Geography Album and Potassium Chromate

Oh wow. Am I scared. We almost made a HUGE blunder.
(ok maybe not that huge, but it sure made me sick to my stomach)

We have these chemicals we use according to album pages in the geography album (forms of matter, chemical interactions) and the biology album (needs of the plant).

I have had supplies on hand to use with my son and have had the *correct* items. Tiny amounts purchased from a Montessori school that also used the same chemicals. We labeled each smaller container very carefully and everything was FULLY accurate. Still is. I'm just running low.

To do the presentations, I reviewed the album pages beforehand, used all proper safety procedures, and all has been *wonderful.* We don't use chemicals with similar names, so it is easy to keep them organized; and we only get out the chemicals we need when we need them.

The problem showed itself when I went to replace these chemicals the other night. I used the supply lists I created for my geography and biology albums, added stuff to my cart, but came up with two items that were not available at the top-notch science supply company I have come to love the absolute most because they are so homeschool-focused: Home Science Tools.

I e-mailed a Montessori comrade to ask where she got her supplies for potassium dichromate (geography album) and calcium nitrate (biology album).

Did you catch what I just wrote? 


Some background: 
In AMI training, the presentation is given to the trainees. The trainees furiously take notes by hand or on their laptops, while also trying to watch what is going on. Monday of each week of elementary training (primary was a bit different), all album pages from Monday through Friday of the past week are printed out, page-numbered, tucked into a large envelope and handed in. Album readers stop by the training center after-hours (so we can't know who they are and follow them home! ;) ), to drop off what they reviewed from last week and pick up the new week's set. The envelopes are THICK - anywhere from 80-200 pages each week.

A "lucky" few were then read by the trainers as well, before being returned sometime later in the week.

Changes are made based on the comments. Album pages can be required for re-submission or not, based on the trainer's thoughts; then final album-checks/reads are done at the end of the course.

But SO many typos slip through, grammatical errors... but the accuracy of the album page is supposed to be there.


I was one of those lucky ones that always had my album pages double-checked (probably to make sure I wasn't inserting Catholicism and homeschooling into a Catholic woman's work).


Yes, I just said that, and yes you probably read my voice tone accurately. I am extremely disappointed and disillusioned with AMI elementary training as it is - as far as the personalities and agendas of the people involved today (the content is fantastic!) - but through that many readers (and even my own use! but then, I had the material on hand and skimmed the page, there isn't another chemical with a similar name, and we're not supposed to be reading from the album pages as it is - they are supposed to be used for skimming/reviewing - I was using them properly! They were supposed to be error-free!).... and well, I just don't know what the chemical reaction would have been.


The fact is potassium dichromate is a vivid red-orange color; potassium chromate is yellow-gold. And I know that you are supposed to use just enough to make a brilliant gold color in the water - when a bit of lead nitrate is mixed in, a sediment precipitates down (you'll have to research that one to find out what is happening ;) ). So I would NOT have actually used the orange-red material, had I purchased it, opened it and saw a different color like that.

But the fact that it COULD have happened... scares me.


I am SO glad that Home Science Tools doesn't carry it.

Potassium chromate is a yellow chemical 

indicator used for identifying concentrations

of chloride ions in a salt solution with 

silver nitrate. It is a class two carcinogen 

and can cause cancer on inhalation. 

Wikipedia

Density: 2.73g/cm³

Density: 2.73g/cm³

Potassium dichromate, K2Cr2O7, 

is a common inorganic chemical reagent, 

most commonly used as an oxidizing agent

in various laboratory and industrial applications. 

Wikipedia

Formula: K2Cr2O7 Molar mass: 294.185 g/mol IUPAC ID: Potassium dichromate(VI) Boiling point: 932°F (500°C) Density: 2.68 g/cm³ Soluble in: Water

Formula: K2Cr2O7

Molar mass: 294.185 g/mol

IUPAC ID: Potassium dichromate(VI)

Boiling point: 932°F (500°C)

Density: 2.68 g/cm³

Soluble in: Water

I spent the next 4 hours combing through my albums to make sure every other indication was absolutely correct. That is the only such potential safety error. Whew. A few more grammatical errors; a few missing commas or periods. Ok.

