Montessori Elementary Homeschool Blog - with documentation of our infant Montessori, toddler Montessori, and primary Montessori experiences; as well as preparation for the upcoming adolescent Montessori homeschool years.
Showing posts with label primary montessori. Show all posts
Showing posts with label primary montessori. Show all posts

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Crazy Times - Some are Awesome - and A NEW WEBSITE!

Life is crazy - and has so many curveballs, some awesome, some so far beyond painful I can't even share them, and some downright heart-wrenching as the strength of my supportive friends and family is proven second after crazy heart-breaking second.


First the awesome news!

I get to babysit my newborn nephew for two weeks 💖


The oldest of my mother's grandsons
with the youngest of her grandsons. 

Brotherly cousin love ;) 


And I spent the bits of downtime putting together three new websites. The first one is now live and active!

Keys of the World Montessori Resources
The Mobile Site

The Desktop Site

The listings for access to mentoring via albums, videos and online support are all up - I will be adding materials over the course of the next week, while working on the other two websites to be updated: Garden of Francis and Keys of the Universe are both getting a complete overhaul, with a similar format to the new Keys of the World site.



For the weekend I am focusing on some craft projects:

The baby's older sisters are learning to latch-hook. I helped them find a way to organize their colors and their pieces. The youngest is 4 and is just practicing putting the colors on - not following the pattern just yet.





And I am starting on Christmas stockings for each of my family members. Won't all be done in time for St. Nicholas Day, but my son and I are the only ones who officially celebrate that one. Everyone else fills their stocking on Christmas Eve.

And the adolescent-Montessori-homeschooled boy is continuing his studies in history, Minecraft and computer coding and the book of Proverbs - when he's not snuggling on my lap.



Sunday, September 6, 2015

Montessori Memory Development

Memory – something so many of us struggle with, despite 13 years of a traditional school model which required us to memorize pieces of information to regurgitate at test time. Shouldn’t we all have perfect memories by now?


In contrast, a Montessori education has no testing of those memory skills, no straight-forward regurgitation of facts; yet Montessori graduates go on to continue their lives with excellent mental skills, including in the area of memory.

Don’t we need tests to prove memory skills? Don’t we want to be able to remember a string of unrelated facts without any context? Well… yes… and no.


Montessori allows memory skills to develop by connecting the memorization of a particular fact to so many other areas simultaneously that almost *anything* can be a trigger for a needed memory.


Probably many of my readers here will entirely agree with that fact without me saying another word. But please allow me to extrapolate for a moment.

A child in the primary (ages 3-6) class is working on memorization of math facts – those equations based on adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing the numbers of 1-9. This typically kindergarten (age 5-6) child is probably quite adept at the following:

  • performing all four operations utilizing the golden bead material as well as the stamp game – both are kinesthetic to varying degrees, the golden beads require collecting material by walking and the stamp game requires fine motor movement and introduces writing out the operations;
  • this child has also probably worked on counting up and down the short and long chains, representing the squares and cubes of the numbers 1-10, introducing skip-counting and multiples (and indirect introduction to factors). Some Montessori environments include a writing-related extension for the chains. Many children turn the skip counting up and down into something of a chant, all on their own. 
  • the child may be using the snake game for addition and subtraction, which include a verification stage that utilizes multiplication.
  • the multiplication material itself involves some bead boards, strip boards and charts – before even getting to the writing portion with the booklets.


Thus this child has already worked with the math facts in the whole body; in the arms/hands; in some writing; and finally in the mind and fingers with the beads where the child isn’t moving just as much in the whole body. So as the child moves into the charts, we can say, “Check into your mind first – see if the answer is already there, before you use whatever material you want or need to verify your answer.”


Montessori develops memory skills in a variety of areas.


Memory isn’t just in math, but that is the first place we think of.

Order in the environment – Sensorial and Exercises of Practical Life:


From the child’s beginning days in the primary level environment, we invite them to think through their tasks. “As you put away the wood polishing tray, think to yourself, ‘What else needs to be replaced so it is ready for the next person?’” Not only that, but where does the tray even go? If it is put away incorrectly, someone will fix and may gently point it out the child.

