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monalisa
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I have been reading posts like crazy. I have been using materials and the Method with ds 3yo since 10 months and our home is set up as a prepared environment pretty much as much as possible. I am ready to get more formal with ds and "do preschool"- LOL! I am going to list some questions and MY answers- I would LOVE anyone with Montessori experience to give THEIR answers to them as well to help me clarify my objectives.
1) Is anyone here a Montessori purist? I have nearly abandoned calling what we do "Montessori" because of purists I know and books/ websites I read really trying to say that without years of training, you will produce inferior results with the method and materials at home.
My response: Lack of training can be supplied by God in the catholic home through prayer, tons of self-knowledge and humility, aquiring the proper habits of virtue and deep respect for the child made possible through God's grace. I think even non-Catholics or non-Christians can be successful with the method and materials at home with dedication to respecting the child and gentle relationship with the child. Natural Structure by Nancy Walsh really laid this fear to rest for me. I thought the guest speaker we had recently was a bit too purist for my taste. She said that montessori was really about the materials, but isn't it first a method? Yes, the materials are the ORIGINAL time-tested "manipulatives", but by saying you must use the "real" materials to call what you do "montessori" doesn't jive with what I get from Maria's writings...
2) Guilt over money spent on materials.
My response: It seems that all homeschoolers have to spend a lot of money before they find the curriculum they love!!! At least Montessori materials have other uses if I chuck "montessori". Many practical life items I've ordered for ds that turned out to be poor quality get used for other purposes in the kitchen! But more seriously, dh was prepared to budget in 2K last year when I decided I was going to just jump in, but then I waffled and decided I could use other toys as substitutes and do without many materials. Now I really want to buy "real" materials and I'm really hyperventilating about the money. We don't have any! But dh does real estate on the side and he COULD give me money from the next house he sells. That will postpone the electrical work our home needs is all!!! But since I waffled before, now he doubts my "commitment" to doing mm with ds and then dd 5 mo and future children. What would YOU say to him in my shoes? And not "well, it all has great resale value". He wants the why-i-know-for-sure-now answer. (In my head it's- well i prayed and thought and now i'm sure.)
3) For a long time I persisted in leaving ALL our materials out all the time in our learning room. But naturally this created misuse of materials. Also, ds now has a few 'toys' that I hate to mix in. Plus I can't keep our materials from guests when they visit as I fel it too rude to lock our learning room. It has the only AC unit downstairs and the doors are paned with glass- kids would press their noses up and beg to go in to see our materials. Last week we had a huge party and i really freaked out! Cylinders everywhere...
Solution: Replace sliding doors on closet (it is 6' wide) with locking bi-fold doors- $80.00 home depot. Fit with shelves galore- scrap wood in garage is FREE. (I had designed a locking fold-up shelf set on casters, but that would have cost like $150-
i'll post those plans sometime though, b/c some of you would love 'em.) Open only at schooltime. Remove 'toys' to shelf in living room and rotate. Allow constant access to book cases in schoolroom as well as wooden blocks and rocking chair in there :).
4) Essential materials. I want all the sensorial, the basic language and math, all the geography and botany. What do you who mostly use the mm for 3-6yo consider essential? Anything I SHOULDN'T spend $ on???
Thanks, y'all. This helps a ton.
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monalisa
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Oh, and I'm considering getting trained in CGS b/c it is offered in my diocese. To me that would be a mini teacher training course in th mmethod! I actually have NOT let myself read The REligious Potential of the Child because I will be too impatient and eager to start. Anyone have thoughts or experience or info on the CGS courses???
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CatholicMommy
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monalisa wrote:
1) Is anyone here a Montessori purist? |
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I am not a purist by any means; what I have seen is that once the mindset is in place, many many blessings can flow. Specifically in this case: once the adult really has respect for children and their individual capabilities to learn, and can maintain that confidence, then the rest just happens. The Montessori method was first developed through observation - then the materials followed to address specific learning. If the materials come first, then the children are not necessarily getting what they need.