Home Science Tools does carry the potassium chromate, so in the cart it went. Geography - CHECK.


Now for Biology: 

But in doing further research on the calcium nitrate, I wonder if I should be adapting that presentation to use a more natural substance. This one is man-made and people going for organic don't typically use it from what I read.
****Does anyone have a suggestion for replacement? The Biology presentation here is to set up an experiment with plants growing in several different glass jars of water - one is just water; one is calcium nitrate in water; one is magnesium sulfate in water; one is potassium phosphate in water; one is ferric chloride in water; the last jar is all those items in the water for a fully healthy plant.
(NOTE: magnesium sulfate can be bought very cheap in the pharmacy section - it is simply "Epsom Salts")
Ideas for the calcium nitrate?


UPDATE: I am still looking for a replacement for the calcium nitrate - something natural, organic....

Homeschooling Mistakes and Montessori

I found this link for Landry Academy recently with many homeschool articles. One in particular caught my eye and I thought, "Let's fit this in with Montessori homeschooling".

The original article in its entirety:

Top 10 Homeschooling Mistakes

copyright by Greg Landry - written in 2012

Through 15 years of working with thousands of homeschooling families, teaching 4th-12th grade homeschooled students, and teaching university pre-med students who were homeschooled, I have unique insight into what we're doing right and what we need to work on as homeschoolers. This article is particularly geared towards college-bound students but much of it would apply to all students. Since science is my area of expertise, the article is also slanted toward students interested in science.

1. Not doing enough testing and not doing timed tests.
2. Schooling year round or schooling too far into the summer. Students need to know that they can work hard for a prescribed period of time and then have a complete break from classes for a while. I believe it's actually counterproductive to school year round or with very little break.
3. Being squeamish on the science of Creation. Science is on our side - God created it. We need to boldly teach our students all the ways that science and the world around us support biblical creation.
4. Not starting to prepare for college early by beginning to take the ACT and SAT early - in 7th or 8th grade, along with other preparations.
5. Not starting serious high school sciences early enough.. especially if a student may be a college science major. Critical decisions should be made going into 8th grade.
6. For younger students, call the sciences what they are (chemistry, physics, biology, anatomy & physiology) rather than "physical science" and "general science" and teach them that way. This makes high school science more familiar and far less intimidating.
7. Not giving students a structured academic environment early. Beginning in 6th or 7th grade, provide a structured academic environment for students that includes deadlines that have to be met. Inability to meet deadlines is a critical deficiency in most homeschooled students.
8. Not looking for colleges early - most families end up doing this in a last minute frantic rush - not good for many reasons.
9. Not allowing students to take some of their classes as "outside" classes in the middle and high school years. Students need to begin the process of taking classes from others / being accountable to other teachers as they prepare for collage.
10. Losing our focus - all we do should glorify God. Press on! :)

Greg Landry is a 15 year veteran homeschool dad and former college professor. He is founder and director of www.LandryAcademy.com

Now again, with Montessori connections: 