Indeed, we set up our environments so that there is a place for everything and everything in its place. Establishing this sense of order is key to developing the child’s memory skills on an ongoing basis. It encourages the use of memory (“where does this go?”) and using context clues to locate the correct spot. It also helps the child when he is elsewhere and thinks about his learning environment, when everything is essentially in the same place, he can visualize it to make his plans for the next day or to tell someone else about his work. Or to wonder what will be new in an area the teacher/parent has said the day before “We have something new coming tomorrow! And I will place it in this spot when it arrives!”

Within the sensorial area in particular, the child see several groups of “ten”, the basis for our decimal system: the pink tower, the brown stair, the red rods, the knobbed cylinders, the knobless cylinders. What doesn’t come in tens, comes in pairs for the sake of matching and some items later for grading. There is a consistent order to things for the children to explore while experiencing an isolation of concepts with our “keys to the world” as Montessori called the sensorial materials. We have the materials on display in a way that highlights the item’s main attribute or teaching point. This aids the child in finding patterns in the world around him which only aids in memory skills as new experiences are ordered to the variety of patterns the child finds in his mind, organizing information in a variety of ways (this information I am learning is like the pink tower in this way; and like the bells in this other way; etc. – meaning that name of something new might sound like particular notes on the bells; or be equally as pleasant to hear).


Maintaining this order, causes us adults to consider making any major (and many minor) changes to the environment with the children present, so that the child can make the mental shift at the same time.

Nothing like a constantly changing environment to make memory development trickier! Those of us who have to change environment routinely with our children, should consider this need for order and look to what we *can* maintain. Whether it be routines around mealtimes and bedtimes, worship practices, consistent behavior expectations, family traditions, or other areas, children are not harmed in any way by moving a lot or long-term travelling, when they find consistent order in other areas of life.




Language:


We utilize three-period lessons to introduce new nomenclature to the children. We give the name in the first period, do a lot of action with the nomenclature in the second period, and when the child is successful at the second period (either in the first session or a future session), we move to the third period of asking the child for the name of the object or quality at hand. We can add more objects/qualities right away if the child was easily successful or we can review another time or day, and add more then.

We strive to use whole language (complete sentences, full words, real words), an extensive vocabulary (children can soak in any word of any length when used in context – we do not need to simplify our vocabulary for young children!), and full interaction with the children on a variety of topics (look them in the eye while having a conversation). It is a stronger impression on the child’s mind when we share in and discuss real life experiences. Instead of just watching a video about gardening and having pretend gardening tools and items, to actually garden, grow one’s own treats, have fun getting dirty – and talking about it, sharing ideas, trying out new things. These things provide a multi-sensory approach to learning that aids in memory development.


Mathematics:


Beyond the 3-period lessons we use with the children to teach nomenclature in all areas, we also ask the children to tell us what they are going to bring after we tell them a quantity of beads or cards to bring to the mat. “Please bring me four thousands and 3 tens. (pause) What are you going to bring me?” (the child repeats – if they miss it, repeat the request and ask them to repeat it again; until they get it – please note if you are using two or more categories and a child cannot say it back, back down one less category and strengthen those memory skills first ;) ).

As the child works through math problems throughout primary and elementary, the child should be verbalizing the process. This helps to internalize the skills at hand - saying, hearing it, finding words to explain it, the physical manipulation, the visual acuity. 


Sensorial:


The sensorial materials for matching are awesome memory developers because are intentionally spreading the experience out. The sound cylinders: shake a red one (switching hands and doing it in both ears), shake a blue one (both ears as well). Not sure if it matched? Listen again. If a “no”, the blue one is set aside; re-shake the red one before listening to the next blue one. Reinforcing that sound. Later, a challenge is to shake the red one, listen to the all the blue ones and select the one that matches.

With the bells, we have distance matching and distance grading. One of the extensions of this distance work is to listen to a bell, then go have a short conversation with someone before proceeding to the bells cabinet to find the match (or next in grading series).

And remember! The control of error is in one's own senses - there is NO OTHER control of error here! 



