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Kim F
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Hey all, so glad to see the Montessori board up on the forums. I am trying to keep up with the atrium thread. Moira and Elizabeth have touched on the pro's and con's of home vs center (or parish) based programs. Wanted to throw out a similar train of thought as far as materials go.
Genevieve and I have discussed in recent weeks whether there is something special to the traditional materials that makes them in some way essential to the method. Being a rather irreverant Montessori fan ; ) I say no, that they are a means to an end - several ends in fact - and similar materials or homemade materials can do the job if they are used with the principles in mind.
To me the principles would include self discipline, order, self correction. Hopefully the child can learn from the activities using many different senses as possible. Since traditional materials and their storage systems are simple and orderly, as much as possible our environment should be likewise. (she says with a stack of dishes to her back....) They should also be able to be used independently after initial introduction by mom.
So the dilemmas I often hear are can we make our own, should it be stored in clear view or safely away from littles, and can you be a *real* Montessorian if your child uses a counting rod to *shoot* the model African safari animals. (ok that last one would be my question LOL!) Finally, how long to normalization and how best to get there in the home where we do not have the control over variables that a directress would have.
Thoughts to ponder.
Kim
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Genevieve
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The book Natural Stucture actually talks about leaving a "tray" out until the child no longer uses it. However in a Children's House, all materials are left out in the open. In my house, it's simply not possible due to the lack of space. Honestly, this disavantage has turned into an advantage because it has forced me to observe my son's interests even more intently. I do however keep Montessori related activities in the same bookcase.
I too, have been wondering about normalization. Perhaps it takes a longer time. It's hard for me to say since my children are far from "normalized". With an infant son, it's hard to enforce the floor mats though I've used our dinning table as one big one to keep the little one away. Another concern is the ability for my older to fully dwell in the activity. The infant has a way of cutting short concentrations. And his naps are no way close to 2.5 hours.
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JennGM
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Quote:
| To me the principles would include self discipline, order, self correction. Hopefully the child can learn from the activities using many different senses as possible. Since traditional materials and their storage systems are simple and orderly, as much as possible our environment should be likewise. (she says with a stack of dishes to her back....) They should also be able to be used independently after initial introduction by mom. |
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| ....Finally, how long to normalization and how best to get there in the home where we do not have the control over variables that a directress would have. |
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 Thanks for this thread. I hope to see some helpful answers! This is one area (of many) I'm trying to sort out. I'm only beginning to grasp Montessori's principles, but I can see applying the principles but not all the "busy stuff."
Simple and orderly...just like our environment. So easy to say, so hard to do.  I'm trying to set up my son's play area...that's a challenge in itself. And then to teach him simple ideas of playing with one thing at a time, picking up in between. It's not working! How do you make this transition from bad habits? I guess I can't answer Kim, but just echo her question!
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Elizabeth
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I took a big breath when I first read this thread. So long has it been drilled into me that the materials are important, even critical! That pink tower must be pink and it must be weighted just so. Dr. Montessori was a scientist after all and her system was a scientific one.
Indeed.
But the Charlotte Mason in me wants to adopt a method and not system and the Montessorian nods and says, "Observe the child; what does he need?" Montessori designed the Children's Houses to meet the needs of very underpriveliged children who had nothing at home. My children are priveliged and live in nurturing, well-established child-friendly environments. The material needs of my children are different. I got into trouble early on in publishing my book because I tried, rather inarticulately, to make this point. I was interpreted as anti-MOntessori. This is sort of funny to people who know me. I'm not anti-Montessori. I do caution young moms with armsful of children to not try to knock themselves out making precise pink towers. Instead, absorb the philosophy of Dr. Montessori. Admire her devotion both to the children and to the faith. And apply what works in homes in the 21st century.
And one more thing, while I'm clarifying my position on MOntessori: She didn't have the techonlogy we do. One place I think this is reflected most (no, it's not sipper cups or high chairs or even safety gates--all of which the true Montessorian eschews) is picture books. There were no lovely mass produced picture books. Do we leave them out of our primary program because she did? I don't think so. I think Dr. Montessori would approve of little heads bowed next to MOm's loving the book on her lap.
