| Author | |
dawn2006
Forum Pro
Joined: Aug 07 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 267
|
| Posted: Aug 12 2007 at 9:35am | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Hi! I'm new. My name is Dawn. My oldest is a 5 1/2 yo ds and I have another son that will be 4 in December and a daughter that's 2 this month. Here's the "program" of Montessori materials I've outlined to get us started (in sequential order) I've compiled this list using the Hainstock pre-school book, Montessori Read & Write and I also have Natural Structure:
MATH
pink tower (already have)
number rods
spindle box/cards & counters
sandpaper #s (already have)
writing #s (using tracing paper)
number progression (100s chart)
measuring exercises (using measuring cups and spoons)
(HAND)WRITING
cylinders
knobbed puzzles (have a few)
geometric insets (made from cardboard but thinking about purchasing)
sandpaper letters (already have)
-group into families
-writing in sand
-writing on blackboard
-writing on paper
moveable alphabet(thinking about buying magnetic set from Lakeshore Learning)
READING
sound game
sandpaper letters
moveable alphabet
reading using objects
reading w/o using objects
I'm reading the Real Learning book and I like the idea of table time being in short increments. I do have one question, though.. things like sandpaper letters are so heavily used. What if your child just doesnt' warm up to them? Regardless of trying textures different from sandpaper? What if he/she never likes the geometric insets? Maybe this is mostly my own problem rather than a learning one for the kids b/c I hate having things in the house that I've spent good money on that don't get used. KWIM?
I also have a basic schedule question... how do you keep your younger ones occupied while working with the older ones? I read MOTH recently and the idea of having something scheduled for each of the kids is so overwhelming for me. Especially when my dd might spend all of 2 seconds on any one activity. I think my 3 yo, though, is very ready for some of the Montessori materials. He found the cardboad insets I'd made and was so excited about tracing his own shapes.
TIA for reading. I also want to incorporate narrating and nature walks and a timeline on the wall in our schoolroom.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Eleanor
Forum Pro
Joined: June 20 2007
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 326
|
| Posted: Aug 12 2007 at 11:36am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Is this list just for your eldest child?
I'd think that the younger two would benefit from a lot more sensorial and practical life materials. These would appeal to their current level of development, and would also pave the way for math and reading activities. (Comparison, left-to-right movement, fine motor control, etc.) Some of the sensorial materials, like the smell bottles, fabric squares, and sound shakers, are very easy to make. Others might take a little more work, or have to be purchased -- but they're such a fundamental part of the learning sequence that I wouldn't want to leave them out. For example, the red rods are preparation for the number rods. When the child starts using the number rods, he already recognizes how to arrange them by length, so the new concept (number) is isolated.
The children should respond enthusiastically and voluntarily to the basic materials; this has been observed in classrooms around the world for the last 100 years. If they don't, it's possible that the materials are being presented too early (or much too late), or that the child hasn't had enough time with the preparatory exercises, or that there's too much clutter and other distraction in the environment. Aline Wolf, a veteran Montessori teacher, has written a a long, but very valuable article on teaching reading, in which she suggests that having other learning toys and puzzles in the classroom can distract the children from using the more challenging, less "flashy" Montessori materials.
Speaking of distraction, younger children are probably the biggest challenge to this whole effort! Until recently, I've just been putting my son in an adjacent gated area (or playpen, when he was very small), with some appropriate toys. He hasn't minded much, maybe because we've been doing it this way from the beginning. Others have found it necessary to schedule the main part of the work period during the toddlers' nap time.
Another solution, weather permitting, is to move the work area outside. If you can teach the toddler to stay away from the older children's shelves, she'll probably be quite happy to run around, wash things with a bowl of water and a sponge, play with a ride-on toy, etc. We've had a lot of fun with this approach; I wrote about it in this thread.
Now that my son has turned two, and has developed some rudimentary manners, he's started joining us for short periods in the indoor classroom. He has his own shelves, and he's also allowed to use the cylinder blocks and a couple of other primary materials. I often have to remind him to use a rug, and put things away... but I don't sweat the details, especially if I'm busy working with my daughter. (She actually spends more time reminding him of the "classroom rules" than I do. Bossy big sister syndrome!  )
Oh, and I would definitely buy the insets, even if you can only afford a plastic set. The cardboard ones might work for the geometry cabinet, but I doubt they'd last long for tracing. This is definitely one of the most popular activities in classrooms, and equally so around here. 
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
dawn2006
Forum Pro
Joined: Aug 07 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 267
|
| Posted: Aug 12 2007 at 2:09pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Is this list just for your eldest child?
Yes... I have made some of the sensorial materials but I was lazy and they've since been taken apart or scattered! Plus, I didn't figure out how to keep dd from touching what the older ones were working on. (sound boxes, containers & lids, bean pouring) Then for a while I just put everything aside and we tried some materials from CHC with my oldest but he didn't like the workbooks and I didn't like the canned approach. Then I had morning sickenss! (That's my big excuse!) And now that I'm ready to start again I want to try the Montessori materials. My daughter is a little older now but I do think I will move the bulk of our material exploration to when she naps. I also feel/felt, regarding the early sensorial materials, that a lot of those skills can be accomplished in everyday life w/o making it a formal activity. Thank you for your response, Eleanor.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
dawn2006
Forum Pro
Joined: Aug 07 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 267
|
| Posted: Aug 12 2007 at 2:31pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
OK. I read the 'teaching reading' thread and now I feel so behind. I need to go back and refresh myself on the sensitive periods for certain materials. But then I think I shouldn't stress too much b/c certainly there are families whose children learn w/o ever having touched Montessori materials. Oh..and turning off the tv? That is soooo scary to me. The day is just.so.long. I suppose THAT is another topic altogether.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
dawn2006
Forum Pro
Joined: Aug 07 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 267
|
| Posted: Aug 12 2007 at 2:36pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
What great ideas on the outdoor thread! Thank you!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Eleanor
Forum Pro
Joined: June 20 2007
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 326
|
| Posted: Aug 12 2007 at 2:44pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
(Sorry, I posted this before seeing your latest posts... please disregard anything that's not relevant.  )
dawn2006 wrote:
| Then I had morning sickenss! (That's my big excuse!) |
|
|
And a very understandable one! I went through the same thing not too long ago... my children watched way too much TV for a couple of months. 