This memory work area is one area where the children do not ever really age out of the sensorial materials. A 4 year old might be done with the main ways to build the pink tower and may have mastered all the language by age 5; but can they feel a cube while blindfolded, go chat with a friend (having removed the blindfold but not looked at the cube), and only then find the next cube in the series when all the cubes have been scattered around the room. This challenge combines many of the extensions and is a fun challenge for most 5 and 6 year olds (and elementary children!). 






But it is never too late to get started.


Start using these same techniques at any age to get started, either for yourself or with an older child. Recent brain research shows the brain remains pliable throughout life, for as long as it is used. The only time things are truly lost is when one or more areas of the brain are left so inactive for so long, generally from so early childhood that the area was never activated to begin with. We used to think that the brain couldn’t learn much after so long because of the experiences with children found feral and without language in the wilderness. What we have found is that if those areas were activated at all in childhood they can be stimulated – perhaps not to the same extent as if they’d been active all along, but certainly something can develop under the proper circumstances!

Alzheimers.net has an article on using the Montessori approach for people with Alzheimers. 


So what do we do to develop our own memory skills?
  • Eat right. Limit sugar intake which causes huge fluctuations in the blood and brain.
  • You learn something new, use it right away – many times over. You meet someone new, use their name several times in the next few minutes, while looking that person in the eye.
  • When you are going into another room to get or do something, repeat the plan several times in your mind or out loud.
  • Need to memorize something important? Make up a song for it.
  • If you are looking for a nutritional method of memory assistance, rosemary is an excellent herb of choice; if you don’t like the flavor, the rosemary essential oil can be utilized via aromatherapy to stimulate the memory centers of the brain.
  • If you have access to the Montessori materials, do the primary level exercises yourself! Challenge yourself!
  • Get up and move! Circulating blood brings more oxygen to all areas of your body, connecting multiple types of experiences to information you want to remember, and generally having more energy – all aid in memory retention. 


Now, please share some of your ideas – where have you seen memory practice in the Montessori environment (any age: infant, toddler, primary, elementary, adolescence) – and what others ways can adults enhance memory skills?



Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Montessori - When to Present

There are many questions about "mastery" of late - how to know when to move on to the next material or presentation. I would like to submit/repeat an idea to consider, to ponder.

At the primary age ("Casa dei Bambini" or Children's House) - If you are using an album set that has 4 subject areas (exercises of practical life, language, sensorial, math), and you present ONE thing from one album and wait a few days to observe your child's response, they will have ONE choice that whole time. Put yourself in their shoes/socks/bare-feet and consider what that is like. One activity to choose from? Seriously? As a child I'd be finding something else to do and the adult would be very disappointed.

So maybe you present one thing each day, 4 days a week. By the end of the week, the child has 4 options. Would you be bored? (those of you using albums that have more than 4 subjects will find that with this method you only touch on a subject once every 2-3 weeks - or longer).


Getting Started with Presentations and Work Choices: 

This work is not successful
until EPL and language are successful. 
So start out with a series of presentations - the EPL album has all the preliminary work, some of it is just practice carrying objects, practicing walking quietly (then in the kitchen and the bathroom be showing various skills as appropriate); the language album has all the spoken language games - go with it - "Let's practice carrying objects!" and do a series of objects - slowly, focusing on each one, but you might do this for an hour or two hours. Stop when your child needs a break. The first days of homeschooling will be full of EPL and language - and consciously involving your child in all aspects of household/family life. He should have some free time with his favorite toys as well.

Walking on the line; playing outside; singing songs; reading books; being involved in everything that happens in the home; keeping things neat and orderly.

Thus the first days will be ***busy***. They will be ***full***. It should be natural and fun. And there will be almost NO MATERIALS beyond what you have at home already.

This lays the foundation for when you do get into the "official" Montessori materials (or modified from at-home materials).

They can't do this until they have the focus,
the process,
the trust in the adult to show them something valuable.
All lessons learned from exciting Exercises of Practical Life
- many of them -
throughout the day
and over the course of weeks.

Continuing on with this theme of when to present and how much:

MASTERY - does a child need to master one material in a subject area before moving on to the next?