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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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BrendaPeter
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I'm sure some of you have read this Julia Fogassy article before but it ties in so nicely with what Elizabeth has written: Montessori isn't just for the classroom
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JennGM
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Elizabeth wrote:
| I got into trouble early on in publishing my book because I tried, rather inarticulately, to make this point. I was interpreted as anti-MOntessori. This is sort of funny to people who know me. I'm not anti-Montessori. |
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I didn't get that at all from your book. To me, your perspective was enlightening and refreshing. I thought Montessori was all or nothing and here you were embracing some of the good to work in the home! I appreciated that so much. Your little book has started MANY rabbit trails for me.
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ALmom
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One thing I remember reading was her emphasis on solid quality at an affordable price. I wonder what she would think of the cost of her materials now.
I don't know if it is truely in keeping with her way - but I used the sale catelogue to imitate things I thought would help my dc. I didn't want anything to frustrate them because it fell apart with heavy use, but I didn't worry if I used foam letters instead of wood, etc. Natural Structures really helped me. Also I keep reading that naturalization comes most often through real work - the home provides a very natural setting for that. I will say we are not there, we are still challenged at keeping real order in our home and we are not a true Montessori classroom - even by this boards standards of acceptance - but I am very impressed by her books. I'm going to enjoy hearing how others manage in a home with toddlers.
Janet
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Mary G
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I too love all the manipulatives and "centers" in Montessori, but remember that she was setting up for a school setting and trying to make a natural environment -- which we have by homeschooling! An artificial ceter like the dress board can be imitated by having a center of dolls and doll clothes -- or use real baby clothes on a doll so kids can practice snapping, buttoning, velcro-ing, etc.
Occasionally, Target or some of the other stores have the organization bins ....Storage Bins on sale -- these make for great "centers" because you can store them on the racks and pull out a bin that's appropriate. Every day or so, I let mine choose a bin that they want to explore -- they love the chance to choose and I can "dictate" a bit what they will learn by changing out bins with other "centers". This works great for them.
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Genevieve
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Daisy over at playschool6 yahoo group recently posted this excerpt. With her permission, I thought other people might benefit from it regardless of whether they follow the Montessori approach.
-----------------------------------
> I manned a table on the Montessori method for a local homeschool
> support group the other night. It was hard for me to set the table
> up and to think of what to say, because there are so many aspects to
> Montessori schooling, some necessary, some not, that I didn't want
> to overwhelm nor give the wrong impression. The Montessori method is
> not about the materials. Or at least, it shouldn't be. I found a
> wonderful quote from a website that helped me with my table and
> might help you:
>
> "The goal of Montessori Education is to encourage the development of
> a self-actualizing individual capable of independent problem solving
> and responsible choice. With supportive, individualized guidance
> children are encouraged to create their own knowledge through
> interaction with developmentally appropriate concrete materials."
>
> From http://danvillemontessorischool.org/philosophy.htm
>
> Now, they do have the part about materials, but the focus really,
> really, really shouldn't be on the materials. You are not
> necessarily following the Montessori method if you have every
> available material in your home and know how to use them. You CAN
> follow the Montessori method without a single Montessori-specific
> material in your home.
>
> The whole focus in Montessori is to provide the child with bits that
> will help his development and will help him function independently,
> be it practical skills or learning. Part of this is in recognizing a
> child's development and that the typical pattern is to learn things
> concretely first, then move step-by-step towards the abstract--this
> is where the idea of materials comes in, but a leaf outside is just
> as much a material as a 3-part card or puzzle. There are so many
> ways to show children things concretely; it doesn't have to be
> through Montessori-specific materials. Also to consider is how much
> of the Montessori method is based on the adult modelling activities;
> you don't need something special set up to model a lot of things.
>
> In homeschooling, it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO important to not think
> that we have to have all the stuff before we start, or even at some
> point. It would be almost foolish to have a room at home as stocked
> as a typical Montessori elementary classroom; it will be too much.
> They won't use all that stuff, likely not even if they were in a
> classroom. Also, at home, our kids do not get the interaction they
> would in a Montessori classroom, so it's quite all right if they are
> doing more with us, if we're inventing grammar games rather than
> having them use symbols or cards on their own, or if we slip in a
> little math lesson with chocolate chips as we bake cookies.
>
> This whole thing is a journey with no specific destination that we
> can determine ahead of time. Start where you are at with the
> materials you have, take it step-by-step, add one thing at a time,
> keep reading and studying and learning about the method before
> buying a bunch of manuals you may not even want, much less need.
