Let Me Help: Supporting the Young Child at Home

This is an excerpt from the article -- Let Me Help: Supporting the Young Child at Home - by Karin Salzmann. Reprinted from Montessori Talks to Parents, NAMTA

In primitive societies, and even in quite recent times, children always participated in the life of the home. A sense of belonging, along with pride of accomplishment, help the child to grow up strong and secure.

When we begin to draw the child into family chores, there are, of course, difficulties. But taking time to show a child how to help is actually easier in the long run than trying to keep her occupied and out of the way. Because she will keep insisting, she will forever turn up underfoot. What she is saying is, “Let me help, let me be part of your life!” Or she will pull away: “I want to do it myself!” read more

Edible Schoolyard

inspirational
 video

Parent Evening

Although it has been two weeks since our school's parent evening, the importance of this first community event of the year is still fresh in our minds. Our hope is to welcome you and encourage you to embrace the life of the school. Your interest and support has tremendous impact in aiding your child in their first steps on their journey of lifelong learning. While the journey seems to have just begun for these young students, the very first steps have, of course, been taken in the home. Preschool especially is a time of partnership between the home and the school life. It is a bridge. Many parents ask what can be done to integrate the Montessori philosophy into the home environment? This is a fairly easy thing to carry out and so gratifying and empowering for the child.

The following are five qualities that we strive to encourage in the child in the Montessori environment:

Independence- self esteem comes from being able to carry things out on one's own.

Socialization- your child learning to manage himself in increasingly greater social environments.

Communication- the human need to communicate clearly, to understand and be understood.

Order- addressing the human need for patterns and structure. Applied both to the external world (your child's world) and the internal world (your child's mind). The mathematical mind.

Curiosity- The scientific mind.

Dr. Maria Montessori viewed the child as a member of a family, not as an isolated individual, and one whose most formative life experiences take place within the family. She recognized parents as a child's first and most influential teachers.

Practical ideas for the home:

1. Independence

Care of the Person:

Teach them slowly how to dress themselves

Allow them to choose from limited outfits

Give them a drawer or space in their own closet where they can choose their own clothing from

Teach them where to put soiled clothing

A dress up box can aid in this practice for young three year olds

Let them brush their own teeth

A low cupboard in the kitchen where they can choose their own snack

They can help set the table

Let them participate in the kitchen

Provide them their own tools for kitchen use

Let them choose and make their own breakfast

Clear the table

Wash dishes

Teach them bathroom hygiene- let them do it themselves

If toilet is too high, put a step on it

Teach them how to use utensils properly, no reason why they shouldn't be able to use a knife

Care of the Environment:

Low work spaces

Tools that are accessible to them (sponges, buckets, soap, water)

Put a step up to your kitchen sink

Keep things in one place as much as possible so that they will know where to put them back

In the kitchen: measuring, pouring, stirring, spreading, cutting, peeling, grating, washing, seeding,

Watering the plants around the house

Wiping the table or counters

Washing hands

Mopping the floor

Making their own bed

Preparing their clothes for next day

Opening and closing curtains

Feeding animals

Putting dirty clothes in hamper

How to treat their toys

2. Social Relations

Practice wanted behaviors

Praise

Talk about positive things you see in them

Talk about positive things you see in others

“Catch them being good”

Let them hear you saying good things about others, including children, notice more of what you DO want them to do

Clear limits to unacceptable behavior

Talk about your values and what you find important

Model your beliefs

3. Communication

Clear precise communication with your child

Talk a lot with them, explain things

Sing

Read to them even when they can already read for themselves- they love the same books over and over

Let them see you reading

Tell them true stories

Prohibitions should be clear (and you should hold yourself accountable as well)

Give words to feelings

Introduce complex vocabulary

Stick to your own best language

Give realistic choices

Let them be a part of family meals

4. Order

Routines! Morning routines, and bedtime routines especially

Things have a place in your child's room, then he will know where to put them away

Not too many toys

Not too many activities to do- time to process the day is necessary

Limited sets of clothing to choose from

Limited work space

How to treat their toys

Tell them what happens before, and what will happen after

Make a picture schedule and talk about it

Give them real world word problems

Notice patterns with them

5. Curiosity, Creativity

Listen to what they have to say!

