Google Doodle Celebrates Educator Maria Montessori

Google on Friday honored Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori with a homepage doodle celebrating her 142nd birth anniversary.


The drawing (below, right) features some of the tools that form the basis of Montessori's educational methods, which emphasize hands-on, individualized learning within mixed age groups in a child-friendly setting.

Montessori was born in 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy and early on rejected the traditional gender roles of her time, choosing to attend technical school, which few girls did, according to her NNDB biography. Upon graduation, she continued her education at the Regio Istituto Tecnico Leonardo da Vinci, where she excelled and developed a passion for the biological sciences.

In 1890, she applied to University of Rome but was denied entrance to the medical program because of her gender. Instead, she enrolled to study physics, mathematics, and the natural sciences and was eventually allowed to study medicine. In 1896, she presented her thesis to an all-male board and they were so impressed that they awarded her a full medical degree, making her the first female doctor in Italy.

After working in insane asylums with mentally handicapped children, in 1904 she began re-engineering the field of children's education. She believed that all children have an inner drive to learn, and that children learn best when in a safe, hands-on learning environment.

Montessori also found that children help teach each other when put into groups with other kids of their own age range. She believed that teachers should pay close attention to students, not the other way around.

Her early efforts were so successful that she amassed a large following of parents and teachers who wanted to learn her methods. She later gained support from Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, and Alexander Graham Bell, who founded the Montessori Educational Association, headquartered in Washington D.C.

Montessori died in 1952 in The Netherlands. Her methods are still in use today in public and private schools all over the world.

Google's co-founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, both went through the Montessori education system and have credited it for their success.

"I think it was part of that training of not following rules and orders and being self-motivated, questioning what's going on in the world, doing things a bit different," Page said in an interview with ABC (below).

For more from Angela, follow her on Twitter @amoscaritolo.

Potus Crashes Kids' State Dinner

Kid's State Dinner

Watch Live: Monday August 20, 2012 at 10AM EST
On Monday August 20, 2012 First Lady Michelle Obama will be hosting the first ever Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House welcoming 54 budding chefs to a formal luncheon in the East Room! The guests, who are aged 8-12, represent all U.S. states, three territories and the District of Columbia, and each of them (and their parents) submitted a healthy recipe as part of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge.

Nature Play as an Everyday Joy of Childhood?

Frequency Requires Proximity

• Posted by Ken Finch on June 25, 2012 at 12:02pm in C&NN Natural Families Network
• 
  
• Most of us who enjoyed nature play in our childhoods realize that it didn’t matter if we had a pristine patch of forest to play in or just a couple of vacant city lots.  Either way, there were endless things to find, explore, capture, imagine, and play with.  But what was important is that these places were right there, within our walking/running/biking distance.  No car, no parent, and no schedule were needed to get outside and play in nature.

The children and nature movement is fostering wonderful new ways for kids to play outdoors, such as designed natural playspaces, family nature clubs, and naturalized schoolyards.  These and other similar efforts are valuable steps – not only for the kids, but for parents who are reconsidering their children’s indoor, nature-deprived lives.  Yet most of these new approaches are challenged in one vital dimension: frequency. 

               

When Dr. Louise Chawla (University of Colorado) researched influential childhood experiences in nature, she found that, “The special places that stood out in memory, where people formed a first bond with the natural world, were always a part of the regular rhythm of life.”  Those powerful experiences didn’t typically come from annual family camping trips, but rather from day-after-day, week-after-week events in children’s lives.  Actually, no special research is needed to realize that frequent childhood activities have more lasting impact than ephemeral ones.  Practicing the violin once a month is not a very effective strategy!  Is it better than nothing?  Perhaps – but only if you set your sights very low.

The same equation applies to nature play.  If we want it to have maximum impact, then it needs to be “part of the regular rhythm of life.”  It seems unlikely that we can achieve this solely through monthly meet-ups or widely scattered playspaces – strategies that require parents, cars and calendars, and thus compete for time within families’ hectic schedules.  Are these approaches valuable?  Absolutely!  Are they sufficient?  Unlikely.

If we really want to power-up nature-based play, it needs to be available where children can enjoy it almost any day, without adult involvement or confining schedules.  For most kids this means either home yards or neighborhood parks – and (sadly) only the former is likely to alleviate the fears of 21^st-century American parents.  Can a typical quarter-acre suburban yard actually support nature play?  Or a city lot half that size?  Or an apartment courtyard?  The answer is yes, especially for kids of about two to eight years old.  Younger children’s worlds are much smaller than those of adults.  They don’t need sprawling spaces or eye-popping vistas.  Their attention naturally focuses on tiny and manipulable pleasures:  on dandelions rather than rose gardens; on earthworms rather than herds of bison; on a patch of dirt to dig in rather than a yawning cave to explore.

