated wire cubicle shelves - the kind that stack together. I have the Mont. materials there in the open shelving. I generally rotate the materials downstairs in the school room. They aren't self-selecting from the whole collection at this point because its all upstairs. This will likely change in August when my older boys move out. (insert: weeping, wailing, and knashing of teeth : (( ) Only up side is that then the little boys will move into the giant downstairs bedroom and I will transfer the Mont. stuff to there.
The playschool6 list at yahoo has some nice environmental pics in their files. One woman's living room in particular is a huge inspiration to me. I printed off the pics of her display shelves to work from. Suzanne Wilhelmi has her materials on a webshots site. Suzanne's Atrium etc
I have used the sensorial materials most heavily over the yrs. The color box, texture games, tweezer and eyedropper work, tons of attribute sorting games, and number work. I have not gotten much use out of sandpaper letters for whatever reason. Glad I made them vs purchased. The math work has been invaluable and I continue to use the approach through elem. Ditto for grammar and geography. I don't use the history great lessons since they are so evolutionary based. So far, havent done the science cards as consistently.
So in a nutshell - sensorial, math, grammar, and geog work have been the most helpful to us. That is where I would invest the time and money. The history and science is more CM based with great bks, narration, and notebooks.
Kim
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Meredith
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| Posted: April 29 2006 at 9:51am | IP Logged
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Thank you Kim so much for the links, I did join the playschool6 list, just haven't had a chance to browse the files. I will go to the Atrium above and check that out. Could you point me in the direction of the math materials and what specifically you start with. My 4yo is pretty advanced in Math and he's already doing all the manipulative activities in Saxon K, plus lots of other miscellaneous hands on stuff I've been giving him, but I am interested in the little mathe boards with the bead counters (skittles?) and wonder if you are using the "chain" beads?? I have always just used a 10 count abacus.
Thanks so much for any more info. LOVE your new BLOG, your in my roll!!
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Meredith
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Kim F
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| Posted: April 29 2006 at 10:09am | IP Logged
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Actually I made up my own math *boards*. You will LOVE love love these. I hope to get them uploaded by early next week. Got to go run errands today but will hit that soon I promise. Thanks for the feedback. I hope to have more elem level stuff on there soon.
Do you have the Hainstock bk for the School Years? Its so simple but we have had great success in introducing advanced math concepts via her directions. I overlooked this book too long!
Kim
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Meredith
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| Posted: April 29 2006 at 12:41pm | IP Logged
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Kim F wrote:
Do you have the Hainstock bk for the School Years? Its so simple but we have had great success in introducing advanced math concepts via her directions. I overlooked this book too long!
Kim
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I can't wait to see the math boards!! And I see on your very beautiful and inspiring site that you list both the Hainstock books, should I get them both as my dc are ranged in ages 1-10?? I'm enjoying browsing all your great Montessori links 
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Meredith
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Donna Marie
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| Posted: April 29 2006 at 10:45pm | IP Logged
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Hiya Meredith!
when you get the chance, browse the pics on the playschool6 list...and if you don't already belong...there are loads of great pictures on the other Montessori lists:
Montessori Makers
MM2 Culture
MM2 Geography
MM2-Math Language
MM Language
MM Math
MM Science
All these groups are related...there are so many (divided by subject) because of storage. One thing that I did learn is that I learn more by making the materials by myself as opposed to purchasing them. I have also learned a bit what holds up to use and what doesn't too. I had a lot of fun making my own trinomial cube...yep, it was just me, the wood glue, the dimensions and a whole pile of wooden cm cubes...I decided not to paint it as we liked the look...came out great! One thing that really helps is to get a Nienhuis catalog...these are the real deal expensive materials, and the pics in the catalog are great for copying to make your own ;o)
Oh yes...When you go to Suzanne's Webshots visit the other users that are located on the left hand side and see other montessori homeschool pics! I LOOOOVE pics...I am waaay to visual...;o) The mamma brown one has a pic of a botany cabinet that she made out of placemats!! I never would have thought of that on my own! There are so many cool ideas out there...and it's great to combine the creativity and inspiration of so many!
HTH!!
Have a blessed weekend!!!
