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Marjorie
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| Posted: Oct 17 2006 at 4:13pm | IP Logged
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When is it too late to introduce Montessori? I love the idea of hands on activities for my kindergartener but so many of them seem aimed at younger children and I have virtually no budget for materials. I also have a 3rd and a 4th grader that require a lot of Mom help, so it would be great to have more learning centers for Pippin (K) where he could entertain himself. What would you suggest?
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Marjorie
Lettres de mon Moulin
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Oct 17 2006 at 4:26pm | IP Logged
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I hope it's not too late! That is exactly what I am trying to do with my dd in K. And out of necessity, everything I have done has been on the cheap. If you are interested I have a page on my blog showing some of the Montessori-inspired activities I have done with her
here
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Marjorie
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| Posted: Oct 17 2006 at 4:43pm | IP Logged
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Theresa,
Actually, reading your blog (daily :-)is one of the major reasons I want to try to implement this chez moi! I love what you are doing - it just looks so intimidating. I fear that by the time I get things together he will have outgrown it  All the more reason to get started, but where? What would you suggest?
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Marjorie
Lettres de mon Moulin
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Kim F
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Marjorie the Montessori method is used in public and private schools through highschool so no, K is definitely NOT too late. You might want to check out some Elementary level resources and put your energy there you will have materials she can grow into. Your older students can use these too.
montessoritraining.net has samples of elementary level work. Also Elizabeth Hainstock's Teaching Montessori in the Home: The School Years is an excellent investment. It will take you from K though mid elementary at least. Personally I bought base ten blocks instead of making or buying the golden beads for math. Anything else can be made by visiting sites like montessorimaterials.org
The file folder games mentioned on this forum, though not purist Montessori, are great starter activities also and will buy you time while you work with other students.
One thing to keep in mind is that the heart of Montessori is attitude and environment. You don't need a lot of 'stuff'. You also don't need lots of mom-presented lessons. If that is getting you down then you might want to reassess your curriculum and start steering towards more independent learning materials. Sooner or later for many of us there is one you and more than one student. Best if they can throw themselves into learning with you guiding vs having to have things filtered through mom.
Let us know if we can help!
Kim
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Angel
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I am trying to do Montessori with my 10 yo and 7 yo, as well as my 3 yo (and I guess my 1 yo twins as well). My 3 yo is starting where you're "supposed to", I guess, but I did not try to incorporate Montessori into our homeschool until last year, when I had a 3rd grader and a 1st grader. There isn't as much guidance out there for elementary as for 3-6, it's true, but there is more now than when I first began looking. The books which have probably been most helpful to me (for starting Montessori later) are:
Montessori in the Classroom
Montessori Today
The Secret of Childhood
Natural Structure
I also likethe Montessori Services catalogfor ideas and resources in preparing the environment. The pictures of their practical life sets are particularly valuable to me as inspiration.
In one of the Paula Polk Lillard books, she states that Montessori is a philosophy more than a set of materials, so that a "classroom" using no traditional Montessori materials can actually be more "Montessori" than one using the actual materials in a way counter to the spirit of the method. So I wouldn't worry about not being able to afford the materials. If you join the Montessorimakers yahoo group, you'll find lots of help in making your own materials. (Like Kim, however, I do have a good set of base10 blocks.)
I am personally trying to work toward a few basic principles in our home:
freedom within limits
meeting the child where he/she is
fostering independence
To me, those are the basics underlying the method. A prepared environment is simply a means to achieve them.
Now I just have to figure out how to prepare an environment with the destructive duo crawling around, getting into everything! 
--Angela
Mom to 3+2 
Three Plus Two
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Angel
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Actually, now that I think about it, I think that the *real* basic assumption of Montessori is that children were created by God to become unique individuals, with their own special purposes in life. And it's up to us to help them discover who they were meant to be, and what their special purpose is.
I think materials are really secondary to that philosophy. And of course, if one follows that philosophy, then it doesn't matter if a child is 3 or 17.
--Angela
Mom to 3+2
Three Plus Two
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Kim F
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then it doesn't matter if a child is 3 or 17. >.
Or 39 ; D
Seriously I think Montessori principles are helping ME to become a better person right now at this late stage of life. Order, self discipline, peacefulness - those things are good for any age and can always use improvement.
Kim
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StephanieA
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I formally studied Montessori in college, working towards a degree in the field. My experience is, while Montessori schools normally end at the latest by 6th grade, the concepts learned and established last a life time. To me the environment is paramount.
The "equipment" is secondary, and I have found materials not necessarily labeled as Montessori, but are as wonderful as the Montessori manipulatives.
An example of environment: My sister is fortunate enough to live near 3 different Montessori schools. Her oldest daughter is enrolled at one that fits this child's personality to a tee. However, my sister knows this won't be a fit for long because the director is openly (morally) liberal (lapsed Catholic and rather proud of it  . The other school is run by an openly g*y women, but does Montessori "by the book" and is quite successful in relaying the concepts of Maria Montessori. The third school is packed with a waiting list years long. So my sister is reconsidering homeschooling. She was always hesitant to do this because she didn't have all the equipment. But she is learning that somethings are simply more important than others.
Blessings,
Stephanie
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Too late for Montessori?