Short answer: NO! Let's apply the same logic as above. If you have 4 subject areas as AMI does, at 3.5, the child is likely to only have EPL, language and sensorial (math typically comes closer to the 4th birthday). That is THREE work options if you are waiting for mastery in one concept before moving to the next, within each subject. Within each album can be found a few threads that come together at various points (such as language as separate preparations for the physical side of writing and the mental side of writing), so in reality, within each subject are parallel "threads."

Do we want to be presenting all day long? NO! But think about the classroom experience of a child - he may not get a new individual presentation each and every day, but he does get lessons in grace and courtesy during group time, he spends time observing his companions (a presentation in itself), and he works with some of these companions at various tasks.

In the home life, this equates to being involved in as many aspects of home life as possible, observing the doings of the various people in the home and the neighborhood, having real conversations using real language, and being shown new skills or materials that are appropriate for his age and development. This last part is where we look to the scope and sequence for what is typically appropriate, then modify according to the individual child in front of us.


How Often to Present Once Things Get Going: 

If you look at this post at Montessori Nuggets: Montessori Nuggets - Organizing Primary Presentations and you've actually then opened yourself to the true depth of the Montessori materials, you'll find that you're presenting something every weekday of a year-round school. Something. Sometimes more than one something. Some things are left for child-discovery (a good deal is), but there are enough direct presentations for a homeschool environment to do something with your child (who, after all, wants to be with you) every day. Explore with your child.

Every day.

That's not a new material every day - that's "let's look at something else we can do with the spindles!" (just one example - I have noticed many people forget the bundling stage, but this is actually crucial to gaining from the true depths of this rather simplistic-looking material). And it might even be a suggestion thrown out while you are washing the dishes ;) That happens a lot in our home - I say "I wonder if you could (fill in the blank) with (list a particular material)? And show me when I am done washing the dishes (or whatever I am doing at the moment)." And THAT might be my presentation for the day!

Given we typically have a daily social graces lesson or chat (grace and courtesy), lots of involvement in real life activities of the home, go off and play by yourself time, outside time, etc.


Three-Hour Work Cycle in the Home: 

I have recently heard from several individuals that they expected their child would work independently (which equates to being "alone" for some of these children) for a solid 3-hour work cycle.
  • Humans are social creatures. Young children learn their social skills from the adults around them. 
  • Our work cycles at home are 24 hours every day, not 3. If you want a set-aside school time where the materials are only available during that time, that is awesome, but your child will be learning throughout all of every day - and many of the Montessori "works" do not require specific "Montessori" materials (Exercises of Practical Life, art & sewing & painting, much of the language work, applying math concepts to real life, real life science exploration (cause and effect, asking questions and testing out answers, etc.) - so much more). *Most* of Montessori is about living real life, not about materials. 
  • During a school-based work cycle, the child is chatting with friends, having a snack, in the ideal Montessori environment the child is free to go outside and play/garden/watch butterflies, observing classmates, using the bathroom, etc. The child is alive and learning, but not always engaged with the specific material. And he has role models around him to guide him in his choices and possibilities. This needn't be any different at home! The child should be engaged in the environment and that includes the adult. If you have a block of "school time" use that time to prepare your materials, to practice with the materials, to explore for yourself - and be present when authentically needed ;) 
  • Will the adult get some "hey! my child doesn't need me at this moment!" times - yep! It will happen. But if you really want your child to work independently of you, you should be engaged in the materials (making them, practicing with them, organizing them, cleaning them) - or doing something else (household or family related) that the child can't "help" with right now, but that he can observe you doing during his own work time. 
  • Read more about the 3 Hour Work Cycle at Home at this Montessori Trails Work Cycle page. 



Making Materials Takes So Long: 
Mom and son
together at Montessori school
He had been sitting and staring at the math materials for 30 minutes.
Doing some mental math he was trying to explain to me 

Most of you - I'll be honest, I love you all, so please know that going in to what I am about to say - MOST of you are making way too many materials. STOP!
  • Your children should be involved in SOME of the material making. Extensions or ideas that they have? Let them help create materials! Primary aged children? Yep. Seriously, 3 year olds? Yep. And the 4s and 5s too. And if you have elementary children and teenagers - get them involved too. This is a lesson in creativity, using art skills in real life situations which is far superior than doing a craft just to do a craft. 
  • If the children come up with an idea - they should be making it - or involved with the making of it. Wait, I repeated that. ;) I wanted to make sure you read that ;) 
  • The children can SEE you making materials too. Let that be *your* work that they 1) observe and 2) makes you too busy to always be hovering like a helicopter. Your children might find they can problem-solve on their own sometimes, make their own decisions or get their own drink of water. YOU can do it! ;) 

Also see our Montessori Trails page on When Montessori Fails for futher insights into how the environment works.


