Winter Workshop

We held our first MCH Parent Workshop--Montessori in the Home--in early December. What a nice way for families to plan additions or changes to their home environments in order to accommodate the growing independence of their children. With the winter upon us in full force it is a perfect time to create new and stimulating areas in your home. We hope you can use some of the ideas from our winter workshop. Happy nesting!

Please e-mail if you would like a copy of the presentation sent to you. We would be happy to provide it.

Ideas for the home from Montessori Mama's Blog

 An example from You Tube

a different kind of black friday - low cost "big" gifts for children

 

While I have been putting together a new workshop for families at Montessori Children's House this Saturday, I have come upon so many wonderful ideas for children. I am so impressed with the ideas out there that I must put them out here for our community too. This is from one of my favorite bloggers at Sew Liberated. Enjoy--

I thought you would get a kick out of my Black Friday "shopping" excursion this morning. It started at the end of my parents' driveway where I grabbed a handful of newspapers that had been put at the curb to be recycled. I threw those in the back of the car and headed to the craft store, where I bought four styrofoam balls and some masking tape.

Styrofoam balls, masking tape, newspaper, flour and water ... all I need to begin my most ambitious holiday handmade gift of the season. Puppets. Four of them, with a door frame puppet theater from fabric in my stash. I'm planning on using the tutorial for the theater below, which can be found atPetite Purls. 

Photo, design and tutorial by Nancy Anderson

I've been thinking a lot this holiday season about being thrifty. Since so many of us are needing to tighten the belts of our gifting budgets, I thought I'd point to some great, low-cost ideas for children's gifts.

• Put together a new playspace for your child, using thrifted furniture cut down to size (i.e. saw off the legs of an old desk to make a child-sized table. Again, more on this later!) Here's an article with some helpful ideas.
• Organize a spectacular dress-up area. Keep your eyes peeled for fun hats, shoes and outfits during thrifting excursions, or make your own. Dedicate a space for dress up in your home - set up one of those cheap wall mirrors next to a peg shelf. Add ribbon loops to all shirts and pants so they can be hung from the peg shelf, assuring that they are easily accessible to children and don't get lost in a bottomless toy chest. Place shoes and accessories in bins below the peg shelf. Remember to rotate the items on occasion to maintain the child's interest.
• Put together a "kit-in-a-box" gift that caters to your child's particular interests. I thought the veterinarian's case Amanda put together for her daughter was amazing. You could take this idea and apply it to any interest - an field explorer's kit, a baking kit, a sewing kit, a florist's kit ... really any interest you see emerging in your child could be nourished through such a gift.
• Stock your child's play kitchen with handmade felt food.
• Set up a birding area near a large window in your home.
• Re-organize and re-stock your child's art space or reading nook.

Leave a comment to share your own ideas!

How to talk with your child about their day at preschool

I am passing this along from another blog. Seems timely after our first parent evening last week.

A few parents have asked me what words they can use to discuss their child's preschool day with them.  And one in particular asked me to do a blog post about it.  I thought that was a great idea, so here is the post.

It can be difficult to get much information from your preschooler about their day.  There are a variety of reasons for this.  For one, they are often so fluidly moving from activity to activity that it could literally be hard for them to recall specific things they did.  Another factor is that they may be questioned about their preschool day several hours after preschool and that can also affect their memory of the specifics (how well those of us who are "older" can understand this one!!).  And, of course, another factor may be that the words adults use to ask them about their day may be different from the words we use to describe things at school.  So the child becomes confused by the question and is unable to offer much information.  I am hoping this post will help some with the latter issue.  I'm not sure much can be done to remedy the other issues, but it will definitely will help to use the right "jargon".

First, at school we refer to the materials and activities mostly as "work."  This is just kind of a Montessori thing.  Many or most of the materials wouldn't necessarily be called "toys", nor would the children necessarily think that they "played with" things.  So if you ask them questions like, "What did you play with?" or "What toys did you play with?", you are unlikely to get much of a response.  However, if you say, "What did you work with?" or "What work did you do?" or "What did you take off the shelf?", you may yield better answers.