Unfortunately, the typical American yard is no haven for nature play.  Good nature play requires “rich” settings – that is, a diversity of plants, animals, and landforms that create endless opportunities for discovery and engagement.  Turf grass lawns, solitary shade trees, and a few neatly trimmed shrubs do not meet these criteria.  However, even the sparest yard can be augmented for good nature play with a little thought, a dose of elbow grease, and much less money than what those elaborate backyard play sets cost.

The key is to create yards with a “density of diversity:” a collection of micro-habitats that will harbor lots of natural discoveries and delights throughout the seasons.  These micro-habitats might include a shrub thicket, a wildflower garden, a jumbled pile of boulders, a tiny garden pond, a butterfly garden, a berry patch, a mass of tall native grasses, or even a space allowed to just grow into whatever comes up!  Once you’ve established a few of these tiny worlds in your yard, you can enhance them with a digging pit or a giant dirt pile, a couple of large logs, bird and toad houses, a bench or hammock in a quiet nook, and plenty of “loose parts” to nurture creative and constructive play.  These loose parts can be branches, driftwood, cattails, bamboo poles, boards, tree cookies (log slices), tarps, seed pods, pine cones, large boxes, hay bales, and whatever else you can readily scrounge up.

By focusing your primary efforts on creating multiple micro-habitats, you will ensure authentic nature play:  interactions with real nature, in all of its beauty, wonder, unpredictability, and adventure.  Manufactured outdoor play components – like the plastic play equipment designed to look natural – do not create the same connections to the natural world.  Kids can’t peel the bark off a plastic log to find rollie-pollies, and they won’t find monarch caterpillars feeding on fiberglass leaves.  In fact, one big, over-grown wildflower bed -- or a patch of flowering shrubs laced with tiny paths -- will bring more lasting and real nature play to your kids than will any human-made product! 

Note, though, that nature playscapes are more “messy” than most home landscaping, so you may want to keep much of your nature play zone in the backyard where it won’t generate hostility from neighbors who think front yards should look like golf greens.  However, certain nature play features are usually “dressy” enough to bring into front yards, like butterfly gardens, boulders, and herb gardens.  And by highlighting street-side nature play, you may encourage other local parents to think more about “kid-scaping” their own yards.  Nature play zones get better and better when more of your neighbors imitate and add to your own efforts!

None of these steps towards home-based nature play require great knowledge, training, or expense.  They can be implemented bit by bit, and your plans can be in constant flux as you discover what your kids and their friends most enjoy.  The ultimate goal is to create enough nature play “critical mass” so that your kids are excited to play in their own yards -- day after day, and whenever they wish.  Then nature play will be a regular joy for your children; then it will achieve the frequency needed to influence and benefit them for decades to come!

________________________________

A few suggested resources with ideas to support home-based nature play:

- “A Parents’ Guide to Nature Play” from Green Hearts Institute for Nature in Childhood:http://www.greenheartsinc.org/Parents__Guide.html

- National Wildlife Federation’s guidance on creating backyard wildlife habitats:

www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Outdoor-Activities/Garden-for-Wildlife/Crea...

“Nature Play:  Simple and Fun Ideas for All” from Forestry Commission England:

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7LSEHW

A Child’s Garden:  Enchanting Outdoor Spaces for Children and Parents, by Molly Dannenmaier

Plants for Play:  A Plant Selection Guide for Children’s Outdoor Environments, by Robin Moore

Natural Playscapes:  Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul, by Rusty Keeler

Searching for Montessori

Animals and Children

ANIMALS The attitude of respect for nature, plants and animals begins in the home and in the first years of life —spending as much time as is possible outside, in all seasons, experiencing animals in the natural world—listening to birds, collecting shells on the beach, reading about animals, learning to recognize and to name insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals.
Nature Table or Nature Shelf
Add to the nature area, or the special table or shelf you use for plant specimens, the child's collection of shells, found birds nests or old nests of insects, found bones and perhaps famous artwork depicting animals.
Caring for Animals
Children have a wonderful affinity for animals at an early age. Just as they are learning to be kind to each other, and to respect the environment in general, this is the time to show them exact ways to be kind to animals. One of the lessons I learned to give in my first training course in London was to pick up and hold a cat, beginning with giving attention to being quiet and moving slowly and carefully as one even approaches the cat. Then to speak with a gentle voice. And finally I learned to show the child exactly where to put his hands as he picks up the cat and gently cradles it to his chest. Children are delighted to learn the tiny details of caring for animals, and we should not expect them to automatically know how to treat animals without having had careful, hands-on lessons.