Perhaps I'll have a different take after I complete Montessori training, but this is my take on things before I actually start. :)
monalisa wrote:
| 2) Guilt over money spent on materials. |
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We've made things from cardboard/cardstock, then felt, and are slowly progressing to handmade wooden materials with very very few purchased materials. It takes longer, but I learn so much and my son has so much more appreciation because he sees and helps me make what he can.
3) Right now, our materials are 'out' - meaning they are actually in plastic stacking drawers of various sizes. Other 'toys' are also stored this way - my son and his daycare friends all know which blocks are for building and driving cars on, and which blocks are for specific stacking and other exercises (ie pink tower). So it's mixed together, but the philosophy applies to it all: respect, careful use, each item serves certain purposes which can change from time to time (sorting the cars different ways, driving them, using them to transport farm animals from the farmhouse to the barn), but order is still maintained.
monalisa wrote:
| 4) Essential materials. I want all the sensorial, the basic language and math, all the geography and botany. What do you who mostly use the mm for 3-6yo consider essential? Anything I SHOULDN'T spend $ on??? |
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I myself consider it all essential, but since I've been making it all from scratch as I go, I've been able to organize the presentations such that I am preparing a couple of months ahead for each one; this way if I have to buy something I can. Shipping charges add up, so I'm keeping orders down to the very bare essentials, unmakable things, and perhaps next year when finances hopefully open up again, I can place one big order to replace some of my homemade materials. My suggestion: make what you can, buy what you can't. Replace as needed later with a second order.
Regarding CGS: It's a wonderful course if you can manage to get to it. You will definitely get training in some of the methodology, even if the presentations are a bit different (most academic Montessori has few right answers, control of error built in and such; CGS is more open-ended in most of the presentations - a heart thing, rather than a head thing, for the most part).
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 29 2007 at 7:46am | IP Logged
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Monalisa,
I'm so glad you jumped in here with us! Welcome! I have a couple of thoughts on your questions...
monalisa wrote:
| 1) Is anyone here a Montessori purist? |
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I don't think anyone here is a Montessori purist. One thing you are sure to find in the homeschool community is that we are ALL fiercely independent. And that's a good thing. Our families are different, my dc and dh are different from yours and everyone else's here. Our learning environment is going to look different from yours - and it should because I tailor my environment to fit the specific needs of my dc! It's one of the reasons we learn at home to begin with! The same is true of the Montessori learning we do at home. While there are certainly common denominators between most of us here in the reasons why we use Montessori with our children, there will be variations.
I respect and greatly value the advice I receive here. It fills such a need I have to visit with other like-minded mommies! Of course, in the end I must pray and discern, with my dh in the lead, exactly what would benefit and be of use to our dc. I embrace Maria's philosophy because it resonates in my soul - it is full of truth and beauty, an awareness of and fostering of the dignity of the child, and providing beautiful objects to spark the imagination. I also value and employ many of her methods - no need to reinvent the wheel! But, if I see something I can tweak to address a weakness in the fabric of my child's education, I start weaving...
monalisa wrote:
| 2) Guilt over money spent on materials. |
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Hmmm....well this is where I really trust my dh's discernment in helping me. I am given a budget for the school year. I try to be as frugal as I can. Our budget has to stretch across all of our children, so purchases need to have lasting value. I spend A LOT of time looking at materials and trying to decide what fits my children's needs first, and then I try to wedge it into the budget. I spend a good bit of time discussing with my dh. He does like to hear my reasoning, and often in this explanation/justification period I can clearly see that I don't really have realistic expectations of some material, and it gets scratched. My dh is very generous with me and the dc, so he does everything in his power to provide what I feel is necessary for them. Because our decision process is lengthy, starting with reading and education, and ending up in conversation, and then finally in prayer, it ends with little regret. It does sometimes mean that I cannot purchase all I would have liked, but that simply means that like CatholicMommy, I must dive in and make some things myself. That is often a very rewarding process, as it forces me to stretch my imagination and think outside the box.
