I found my house and little red car parked on my driveway using google earth. Wow, the world is getting small! This is a great way to study geography and land forms. I wonder what Montessori would think of this technology compared to the geography classified cards. Find the Seven Wonders of the World or the Grand Canyon using google earth.
Another new feature to check out is google moon. It has all the Apollo moon landings pinpointed. You can take a moon walk using your mouse!

This article is so balanced. An educator, who homeschools his children, explains his family has chosen to do this because public schools are so inadequate. It is true homeschooling goes beyond religion, politics, and life style. It’s about letting your children learn in a safe and nurturing world.

It’s never easy being green, I mean a parent. Even Madona has been giving parenting advice lately. There seems to be a fine line between exposing your child to the world and being overly protective. Personally, I think I would err on the side of being protective.

Wow, I can’t believe you read the whole thing, Maria Montessori Her Life and Work by E. Mortimer Standing. Your comments encouraged me to think about Montessori from another view and context. Also, you made the book so much more interesting! Thanks for sharing with your thoughts!

When I took geology in college I was fasinated that there are mini Ice ages that have occurred in recent history. There was a mini Ice Age around 1300. It caused crop failures, famine and economic ruin. Wiki has even more information.

These are awesome pictures of the brain and parts of the brain. Make two copies of each for Montessori three part cards. The illustration of the tooth would make a good classified reading card.

You can use these printouts for classification cards or three part cards. Just make several copies of each. For example, for a classification card, make 4 copies (more if you want to introduce more words) of this woodpecker. Color in the wing red and write the word wing below the picture or/and a note card label. Next color the beak, claws, tail and make labels.
Look for woodpeckers in a wooded area or even your backyard. Talk about the woodpecker and the different parts of his body.
Introduce the card of the woodpecker. Show your child the next card with the shaded red wing. Put the wing label under the picture. Do this with the next three cards. These cards help teach science and geography and reading vocabulary

‘But when the bell rings I insist that they drop the work at once and proceed quickly to the next work station. Nothing important is ever finished in my class, nor in any other class I know of.” from The Six Lesson School Teacher by John Taylor Gatto, New York State Teacher of the Year, 1991. Sounds like the Montessori work cycle does not exits even in schools today! This essay is his view on what is wrong with public eduation. In fact, Gatto no longer teaches, but gives seminars around the country encouraging parents to homeschool.

Maren Schmidt’s article about the Montessori 3 hour work cycle for children and adults is so well explained. I find her perspective of Montessori so sound!
I still know adults who have a difficult time getting things done. I wonder sometimes if they were constantly interupted and didn’t develop a natural work cycle.
I used to feel so fustrated in gradeschool when we had to put our work away before its completion. It was always difficult for me to pick up my work again and finish it. My inner motivation was gone.
Montessori believed the reward for work and a job well done is the internal statisfaction that comes from uninterupted work. I think that creativity and learning work together during a 3 hour cycle.