Outdoor provides much opportunity for exploration

Let them solve their own problems

Ask them what they think about things

Wonder with them

Read

Expose them to art

Give them tools for expression

Open ended toys

Book Lists:

Parent/Child Press       AMS       NAMTA

                                                                               

              

   

Toys and other materials that support Montessori ideas

for the home and school are available through

Michael Olaf

Little Red Robin

and

For Small Hands

 

Signs of Fall

Seasonal field trips are a classic and well-loved tradition for all schools. The child experiences something new with her learning community as they go out together into the wider world beyind the school environment. What excitement and positive stimulation it creates for them, even more special because it is shared as a group. Leaving the classroom for a field trip places the kids in a different social environment. They encounter a new set of adults and possibly other children during the course of the average field trip. These interactions teach them how to behave in different settings. They employ more self-control because it is a less contained environment than the classroom. It fosters a sense of teamwork and community among the students as they experience a field trip together.

Back to school with media awareness

Is your child ready for a successful school year?


Every school year brings new questions for parents.

Is my child ready? Can my kids really get homework done while

checking their Facebook pages? How do I set them up for success?



Get answers to these questions and more in the

NEW MediaWise Back-to-School Tune-Up Guide!



Get the guide!
http://www.mediafamily.org/back-to-school/index.shtml

Red Cross Back-to-School Lesson on H1N1

http://www.flufacts.com/about/default.aspx

A Red Cross Back-to-School Lesson: Keep Your Children Healthy with H1N1 Prevention
Thursday, August 13, 2009 — As a new school year gets underway, health officials are bracing for another wave of the H1N1 flu virus to hit the United States in the months ahead. And one of the first lessons that parents can teach their children this school year is healthy living steps.
The American Red Cross encourages parents to take a series of flu-prevention steps now to help keep their children healthy and to prepare for the possibility of a flu outbreak in schools. These include:
Teach kids proper and consistent hand washing techniques.
Tell them to avoid sharing objects such as utensils, cups, and bottles.
Show them how to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough or sneeze and wash their hands afterwards. If they don’t have a tissue, tell them to cough or sneeze into their elbow or upper arm, not their hands.
Teach them to keep hands away from their eyes, nose and mouth to keep germs from entering the body.
A recent poll conducted by the Red Cross showed more than a third of parents (39%) had received no flu information from their child’s school or daycare. Mom and Dad should talk with the school about what the plans are for a potential flu outbreak.The Red Cross also encourages parents to prepare for the potential spread of the H1N1 virus by talking with family members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if they got sick.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people with flu-like symptoms stay home – except to seek medical care or other necessities – for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone. The fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.
We have more information available on the H1N1 pandemic and what you can do to stay healthy and keep your family healthy. Currently, the Red Cross is monitoring the developing situation and is in close contact with federal and state officials, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security. At this time the best action the public can take is to prepare and prevent further spread of the virus.

Keeping Up on Early Childhood Policy Issues

The State of the Union for our early learners--

From Washington DC: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/Education/

Focus on Early Childhood Education
The years before a child reaches kindergarten are among the most critical in his or her life to influence learning. President Obama is committed to providing the support that our youngest children need to prepare to succeed later in school. The President supports a seamless and comprehensive set of services and support for children, from birth through age 5. Because the President is committed to helping all children succeed – regardless of where they spend their day – he will urge states to impose high standards across all publicly funded early learning settings, develop new programs to improve opportunities and outcomes, engage parents in their child’s early learning and development, and improve the early education workforce.

From Minnesota:http://www.ready4k.blogspot.com/
Early childhood care and education in Minnesota 7 Key planning gaps
Based on a review of the available information related to early childhood care and education in the areas of school readiness outcomes for children, leadership, public engagement, resources and financing, policy reforms, programs and services, and quality, the Minnesota Build Initiative has identified these system planning gaps:
• Minnesota has no consensus on a statewide vision for early childhood education. Minnesota needs a plan that articulates a vision for a coordinated, comprehensive early childhood system in Minnesota and spells out the cost to fully implement it.
• Advocates for early childhood need a concrete vision in order to engage the public.
• We need better coordination among state agencies responsible for programs serving children and families.
• We must elevate early care and education as a legislative priority.
• At the local level, there are very few examples of early care and education governance models that assess community strengths and gaps and promote integration of early childhood programs. • Early childhood care and education have few clearly identified champions such as business CEOs, police chiefs, mayors, or school officials.
• We need a comprehensive review of funding for early childhood care and education through foundations, United Way, and employers. Additionally, we must review research on all funding streams, including federal, for early childhood education in Minnesota.
• No clear vision is shared statewide for quality measures for the early care and education system and infrastructure.
• The State of Minnesota needs an ongoing statewide monitoring system for assessing the developmental status of children at the time of school entry.