Just wanted to mention - save some room for beautiful books in your budget (a particular weakness of mine  ). Nothing replaces quiet time on Mommy's lap reading Flicka, Ricka, Dicka and other gems! So many cherished memories there!
monalisa wrote:
| 3) For a long time I persisted in leaving ALL our materials out all the time in our learning room. But naturally this created misuse of materials. |
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I think a rotation closet is a good thing (to borrow from Martha Stewart.) It allows for a simpler and less cluttered environment. I do keep the dc's toys separate from the Montessori materials in order to create an atmosphere of specialness. It seems to foster a greater respect for the materials, and promotes proper use. There is always that balance to walk of having enough materials out during sensitive periods, and removing materials when mis-use is occurring.
monalisa wrote:
| 4) Essential materials. I want all the sensorial, the basic language and math, all the geography and botany. What do you who mostly use the mm for 3-6yo consider essential? Anything I SHOULDN'T spend $ on??? |
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My dc span the age groups - 1 in 3-6, 1 in 6-9, 1 in 9-12...so my materials are varied. I really benefitted from Lori's list of Montessori Essentials for the 3-6 classroom in making some of my decisions. This is just the basic list, so you could certainly make/buy more as budget and time allows.
Good luck as you prepare and make your decisions! God Bless. 
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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AndreaG
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These are great questions!
1) Not a purist- purist montessori is impossible at home b/c you don't have 20-30 children. I am also a more philosophy than materials person and use many things in addition to or instead of montessori materials and presentations (for example RightStart math instead of montessori math). However, I think that the materials are a key element of montessori, especially for 3-6.
2) I have a budget and stick to it with the help of dh. I think you should not try to tell your dh that now you are ready to do montessori and will never change your mind or have doubts about it- b/c honestly you probably will! I have had on and off years with montessori - mostly corresponding to being pregnant or not I think that if you are convinced that the Holy Spirit is prompting you to follow this method with your children that you can be honest with dh that you think this is best but expect some challenges along the way. You could also give him concrete examples of what is different now ie you are taking Karen's training class/you are encouraged by the support in this forum/you found affordable materials at Alison's/or maybe you are just more put together for whatever personal reasons.
3) I definitely rotate- don't have room to display it all- plus my kids wreck it if I have too much.
4) Essentials? All of it! No, for me I started with the pink tower, brown stair and knobbed cylinders.
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Eleanor
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Well, I'm probably as much of a purist as anyone here. I recently did the 3-6 training from NAMC (after a few years of reading books by MM and assorted AMI-inspired authors), and was somewhat alarmed by all the "novelties" they'd introduced into the curriculum. One of my dreams is to have a chance to do AMI training, preferably at the elementary level. If I were ever to get involved with a school (not something I'm interested in right now, but who knows?), it would have to be one that followed AMI principles.
That said, of course Andrea is right -- it's impossible to do "pure Montessori" in the home environment, and every family's needs are slightly different. But even apart from the practical realities of homeschooling, I think there's a spectrum of philosophical approaches. Some families try to stick as closely as possible to the traditional method, making only those adaptations that are required by their circumstances. At the other end, there are those whose attitude is, "if we can put it on a tray, it's Montessori!"  And, of course, there are many in between.
I think that all these approaches have the potential of working wonderfully, but I wouldn't describe them all as Montessori homeschooling, per se. This is partly because I'm a bit of a stickler for precise language.  It's also because, if we aren't starting from the perspective of the full Montessori curriculum, it seems to me that we'll have to provide some other sort of backbone for our children's learning -- whether it's pre-packaged, self-designed, or even some version of "unschooling" (a la Michael Olaf). To me, it's more accurate and meaningful to describe this as "eclectic homeschooling using [name of plan] in a Montessori way."
Again, I don't mean to put this down. In fact, I'm guessing it's what we'll end up doing as our children get older. To us, it seems natural and practical for them to progress from the concrete materials to a more structured, literature-based method. At that point, I doubt we'll be putting so much effort into doing things "Montessori style." But we'll never give it up entirely.
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Just coming back to add a few more thoughts. Please excuse the length... I guess brevity isn't my strong suit!