>
> Maria Montessori tried to fight her approach being called a method
> because she feared people would believe that you just had to do and
> have x things and you would be following her approach. Her approach
> is much more philosophical and experimental, focused on the child
> and how to meet his needs and interests in the environment he is in,
> than it is on presenting specific materials.
>
> I hth in some way,
>
> Daisy
> http://members.shaw.ca/montessori4all
> http://montessorihomeschooler.blogspot.com/
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Katie
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While I have to agree with everything written here about the importance of the method over the materials, and the difference between a homeschool situation and a Montessori classroom - the fact that we have so many opportunitues to teach that don't require the use of a particular material, dressing frames being a prime example in my opinion - I do have one caveat.
If you made it through that run-on sentence all power to you!!
Here is my one small observation: If the children are given beautiful things to use, quality tools, well-made manipulatives, they use them so much more and respect them so much more. I have come to realize that I would rather have a few beautifully crafted pieces than many items made of laminated cardstock or craft foam. I do make things on occasion, but usually only when I see a need in order to teach a concept, and I rarely keep the items in the long-run. It ends up more clutter and stuff and the kids don't put it away and, and....
So I agree that real learning happens in our homeschools, and that a Montessori lifestyle can happen in the home without a Nienhuis product crossing the threshhold. I also see a place for homemade manipulatives when there is a need. However, in terms of the items I have lying around on shelves, I have become a true believer in the well-made authentic article, whether from a supplier or made at home. I keep threatening to buy my dh the woodworking tools he would need to keep me in Montessori/CGS/Waldorf material heaven!!
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Elizabeth
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Katie,
I completely agree with everything you've written. But the question is: for families with tight budgets, should MOntessori be abandoned altogether because the "real materials" are totally out fo reach?
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Christine
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I am someone who cannot afford the Nienhuis products, etc. I have made materials, been given materials and purchased very few.
I have taught my children to respect these items, treat them with care and return them to their proper place when they are finished using them.
My children know that a lot of love and time went into making the products and I believe for this reason they care even more about them.
I seem to remember a good friend of mine telling me that when she was training to become a Montessori directress in England, she had to make most of the items that she would be using.
Another friend has gone through the CGS training and has told me that making the materials has been stressed during training.
I believe the reason some Montessori and CGS training programs stress making ones own products (obviously the pink tower and certain other products are not included in this) is due to the fact that in the making of the material, a person often comes to respect it more and understand it better. I know that this was definitely the case when I made our sandpaper letters and our land of Israel map.
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Katie
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I don't think I stressed this enough in my post, but I think that homemade materials are often beautifully done, though they rarely are when I make them!!! I also agree that making the materials can be an integral part of understanding them. Christine, I think it is beautiful that your children cherish the fact that you made the materials for them. I made all of my bead materials and my children love them, and I am very proud of my accomplishment!! Some of my other tackle box enterprises were not so great, though they often served the purpose well (I just chose to either toss or hide them away for future use rather than have them on display). My red/blue number rods are still in use also. If I were clever enough and didn't live 10,000 miles from my nearest Home Depot, I would be sorely tempted to make many Montessori materials.
One other random thing I have noticed. Presentation is key, I think. I do have quite a lot of laminated cards, and when I take the time to display them in something nice - a pretty basket or small wooden box, perhaps a cloth bag - they take on a new dimension. I go regularly to a flea market for the sole purpose of picking up interesting boxes and trays and baskets for display of items. I spend only pennies. Could this be a way that homemade materials garner the respect they deserve?
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Rebecca
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Elizabeth wrote:
| the question is: for families with tight budgets, should MOntessori be abandoned altogether because the "real materials" are totally out fo reach? |
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For me, the Montessori philosophy is of much more importance than the materials. It is a way of life that starts from birth, respecting the dignity of the child, every step of the way. It is thinking about and trying to meet the needs of the child when they are babies and toddlers (until they begin to do so themselves), allowing them to grow and mature at their own pace while being aware of the sensitive periods. This is the essence of Maria Montessori's method. Removing the philosophy from the materials gives you a room full of expensive learning materials but not a Montessori classroom. I can't imagine forsaking all the good of Montessori simply because one cannot afford the real materials. That is why I am not fond of the phrase "doing Montessori". To me it is not something you do but rather a way of thinking about and loving children.