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Genevieve
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| Posted: April 30 2006 at 4:08pm | IP Logged
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[QUOTE=Meredith] We are starting to incorporate more Montessori into our learning especially for my littler two, and I have a few questions.
1) What do you feel to be your MOST essential Montessori items that are used from birth to aged 4-5??
It depends from child to child honestly. *laughs* One child might not use one set of activity as much as others simply because there is no inner need to. That is really the crux of the method. The materials are to help but only when help is needed. I would say however, Montessori did the most research in Practical Life, Sensorial and Math so perhaps those are the most essential. If you had to focus on only one aspect in that age group, it would be the practical life activities and also preparing yourself as a teacher. Learning to observe your child's unique sensitive periods and teach not correct. The latter is extremely hard for me. :p
2) How have you set up your Montessori materials for ease of use and accessiblity for your younger learners without it being a hazard to babies and new walkers??
I use ziplock bags, tackle boxes, tuperware and also those wall pockets. The idea is even if the intended child cannot reach the item, at least the item is there visually to inspire usage. I also noticed that my child quickly learn to get into tuberware, locks and latches that you don't need those artificial locks and latches toys you see in catalogs. This could be good or bad depending on how you look at it. *grinz*
You could also assign a cabinet which can only be visited during nap times. It might make the materials more special that way. I personally don't mind my toddler into everything. What I do mind is that the same toddler breaks the concentration of my older child. Concentration is very important in the Montessori Method. In fact, the Michael Olaf catalog stresses that you must try as a parent to preserve a child's focused attention when it does arises. And so activities that inspires such attention are usually done during nap time.
3) What book has been the most helpful for you in your basic set-up of your learning area/room/shelves that includes pictures?? ( I am very visual and would love to see pictures of how to set up the trays/shelves, etc.)
Michael Olaf catalog.
http://www.michaelolaf.com//1CWPE.html
http://www.michaelolaf.com/1JCPE.html
Is it realistic? Probably no. But the underlying concept is there in my house. It's sparse yet homely. Every child has a handful of items they love to do at any given moment. When that love is gone, I simply replace it with another item. Also when they do mess it up i.e., everything is on the floor, and they can't put everything back by themselves and seem overwhelmed at the task, then I just assume there are too many toys/trays out and put some into storage.
Meredith, I do want to recommend the book
Montessori for Parents I got mine through the library. The first half of the book is simply covers traditional Montessori materials. The second half however was extremely insightful in how practical life activities, self-correcting materials leads to self-respect, inner peace and really a connection with God. The last bit however was briefly described in Natural Structure from CHC. A lot of the Montessori literature out there is good but most of them forget Montessori was Catholic, and her method was primarily developed in light of her faith. In fact, I think she designed her method assuming the Catholic faith. Natural Structure talks about how walking the line and the silence game were to help children sit still through Mass and walk to the altar.
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Katie
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Meredith,
For the younger set, I'd say that it is all about Practical Life and Sensorial materials. In particuular most often used are:
knobbed puzzles
knobbed cylinders
lockbox
glass beads for scooping
spindle box
No one seems interested in the sandpaper touch boards or baric tablets, and I am always finding the girls using the color tablets as fences for farm animals and not as they are intended. I bought a sound box from Discount School Supply which is often used; this is where I got the Melissa and Doug lockbox, too, which is always the biggest hit with visiting children aged 6mo-5 years.
The older girls (4 and 6) use the moveable alphabet a lot, and I have found the teens and tens boards and accompanying bead materials very useful with them, as well as the geometric solids. These items really helped understanding and visualization of mathematic concepts. I'm sure you could use many other things to illustrate these concepts, though. I have also enjoyed using the metal inserts with them; this has really improved their fine motor control and writing skills.
The other thing that gets used a lot is the boxes of knobless cylinders, but more often than not the two older girls are using them as families in elaborate hours-long games. No doubt trained Montessori teachers would be (very calmly) having a fit, but there is no way I'm interrupting that kind of play when it happens (and when I need to write some emails!). Do I need to buy them some toys?