Even for "full Montessori," I don't think formal training is absolutely necessary (though it's well worth the effort, if you can do it). Apart from reading Maria Montessori's writings, the most important thing is to study teachers' albums -- preferably more than one set, to get different perspectives. Focusing on one subject area at a time, read well ahead and get an idea of how the activities build on one another. Think carefully about the various reasons why the items are made the way they are: size, weight, color, etc. (This will help you to decide where you're comfortable "cutting corners" with homemade or substitute materials.) Practice doing presentations, in front of the mirror, with your husband, etc., until you're confident. If you don't have the materials yet, you can make a mock-up out of paper.
The easiest way to start putting this into practice would be to set up a practical life area, if you haven't already done so. By this, I'm not referring to having child-sized items in the everyday environment (though that's great too), but to a dedicated space with trays, where you can introduce the presentation cycle, and demonstrate the steps for doing specific activities "Montessori style." (See, I told you I'm a purist. ) Once you're both working confidently in the practical life area, the next materials to introduce would be sensorial, because they lay the groundwork for the other subjects, e.g.:
- Touch boards come before sandpaper letters, numbers, and globes.
- Red rods come before number rods.
- Color tablets come before the bead stair.
Most people start with the cylinder blocks or the pink tower, then move on to the brown stair and red rods. Of course, these are among the most expensive items, but you don't need to acquire them all at once. Even if you just start with one of them, after the child has mastered the basic activity, you can add extra challenge by using a blindfold or "mystery bag," or making cards with shapes for matching the prisms.
I'd avoid introducing the other subject areas until your child has a good grasp of several of the sensorial materials, including any that are specifically designed to precede the materials you'll be introducing (e.g., touch boards for sandpaper letters, as mentioned above).
Again, this is assuming that you want to follow Montessori as closely as possible. If you prefer a more "Montessori influenced" style, with some other underpinnings, then pretty much anything goes!
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lapazfarm
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I am not a purist. But I have grown to appreciate the materials and methods and I will use them as they fit with my children and meet my educational goals for them.
What appeals to me the most about it all is that it seems to really foster intellectual independence, which is my utmost educational goal for my children. I see in the Montessori method an extremely well-thought-out plan to achieve that goal, step by step as my children grow. I have seen the benefits from what little Montessori-inspired work we did last year,so I am learning all I can so that I can implement it more fully this year.
Guilt over materials cost. Yes, of course. I was blessed to receive a grant from the state to cover some of the start-up costs this year or I could never have afforded the materials we bought. Still, I have always tried to live as simply as possible, so it does give me pause to think that I have chosen an educational method which relies on these expensive materials.
Materials storage: I have set up centers in my home for the materials. My plan is to allow access only to the materials which have been presented, so I will begin the year doing presentations in each center so that she can access at least something in all the centers soon. My dc are old enough to know to leave the other things alone when told. No toddlers this year, it seems.  (long story)
Essentials/items to skip. I have not been doing this long enough to advise which items are essential, but I will tell you my reasoning behind my choices.
I am skipping practical life materials because that is an area that as homeschoolers we naturally address in the course of the day. I don't really need additional materials or presentations for this. So I can save some money there by just including dc in the regular routines of household maintenence and personal care.
Another area where I personally would cut corners, believe it or not, is in the science materials. Not that I don't think science is important, quite the contrary! But my background in science is sufficiently strong that I can confidently address it on my own, in my own way. I did get some of the materials, but they do not form the backbone of our science education and will be merely supplemental. Our backbone is nature itself and that resource we will be using to its fullest!
So, that is us, in a nutshell!
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Theresa
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Eleanor
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lapazfarm wrote:
| I am skipping practical life materials because that is an area that as homeschoolers we naturally address in the course of the day. I don't really need additional materials or presentations for this. So I can save some money there by just including dc in the regular routines of household maintenence and personal care. |
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While I agree that we don't need to spend money on practical life materials, I do think it's important to have some clearly defined activities (such as trays or "stations") that are set up for the children to practice with. The very little ones, in particular, just love to do practical life, and it provides a way to get them to adjust to the Montessori way of doing things... take the materials out, take them to your work space, do all the steps in the correct order, check for the control of error, then put them away. I'd venture to say that this might even be the primary goal of the activities. Learning how to do the specific tasks (e.g., slicing fruit or folding napkins) seems like more of a side benefit.