Ask me other questions! I'll reply in comments and/or add to this post.

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Montessori: Small Objects



There are a few Montessori presentations for which random small objects are great for. Typically, these are in the language area --- and depending on the "style" you follow, you may need more or you may need less. The Keys of the World (AMI-style) require fewer.

In our home we didn't buy any - except one batch of tiny flower pots with flowers, on Ebay. Why? I don't know, but they sure are cute!

We could have totally done without them.

The thing is - each object has far more than just one name. And you can describe it.
So a "pig", depending on the details shown you could use: pig, sow, boar, swine, pink, large (other sizes), piglet, animal, mammal --- and even look at their parts that can be seen: snout, eyes, hooves. etc. Or what they provide: pork, bacon, ribs.

Cows are also bovine.
Horses are equine.


If you want to buy some objects - go for it! Just don't dismiss the idea that you have 100% of what you need in your home already. What you don't have in small objects doesn't have to done with small objects - "I hear the sound in "mmmm" in something in this room - who could it be? OH! It is Emma!!!"



Posted this on Facebook:
Some assurance that you don't "need" to buy small objects (if you "want" to - have fun! but those feeling the pinch? ***Look around your house***)

This stuff was gathered one day, several years ago. We sometimes pull additional things (like jumpdrive, necklace, lego pieces (Legos are great for miniatures!), other toy pieces, etc. It is AMAZING what we have in our homes, when we actually look. Got a junk drawer? A random art pieces junk drawer? Sewing? Hardware? Legos or other play sets? Oh! We did a tealight candle in this set for a while - then we decided to use it wink emoticon

Another Story: 


I met a homeschool mom about 2 years ago, who insisted up and down "we just don't have small objects - which ones should I buy? and we are on a TIGHT budget."
I told her

  1. You have more than you think you do. 
  2. You don't NEED all those cutesy objects other people have. Use the large objects around you if needed; use words in the child's mind. Use the kitchen cupboard contents, or the trees/objects in the backyard. Sounds are all around you. 
  3. She was still in a quandary (amazing how we moms like to work ourselves up into these). I was coming to visit anyway and I asked for permission to find small objects all over her house, requesting permission (or boundaries) of where I could look. 
I filled a 3-gallon bucket. All sounds were represented. 

She had insisted she had NOTHING! 




Here is a basic run-down of our "tiny objects" in our Montessori homeschool and co-op:


Un-pictured:
Toob animals (I don't even know what all we have here!)
Lego pieces (amazing what can be pulled from Lego sets)
Tealight candle
More hardware pieces
#6 from our fridge magnets (to have an "x" when animals are not present)


Pictured: 
Barbie hairbrush
flower from my bouquet from my mom/stepdad's wedding
housekey
set of three tinier keys - on a key ring
plastic keys from a Wendy's kids meal game (like pick up sticks)
plastic rosary
plastic ball
big green button from an old coat
plastic pacifiers from a baby shower
tiny flower pots with flowers - different colors
white gift bow
red gift bow/rose
hexagonal box with two lids
wood cross
bunny in egg
paint board
rubber band
tongue depressor (popsicle stick, craft stick)
sharpener
green paint
empty jar of paint (clear, jar, cap, lid, glass, metal, white, empty)
various rocks/stones
rug from a doll-house
washboard
moccassins
tacklebox divider
wood star
feather
egg-shaped stone - looks like the universe
tissue
pen cap
shell
glass stone/marker
brown jars with white lids
small cloths
wood ring
red die
funnel
cottonball
bunch of flowers
chopstick rest
sticky notes
brass bell
red netting
tiny wood cube
Christmas wreath pin
thread spool
gold dish
white cup hook
two sizes of paperclips
extr caps/lids/covers
4-leaf clover
hat
suction cup hanger
mug
silver bell
lock
cup
gold ribbon bow
plastic ring
gold cap for lightbulb
milk cap
red paint
silver ring
table-leg foot prop (we used these for polishing dishes years ago)
carrot
funnel

NOW **THINK** - for each of those objects are words for all of the following:
colors, sizes, textures, composition, style, other appearance, weight, multiple names....

