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Maggie
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| Posted: May 21 2010 at 3:34pm | IP Logged
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Hi Moms~
I LOVE the idea behind Montessori--but I am so not capable of putting things together on my own or making up activities.
Is there a book or resource that can direct me?
I am really looking for something that says "do this activity today" and "this is good for math skills" or "this is good for hand-eye coordination" etc.
I just get so overwhelmed looking at Montessori blogs, etc...because I am really not in a position to wrap my mind around all of this...but I think Montessori methods are sorely lacking in my day-to-day activities with my children. I know they would benefit. I just don't know what to do. I need things laid out for me.
Any thoughts?
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Wife to dh (12 years) Mama to dd (10) ds (8), dd (1), ds (nb) and to Philip Mary (5/26/09), Lucy Joy (12/6/09), and Margaret Mary (3/6/10) who entered Heaven before we had a chance to hold them.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: May 21 2010 at 4:00pm | IP Logged
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Maggie,
Montessori can be an overwhelming avenue to be strolling down. Having said that, I enjoy and use some ideas and Montessori activities in my home and my children do enjoy and benefit from it. There is a learning curve and it does take some time to get in a good groove in terms of materials - how to deal with them, present them, rotate them, manage them.
The practical life exercises (scoop, sort, tweeze) from Montessori seem to translate with the most ease and with little expense.
If I had to recommend two books to you to read I'd recommend:
Mommy, Teach Me written by Barbara Curtis
Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Preschool Years by Elizabeth Hainstock
Both books remove the mystique and make Montessori ideas completely DO-able in the home.
Another something for you to read are the Getting Started With Montessori threads in the Early Childhood Learning Resource Thread.
If you'd like great perspective and fantastic experience with Montessori and how that looks in the home, do spend some time reading through Lori's blog - Montessori For Everyone. And Susana has a great blog - Montessori Candy. Check out Theresa's collection of posts at LaPaz Learning. And, you can check out some of my thoughts and experiences with Montessori.
I'm not trying to overwhelm you with these resources, but because there is a learning curve with Montessori, it helps to see how it looks in different homes and begin to gather ideas for how it might realistically look in your own home.
Like anything worthwhile, the time investment and commitment to making Montessori work in the home does pay off, but it WON'T look anything like a traditional Montessori classroom...because a classroom has two adults for the children and doesn't have toddlers climbing into dryers and the directress isn't nursing through a presentation.  It does take some work and creativity to hammer out a path that works for a family!
Good luck! Hope these resources give you a starting place anyway!
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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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violingirl
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| Posted: May 21 2010 at 10:12pm | IP Logged
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When I started with Montessori for my boys I read a ton about it. The books Jen suggested are a great start!
I would recommend starting with just two or three works in an area you know needs improvement. We started with practical life stuff at first and then moved into other areas a little bit at a time. Doing it that way helped me to not be overwhelmed. Our budget is fairly slim right now so I do make or "re-create" a lot of our materials, but I certainly didn't do it all at once. Doing it a bit at a time made it really manageable.
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Erin
DS (2005) DS (2007) DD (2012)
Mama In Progress
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: May 22 2010 at 12:36am | IP Logged
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I have a few things posted on my blog under Cosmic Education and God with No Hands... it's not much, but my time is so limited  (whose isn't?)
Montessori Guides for Pre-Sale - these will be general guides to help set up the environment both physically and atmosphere - for use by anyone interested in Catholic Montessori. There will be enough practical theory to understand the whys and hows without being bogged down in intellectualism (at least, that is my hope), so that each family can make the decisions they need to make for their own children without worrying they are breaking the mold of Montessori (which can be summed up as "education as an aid to life" - NOT "strict following of a particular curriculum" ).
Then I will provide specific guides (discounted for whoever has already purchased the general guides) --- by popular request (3 requests just today!) the first one will be on the movement activities: silence, walking the line and bells combined into one guide (with an explanation as to why music is considered a movement exercise!)  This guide will cover primary and elementary together.
I am still taking input (desired topics, specific questions to have answered, etc) - if anyone wants to send me a list (I've received some long ones, so don't worry about length!).
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Garden of Francis
HS Elementary Montessori Training
Montessori Nuggets
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 22 2010 at 1:06am | IP Logged
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I've heard good things about these guides:New Child Montessori Guides
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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vmalott
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| Posted: June 12 2010 at 6:32pm | IP Logged
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Maggie wrote:
| I am really looking for something that says "do this activity today" and "this is good for math skills" or "this is good for hand-eye coordination" etc. |
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Theresa mentioned the New Child Montessori guides. I went ahead and ordered the summer one, because, like you, I was looking for something that would say, "do this today" etc. I am really pleased with it so far, though we haven't actually used it yet.