The precision of the Montessori work cycle doesn't come naturally to me, and I find this most noticeable and challenging in the area of practical life. It's very different from my usual style of doing things around the house (I was once accused of being "slapdash" by my junior high Home Ec. teacher ), and I'm often tempted to set it aside. But, at the same time, there's something compelling about it... reminiscent of the liturgy, or convent and monastic life. And small children do seem "wired" to respond to this sort of structure, in a way that most adults aren't. Witness the anguish of the average toddler, if we happen to carry out his bedtime routine in the wrong order! 
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lapazfarm
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Good points, Eleanor. I guess I should say that I am coming from the point of view of my youngest child being nearly 6 this year, so she has outgrown the stage for many of the practical life activities. We have done many of the practical life activities last year, and I can address her needs at this age with inclusion in regular household routines. So, in needing to find areas to cut some costs, this is an area that works for me.
If I still had littles around, I am sure I would be singing a different tune!
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Theresa
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monalisa
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I talked with dh yesterday and it was great. We talked over his reservations and then about the expense of Montessori. He agreed that it's ok to invest money in education- after all, we invested 3,000 dollars on our kitchen counters so we'd have em for life. I was really happy he sees it that way. We don't have much money, but b/c our lifestyle is SO simple, we can use what we DO have on things that we think deserve it. Dh's parents are immigrants and definitely have the mentality of "buy once, buy good". I have been praying for us to see eye to eye on the fact that homeschooling is going to take SOME money, no matter how we do it. And we worked out a way to have a budget for next year. I am going to place an order with montessori outlet today to get started.
In fact, dh is outside right now building a kitchen workcenter for ds to do food prep and cloth folding. I'm so thrilled. I feel peace and joy about embracing a method I think is SO GREAT.
Maybe this is another subject entirely, but I actually tend to agree with Nancy Walsh in Natural Structure that when you look at what MM actually wrote and apply it in our time, that Montessori in the modern home might be closer to her original intent than modern montessori schools- when you consider what she saw as the future of society vs what really happened. Walsh calls the original montessori schools "extended family homeschools". I thought her arguments were exceptionally compelling. (I'm referring to the idea that you can't have "real" montessori at home b/c you don't have 20-30 children around.)
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helene
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I have never been a huge Montessori fan (at least materially speaking, the philosophy is fine) and I went through a Montessori phase when my oldest were very young and my Mother-in-Law sent us all her materials she used for her own children. But it finally became very bulky and impractical and hard to keep in order. They learned more about measuring and pouring by actually making muffins with me in the kitchen. Real education, especially at young ages, shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. Just about the only cost is your time.
I have had a lot more peace with educational materials since I gave them away or put them into plastic bins on high shelves and get them down only one at a time. A new one does not come out until the previous one is picked up and put away. Pretty much the only bins we like and use over and over are the playdoh bin, the paint bin (Crayola washable), and the puzzle box. All these materials can be replenished for a song at Walmart or Target. My budget for my 3y.o. for this year is probably less than $20. We rely on the library and plain ol' crayons and paper a lot. I guess I would not postpone needed electrical work because of a possible homeschooling purchase. God will provide. Get Elizabeth's read-aloud list and go to town (or rather the library)!
Good luck to you and God bless.
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Eleanor
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monalisa wrote:
| I talked with dh yesterday and it was great. |
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Glad to hear the news.  I hope you'll post a picture of the kitchen workcenter when it's done!
Theresa, thanks for clarifying about your children's ages. I agree that the "practical life exercises" wouldn't have the same significance with older children. I was quite amused by the preview of the new NAMC 6-9 Advanced Practical Life album. (Here are the links to the PDFs of the table of contents and sample pages.) "How to make an English muffin pizza." "How to make a little man out of pipe cleaners." "How to go shopping." And it costs $150! Somehow, I get the feeling that that album isn't going to be one of their hottest sellers to homeschoolers...