Tell me you can't do all the sound games and the Mystery Bag with this set?

;)


Saturday, December 27, 2014

Early Montessori Activities - Display - shelving - trays

Early work (appropriate for age 2 1/2 but could be started later as well, or SOME of it a wee bit earlier) ---

Storage suggestions noted.
Total of 6-7 trays.

Excellent good news for a homeschool on limited space ;)



for more information on Montessori Trays, click here
For a great 5-point list as to why a combination of SOME Exercises of Practical Life trays are great in a homeschool that still practices those skills at the life-appropriate times, click here.
Indeed I would add one more point: the child has time to repeat and practice and master during a time when the pressure is not on (so practice dry pouring, then wet pouring --- then pour drinks at the table dinner table)



Most of the early work does not even require materials, just guided experiences.



EPL: Control of Movement
Walking on the Line
(tray of extension items for OLDER children --- 
 not younger)
Spoken:Vocabulary Enrichment
Orientation Game

Spoken:Vocabulary Enrichment
Naming Objects in the Environment

Spoken:Vocabulary Enrichment
Collecting Classified Objects
tray to carry objects, but objects are in the environment.
Spoken:Vocabulary Enrichment
Classified Cards
(could be on a tray, but more likely in pouches or envelopes)
Spoken: Language Development
Storytelling

Spoken: Language Development
Reading and Books in the Library
books are on shelves, some are on display
some could be in baskets of interest
Spoken: Language Development
Poems

Spoken: Language Development
Conversation

Spoken: Language Development
Conversation

Spoken: Language Development
Question Game

Spoken: Language Development
Cultural Folders
in folders
Spoken: Language Development
Extension: fictional story telling

EPL: Preliminary Exercises
How to Carry a Working Mat

EPL: Preliminary Exercises
How to Place a Pitcher

EPL: Preliminary Exercises
How to Carry a Tray

EPL: Preliminary Exercises
How to Roll a Working Mat

EPL: Preliminary Exercises
How to Put Down a Chair

EPL: Preliminary Exercises
How to Sit On a Chair at a Table

EPL: Preliminary Exercises
How to Fold Napkins
square tray
EPL: Preliminary Exercises
How to Pour Grain
tray
EPL: Preliminary Exercises
How to Pour Water
tray
EPL: Preliminary Exercises
How to Fold a Dust-cloth to Put Away
tray or holder
EPL: Preliminary Exercises
How to Fold a Dust-cloth to Dust

EPL: Care of Self
Snap Frame
on a display
(at home could be a dish rack)
EPL: Care of Self
Hook and Eye Frame

EPL: Care of the Environment
How to Dust a Table
supplies kept together in a bucket
EPL: Care of the Environment
How to Use a Dustpan and Brush

EPL: Care of the Environment
How to Sweep

EPL: Care of the Environment
How to Wipe Up a Spill
cloths are kept in a basket
EPL: Care of the Environment
How to Dust Leaves
duster could be hanging OR on a tray
EPL: Care of the Environment
How to Make Lemon Water and similar
items are on a tray in the kitchen; rotated with other food prep appropriate to family needs
EPL: Grace and Courtesy
How to Walk Around A Mat

EPL: Grace and Courtesy
How to Introduce Yourself

EPL: Grace and Courtesy
How to Apologize

EPL: Grace and Courtesy
How to Observe

EPL: Grace and Courtesy
How to Draw Attention

EPL: Grace and Courtesy
How to Accept a Compliment

EPL: Grace and Courtesy
How to Blow Your Nose

EPL: Grace and Courtesy
Own Grace and Courtesy

Writing
Sound Games
objects from environment
Language Extension
How to Teach a Song