Quote:
| I also feel/felt, regarding the early sensorial materials, that a lot of those skills can be accomplished in everyday life w/o making it a formal activity. |
|
|
The thing about the sensorial and practical life activities is that they're not so much about teaching particular skills (recognizing shapes & colors, doing up buttons, walking in a straight line, etc.), as they are about teaching the child to approach the process of learning in a certain way. Everyday activities tend not to have characteristics such as isolation of difficulty, a carefully graded sequence, or a set of precise steps involved in exploring the materials. So, while they might be very good and helpful in themselves, they don't necessarily provide the foundation for the more advanced Montessori work. This is one reason why Montessori schools are sometimes cautious about taking 5-year-olds who haven't had experience with the method. (Not that it can't be done -- most children do adjust well, given time and the right guidance -- but it's a bit trickier than starting with a 3-year-old.)
I'm probably not describing this very clearly (I'm low on coffee at the moment  ), but you might want to read some books by Maria Montessori herself, if you haven't done so. Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook is a good one to start with, as it's fairly short and straightforward. IMO, if you'd like to make Montessori a major part of your children's education (rather than just a supplement to some other method), studying the theory is just about the most important thing you can do. This is all the more true if you plan to make adaptations to the method, as is pretty much inevitable for homeschoolers.
Of course, if this seems like a bit much, you can always just dip your toe in the water; most of us started out that way, and many are happy to stay there, using Montessori in combination with various other styles of homeschooling. Just keep in mind that you might not see quite the same type of results as you would with a more thorough approach to the method (as Mrs. Wolf describes in her article). But, as you say, there are lots of different ways for children to learn.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
dawn2006
Forum Pro
Joined: Aug 07 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 267
|
| Posted: Aug 12 2007 at 3:03pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
IMO, if you'd like to make Montessori a major part of your children's education (rather than just a supplement to some other method), studying the theory is just about the most important thing you can do.
Yes, that's a good point. The theory seemed impractical to me, though, and sometimes unfair. Impractical in reference to requiring (for lack of a better word) ds to be careful and orderly and follow the order of presentation; unfair in reference to using the materials as intended when ds wanted to explore them in different ways. However, I must also note that I personally am easily overwhelmed and quick to assume I'm not doing it right. And since there are so many different hsing philosophies out there it was all too easy to explore different ways for a bit. I do have to say that I've never been as jazzed about an idea as I was when reading about the Montessori method.
BUT THEN I'll think: "The method is particular and requires unique materials... not everyone uses this method to learn... is it arbitrary and/or equally suitable to learning as any other method/approach? Should I just do something less complicated?" Truly, I wish my 5-years-from-now self would just come back today and tell me what will work for us.
I'm going to follow your link now to the Handbook.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Eleanor
Forum Pro
Joined: June 20 2007
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 326
|
| Posted: Aug 12 2007 at 3:39pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
dawn2006 wrote:
| BUT THEN I'll think: "The method is particular and requires unique materials... not everyone uses this method to learn... is it arbitrary and/or equally suitable to learning as any other method/approach? Should I just do something less complicated?" Truly, I wish my 5-years-from-now self would just come back today and tell me what will work for us. |
|
|
I think just about everyone can relate to that feeling!
Even now, after doing the primary training, making/buying a ton of materials (including just about a full set of sensorial apparatus), and rearranging half the house, I still have times where I wonder if my children might not do just as well with a stack of preschool workbooks from the drugstore. And I sometimes wonder if this Montessori project might be just as much a way to keep my mind occupied, as it is about giving my children what seems to be the best possible start to their education. Either way, though, at least we're all enjoying it!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
happymama
Forum Pro
Joined: Feb 05 2007
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 410
|
| Posted: Aug 13 2007 at 2:05pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hey Dawn - i think most homeschooling moms try many different approaches as the years go by! I will tell you that I'm basically focusing on MM (montessori method) during the basic years of 3-6, and then transitioning into a more classical style like Mother of Divine Grace. If that's an approach you would consider, just hypothetically, you could find a kindergarten or 1st grade program for your oldest child with daily lesson plans for you - to completely take the stress off of that aspect of hschooling - and then focus on making M. materials for your toddlers. (Your oldest child could "help".) Just an idea since you mentioned feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
The aspect of MM that i find consoling in my own family (my oldest of 3 is 4 1/2) is that I am "giving" myself 3 full years to go through these long lists of presentations with each child. [If i had a 5 1/2 yo child and was just getting started, i would also feel overwhelmed.] In a few months, I'm going to start presenting many more to my middle child, and my oldest child will get to be involved in that process, thus solidifying his own understanding of the concepts. IOW, I don't feel like I have to have EVERYTHING right now. Even though i want to. :) Many blessings on all your decisions.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
Forum Locked) 
4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Care to give advice/feedback?
