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MarilynW
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| Posted: June 11 2009 at 1:35pm | IP Logged
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I have received some birthday money for my two little guys (almost 2 and 5) and decided to spend it on some new Montessori supplies. I have been seeking the great advice of my good friend Jen (mackfam) and I thought it would also be interesting to see what other people have and enjoy and use.
Thanks
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Marilyn
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Meredith
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| Posted: June 11 2009 at 4:31pm | IP Logged
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We have used all of the geography puzzle maps (from Alison's) constantly. Also any of the golden and colored bead material is essential for Montessori math. Language objects (to use with Pink, Blue, Green series) are great and can usually be found around the house or very inexpensively (yard sales, dollar store, etc).
All of the card material from Montessori for Everyone, can't say enough about these beautiful materials 
Also a Mass Kit is in constant use here too!
Have fun shopping 
Blessings,
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
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Angel
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| Posted: June 11 2009 at 5:03pm | IP Logged
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I was thinking about this the other day, actually. The materials that have seen the most use here:
pink tower
brown stair
knobbed cylinders
geometric solids
moveable alphabet
beads
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Angela
Mom to 9, 7 boys and 2 girls
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MarilynW
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| Posted: June 11 2009 at 5:07pm | IP Logged
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I have a lot of various Montessori type wooden toys/activities and also pouring/practical life things. I was thinking of a proper moveable alphabet, metal insets (which I have coveted for years!) and some more beads/buttons/basket type things. I love the look of the knobbed cylinders - but not sure I can justify them given that I already have a lot of sequencing/sizing toys from Plan, Guidecraft etc
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Marilyn
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violingirl
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| Posted: June 11 2009 at 9:57pm | IP Logged
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The 2 most used items here are the pink tower (my almost 2 year old) and the moveable alphabet (my 3 1/2 year old). They are both used daily. DS1 is also really attracted to the binomial cube, but maybe a few times a week. We use the pink series daily.
I'm really wanting metal insets too- it would so help to satisfy DS1's desire to write!
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Erin
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 12 2009 at 7:00am | IP Logged
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The following see consistent use here:
:: Geography Cabinet with Maps - HUGE hit here, and we use it all.the.time!!! Def a good investment for us!
:: Moveable alphabet
:: Metal inset paper 
:: Golden bead material (which so mystified me at first, but is still such a delight to work with for my children)
:: Metal Insets
:: Knobbed Cylinders
:: Montessori For Everyone materials - Lori's cards have been my spine for science studies as well as a few others. Her materials are budget and space friendly - and just lovely!!
:: Our Mini Mass kit with small altar - my kids are constantly drawn to this!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
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Angel
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| Posted: June 12 2009 at 8:00am | IP Logged
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I forgot to mention the metal insets. I actually have a set of plastic "metal" insets, which I bought on sale from Learning Resources years ago... I'm not sure they have them anymore. Ours would see more consistent use if a)I had a space where I could set them all out and b)if I could prevent the toddler from taking them apart and scattering them everywhere on a regular basis. One of my 3 yo twins in particular loves them, but my 10 yo dd will also use them to make art if they're out. So they are truly a multi-age material.
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Angela
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MarilynW
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| Posted: June 12 2009 at 12:05pm | IP Logged
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OK - I have a question on the Geography Cabinet and maps - why does everyone like them so much? I have never considered investing in them. Please let me know how you use them and why they are so good. Montessori Outlet has them much cheaper than everyone else.
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Marilyn
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MarilynW
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| Posted: June 12 2009 at 12:07pm | IP Logged
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Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. Our Mass Kit and altar linens are one of our prized possessions too. I am going to consider a nice wooden moveable alphabet - any suggestions as to which company is the best? I am thinking I might order from Kid Advance as I plan on ordering my insets from there?
Thanks again.
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Marilyn
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lapazfarm
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Most consistently use items when I had kids that age were golden beads (and they still are the #1 item), knobbed cylinders, puzzle maps(still in great demand)and botany/zoology puzzles.
If I could only have 1 Montessori item it would be the golden beads. They are that good.
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Theresa
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: June 12 2009 at 9:15pm | IP Logged
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MarilynW wrote:
| OK - I have a question on the Geography Cabinet and maps - why does everyone like them so much? I have never considered investing in them. Please let me know how you use them and why they are so good. Montessori Outlet has them much cheaper than everyone else. |
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Each country within each continent is its own piece with the knob placed approximately where the capital is located. It is SUCH a deeply intense sensorial experience to actually handle within one's hand an entire country (or state or continent, depending on the puzzle map being worked on).