Top 10 Homeschooling Mistakes

copyright by Greg Landry - written in 2012

1. Not doing enough testing and not doing timed tests.

      Montessori does not encourage timed tests to be used very much as we would ordinarily think of them. But it is great to play games with timers, introduce the time challenge when the child is ready and wanting, in order to build a foundation of success. In latest elementary is the time to introduce timed tests as we ordinarily think of them, with some practice runs - low-stress. If you anticipate your child going to college, yes, it is VERY good to get used to the stress of such tests, but a little at a time ;) The author of this article advocates starting in 7th/8th grade, even with plenty of time to finish the test, but just with that time limit; as a Montessorian, I personally advocate introducing little bits of it at a time - baby steps. So a game with a timer - totally non-pressure. Learning to do mental activities with lots of noise and distraction (as well as complete silence) - just do those things throughout your normal day. Once in a while have the child sit at a table with a hard chair and do a bit of work there (if they usually work on a low table on the floor, or snuggled on the couch). It doesn't have to be every day or even every week; just enough to be familiar and functional. 
     EDITED TO ADD - another thought: We have work-plans and work-journals. So there is a sense of responsibility in-built already. Sure, those time requirements are more of "sometime today" or "sometime this week", but there is also scheduling of times to meet for a presentation, and giving specific deadlines along the way. These skills contribute to "timed tests" skills because they lay a foundation early on. 

2. Schooling year round or schooling too far into the summer. Students need to know that they can work hard for a prescribed period of time and then have a complete break from classes for a while. I believe it's actually counterproductive to school year round or with very little break. 

     Montessori says YES! Part of a childhood is having "endless time" - time to become BORED! LET YOUR CHILDREN BECOME BORED! Boredom begets creativity, problem-solving, tests a person's character, provides fodder for fantastic grace/courtesy lessons! Avoiding boredom throughout all of childhood creates in children an internal sense of "gimme" and "gotta have" and absolutely no sense whatsoever of delayed gratification. There are times and places for fulfilling "needs" in the moment; but we *need* to differentiate wants from needs and also develop a sense of how to wait or work appropriately even for needs. The elementary years are the place to hone in on these skills - NOT the emotionally roller coaster adolescent years, when they NEED those skills in place already. 

     We can have school year-round, but take decent breaks that are clearly labeled - BREAK. VACATION. Some children will choose to work anyway - and that is *their choice*. 

     As elementary children get older, there comes a time we also have to say, "We are on vacation and while we know that the subjects we study are directly related to our lives and our world, we are not going to take any of our Montessori materials with us. 

     It is tough as Montessorians not to count everything our children do as school - because of the cosmic education nature of life and our Montessori-styled studies. But let's put it this way: there should be built-in times of the year, with NO work-plan, NO work-journal, NO major academic responsibilities. Just USING what has already been learned and just exploring the world. 
     EDITED TO ADD an additional thought: in some places, summer IS when we homeschool because it is SO HOT! Snow days are days that everyone else is at school and the weather is perfect for building snow men and making snow forts all day long! As homeschoolers, we have that flexibility to work on school as well as enjoy life according to the weather. Use these opportunities while they last :) 

3. Being squeamish on the science of Creation. Science is on our side - God created it. We need to boldly teach our students all the ways that science and the world around us support biblical creation.

     Within Montessori, it is very important that the family address their beliefs in lower elementary (and primary). Lay a strong foundation. Introduce other belief systems in upper elementary. Do not be afraid to address these emotionally-filled topics in all directions, *at* the appropriate time. 

     Intelligent discussions; RESPECTFUL discussions and sharing; and at some point, the ability to agree to disagree until we are all standing before God and can ask Him face-to-face. 

4. Not starting to prepare for college early by beginning to take the ACT and SAT early - in 7th or 8th grade, along with other preparations. 

     If college is the goal, then yes, you must be preparing for those requirements. See number 1 above. 

5. Not starting serious high school sciences early enough.. especially if a student may be a college science major. Critical decisions should be made going into 8th grade.

     Within Montessori, they should have a very strong foundation in the sciences by the end of elementary; with lots of time for personal research and exploration. Thus even by 6th grade (age 12), the child typically knows where their interests lie. By age 15 (end of adolescence), they should be ready to embark on their high school journey, with firm footing. 

6. For younger students, call the sciences what they are (chemistry, physics, biology, anatomy & physiology) rather than "physical science" and "general science" and teach them that way. This makes high school science more familiar and far less intimidating.