Observing Animals
Animals are best observed free in nature to show children how they really life, who they really are. If we hang a bird feeder  just outside the window and show the child how to sit quietly so that the birds won't be afraid, we provide a way to watch birds being natural, rather than in a cage. Binoculars give the child a feeling of participating in the birds' activities, and allow the child to watch birds from a distance. It is surprising to see how a child can focus and become still when the interest in watching an ant or a bird has been awakened. When an animal is going to visit the classroom, we must prepare, with the child, for all of the animal's needs ahead of time—comfort, exercise, food, warmth, gentle handling—and have the visit last only as long as the guest is comfortable. The consideration for the animal being more important than the satisfaction of our curiosity. In our home we kept two containers always clean and ready to receive a guest salamander or small garden snake. It takes no time at all to dig up a dandelion or another small plant, and to put it in the terrarium with a sprinkle of water for the animal to hide under for its short visit. A terrarium can be as elaborate as a ten-gallon aquarium with a wire top, or a simple jar.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that, even though it may be a short visit, the animal will need air. So if a container such as a large jar is used, be sure to show the child that there must be holes in the metal top, or show how to fasten cheesecloth with a rubber band to make a breathable top. There should also be moisture but it is easy to put too much water in a container than is comfortable for the creature. The visiting animal should not be in the class more than for the time it can be truly comfortable. Help the child understand that it is there just as a visitor, for us to look at and appreciate, to learn about how it moves, what kinds of parts of the body it has, how it eats, and so forth. Then we thank it for the opportunity and let it go. These lessons should be thought out ahead of time and presented slowly and carefully to the child. This shows that the adult respects the work and expects the child to be careful and to do his best.

Hatching cocoons in the home or the classroom is a truly magical experience for the child, and there are mail-order larvae available so that this can be done safely at the correct time. Observing the life cycle of one animal is a good way to introduce the amazing phenomenon of life cycles in different animals, and to present books and pictures that show the life cycles of other creatures, such as tadpole to frog, and the difference between placental and other mammals.

Language of Zoology
At first the language cards of zoology should be shown when the animal is present. For example after observing a snake, show the child a set of cards of reptiles, which will include several snakes.
When observing a fish, show the child the cards of the external parts of a fish. Then the external parts of amphibians, birds, and mammals. Point out the similarities and the differences between the body parts of these animals that those of the human, or the child. Which animals have eyes and a mouth? Which have legs? Then the child will discover the connection between front legs and arms, and the variety of placement of ears, and all kinds of other things.

When working on the maps of the continents, show the child the animals that come from different parts of the world, from which continents. When looking at a globe that shows mountains and rivers, etc., show her which animals live in different biomes. Books should be chosen carefully, the pictures real, and the text not just watered down adult text, but with facts of interest to the child. Give a child simple picture books, beginning reading books, but also advanced reference books. Look for pictures of entire animals, with a white background, so the child can see exactly what we mean when we point to a picture and call it "tiger" (and not "tiger and rock and bushes," or the "head of a tiger.")

Dissections
Just as dissection of flowers is not appropriate at this age, the dissection of animals, and studying internal parts, can be fearsome to the young child. This is put off for the curiosity and understanding of the older child, and even then only on found animals.

Art
Art is connected to zoology as it is to all areas of life. Drawing or painting, or working with clay, from nature, or from books, or from imagination, animals are an inspiration. Having beautiful art containing animals is an inspiration for the child to create her own.












This link is provided by Michael Olaf Montessori www.michaelolaf.net

Nature and Children

Solicitous care for living things affords satisfaction to one of the most lively instincts of the child's mind. 

Nothing is better calculated than this to awaken an attitude of foresight. — Maria Montessori


Nature Table or Nature Shelf
A little table or shelf, in the home or classroom, dedicated to a changing array of beautiful objects from nature, is a delight to children. Some suggestions are a vase of flowers, leaves, a colored leaf in the fall, or a plant experiment (from the biology curriculum for the 3-6 class). It is also the place where the botany experiments, to teach that a plant needs warmth, light, and water, can be carried out. In traditional classes an experiment like growing a seed might be done as a group, with one paper cup and seed for each child. But this kind of experiment always makes some of the children feel bad as their seed doesn't sprout, or introduces competition as one plant is taller than another. In a Montessori class there is just one seed in a cup, or experiment, for all children to share.

