Montessori Materials

SOAP-BOX ALERT! This post is about me and my reactions to current materials offered by Montessori companies. It is not about my son or his education, at least directly. It's about me and my emotions.

I will not be offended if you choose not to read this. I do not intend to offend anyone with the following words, but I feel certain that someone will think I have said something offensive.

Let me say here and NOW: each family must choose for themselves and I don't judge the "extras" that you choose. We have extras too. My soap-box has to do with the impression of Montessori in the public sphere because of these "extras".

Feel free to stop reading and join us tomorrow for our regular daily reports of Montessori elementary (or previous primary or infant/toddler) experiences.

Click the next line if you don't mind reading my soap-box ;)

Amazing Myself

Sometimes I amaze myself.

I entered a giveaway with Alison's Montessori. I won! I thought I'd won a Power of Two cube - it was a crazy time in our lives that particular week, so I didn't entirely pay attention...

I recently received my new Montessori material. It's the Power of THREE cube! It is BEAUTIFUL!

18cm cube demonstrating the power of 3
Thank you Alison's Montessori!

But see, here's the kicker: my AMI Montessori albums do not have a material for this presentation! The children should be working on some level of abstraction when they receive this presentation! I have an album page - it just doesn't require a material. (so the "amazing myself" part is that I entered to win, and WON, an item I would not have purchased to begin with - however, it is SO BEAUTIFUL! have I said that yet!?) ;)

If we provide a material for *everything* (especially at upper elementary), the children's creativity will decrease, their exploratory learning will diminish, and it will be more difficult to reach abstraction. I've just seen it happen too many times.

Our solution? We're going to use it in lower elementary as a sensorial exploration (kind of like having the binomial and trinomial cubes in primary); then I'll still give the presentation in upper elementary as-is according to my album page. And if my son or my co-op kids make the connection themselves, all the better. But since I only have my co-op kids a few times a month, the sensorial exploration will be PERFECTION for them!

As it stands, my son (just-turned-8) has already figured it out. He was putting it together blind-folded within 30 minutes of receiving it ;)

UPDATE 1/3/2016 After almost 4 years, an update is in order ;) I did end up selling this material (at cost for shipping) as we found it just wasn't necessary, it was an easy "puzzle" and nothing was really coming from it. Afterwards I saw that it is included in the Adolescent Mathematics album that does take it deeper. Ok, that is great, but honestly? The pieces are too big. the material is quite combersome. I have found a way to create this material from folded up cardstock that is not only smaller, but more enticing. Essentially, start with the Power of 2 Cube and add in the pieces you need from there. A post will be forthcoming in 2016 on this topic. ;)

Multiples in Mathematics

Lower elementary multiples example - this is typically first year in lower elementary if the child has had a decent amount of primary mathematics. It could happen in later first year if the child is brand new to Montessori altogether. 

each number is circled according to its multiples
see my son's key in the upper corner :)
who says Montessori children don't learn how to use legends?
right here it is - they just don't have an album page for it ;) 

my sample for how to highlight a particular number
again - using a key ;) 

Embellish your work!

Sample from other work I've seen
Borders around the page or around sections/problems
Separators between sections
Just to fill in some space

In Montessori we say, "DOODLE!"

Ok, so we don't say that. We DO say, "Embellish!"

We want the children to cherish their work, so we allow them the opportunity to personalize it, fulfilling the fundamental human needs towards vanitas: to embellish oneself and one's environment.

All Montessori parents and teachers reading this, raise your hand if you have NEVER been tempted to embellish the children's environment on some level or another - to the point of being TOO much?

Not ONE hand should be raised! ;)

We want the children to learn balance, so we allow embellishment from the beginning, integrating art and daily work, even when the subject matter is not necessarily art.

But isn't it all art? Math is art, language is art, music is art, history is full of art and those timelines are works of art, geometry is pure art in my mind, geography is an art --- all these things have grace, beauty, boundaries, creativity ---- ART.

So why isn't this information available online anywhere, on all those Montessori blogs and all those Montessori albums that provide samples!? I don't know! It's a bit frustrating, because it is so basic to Montessori, especially elementary Montessori. But it starts in primary with the stamp game in particular - embellishing the row between two problems.

My son's sample today. He chose to use markers
for the first time. Please note: Markers do not mix well with
colored pencils. Any work done in pencil should be
embellished with color pencils, NOT markers.
Use markers as a medium to themselves on their
own separate sheet of paper, if at all. 

My son has always done embellishment of some kind and he LOVES it. The work means something to him and he's perfecting his art skills.

 I will show you an example of one I'm not proud of because he rushed it. It was not meaningful and he even said so. We discussed the reality that if he doesn't WANT to embellish, he doesn't have to.

And we discussed the reality that markers and writing pencils and colored pencils don't mix well. The aesthetics are lost.

Therefore, all is not lost, because this experience prompted discussion on balance, necessity and art media usage.


What about work plans and work contracts? Well, these should generally not be embellished - perhaps very lightly (instead of a checkmark, a creative child could use another symbol) - now the work journal could be a place for art, if you use one for the child to document his or work! The work journal can be embellished in any way the situation allows. While it is not the place for the child to store finished work (only a place to record time spent and what was done; perhaps answer a follow-up question), many children prefer to draw their work into these journals or separate entries with fancy designs.

Playing with Language

You know when you've been doing Montessori very well in your home, specifically the grammar boxes and sentence analysis, when your child speaks in transposed sentences without even thinking about it - no hesitation. Just as natural as can be.

"Son, what are you doing right now?"

"Apple cutting core and it Mommy peeling an." With a big bright smile :)