     YES! Montessori has the albums divided into geography (study of the earth sciences) and biology (study of life sciences). However, within the presentations and when doing their own research and projects, they should be learning the terminology appropriate to what they are studying, including what the study is called, be it physics or chemistry or taxonomy. 

7. Not giving students a structured academic environment early. Beginning in 6th or 7th grade, provide a structured academic environment for students that includes deadlines that have to be met. Inability to meet deadlines is a critical deficiency in most homeschooled students.

     While Montessori shares many characteristics with un-schooling and can be utilized with minor modification by un-schoolers. the fact remains that children must learn responsibility. Thus we utilize a work-plan/work-journal system that evolves over time to address the changing needs of the children and the family situation. 

8. Not looking for colleges early - most families end up doing this in a last minute frantic rush - not good for many reasons.

     This is a personal family matter. Not Montessori related, other than, for the most part, the Montessori model emphasizes

9. Not allowing students to take some of their classes as "outside" classes in the middle and high school years. Students need to begin the process of taking classes from others / being accountable to other teachers as they prepare for collage.

     This could begin in elementary as well. Online or co-ops. Or at first, simply anything with another adult in charge. This is one of the many reasons I do NOT join my son's tae-kwon-do class, despite his strong invitation. 

10. Losing our focus - all we do should glorify God. Press on! :)
    Yes! No particular Montessori response here ;) 

Infants, Toddlers and Toothpicks

I have mentioned this activity a few times - about an older infant or toddler sitting at their little table with a set of toothpicks and a jar of varying kinds.

Not everyone has baby food jars - some of us make/made our own ;) So an alternative?

NOT this (awesome spice jar from IKEA - lots of uses - this one ain't it)

Toothpicks go in, but don't all come out.
FRUSTRATING.
Does not encourage independence or skills. 

Ball jam jar
these glass jars come in a variety of sizes, including very short!
Get the wide mouth ones. You'll use them for everything!
Get the types that one-size lid fits all you get.
The child can even insert his hand to
remove the toothpicks without dumping. ;) 

First Work Plan and Work Journal

At 5 1/2 or so, Legoboy started his first work-plan, elementary Montessori style!

It really started a year or so earlier when he would continually ask me the plans for the day. Now, I'd already made a habit since he was newborn (and I bet it started in utero... ;) ) of letting him know what to expect at various times. He may or may not have remembered everything, but at least he heard what was going to happen at least twice before we got to the part where he actually had to start thinking about doing something about it.

Around 4 or so, it really became almost an addiction of his - he could handle *anything* - just let him know ahead of time. There was a span of several months, he truly did not handle sudden changes well at all. But we lived through that.

And he continued to ask for the daily schedule, asking the night before what to expect for the next day, and slowly started caring about what was coming in upcoming days. Then he was following up with it all, and trying so hard to remember everything and be independent about things.

It was time for a work-plan, whether *I* was ready for my little boy to grow up or not!

I created some of these from the Catholic Heritage Curricula Lesson Plans, and I added a LOT, to cover all the possible bases for our own family's particular needs.

I printed them and Legoboy helped color the pictures.
I laminated and trimmed them. 

Each card indicates something to do. I would select the cards from the basket and place them in the "work basket". Sometimes I housed certain ones together in an envelope or with a paper-clip, to show that I expected those things to be done together or in that particular order. The others could be done in any order. 

Sample of handwriting, geography, and music. 

We didn't do everything every day, but if he had the "free time" or "free choice of work" card, he could go back to the original basket and pull out additional items he wanted to do. Sometimes he would bring the card for a new lesson; sometimes he went further with his own work. We had a third basket into which all the completed cards were placed so I could mark down what he had done, or make adjustments for the next day - we could call this third basket his work journal. 

Oh, I also had sticky notes that I sometimes added to the back if I had a particular task in mind or he had asked for a reminder (the music card might have had "practice for choir" and "new song from 'Our Liturgical Year'" with stars for "must do" and another couple of suggestions related to the bells or something else for what he wanted as a reminder or because I knew a new lesson was upcoming. 