Second, if you aren't getting a lot of specifics about the "work" your child is doing, don't give up on trying to have a conversation with them about their day.  It may be that their "work time" is not standing out in their mind as the most salient or "important" part of their day.  That doesn't mean they aren't learning or busy during work time.  Rather, there just may be other parts of our preschool day that are more preferred by your child.  If this is the case, you could ask them things like, "What songs did you sing on the line today?"  If you read my blog regularly and have a child in my class, I will try to post most of our songs under the sidebar category called "Montessori---Group Activities".  So you could specifically ask them if they sang the "Bakery Shop" song, for example. 

If your child loves being outdoors, you could ask them about what they did outside or who they played with.  For many children, this is a highlight of their preschool day.  Additionally, most children will at least tell you about what they had for snack.  When my oldest child went through Montessori preschool, that was the most reliable piece of information I gleaned from him. 

Also keep in mind that all children (like all of us adults) are different.  Some will voluntarily share with you many details about their preschool experience and some (like both of my boys, I'm afraid) are not as inclined to share a lot about their day.  If your child falls into the latter category, don't despair.  As far as I know, there is no correlation between amount of learning and amount of talking about their learning.  Remember................so much of the learning that is going on within your child is just that..........within. 

And for a final thought..............try to think about what your own adult response would be if, at the end of a full work day, you were intensely questioned about all the details of what you did for the duration of the time you were away from the questioner.  Sometimes, you'd just prefer to not talk about it.  Not because it was bad, just because.  You know what I mean??  And............it's okay. 

Back to School - 3

Back to School –

Study Shows the Right Preschool Leads to Later Success education.com

A study released by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) shows that the type of preschool a child attends at 4 years old, will affect how he or she learns at 7. The study, the largest of its type to date, followed 5,000 preschoolers in 1,800 schools across the world.

So what type of preschool is best? Larry Schweinhart, president of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, and a researcher on the study says, “Early childhood educators contribute to children’s development when they emphasize child-initiated activities, limit the use of whole-group instruction, and provide abundant materials in the classroom.”

In other words, allowing preschoolers to choose freely, for as much of the day as possible, rather than corralling them into too much circle time, is the best way to create successful first graders. The researchers are clear on a number of points:

Language performance at age 7 improves when:

1. Most of the activities available to preschoolers are free choice, rather than teacher led – exploration based, physical activities that allow kids to practice their gross and fine motor skills, crafts, music.
2. Their teachers have a higher level of education.

Thinking skills at age 7 improve when:

1. Preschoolers spend less time in whole group activities proposed by the teacher, like songs, games, group story-time, and pre-academic activities. 30-40 minutes is a good amount of whole group time.
2. The number and variety of equipment and materials for preschoolers to choose from increases.

In a nutshell, children become better thinkers when they’re active participants in their own learning.

Play Equals Learning

The study addresses what many of us teachers believe - that child development in preschool is the foundation for future learning. Many of the problems that children/young adults encounter usually arise because they didn't learn or weren't allowed enough developmental/exploration time at around age 3. Learning to share, cooperate and problem solve social issues are learned at a young age. “Academic” content can also be attractive to and appropriate for the young child. Although, I'd offer that every time learning is happening it is academic, even if it seems purely social. The term academic and formal are often misused when discussing early childhood education. What is more important is the understanding that play equals learning. For too long we have divorced the two. While early childhood education is a hot topic for Ready 4 K followers in Minnesota and is expected to be “on the national agenda” under the Obama administration, the topic of what is going on inside preschools is not yet part of the discussion. It is not enough to just say preschool is important—how we do it is important.

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Back to School –

10 Signs of a Great Preschool

If your child is between the ages of 3 and 6 and attends a child care center, preschool, or kindergarten program, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) suggests you look for these 10 signs to make sure your child is in a good classroom.

