As the weather gets warmer it is time to start thinking about your garden.
Here is an informative newsletter with free Montessori science reading cards about primary, secondary, tap and fibrous roots.
Happy botany!
The earth has been in constant movement. Sometimes this movement causes earthquakes. Learn more about the history of the earth and plate movement at this newsletter.
It includes reading science cards ( Montessori 3 part cards) and nomenclature cards of Pangea’s continental plates.
Here are some free reading cards about metamorphosis for younger readers. It’s a great way to learn about science while learning new words.
Montessori classrooms don’t use lined paper for teaching early penmanship. In the beginning, it is more important to lean how to write the letter. Also, children are taught only cursive letters for writing. Teaching children how to write one way, and then another way is very confusing and frustrating for grade school children.
Here is a free printout of the Montessori sandpaper cursive letters we used for penmanship.
Miss Homfray has a great video lesson about teaching writing in the Montessori classroom.
The best time to introduce reading readiness is when your child is an infant and absorbing language. Just reading books and talking to your preschool children helps them understand vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure and the overall patterns of language.
We found that introducing the sounds of the alphabet and the moveable alphabet worked best at ages 3 1/2 to 4. Children who learn much earlier than this may get burned out before they have the maturity to read more advanced material. Young children, especially boys, who can read at a very young age, don’t always comprehend what they are reading. The worst thing we can do is force self-reading on children who are too young.
Miss Homfray shows in this video how to introduce the moveable alphabet activity to your child.
She also explains why Montessori schools don’t use lined paper for beginning writers. Students touch the sandpaper letters and write them unrestrained.
Miss Homfray has a wonderful lecture about the complexities of reading. It’s important for young children to have good sensorial and practical life skills in order to read later on. Pushing reading too early can actually turn your child off to reading.
She has great insight about when to introduce fantasy books to children.
Check out this Montessori lecture here.
Here is another book about Maria Montessori that is free read online. If you are interested in her life and influence, Maria Montessori Her Life and Work by E.M. Standing is fascinating.
You can now read a free online copy of Spontaneous Activity in Education by Maria Montessori. I enjoyed reading Montessori’s insights, and it is much easier to read than some of her earlier works!
Anytime is a great time to observe the phases of the moon. Here are some free Montessori reading cards of the moon phases.
These free Montessori nomenclature cards have beautiful graphics of our 8 major planets.
Here is another newsletter with printouts for fraction fun the Montessori way!
Montessori uses the pink tower to teach vocabulary about size. Here is a free printout to help your child learn about size.
One of the virtues of Montessori education is the development of self-control. The “marshmallow” experiment of the late 60’s found some interesting facts about self control.
1. Children who had good environments had better self-control.
2. Later in life, self-control aided with success in school more than I.Q.
3. Self-control can be taught to preschool children.
Read more at Don’t the secret of self-control.
“Information must be wholistically learned before it can be memorized and retained.”
Remembering Chinese Characters: a case study in computer-aided spaced repetition rehearsal has much more information about learning at this pdf
The Montessori classroom uses a wholistic type of learning as well.
Learning only happens when you have an overview and introduction for what you are learning. For example, preschool children can learn the sounds of the alphabet because they know how to talk. It would impossible to teach letter sounds to an infant who does not understand language.
Another example is music. How can children learn to play an instrument or learn music theory if they have never heard music or sang songs? Preparing children for learning takes into account the purpose of learning and providing a whole approach.
Question:
“The senses are points of contact with the environment”
How does activity with the sensorial
material encourage observation and perception of the
environment?
Answer
Babies and toddlers have uncountable impressions of
their environment, including language. Sensorial
education refines these impressions into concrete
representations. For example, the natural or pink
tower shows dimensions, shapes, sizes and
gradation. After the exercise is mastered, you
introduce the names, big and small, short and tall,
heavy and light, and so on. This helps the child
understand language expressions in a concrete way.
Each of the sensorial activities attempts to refine
the senses, and narrows the use of the senses with the
material. For example, the sound boxes are helpful in
refining the sense of hearing. The rough and smooth
boards refine the sense of touch. With all the
sesenorial exercises, vocabulary is introduced after
the exercise is complete.
Here are a few examples of vocabulary:
Sound Boxes-loud, soft, softer, louder, loudest, etc. -
Rough and Smooth Boards- rough, smooth, rougher, smoother,
roughest, and smoothest-
This vocabulary helps refine the abstraction of
gradation.
Sensorial exercises prepare for both math and reading.
Since most of the towers and cylinders are degrees of
10, they introduce the concept of counting, less and
more, and big and small. The vocabulary is helpful for
reading readiness. The refinement of the senses helps
later with number and letter recognition because a
child can see differences in objects, and eventually
symbols.
This key of analyzing the sensorial material helps the
child observe the prepared environment in order to classify it.
Montessori takes into consideration the sensitive periods
and absorbent mind of a preschool child in the prepared environment.
Montessori knew that young children are kinetic
learners, and that they learn by doing and using their
senses. An environment needs to provide hands on materials in order for
a child to develop normally.
Here is a link that may help about sensorial education verses sensory impressions.
Fractions are easy to understand when you have hands on materials. Here is a free fraction printout.
The pink tower is a great way to teach counting. Here is the link for a pink tower cards and ideas.
You can use these downloadable reading cards as nomenclature cards, 3 part cards or cards (with the bottom words cut off) for spelling with the moveable alphabet.
Joy of Learning has a very complete overview for the pink reading scheme for beginning readers.
Montessori education does not like to label children. Søren Kierkegaard said it best,
Once you label me you negate me.
Labels box in our potential as complete human beings.