It is important to keep this area very clean, beautiful, and constantly changing. A little tray with a magnifying glass could be kept on the nature table for closer observation. In the 3-6 classroom a plastic mat, bucket and sponge; and a small drying towel are kept on a tray under or near the nature table. One of the favorite activities is to carefully clean the table and the items on the table.

Lay out a plastic mat and carefully remove everything from the shelf. If there are dry leaves or soil, show the child how to wipe them off the edge of the table and into his hand. Next show him how to dip and wring out the sponge, and to wipe the top of the table and the legs. With a drying cloth dry everything. Wipe and dry the plastic mat, then clean the sponge, hang the drying cloth up to dry and replace it with a fresh one. And replace the items on the table, letting the child decide on their arrangement. Now the child knows how to carry out this activity at any time, independently of an adult's permission. This gives the child the feeling of really caring for the beautiful objects and not just looking at them.

Plants
It is important for a child to spend some time in the outdoors experiencing nature every day if possible—in all kinds of weather and during all seasons. Going for a walk with a young child, if one follows the child's slow speed and unpredictable interests, can open our eyes to the world of nature like never before. Since this is the age that children want to know the names of everything (not the "why" and "how" as much as the names) we teach the names of plant, parts of the plant, kinds of roots and stems, parts of the root and stem, attachment of the leaf to the stem (such as alternate or opposite), any of the botanical concepts that will be learned later, as long as they are visible in the child's world, will work.

Flowers
Flower arranging is an important part of the ritual of beginning the day in many classrooms and can be done in the home. A selection of interesting tiny vases of different sizes and shapes, from different countries, is important. Just as with the cleaning of the nature table, a tray can be prepared with all of the items necessary for flower arranging: small vases, scissors to cut the flowers, a small pitcher to fill the vases and perhaps a funnel if the tops of the vases are small, and a sponge and drying cloth for cleaning up. Also a selection of handmade cotton doilies makes this ritual very special. Having these flower arrangements on the kitchen, living room, or classroom tables, even if they consist of only one small flower or fern in a vase, brings the child's attention to the beauty and variety of nature as he goes through the day. Don't be surprised if all the flowers and vases end up on the same table the first time. Grass, leaves, wildflowers, or cultivated flowers all make ideal art materials when they have been preserved in a flower press. In our home we have often kept previously dried leaves and flowers in a container next to the flower press ready for decorating birthday cards, or for including in letters.

If you are planning an outdoor environment for children at home or at school, be sure to include a space for wild specimens. Some of the best biological examples of leaf shapes, examples of the opposite or alternate attachments of the leaf to the stem, and so forth, can be found on wild plants such as dandelions and thistles. First we point out, invite to touch, and give the vocabulary for experiences and concepts such as orange, red, small, long, rough, smooth, bumpy, hard, and soft. This is a classification that even the beginning botanist can use. Very soon we can give more. The young child wants to know exact names of everything. Not just "flower" but "California poppy," and later, after exposure has stimulated an interest in plants, we can introduce the botanical names and further classification—such as kinds of leaf margins or flower corollas. Exposure to plants and animals initiates many important discussions that a wide vocabulary can enrich and make more satisfying.

Providing garden tools and a small wheelbarrow for the child, so that she can help to carry grass cuttings or anything else which needs to be transported, is an excellent way to involve the child with the yard work. Although the adult will often shy away from hard work, the young child will welcome important real work. This is the time to introduce gardening to children. Even one pot, inside or outside, with one plant, is better than nothing when there is no room for a large outside garden. 

It is important to show the child the end, as well as the beginning, of any of these activities. Sometimes endings can be separate activities so the child will be ready for them at the conclusion of a hard days work in the garden. For example, show the child exactly how to hold the shovel in order to carefully hang it up or place it where it belongs. Wherever the adult is sensitive to the child's natural need for order, there is a place for every tool. Children are shown how to clean and put away the tools, how to hold the wooden handles and polish the metal. These activities give a great feeling of satisfaction, independence, and completion of a job well done. 

