Learning the names of the alphabet was one of the last lessons we introduced to the preschool/kindergarten class. The sounds of the letters of the alphabet were introduced first. This approach seemed to help especially children with delayed speech.
Dr. Maria Montessori was an always observing how all children learn. I’m always astounded at her insight.
It is helpful to have a phonetic word list for spelling, reading and writing.
Here is the phonetic word list we used in our classroom.
Lots of Snow this Spring in the Rockies!
Finally the snow has melted and ants are emerging from their ant hills. Check out the free ant printouts at montessorimom.com
It has been a winter of wild weather. Its been a great demonstration of different types of weather. Looking at this weather chart, the only type of weather I have not experienced this winter is a tornado. Check out this weather printout at montessorimom.com. Hope your winter is a wonder.
A normalized child sounds rather strange at first glance but it is one of the main building blocks of Montessori education. Here is my interpretation of the definition and philosophy of normalization.
Montessori believed that the right environment normalized children. A prepared environment that allowed children to be independent and learn freely helped achieve this goal. In the Montessori school where I taught we noticed that most children took about 6 to 8 weeks to normalize to the routine of school, the rules and work. This normalization process in a nurturing classroom helps a child to develop without the negative influences of the world we sometimes live in. After awhile Montessori noticed that children developed a joy of learning, which motivated normal behavior as well. Because everything was “hands on” in the Montessori classroom, the children learned to use their senses in a cognitive way. In essence, work with the equipment and materials made the child whole and well. By using their hands, Montessori noticed that the children could integrate information better and think more clearly. This process normalized the child.