1. Children spend most of their playing and working with materials or other children. They do not wander aimlessly, and they are not expected to sit quietly for long periods of time.
2. Children have access to various activities throughout the day. Look for assorted building blocks and other construction materials, props for pretend play, picture books, paints and other art materials, and table toys such as matching games pegboards, and puzzles. Children should not all be doing the same thing at the same time.
3. Teachers work with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the day. They do not spend all their time with the whole group.
4. The classroom is decorated with children's original artwork, their own writing with invented spelling and stories dictated by children to teachers.
5. Children learn numbers and the alphabet in the context of their everyday experiences. The natural world of plants and animals and meaningful activities like cooking, taking attendance, or serving snack provide the basis for learning activities.
6. Children work on projects and have long periods of time (at least one hour) to play and explore. Worksheets are used little if at all.
7. Children have an opportunity to play outside every day. Outdoor play is never sacrificed for more instructional time.
8. Teachers read books to children individually or in small groups throughout the day, not just at group story time.
9. Curriculum is adapted for those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help. Teachers recognize that children's different background and experiences mean that they do not learn the same things at the same time in the same way.
10. Children and their parents look forward to school. Parents feel secure about sending their child to the program. Children are happy to attend; they do not cry regularly or complain of feeling sick.

Also ask if the program is accredited by AMS, AMI or NAEYC. Accredited programs complete a rigorous self-study and external review to prove that they meet standards of excellence in early childhood education.

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Back to School –

A Strategy for Picking a Preschool

For many parents it is wrenching and bewildering to consider handing over to others even a small part of the rearing of their own child. Whether you will be sending your preschooler to a day-care center because you wish to work, or to a preschool or nursery school because you are convinced it is best for him educationally and socially, it is a big step. For just that reason, it’s not enough (even though it’s natural) to pick a school on the basis of what your friends and neighbors say, the reputation of the school, or its official educational philosophy. Your friends are not raising your particular child. Reputations can be artificial, misleading, and unreal. Official philosophy can differ from the education that takes place within a school. I would like to offer here a strategy for picking a preschool for your child. I do not plan to tell you what kind of school is best—I will try to show you how to observe, question and decide. There is a series of questions that you must answer to your own satisfaction; I will explain the questions and tell you how to go about getting the answers.

The Practical Rundown

The first step is to call the schools you are considering. I suggest that each call be made only to answer practical questions, but the director will feel better if you ask about the educational program they offer. Be interested, but don’t pursue the subject too far by telephone. You will be able to find out more accurately at the next stage, when you visit the school. The following questions can all be answered by telephone.

Can I afford the school?

Is enrollment still open for when I wish to enter my child?

Do they accept children his age? 

Are the hours, location and transportation such that I can get my child there and back on time?

(If you work) I s this a day-care center that can keep my child during working hours?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” drop the school from your list.

Is the school licensed?

The State of Minnesota requires that preschools be licensed. A licensed school guarantees minimal fire, health and safety standards, and an acceptable pupil/teacher ratio. It does not always guarantee that the staff is professionally trained.

The Observant Parent

The following questions are subjective; they can only be answered if you take the next step—a visit to the school for observing, asking explanations, expressing doubts. 

The Physical Plant—Ask to be taken on a tour of the facilities first. Check for health and safety factors. Notice the play and learning materials. Jot down materials that capture your attention: a large number of blocks, an electric typewriter, plastic “toy” toys, a nature display, interesting artwork, a workbench, letter and number games. Ask about them. The answers will tell you a great deal about the real educational goals of the school, about its attitude towards children.

The Action—Ask if you can sit down in a classroom and observe for a while. Jot down what pleases you, what disturbs you, what baffles you. Educationally, a teacher can be didactic (“this is the right way to do it”), or a resource (“come to me if you need anything else”), or an enabler (“perhaps it’s too short; would a longer one work better?”). What is the tone in the room (animated, absorbed, quiet, noisy, frantic, listless, tense, happy, busy)? How is discipline handled? What sort of conversation do you hear? Do the children play well together? You will formulate questions and doubts as you observe.