That being said, I do not have a traditional Montessori classroom. A traditional Montessori classroom would not meet my family's needs. While I own a few traditional Montessori materials, I have sold many because there was no need for them. The children and I did not use them. We have trays that I consider Montessori but that would not be found in traditional Montessori schools. Fossils to match up, minerals to identify with magnifying glasses, clay and landform pans, etc. These get more use than my tower of ten (natural BTW, not pink!  ). (Although my sons' collection of (plastic!) playmobil men were always climbing on the tower of ten couple of years ago! That is how I knew it was time to take it down for a while.)
I do like the idea of making your own materials and I will be looking into it more this summer after I purchase Moira's albums. I know I cannot purchase the beautiful materials to go with them but, thankfully, my husband is a woodworker and will make them for me, otherwise I will make do as best as we can.
In regards as to whether to leave materials within reach, this is my constant struggle. I love the idea of the materials being accessible but acessibility can lead to destruction sometimes. My tower of ten was missing two blocks oftentimes because my third child would crawl away with them when I wasn't looking. Well, the tower is supposed to be on the floor or on its stand, right?
Common sense dictates for me to move the tower while I have crawlers or toddlers who eat the tiniest block (you can order replacements for that top block BTW ). While Montessori classrooms do have combined age groups, they do not have crawling babies sitting next to their tower of ten! 
Enjoying this thread, thanks for bringing it up again, Genevieve and Katie.
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Katie
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Elizabeth wrote:
Katie,
I completely agree with everything you've written. But the question is: for families with tight budgets, should MOntessori be abandoned altogether because the "real materials" are totally out fo reach?
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Absolutely not, and I would encourage anyone who wishes to incorporate Montessori's principles to read through a Michael Olaf catalog. Try not to lust after all the fabulous products, but read the narrative. It really helped me see how the small things make a difference to our home life and the role the children play in the household. That then carried through from the preschool/toddler stage quite naturally into the elementary years.
I think I was trying to get at the difference between, for example, some lovely wooden fraction skittles (which I would LOVE to own), and some laminated cardstock fraction circles. The latter do an admirable job of introducing fractions to my children, and illustrating to them in concrete ways how fractions work, making it a tactile experience and deepening their understanding. When the lesson is over, however, they are unlikely to be drawn to use the material over and over, to "play" with it in their own time.
If I had the tools, however, I would love to try my hand at creating some wooden fraction circles. Although not in the exact same form as the traditional skittle shape, they would, in my opinion, have the same desirable "use-over" effect as the store-bought ones. Or we can only hope that our children would be as considerate as Christine's and love them more for being made by Mom.
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Katie
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Rebecca,
You really hit the nail on the head, I think. Our homes are not Montessori classrooms, nor do we want them to be. Why do we need dressing frames when we are there to guide our little ones to actually dress in their own clothes? We are uniquely poised to introduce our children to the world around them, to open their senses and pique their curiosity, and so many of the materials created for those purposes become irrelevant and, dare I say it (don't throw tomatoes!!) boring compared to the real thing. I'm talking about things like touch boards and scent bottles. How much more wonderful to be out in nature, experiencing textures and smells and sounds, or baking in the kitchen with Mom, sniffing and feeling the ingredients.
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Rebecca
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Katie wrote:
Rebecca,
You really hit the nail on the head, I think. Our homes are not Montessori classrooms, nor do we want them to be. Why do we need dressing frames when we are there to guide our little ones to actually dress in their own clothes? |
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The real world is a much more desirable classroom. That being said, my oldest child loved the dressing frames. He would work on them for a long time whereas had no interet in tying his own shoes until a couple months later. Maybe it was a novelty.
katie wrote:
| We are uniquely poised to introduce our children to the world around them, to open their senses and pique their curiosity, and so many of the materials created for those purposes become irrelevant and, dare I say it (don't throw tomatoes!!) boring compared to the real thing. I'm talking about things like touch boards and scent bottles. How much more wonderful to be out in nature, experiencing textures and smells and sounds, or baking in the kitchen with Mom, sniffing and feeling the ingredients. |
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I made a set of smelling jars from some small jars with cork lids that I found at our local craft store. The whole set cost less than $10 to make. The kids thought it was a lot of fun to match up the scents but the jars are by no means a necessity, just for fun, KWIM? That is how I look at most of the materials that I buy or make, more for learning enrichment than necessity. I do think some of the materials (vs. the real world) encourage the habit of observation that might not occur in the context of the real world, (because of the natural distractions that occur in the course of a day) I would never use the jars in lieu of the kitchen but I do think in addition to the kitchen, they are fun. If forced to choose, I would certainly choose real life over materials but, thankfully, no one has forced me to choose yet !