More than anything, I think reading the Michael Olaf catalogues and the online resources have helped me to watch my children and offer activities rather than giving them a toy with lights and music. I'm sure as a homeschool Mom you do much of this already, and I think most of us have a pretty rich learning environment - it's hard not to! I seem to have a lot of friends lately who have just one small baby or toddler, and whenever they come over, they are always amazed at how a basket of wooden blocks and a couple of empty wooden bowls will heep a 10 month old happy for a long time, busily transferring from one place to another. It had never occurred to them to do anything like that, whereas a big spoon and a basket of something is the first thing I reach for when my toddler is bored. That or water, but it can get a bit messy with a houseful of Moms and tods.
I'm not even sure if I answered your questions, but you have at least inspired me to present the knobless cylinders again in the way they were intended!
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Katie
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| Posted: April 30 2006 at 11:54pm | IP Logged
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I just realized I didn't answer about display etc. I have things on shelves arranged by subject. I rotate as I present things or as I notice things are not getting used, or to make room for something new. I have some shelves that have cupboards with doors on the bottom where I store the items not in circulation.
For items that didn't come in pretty wooden boxes, or that I made myself, I use mainly baskets in a variety of shapes and sizes to store things - unifix cubes, pattern blocks, plant and space cards, shells, etc.
HTH!
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Kim F
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| Posted: May 01 2006 at 8:28am | IP Logged
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If anyone wants to post their environment pics please do! If you need me to I can upload to the board. It would be fun to see everyone's set up.
Kim
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Genevieve
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| Posted: May 01 2006 at 9:47am | IP Logged
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Ahemmmm.... Kim you go first. 
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Genevieve
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Meredith
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| Posted: May 01 2006 at 4:52pm | IP Logged
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My eyes are glazing over at all the great sites and links, thanks so much for all your responses they are very helpful!! I'm excited to get MOVED so I can set up all my "enviornment"!! Thanks again!
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Meredith
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Meredith
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Katie wrote:
I just realized I didn't answer about display etc. I have things on shelves arranged by subject. I rotate as I present things or as I notice things are not getting used, or to make room for something new. I have some shelves that have cupboards with doors on the bottom where I store the items not in circulation.
For items that didn't come in pretty wooden boxes, or that I made myself, I use mainly baskets in a variety of shapes and sizes to store things - unifix cubes, pattern blocks, plant and space cards, shells, etc.
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It does help!! Thanks, is there any chance you'd be willing to share your photos, or even email me privatley?? No pressure, but I'd love to see your set-up.
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Christine
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Maria Montessori hung a picture of Raphael's Madonna of the Chair in her children's houses. She felt that this painting spoke to young children. I believe it speaks to young children, parents and everyone who loves children. For this reason, a reproduction of the Madonna of the Chair hangs on the wall of our learning room. I will try to post actual pictures of our environment, when I get a chance (some photos will have to wait until our new learning room is set up).
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Genevieve
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Christine,
Thank you for reminding me of this small but significant detail in the environment of the children's house.
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Rebecca
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Christine,
We have this picture in our learning room. It is a lovely painting and can see why Maria Montessori liked it. I have been unable to find a reproduction of it anywhere. I copied mine  on my color copier off the internet. I would like to order one. If you remember where you got yours, would you mind sharing the link/store name?
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Meredith
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Thanks so much Christine, I just read about this particular thing somewhere  and it lends beautifully to her whole method and approach. I'll look online for one too!
I can't wait to move and set up our learning room!! Montessori blends so well with our CCM real learning style what a blessing we have each other to share here too!!
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Meredith
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Christine
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My mother-in-law gave ours to us. Catholic Posters sells one in a rectangular frame. I have not seen the Madonna of the Chair framed print, but we bought a framed print of St. Thomas More from Catholic Posters last summer and we were very impressed with the quality.
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Helen
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When I have the courage, I cut images from art books I buy at the library sales.
To be honest, I have one new book which was given to me as a present (shhhhh) which I cut with abandon. I think I'm not afraid of cutting something written recently and the photos are of such high quality. But, those old books (which I do buy to cut) i find hard to cut in case there might be some pearl of wisdom buried in its pages.
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Kim F
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environmental pics
If you do a search for Montessori at Webshots you find lots of fun pics! These are to a prepared environment - mostly her shelves with materials displayed. Hope that helps Meredith. Will try to get some shots of our home altar and religion basket area after piano today.
Kim
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Montessori ?s Set up & Materials