From Northfield:http://www.nfld.k12.mn.us/FamilyServices/childinitiative.shtml

Like the wiring process in a young child’s brain, the
Minnesota Early Childhood Intitiative is transforming
communities – relationship by relationship. Through an
organic process carried out in communities throughout
greater Minnesota to identify and plan strategies to
ensure that all children thrive, five key components of
a nurturing community emerged. Backed up by research
evidence, these components are:
􀂃 Strong families – The Initiative works to build
trusting relationships and partnerships that support
healthy choices and connect parents to information
and resources on their own terms.
􀂃 Engaged community members – Young children
need advocates, and when people understand what
children need to succeed, they pitch in to improve
conditions and outcomes for them. Engagement
tends to breed more engagement.
􀂃 Effective and coordinated early care and education –
By coordinating efforts to produce essential
information, eliminate duplication, and fill service
gaps, early care and education professionals
increase their own community connections, sense
of mutual trust, and opportunities for service
coordination.
􀂃 Early learning opportunities – The Initiative
empowers parents with information and supports
child care providers to help children gain literacy
skills and to develop cognitively, socially,
emotionally and/or physically.
􀂃 Ready schools – The Initiative eases the transition
to kindergarten by building relationships between
parents, teachers, and schools and by promoting
parent involvement in their children’s education.

Gettin' 'r Done

Isn't it nice to have good news coming out of the White House?

Not long ago, the first lady planted the first seeds for the White House's own organic garden. Now the Obamas want to expand the idea to set up a farmers market just outside the White House. read more

Open House Week

It's Open House time at Montessori Children's House. All of this week the school is open to the public from 10:00 am to 12:00pm. Come and see our classrooms and gardens. Visit with the animals that are back from their summer homes and stroll around the pumpkin patch--weeding is welcome.

The Child in the Kitchen

The long relaxing days of summer are such a perfect time to start meaningful traditions in the home with young children. Cooking is a marvelous one to begin now.
Children love to cook and EAT. So many lessons--from why do we wash our hands and where does food come from--are made more real for the child in the kitchen. Shopping and better yet, growing some of your own food, makes the experience even more valuable. Children really do love to help in a meaningful way--peeling the carrots or washing lettuce is a genuine and fun way for them to contribute. Working together in the kitchen also affords the perfect opportunity to dialogue about good nutrition and what making healthy choices actually means.
Resources are plentiful for families today to incorporate the child's participation in this basic activity of home life. Any search on the internet or at the public library will easily fill your information pantry to the top.

Molly Katzen's cookbook, Pretend Soup, is a favorite at our school with great step by step illustrations for the child to follow. You may even be inspired to record your cooking experiences in a child's or family recipe book (the relatives are just waiting for this gift, right?)
http://www.molliekatzen.com/kids.php
Mollie and notable others have some things to say about children in the kitchen:
How and when did you start cooking?I started make-believe cooking when I was a toddler, using invisible ingredients, plus grass, flowers, and mud. I started cooking with real food when I was about 8 or 9. My mother and grandmother let me follow them around the kitchen, and I was entranced. I tested and wrote my first recipe when I was 9. It was for a chocolate dessert that leaked out of the oven door and across the floor. My wonderful, patient mother, instead of yelling at me, said, "Well this is certainly original. Let's give it a name." We called it "Creeping Australian BooBoo." Lacking the good sense to be deterred, I went on to write many more recipes over the next 35+ years. Somewhere along the way, I figured out how to have things stay in the oven.--Mollie Katzen