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Mackfam
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monalisa wrote:
I talked with dh yesterday and it was great. We talked over his reservations and then about the expense of Montessori. He agreed that it's ok to invest money in education- after all, we invested 3,000 dollars on our kitchen counters so we'd have em for life. I was really happy he sees it that way. We don't have much money, but b/c our lifestyle is SO simple, we can use what we DO have on things that we think deserve it. Dh's parents are immigrants and definitely have the mentality of "buy once, buy good". I have been praying for us to see eye to eye on the fact that homeschooling is going to take SOME money, no matter how we do it. And we worked out a way to have a budget for next year. I am going to place an order with montessori outlet today to get started.
In fact, dh is outside right now building a kitchen workcenter for ds to do food prep and cloth folding. I'm so thrilled. I feel peace and joy about embracing a method I think is SO GREAT.
Maybe this is another subject entirely, but I actually tend to agree with Nancy Walsh in Natural Structure that when you look at what MM actually wrote and apply it in our time, that Montessori in the modern home might be closer to her original intent than modern montessori schools- when you consider what she saw as the future of society vs what really happened. Walsh calls the original montessori schools "extended family homeschools". I thought her arguments were exceptionally compelling. (I'm referring to the idea that you can't have "real" montessori at home b/c you don't have 20-30 children around.) |
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Monalisa, I'm so happy that you and your dh are on the same page with this journey! That will only be a help and a blessing to you. Think simple and slow so you don't get overwhelmed! I think the kitchen center sounds really neat, and I'd love to hear more about how he made it, and what your plans look like when it's done! I bet it will be a great tool for your dc!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Meredith
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helene wrote:
| I have never been a huge Montessori fan (at least materially speaking, the philosophy is fine) and I went through a Montessori phase when my oldest were very young and my Mother-in-Law sent us all her materials she used for her own children. But it finally became very bulky and impractical and hard to keep in order. They learned more about measuring and pouring by actually making muffins with me in the kitchen. Real education, especially at young ages, shouldn't cost an arm and a leg... |
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Helene, this is one of the reasons we call our forum Montessori and More, as most of us are very *Real Learning* inspired, even in the Montessori inclusions we have in our home schools. My dc have learned much from me around the home just by doing activities with me like baking, sewing, gardening, etc., as well as with their father, scouting and outdoor work, and I certainly would not expect them to approach these mommy (daddy) times with me as in a Montessori style presentation. But there IS a method to the madness, and if it's a fit for you, then all the better. I do think that the method is NOT specifically the materials, but they were designed by MM for a reason, and I have seen first hand with my own dc that it works. I know that many of us here are all about saving where we can and have made MANY of our materials out of love for our dc and how we want to present this type of learning to them in our home schools, we make it work with the means that each of us have been blessed with (more or less)!
helene wrote:
| I have had a lot more peace with educational materials since I gave them away or put them into plastic bins on high shelves and get them down only one at a time. A new one does not come out until the previous one is picked up and put away. Pretty much the only bins we like and use over and over are the playdoh bin, the paint bin (Crayola washable), and the puzzle box. All these materials can be replenished for a song at Walmart or Target. My budget for my 3y.o. for this year is probably less than $20. We rely on the library and plain ol' crayons and paper a lot. I guess I would not postpone needed electrical work because of a possible homeschooling purchase. God will provide. Get Elizabeth's read-aloud list and go to town (or rather the library)! |
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We also use the libray ad-nauseum, the librarians don't even need me to tell them I have holds, they just go to my shelf There is much benefit from purging educational materials/toys and we're finding as our children learn and grow together, they just don't play with *stuff*, but mostly with each other and being engaged in their books 
You are wise to mention Elizabeth's reading list as well because it's the main reason I am a 4real Learner, it's topnotch!! I appreciate your repsonse here as it's always nice to have a variety of ideas, and monalisa you have received much wisdom here so I won't drag it around the corral again
Many blessings!
__________________
Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Tons o' Questions (and answers)
