|
After many years
as a licensed family child care provider
 and
having attained the CDA and NAFCC credentials, I was looking for a new challenge. I'd
always had an interest in preschool Montessori and wondered whether it was possible to
take a correspondence course and have it in my family day care. There is a correspondence
video course in Seattle which is approximately 100 hours of video tape of an actual
teacher training class. I did all the assignments and made all the albums that are
required to become a Montessori teacher. It was a really great experience.To me, the Montessori method is such a logical way to learn. Each
piece of work prepares the child for the next work he will be doing. And each work is
self-correcting so the child may discover his mistake while the teacher says nothing.
Here is an
example….
 Have a tray with two small bowls, one containing dry beans and a large
spoon. Show the child very slowly and deliberately how to spoon all the beans from the
left dish to the right one. Then spoon them back to the left again. A variation would be
to use a smaller spoon and use rice instead of beans. The control of error is going
carefully to avoid spilling beans. When doing this work, the child is gaining
concentration, coordination and order. It is indirect preparation for reading and writing.
There's a left to right sequence used in reading and writing.
Montessori
sources on the web
There are excellent Montessori sources on the
web. For a good idea of how a lesson is presented to the child, go to
Shu-Chen Yen's Homepage. There's so much to
say about each area...the lessons go from the concrete to the abstract...much of the work
is done with 3-part cards - control card, picture card, label. Here are some more sources
for you:
The
Montessori Page
Montessori Foundation
Association Montessori Internationale Home Page
Montessori Resources on the Internet
Montessori Connections
Montessori World
The child age 2-4 beginning in a Montessori program does
much work in the practical life area. It is necessary for the child to learn self-help
skills in order to take care of himself and gain self confidence. He learns buttoning,
zipping, putting on shoes and coat. There are also various spooning, pouring, tweezing and
folding works, sweeping, mopping a spill and the like.
The other important area in which we begin is sensorial. For the child of this age, it is
important to offer as many sensorial works as you can. Touching various grades of
sandpaper and ordering them, matching fabrics by touch, numerous matching and sorting
activities, ordering cylinders from small to large, tasting and smelling work. From the
beginning work, the child is developing a longer attention in preparation for more
advanced work. Then the language activities begin with story you read to them, I Spy game,
tracing sandpaper letters with fingers, tracing metal inset shapes for circle, square,
triangle and many others. The math work begins with tracing sandpaper numerals, ordering
numerical rods, counting spindles, bead etc. We also work in the cultural areas of botany,
biology, history, geography, music, and art.
Meet the Author
Jill Dunford
author of: "Teach Me Mommy"
hosted by Sue Spataro
 interview & FREE excerpt
  Teach Me
Mommy is a step by step themed book that gives parents lessons that will teach their
preschoolers in a fun and relaxed way. The book is simple to use and includes
crafts, book recommends and topics to cover that are perfect for the preschooler. In the
interview with author Jill Dunford, she describes how to set up your own nursery school
complete with activities along with a FREE excerpt to help you see how this is done.
Meet the Authors
Mariaemma Willis, M.S.
& Victoria Kindle Hodson, M.A.
"Discover Your
Child's Learning Style"
hosted by Joe Spataro
Interview & FREE Excerpt
 In
this interview hosted by Joe Spataro, the authors discuss their ideas on ADD, ADHD,
dyslexia, homeschooling, afterschooling as well as an easy to follow way to assess your
child. This book challenges the assumption at the heart of the traditional school system:
that all children learn (and therefore should be taught) in the same way. The book
contains a step-by-step program of self awareness test that guide you to a better
understanding of your child’s unique strengths and weaknesses. Normally, these tests
would cost hundreds of dollars, but now you can do it yourself and help your child achieve
a better inner peace while helping them achieve their goals and fulfill their interests. |
 more grade
school education
more homeschooling
books
"Is Homeschooling Expensive?"
Frequently Asked Questions
 
The Explosive Child
Interview with author Ross
Greene
more ADD
& ADHD books
more special
needs books
more homeschooling
books
more parenting
books
Montessori in the
Classroom:
A Teacher's Account of How Children Really Learn by Paula Polk Lillard
 
What really happens inside a Montessori classroom? How do teachers teach? How do
children learn? This fascinating day-by-day record in the year of the life of a Montessori
classroom answers these questions by providing an illuminating and practical glimpse of
the Montessori method in action.
Basic Montessori:
Learning Activities for Under-Fives
by David Gettman
Basic Montessori opens the celebrated philosophy and method to a more general public for
the first time. It clearly explains her ideas and provides a step-by-step guide to the
Montessori learning activities most commonly used with under-fives - and even shows how to
work with a child at home. No parent or educator should miss out on her marvellous
insights into how young children learn.
Teach Your
Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
by Siegfried
Engelmann, Phyllis Haddox, Elaine Bruner
Appropriate for preschool children (bright three-and-a half-year-olds, average four- and
five-year-olds) or for children who have been in school but have not learned to
read. The instructions of each lesson are complete, telling you exactly what to say
and do. Reading Mastery II storybooks and workbooks compliment this program. |