Thank you, Michelle Obama--“There’s nothing really cooler,” Mrs. Obama said, “than coming to the White House and harvesting some of the vegetables and being in the kitchen with Cris and Sam and Bill, and cutting and cooking and actually experiencing the joys of your work.”
For children, she said, food is all about taste, and fresh and local food tastes better.
“A real delicious heirloom tomato is one of the sweetest things that you’ll ever eat,” she said. “And my children know the difference, and that’s how I’ve been able to get them to try different things.
“I wanted to be able to bring what I learned to a broader base of people. And what better way to do it than to plant a vegetable garden in the South Lawn of the White House?”
For urban dwellers who have no backyards, the country’s one million community gardens can also play an important role, Mrs. Obama said.
But the first lady emphasized that she did not want people to feel guilty if they did not have the time for a garden: there are still many changes they can make.
“You can begin in your own cupboard,” she said, “by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/dining/20garden.html

And, of course, Alice Waters--
Why do you think involving children in growing food and preparing it can make such a big difference for kids? My solution is not to try to feed children in the same way that fast food nation does — which is to figure out a gimmick to get them to eat something. It’s to bring them into a whole relationship with food that’s connected to nature and our culture.
No other country thinks about food as just fueling up. It’s always connected to the seasons, to nature, to what’s growing, to celebrations with family and friends. It’s a kind of moment in the day when you collect your thoughts and stop to sit down and to eat. Food is considered precious and vital, and farmers are treasured. We’ve allowed ourselves to be completely indoctrinated into another way of thinking about food in this country.http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/alice-waters-takes-kids-beyond-chicken-nuggets/?apage=3

Even Rachael Ray-- how does a cooking class help a child overcome his or her circumstances?
It literally changes the quality of your life to be able to eat good food. It improves the nutrition of a child, and therefore it improves his or her health. But I think it’s also a self-esteem issue. I think we should get our kids into the kitchen not only for their health, but because being able to provide good food for yourself is very empowering. Being able to cook a simple meal and feed your family at the end of the day really feeds your soul.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/rachael-ray-wants-kids-in-the-kitchen/

And the wonderful Julia Child--credits her early years in a Montessori school with the preparation of her hand and mind for cooking.
“Any child who is self-sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, which is derived from a sense of independence.” --Dr. Maria Montessori (Maria Montessori concluded that the child needed meaningful work by which she could construct her personality. Thus, practical life and the Montessori method itself were born.)
Bon Appetit!

Summer Rabbit Action

The summer break from school can be difficult for a bunny. Bela has a very quiet lifestyle during July and August, but he has become a new father. Summer School visiting rabbits Snowflake and Cleo spent time with Bela in the goose pen and now Snowflake has six babies. Congratulations!

New Book

Pre-order Micaela's book--Practically Green-- at amazon.com

Mindful Momma

View Micaela Preston's blog for green parenting tips.

http://mindfulmomma.typepad.com/

Nearby Nature

Hiking

http://www.rbnc.org/

Camping

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/nerstrand_big_woods/index.html

Children & Nature Network

The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working worldwide to reconnect children with nature. C&NN provides access to the latest news and research in the field and a peer-to-peer network of researchers and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children's health and well-being.

http://www.childrenandnature.org/

Field Notes from the Future

These selected articles and recent writings by Richard Louv expand on events and initiatives in the children and nature movement, its leadership, strategies and vision for the future. Richard Louv is an author and journalist focused on nature, family and community.

http://www.childrenandnature.org/blog/

The Child in the Kitchen

The long relaxing days of summer are such a perfect time to start meaningful traditions in the home with young children. Cooking is a marvelous one to begin now.

Children love to cook and EAT. So many lessons--from why do we wash our hands and where does food come from--are made more real for the child in the kitchen. Shopping and better yet, growing some of your own food, makes the experience even more valuable. Children really do love to help in a meaningful way--peeling the carrots or washing lettuce is a genuine and fun way for them to contribute. Working together in the kitchen also affords the perfect opportunity to dialogue about good nutrition and what making healthy choices actually means.

Resources are plentiful for families today to incorporate the child's participation in this basic activity of home life. Any search on the internet or at the public library will easily fill your information pantry to the top.

