Sunday, April 20, 2008

Happy, Happy Days!!!

Wow! I certainly was on my soapbox last week, I will try not to do that too often. I tend to have a hard time keeping my opinions to myself when it comes to Montessori. I just have to say that Stacey and I are having the best time being with your children. Their sweet little faces and irresistible personalities are what keeps us moving each day. The pictures that you see below are some of their favorite works. Their focus and concentration is being stretched and strengthened as the weeks go by.
One of the many new works just put in the classroom is the Binomial Cube. The children seem to love it, and it just happens to be one of my favorite works too! It's a two-layered cube that uses three-dimensional forms, the cube and rectangular prism.
We just have got to let you know that we will be making the jump into full days starting in August! Yes, we think we are ready for it and yes, we are very excited! We will be here from 7:30 until 5:30 each day, that is Monday thru Friday. It reminds me of a time many years ago when Stacey was just thirteen years old. I had been mulling around the idea of Homeschooling her in 7th and 8th grade. But it felt like a great big commitment and alot of work but work that would also be rewarding. I just wasn't sure I was ready, but the day was fast approaching and I was put on the spot by her. She sat across the kitchen table from me with a twinkle in her eye and a great big smile on her face and said "come on Mom, lets just do it!" How could I resist. I feel the same way today. I just feel very grateful to each one of you who have made our journey so fun and memorable.



Botany Puzzle
Binomial Cube
Binomial Cube
Numerals and Counters
United States Map
Money Counting and Exchange
World Map Tracing
Counting
Snake Game
Numerals and Counters
Botany Puzzle
Watering the Garden
Our Little Garden
Addition with Counters

Thursday, April 10, 2008

CHILDREN AT MONTESSORI SCHOOLS ARE BETTER EDUCATED

Those are bold words! But words that I can agree with 100%.

I want to share with you portions of an article published in the journal Science. Dr. Angeline Lillard along with several other researchers compared children aged 3 to 12 at a Montessori school in Milwaukee with those at other schools in the same area. They were tested for mental performance, academic abilities, and social and behavioral skills. Here are some of their findings:
  • Five-year-old Montessori pupils were better prepared for reading and maths, and 12-year-olds wrote significantly more creative essays using more sophisticated sentence structures.
  • Some of the biggest differences were seen in social skills and behavior.
  • Montessori children displayed a greater sense of "justice and fairness", interacted in an "emotionally positive" way, and were less likely to engage in "rough play" during break times.
  • The method discourages traditional competitive measurements of achievement, such as grades and tests, and instead focuses on the individual progress and development of each child.
  • Not only were five-year-old primary school children better prepared for the "three Rs" at elementary level, they also had higher scores in tests of "executive function". This is the ability to adapt to changing and complex problems, and is seen as an indicator of future school and life success.
  • Older Montessori pupils were more likely to choose "positive assertive responses" when dealing with unpleasant social situations, said the researchers.
  • The scientists concluded: "Montessori education fosters social and academic skills that are equal or superior to those fostered by a pool of other types of schools."

Dr. Lillard plans to continue the research by tracking students from both groups over a longer period of time. She also hopes to repeat the study at other Montessori and traditional schools, and assess specific Montessori techniques.

IDEAS FOR THE HOME:

MATH...............

Ask your child to help you match and count socks when folding laundry.

LANGUAGE.............

Read to your child everyday. Point out things within the pictures or text that you find interesting to encourage discussion.

PRACTICAL LIFE.................

Have a small area on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator with a small pitcher of water and snacks. This way they can pour themselves a drink and get a snack whenever they are thirsty or hungry.

SENSORIAL..............

Expose children to a wide variety of experiences, especially outside. Give names to different textures, sights and sounds which give language to sensory experiences

Several of the children are so close to reading, it is so exciting! This past week we have been working so hard on the Moveable Alphabet with these children. At Circle Time we explored the science behind Sink and Float. They were able to choose objects from the classroom for the demonstration. It also became a math work by graphing who believed the object would sink and who believed the object would float. The children were pretty much right every time. We also learned about our five senses this being introduced by way of a book. With a discussion afterwards. Your children are such a joy to be around we really love being with them.

Out of the mouths of babes...........

Nayvi, Sage and Dakota were sitting on the bench. Nayvi and Sage were fighting over who was going to marry Dakota. Dakota said "don't worry girls I can marry both of you."


Bead Stair
Object/ Picture Matching
Numerals & Counters
Moveable Alphabet
Word/ Picture Puzzle
Counting
Moveable Alphabet
Moveable Alphabet
Swing Fun
Practical Life
Classification Cards
Object/ Picture Matching
Classification Cards

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Project Garden!

Vocabulary Rhyming Work
Pre-Reading Vocabulary Work
The Children Love to Eat Outside!

This week we worked on our Spring planting. We planted corn, cucumbers, green onions, soy beans (not sure how these will work out), basil, carrots, watermelon and pumpkins. The children can't wait to see them grow! They want to water it 10 times a day! For share day Ms. Stacey brought in her new puppy to play with the children. This was a great opportunity for us to talk about the responsibilities of caring for a pet. We talked about feeding them, bathing them, and cleaning up their messes.