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Mari
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I am glad to see so many thoughts here! I would just like to say not to forget that Montessori's materials were adopted after lengthy observations of children and their "real" needs - and these have been repeatedly the same over many social strata, countries and cultures.
So, I agree, you can be a natural Montessorian without even having heard of the name or seen a pink tower (by the way I have never interpreted her as saying it has to be pink, it is just practice, just as the colours of the beads - the idea is not to have different colours to distract the child from the real object and for the beads it is a code so they can remember the 1 = red, 2 = green, 3 = pink, etc. and golden beads would work just as well if they were all silver!)
I have seen Montessori schools in shanty towns in South Africa(or rather brave women with very little or no means) keeping kids off the streets and using bottle tops and tins, etc achieving the amazing atmosphere that Montessori would want the world to know about.
Having said that, Montessori's didactic materials have been time proven all over the world and they do get used by the normalised child. In cases where needy schools have been donated materials, the teachers/assistants have been able to provide an environment so much more easily and have found the children do reach another level of their potential.
The following is just from what I have experienced and seen. I have friends who use them in very different situations and social backrounds. I have noticed that those who have used the Montessori approach in their contact with the child from even before birth (i.e. in communicating with the child, natural childbirth, no cots, no bottles, letting the child chose his sleeping time, etc) have witnessed what Montessori would define as "normalised" children and they do tend to use of all of the didactic material, whether they have only a few items or a lot. Those who have introduced them later on in life (e.g. around 3 years old) and use the approach just in the mornings for example during "school" hours and then "normal life" just takes over, do not have this intensity of a "normalised" child.
I have helped two of my friend's children to become "normalised" when they were about 3 years old. I used no Montessori didactic materials. Just practical life - care of the self and the environment. After 6 weeks the children were no longer they no longer looked or acted traumatised but peaceful. One of them did not remain in a Montessori environment after that and relapsed quite quickly.
Don't forget, when you discard those dressing frames, the idea was to isolate the task - so taking away the details of the clothes and just let the child concentrate on the buttoning. If he sees the clothes, he could be thinking about the colour, whether he likes it, where he is going, about the last time he wore it, and maybe even feel it has to be done quickly. If he just has the frame, he can repeat the task time and time again, without any distraction, when he likes(because it is always there on the shelf). It is much more likely that he will find the so important "concentration" that Montessori has shown us is so important (the child lost in concentration, repeating and internalising a task). I have only ever seen that level of concentration in a child over 3 years old when handling Montessori materials (however beautiful or crude they may be made)or doing a practical life activity.
For those of you who have not seen "normalised" children at work, it could help in order to understand . Try and visit a good Montessori school (there is an incredible sense of calm and concentraion as well as purposeful activity). You can also recognise this in homeschooled children who are "normalised".
The above is just what I have learned, seen and experienced around me. I hope this may be helpful.
Blessings
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Mari
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Just to add - Montessori never wanted to write a maunal or a curriculum - precisely because the materials she adopted were form her observations. She hoped that in doing this that people everywhere woudl continue to OBSERVE THE CHILD - so, of course, materials are not limited to those she found in her own lifetime. In montessori classes, students have to observe and make their own didactic materials.....you will know if you got it right - the child will achieve that higher level of concentration if it meets his needs. think: auto-corrective, beautiful, simple, isolated task, etc
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Mari, mother of 2 loving daughters aged 8 and 10
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Katie
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Joined: March 11 2005
Location: Suriname
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Posts: 271
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| Posted: May 16 2006 at 11:07am | IP Logged
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Mari,
I do so appreciate your post (as I have all the others). Thanks for yet more food for thought.
After reading this and your post on the other Motessori thread, i've decided that i want to be you when I grow up. Your life in France sounds absolutely lovely.
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Mother of 5 in South America. No 6 due in April.
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: The *stuff* vs the *principles*