What I like about it is that it is seasonally thematic, yet within that seasonal theme, there are numerous Montessori activities suggested. So, the theme for the day or week might be oceans, and then for morning work there might be sandpaper letters, sorting shells, tracing or some practical life exercise. It's just kind of nice to have it laid out, because I honestly don't *think* about these things in an organized manner.
So, from me, the New Child guides are a big 
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Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
Seven Times the Fun
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Maggie
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| Posted: June 12 2010 at 7:55pm | IP Logged
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vmalott wrote:
Theresa mentioned the New Child Montessori guides. I went ahead and ordered the summer one, because, like you, I was looking for something that would say, "do this today" etc. I am really pleased with it so far, though we haven't actually used it yet.
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Those looked interesting, but upon further review, I noticed that they heavily incorporate yoga into the day, which really weirds me out due to New Age influences, etc.
Bummer...but it is great that the thematic organization is there...perhaps I can look again and ignore the yoga stuff. Hmmmm....
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Wife to dh (12 years) Mama to dd (10) ds (8), dd (1), ds (nb) and to Philip Mary (5/26/09), Lucy Joy (12/6/09), and Margaret Mary (3/6/10) who entered Heaven before we had a chance to hold them.
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JaysFamily
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| Posted: June 12 2010 at 9:11pm | IP Logged
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I'd like to pick your brain a bit more on these recommendations. My shelves are rapidly filling up, so I need to slow down a bit! How are these two books different? If you had to choose only one, which one would that be?
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In Christ,
Jaysfamily
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mother to DS(5)
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 12 2010 at 9:53pm | IP Logged
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JaysFamily wrote:
| I'd like to pick your brain a bit more on these recommendations. My shelves are rapidly filling up, so I need to slow down a bit! How are these two books different? If you had to choose only one, which one would that be? |
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If I could only choose one, I would choose Hainstock's book, Teaching Montessori in the Home, and I'd spend a lot of time soaking up ideas at Lori's blog, Montessori For Everyone.
Hainstock's book is comprehensive, readable, and breaks down presentations into steps as well as offering the purpose and control of error for different work. It is completely non-intimidating for the mom who is just beginning to integrate this in her home because it is so well laid out. If I were going to keep one book on my shelf for Montessori in the preschool years, it would be this one.
I'll give you a bit more information on Ms. Hainstock's book so you can get an idea of just how comprehensive this book is, while still managing to present ideas simply.
It contains 7 parts:
Part I - Montessori in the Home - great 19 page summary on Maria Montessori, her method, and ideas for preparing the home.
Part II - Practical Life Exercises - these form so much of a 3-6 yo's work, and they're so very doable and accessible since almost everything needed already lives in your home.
Part III - Early Sensorial Exercises - here's where we start to get into some typical Montessori materials with these presentations. Each of these sections start with a fabulous, non-intimidating introduction to the exercises contained within. This section has a wonderful presentation on the three-period lesson, which is a cornerstone of Montessori presentations. Of course, there are many other presentations offered.
Part IV - Reading and Writing Exercises - I really enjoyed the short section on the movable alphabet.
Part V - Arithmetic Exercises - the math materials and math portion of Montessori are often the most intimidating - it was for me! And yet, it is now perhaps my favorite aspect utilizing the Montessori method. It took diving in to understand. Though this section covers some bases, I was really helped so much with Montessori math presentations by Ms. Hainstock's other book, Montessori in the Home: the School Years (but we're only talking about one book...so I digress.) Anyway, this section includes some very basic math readiness, number recognition exercises.
Part VI - Home Montessori Equipment - how to make your own equipment with instructions, patterns, pictures. Need I say more?
Appendix - which actually contains a nice glossary of Montessori terms and some resources for finding Montessori toys and other Montessori books.
Great little book! Lots of value between the covers!
My 2 cents.
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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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vmalott
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| Posted: June 19 2010 at 9:47am | IP Logged
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Maggie wrote:
Those looked interesting, but upon further review, I noticed that they heavily incorporate yoga into the day, which really weirds me out due to New Age influences, etc.
Bummer...but it is great that the thematic organization is there...perhaps I can look again and ignore the yoga stuff. Hmmmm.... |
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FWIW, the yoga instructions in the book do not incorporate any New Age stuff. The poses are linked to the theme of the week, more or less. The info for one pose, Namaste (holding palms together, with thumbs pointing towards the heart), explains that it means "The love in me sees the love in you"...and that's about as "New Age" as it gets. There is no mention of chakras, etc.
And yes, you could very easily just ignore the yoga, since it's such a small part of the daily rhythm.
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Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
Seven Times the Fun
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Montessori Curricula?