Beautiful pictures of plants and flowers (photos, postcards, reproductions of great oil paintings) can be hung on the child's wall. You may be surprised at a child's preference for nonfiction books about nature when she has been kept in touch with nature.
This link is provided by Michael Olaf Montessori www.michaelolaf.net

Photos from Montessori Children's House -- May 2012

Lessons from the Lorax: 5 Ways to Help Your Kids "Speak for the Trees"

--from my friend Micaela's blog, Mindful Momma--

Unless you are living on a different planet, you've probably heard that Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is coming to town. Everywhere I look, there's another advertisement or product endorsement mentioning it. The adaptation of the classic book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is about to hit theatres on March 2nd and I can't wait to see it!

When Universal Pictures asked me to be part of a 12 stop, Lorax inspired, blog tour, I was happy to oblige because there are so many lessons to be learned from this story, which manages to be both beloved and a little bit controversial at the same time.

The Movie

The Lorax, in typical Dr. Seuss style, is full of silly characters with even sillier names. From what I've seen in the trailer, it has huge appeal to both kids and adults alike. Still, it deals with a very serious, environmental topic - what will happen if we use up all the beauty in our wonderful world? I'm so glad to see this message being broadcast to a national audience. Let's hope people listen.

The Lesson

The lesson that stands out for me is that we must all do our part to preserve this beautiful planet we are so lucky to live on. I think it is critical to start at an early age, teaching kids to take responsibility for how they treat the earth. Help your kids "speak for the trees" by establishing eco-minded chores and actions like these:

Conserve water - Teach kids to turn off the water when brushing their teeth and to take shorter showers.

Save energy - Make kids responsible for turning off the lights when they leave the room. Show them how you lower the heat at night or when you leave the house.

Recycle - Let kids help sort the recycling (with supervision for younger kids) and take it out to the curb on recycling day.

Pick up trash - Get kids involved in community garbage pick-up events. Teach through example by picking up trash you see around your neighborhood and disposing of it properly.

Get in the garden - Involve your kids in growing something, whether it is a garden at home or a community plot; one tomato plant or a huge veggie patch!

The Blog Tour

Yesterday, my friend Lori from Groovy Green Livin shared her Lessons from the Lorax post.  After me, there are only 4 stops left, including Sommer at Green & Clean Mom tomorrow. Check out all the stops on the blog tour - each one has a different perspective!

2/20 New Green Mama

2/21 The Green Parent  

2/22 Eco Child’s Play

2/23 The Smart Mama  

2/24 My Plastic Free Life  

2/27Retro Housewife Goes Green

2/28 Groovy Green Livin

2/29 Mindful Momma

3/1 Green and Clean Mom

2/2 Moms Going Green Blog

2/3   Kitchen Stewardship

2/4 Nature Moms

Do you plan to see The Lorax movie? How do you teach your kids to "speak for the trees?"

Kindergarten "redshirting." What would you do?

Very interesting 60 Minutes piece--
Do parents not feel that they are holding their children back a grade when they make this decision? I had not encountered this phenomenon until I opened our school here in the state of Minnesota. School entrance ages are already "old" here (5 years old by Sep.1st). My family was accustomed to 5 by Dec.1st and we continued with the system they started school with and enrolled them "early' by MN standards. To enroll even later than that seems strange to me. The curriculum they will encounter is designed for their age group in the traditional school system. It should not pose problems for them. I would appreciate feedback on this subject, as it is one I have been speaking to parents about increasingly at conference time.

Peace

Montessori Education Week Peace Lessons

Montessori Peace Lesson (Image from Montessori Opportunities)

February 26 -  March 2 will mark the 105^thanniversary of Montessori education. Montessori Education Week promotes respect for children and awareness of the Montessori method. Montessori Opportunities has more information and links about Montessori Education Week. There are also more links in the Living Montessori Now Community.

Montessori Peace Education

Peace education is an important part of Montessori education and is a common focus during Montessori Education Week. Some Montessori schools have a peace pole ceremony, a peace quilt, or a “Walk for Peace” or a Montessori Moment of Peace (generally observed at noon wherever you are):

Observe a moment of silence to respect those who work to bring peace to our world. Let us all observe a moment of peace on Monday, February 26.

You can also prepare a Montessori peace table in your home or classroom in honor of Montessori Education Week. Peace tables are used in many Montessori schools and homeschools.

Montessori Print Shop has some attractive yet inexpensive peace table cards and a link to a very helpful article on “Designing a Peaceful Classroom.” Here are links to two lovely ideas for Montessori peace tables from Montessori Mama and Mommy Moment. 

Here's to a more peaceful and joyful world!