The People in the School—The director or head teacher at a school tends to set the tone, pace and method for the rest of the staff. Now is the time to talk with her. Bring up your observations: Why did the teacher interrupt the block play to offer the children a balance scale? Why do they use only one color paint?  Why do they let the children use sharp tools? What is the cardboard store front for? Express whatever doubts have come up about your child in this school. Don’t ask general questions, be specific. Say, “Can you give me an example of a child that hits or bites and tell me how you handle it?” Don’t say, “What do you do with aggressive children?” Questions now about the educational program will make sense, because you have seen for yourself the materials, activities and attitudes they feel are important.

The Philosophy Hang-Up

Don’t get hung up on philosophy. Good education is a question of the match—the match between school and child. You have known your child for several years; you have observed several schools. Now you can make the match: It is no more helpful to ask yourself general questions than it is to ask teachers general questions. Do not ask yourself: Should schools push kids or leave them alone? Is social growth more important than academic development? Does the Montessori system make kids brighter than the Discovery method? Deal in specifics. Will your child be stifled in this structured school? Will he be unchallenged in this undemanding one, or discouraged in this demanding one? Is there a good balance?

The final question is:

How well can I picture my very own child in this particular school?

Young Music Makers at Camp

What a lovely week of music making it has been at Montessori Children's House. Thank you to Shana and Anika Hodel for their joyful and thoughtful preparations for each day of happy camping.

making sandpaper blocks

wind chimes

shakers

bell bracelets

stringed instruments

 

 guest artists

make a pretty sound

instrument exploration

  

all together now

we love music!

Redshirting

After reading this article in the New York Times The Littlest Redshirts I was more interested (as usual) in the reader comments that followed online. The social scientist in me loves reading all the varied opinions and "solutions" of  our citizens. I had to scroll pretty far down before I found one from a Montessori parent. I appreciated her sense of calm in respect to her child's age at entering school:



I think the cause of the redshirting problem is two-fold:

1. Kindergarten has become way too academic. Kids who are 5 should not be sitting at desks doing worksheets. They should be learning through exploration of the world around them.


2. The rigidity of the traditional public school system is ill suited to meeting children's unique needs because it places them in an artificial age-based box. My 3 year old son, for example, is very academically gifted and is far ahead of his chronological peers intellectually but his emotional and social skills age are at or below his chronological age. Because of that disparity we decided to place him a Montessori school where the class age levels overlap and where multiple ages are in the same classroom. He has really blossomed because he is able to play with children his own age while doing the more challenging work that he is ready to do.

I've found that the parents at his Montessori school aren't stressed about the redshirting problem at all because they know that the school will be able to place their children where they fit best.

Letter to the Strib

Of course, I appreciated this letter to the editor by Northfielder Gayle Collins. Check out the reader comments, though.Why is this topic so contentious?

Letter of the day: Stop criticizing teachers and invest in more early education

Summer Browsing

Now is the time when surfing the internet can be an inspiration not just a method of procrastination. Summer is a perfect time for us teacher types to search for new ideas and connect with the outside world for a bit while the day to day school world takes a break.
Most of the time I find something and then forget where I saw it. Below is a list of sites I've visited recently while looking for classroom materials. These ideas are really great, and if I had the time I would try them all and relax into a state of creative bliss. Maybe I will be able to make a couple of things before September rolls around...

Child Made Ideas

Paint + Cut + Paste blog

Polar Bear Creations

Fair Trade Family blog

On the Shelf

Creative Jewish Mom

Childhood Magic

Rosy ~ Posy

Sew Mama Sew!

Sew Natural

Outdoor School Environment

This post from a fellow blogger really gives validity to our quest for a connection to nature at MCH.


A symphony of tones

Recently I was talking to a fellow Montessori teacher from another preschool. We were discussing our outdoor environments, which are quite different from each other. Her environment follows a more traditional approach of a manicured lawn, sandpit, steel climbing structures, and a playhouse. Our environment is more natural, with logs and rocks, shrubs and bushes, sand and mud and a "wild" area of evergreens, seedlings, and any living creature that makes itself at home there. The teacher is looking at changing her outdoor environment, taking away some of the traditional playground items and bringing in more natural elements. We started talking about the fun (or is it entertainment?) the children have with those traditional items and we asked ourselves the question what are the needs (real or perceived?) of the children?