Molly Katzen's cookbook, Pretend Soup, is a favorite at our school with great step by step illustrations for the child to follow. You may even be inspired to record your cooking experiences in a child's or family recipe book (the relatives are just waiting for this gift, right?)

http://www.molliekatzen.com/kids.php

Mollie and notable others have some things to say about children in the kitchen:

How and when did you start cooking?
I started make-believe cooking when I was a toddler, using invisible ingredients, plus grass, flowers, and mud. I started cooking with real food when I was about 8 or 9. My mother and grandmother let me follow them around the kitchen, and I was entranced. I tested and wrote my first recipe when I was 9. It was for a chocolate dessert that leaked out of the oven door and across the floor. My wonderful, patient mother, instead of yelling at me, said, "Well this is certainly original. Let's give it a name." We called it "Creeping Australian BooBoo." Lacking the good sense to be deterred, I went on to write many more recipes over the next 35+ years. Somewhere along the way, I figured out how to have things stay in the oven.--Mollie Katzen

Thank you, Michelle Obama--“There’s nothing really cooler,” Mrs. Obama said, “than coming to the White House and harvesting some of the vegetables and being in the kitchen with Cris and Sam and Bill, and cutting and cooking and actually experiencing the joys of your work.”

For children, she said, food is all about taste, and fresh and local food tastes better.

“A real delicious heirloom tomato is one of the sweetest things that you’ll ever eat,” she said. “And my children know the difference, and that’s how I’ve been able to get them to try different things.

“I wanted to be able to bring what I learned to a broader base of people. And what better way to do it than to plant a vegetable garden in the South Lawn of the White House?”

For urban dwellers who have no backyards, the country’s one million community gardens can also play an important role, Mrs. Obama said.

But the first lady emphasized that she did not want people to feel guilty if they did not have the time for a garden: there are still many changes they can make.

“You can begin in your own cupboard,” she said, “by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/dining/20garden.html

And, of course, Alice Waters--

Why do you think involving children in growing food and preparing it can make such a big difference for kids? My solution is not to try to feed children in the same way that fast food nation does — which is to figure out a gimmick to get them to eat something. It’s to bring them into a whole relationship with food that’s connected to nature and our culture.

No other country thinks about food as just fueling up. It’s always connected to the seasons, to nature, to what’s growing, to celebrations with family and friends. It’s a kind of moment in the day when you collect your thoughts and stop to sit down and to eat. Food is considered precious and vital, and farmers are treasured. We’ve allowed ourselves to be completely indoctrinated into another way of thinking about food in this country.http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/alice-waters-takes-kids-beyond-chicken-nuggets/?apage=3

Even Rachael Ray-- how does a cooking class help a child overcome his or her circumstances?

It literally changes the quality of your life to be able to eat good food. It improves the nutrition of a child, and therefore it improves his or her health. But I think it’s also a self-esteem issue. I think we should get our kids into the kitchen not only for their health, but because being able to provide good food for yourself is very empowering. Being able to cook a simple meal and feed your family at the end of the day really feeds your soul.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/rachael-ray-wants-kids-in-the-kitchen/

And the wonderful Julia Child--credits her early years in a Montessori school with the preparation of her hand and mind for cooking.

“Any child who is self-sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, which is derived from a sense of independence.” --Dr. Maria Montessori (Maria Montessori concluded that the child needed meaningful work by which she could construct her personality. Thus, practical life and the Montessori method itself were born.)

Bon Appetit!

"Whoever touches the life of a child touches the most sensitive point of a whole, which has roots in the most distant past and climbs toward the infinite future."
Dr. Maria Montessori

http://www.mchnorthfield.com/

The Child in Nature

"What did you do outside today?"
"I just played."
Translation: "I followed a croaking sound to the edge of the marsh until I found a bullfrog, I watched a cloud turn into a big fluffy bunny,I figured out that you have to go to the end of the line each time after you are up in kickball."
You can ask any expert about the importance of unlimited time outdoors for a child. They will tell you about the need for a connection to nature, the necessity for developing imagination without electronic stimulation, the socio-emotional building blocks going missing every second the child stays indoors.
Better, I think, to ask the child.
"What can you do outside tomorrow?"
"Play some more."
Focus, listen, share your own experiences.
"I used to go down to the marsh, too..."
Don't just follow the frog on the screen, go on out and find the real thing.

http://www.childrenandnature.org/