I went through 4 different sets of non-wooden ones (cardboard, felt, foam-board, and that foamy material that comes in lots of different colors) before I was finally about to purchase a wooden set. It has been SO WORTH IT! They last so much longer, are just beautiful, are large (so it's that extra little challenge to carry them which young ones love so much - this feels like "big work" to them - so it's that much more important).
For anyone considering purchasing them: get the whole set and the cabinet from the same person/company and at the same time. It'll be a bigger chunk of money at once, but it will assure that the maps are the same size and fit in the cabinet.
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Garden of Francis
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MarilynW
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| Posted: June 12 2009 at 9:28pm | IP Logged
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CatholicMommy wrote:
I went through 4 different sets of non-wooden ones (cardboard, felt, foam-board, and that foamy material that comes in lots of different colors) before I was finally about to purchase a wooden set. It has been SO WORTH IT! They last so much longer, are just beautiful, are large (so it's that extra little challenge to carry them which young ones love so much - this feels like "big work" to them - so it's that much more important).
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Thanks so much Catholic Mommy - I am really trying to figure out how the Montessori maps are better. Geography is huge in our house - but I had thought of getting the Global Puzzle series of puzzles eg this Asia onewhere the puzzle pieces are country shaped.
Do you mind sharing how you use the puzzles?
I am just finding it hard to justify the cost of the puzzles and wonder how the children will take to them.
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Marilyn
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: June 12 2009 at 9:52pm | IP Logged
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As I said, my favorite part is the fact that each puzzle piece "is" a country or state or continent - so the children really get the idea of the shape and size comparison. If I had found those GeoPuzzles first, I probably would have invested in those instead, but I don't regret having the wood ones.
Initially, the children remove the pieces and replace them; the world one (with just the continents) is easy to do this with. They quickly want to move on to a continent one (usually their own continent). I was not happy with the control charts that came with the world puzzle map I first bought (I did not get the set the first through and I learned from my mistake!) - so I had to make my own. When I did buy the entire set, I forewent the control maps, but some companies have ones that actually fit their maps. I made my own control maps by putting the puzzle together on a large poster board and tracing. I recommend buying if you can, but it was mostly fun to do this :)
With the control maps, it is easier for the children to remove a pieces from the puzzle and place it on the control map - for Africa, it's almost essential to do this! This helps with putting the pieces back into the puzzle. Also, the children can label either the control map or the puzzle pieces.
Children will trace the puzzle pieces onto individual pieces of small paper and write the names of the country/state/continent if they are writing.
I've seen children look at regions too. Or purposely mix up the pieces of two continents and try to sort them without using the control map (they ended up needing it, but they tried so long and hard first and got really far!).
I think the benefit the Montessori ones have over the Geopuzzles are the knobs at the capitals, thicker pieces, they have to be put together to be stored (so the child starts and ends with the complete map).
We purchased ours for about $20 a puzzle, plus $100 for the cabinet (I ran out of ideas for cheaper shelving!).
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Garden of Francis
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 16 2009 at 3:41pm | IP Logged
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MarilynW wrote:
| OK - I have a question on the Geography Cabinet and maps - why does everyone like them so much? I have never considered investing in them. Please let me know how you use them and why they are so good. Montessori Outlet has them much cheaper than everyone else. |
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I put my thoughts and how we use the maps on the thread you started here. 
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
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AndieF
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| Posted: June 16 2009 at 4:37pm | IP Logged
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Here are the things that we use all the time:
* Insets (ours are the plastic version)
* Knobbed cylinders
* Brown Stairs
* Block Tower (ours is the natural color instead of pink)
* Sandpaper letters
* Sandpaper numbers
* Map puzzles
* Botany puzzles
* Zoology puzzles
* Moveable alphabet, although I wish that I had spent more $$ on them. I got the small/plastic version (and the wooden small alphabet box from Montessori N' Such) and we spend a lot of time fishing letters out because the letters are in a mess in each section, so you can't see what each letter is, and the letters cover up the printed letter on the bottom.
Three things that have been on my list for awhile, but I never get around to actually spending that much money on them are:
** Geometric Cabinet
** Color Box 3
** Leaf Cabinet
Andie
Montgomery Academy
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: What are your favorite Montessori items?