I thought about a passage in the book "The Tao of Montessori" by Catherine McTamaney, which I am currently reading. In it she writes:

"Simple environments, few choices. Are these the qualities of a boring classroom? In Montessori, they are the cornerstones of the children's imagination. When we debate the role of fantasy in our classrooms, we come back to these real items, these few, orderly materials presented with such care. The child who absorbs everything around her, is offered only those things that are real. In doing so, have we taken all the fun out? No. Rather, we have respected the inner vision of the child. By experiencing stimuli, colors, sounds, flavors in isolation instead of cacophony, the child observes the world around her and develops a more profound understanding of it than if we offered her syrupy "fun". The world is a symphony, Begin with a single note.



I thought of this "single note", and how we expose the children at our preschool to the natural world, one step at a time. How we observe the worms when they are hiding in our worm sanctuary in the sand. How we marvel at the delicate monarch butterfly when it emerges from its chrysalis. How we protect the little black walnut seedling from being stepped upon when it sprouts from the earth in our wild corner. These little gems in our garden are one by one a single note of nature's symphony. Our children take real joy in being in our garden. They do not ask for a plastic truck or digger, they do not miss their "playhouse" which now functions as a henhouse, they do not look for steel bars as they rather balance and climb on the boulders and logs that provide a more natural challenge.

Our preschool garden is protected from bright colored, noisy, steel and plastic toys and entertainment equipment. Instead, the children have access to natural elements, real, small, simple, and beautiful. McTamaney continues:

" The child, in offering her attention to the tiniest detail, respects the wonder of her world. She does not overlook the miraculous seed. She attends to the color of the rabbit's eyes. By protecting the space from too much color, too much noise, too much distraction, we preserve in the child the ability to wonder. We offer her the ability to hear each tone, to appreciate the complexity of the symphony by understanding first each simple sound."

And isn't that what nature does so well, a beautiful symphony of tones you wouldn't want to miss?

The Tao of Montessori. Reflections on Compassionate Teaching (2005, 2007) by Catherine McTamaney, Ed.D. iUniverse Star. Lincoln, NE

Montessori Races to the Top

Montessori in the national spotlight:

May 10, 2010

WASHINGTON – The White House and the U.S. Department of Education today announced that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will deliver the commencement address at Clark Montessori Jr.& Sr. High School in Cincinnati, OH, as part of the President’s Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. The commencement is scheduled for Thursday, May 27, 2010.

“Clark Montessori Jr. and Sr. High School shows an extraordinary commitment to encouraging their students to take responsibility for their education, get involved in their community and go to college,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “I look forward to congratulating them and celebrating their hard work as their 2010 commencement speaker.”

Clark Montessori Jr. & Sr. High School was one of over 1,000 applications for the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge narrowed down by the White House and Department of Education to six high school finalists. In recognition of the extraordinary achievements and outstanding efforts by each of the six finalists, the Obama Administration pledged to provide a Cabinet secretary or senior administration official to deliver the commencement address at each of the five schools not selected as the national winner.

The Commencement Challenge, launched in late February, invited the nation’s public high schools to submit applications showing their dedication to providing students with an excellent education that will prepare them to graduate ready for college and career choices.

Applications were judged based on the schools’ performance, four essay questions and supplemental data. The six finalists were selected for their dedication to academic excellence and for showing how they are helping prepare students to graduate college and career ready, and prepared to meet the President’s goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.

Voices for Children Day

We made personalized flowers to give to the governor and legislators at the State Capitol this week to support the March 1st  Voices for Children Advocacy Day. They need to know that we expect their support to fully fund early childhood education in our state.
The facts via straightforward video.

Obama's view.

Let's give quality choice to all.

Thank you, Google Guys.

What are we waiting for?

Children and Food

Children and food--especially regard the entries about children empowered to make their own school meals.
http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/back-to-the-land/