Every evening, I gathered the completed cards, changed up any notes that needed it and laid out the new cards for the next day. This took me about an hour of preparation in the very beginning - to make the cards and print them; another half an hour to laminate and cut. Probably another half an hour to find the right baskets ;) (we're a bit picky around here!). Once we had the sticky-notes going and my album scope and sequences laid out, it really took less than 5 minutes every evening to plan for the next day. Then if he was going to be off to someone else's home for the next day, I'd take another 5 minutes to gather together the supplies he needed. 

The end result is a happy, creative, high-functioning planner and do-er ;)

UPDATED 1/23/13 to ADD: 

The Word file I used to create many of the above photographed cards. Additional images came from CHC (Catholic Heritage Curricula) First Grade Lesson Plans - Character Development - so those are not included in this file. Brushing teeth would be in that set for example. 

I printed it all in black and white and my son helped me color them in before laminating them. I intended to round the corners but never did. I have left it in Word, so if you would like to use it, you can modify it as much as you would like. Feel free to share by sending others to this post. :) 

File of our first Montessori work plan and work journal (click here to download the Word file)

Montessori & Foundations of Scientific Understanding

Back in October, I wrote about one of the resources we use to complement our AMI albums:
Foundations of Scientific Understanding

(click here for) The Original Post where I also have a downloadable Excel document corresonding AMI albums with all three volumes of Foundations of Scientific Understanding. 

Recently, I have received several individual requests for my opinion regarding the suggested use of this resource. What follows is only my general opinion and should be taken with (iodized, sea-) salt ;)

Dr. Nebel, when creating his resources seems to have been focused on a school-based audience. That these guides could be used within a school setting with or without a range of ages, thus making them very adaptable and meeting the needs of individual learners; hence still very useful for homeschoolers. He also focuses on what can be observed - repeated - studied - examined - in the here and now. Sounds great! And it is.

There are psychological differences between the regular school system, homeschooling and Montessori. And that is where any suggested "age ranges" get a bit fuzzy.

So. If you are homeschooling in general, or particularly homeschooling Montessori, or schooling Montessori:

• A good deal of Volume 1 (grades K-2) could be covered in the primary years, with some of it overlapping into typical 1st grade (1st year of lower elementary in Montessori). 
• Volume 2 (grades 3-5) is really then much more aligned, Montessori-wise, with lower elementary into some of upper elementary. 
• Volume 3 (grades 6-8) seems most appropriate for upper elementary and reaching into the lower adolescent years (particularly for review, conversation and to find areas to be built upon). 

But what about astronomy??? 

Anyone with that file above or with a table of contents in front of them, will see that such topics as astronomy are not really covered until Volume 3. I entirely agree with Dr. Nebel on this. The fact is, astronomy as we know it today is a very abstract concept. At the younger ages (primary and lower elementary), it is much best to focus on what a child can see from ground-level (Earth-ground that is!), with or without a very strong telescope. Stick to ONLY that for primary age children (before age 6). 

Lower elementary is also a time, if you have a highly interested student, to bring out really good NASA videos of space - ones that start with the earth and expand outward; then come back in. Go to a planetarium that does something similar - go ahead and do those things - IF your children are interested. If interest is lagging, then focus on ancient history (they'll get to astronomy that way! I promise!!!), and pick up more intense studies in upper elementary and then into middle school with the more technical details. 

Just make sure your children are "getting it" before you go too intense. ;) What happens more times than not, is that the adult suddenly "gets it" and wants to study it, so the children are dragged along. But if your children are interested and just eating it up - go for it! Have fun! Just plan to do it all again in another couple of years, because this is DEEP stuff! But if they're not quite getting it, hold off for a bit - it's ok! Focus on what they can see with their bare eyes - looking up at the sky during the day and at night; provide all the AMI geography presentations; delve into those history lessons; and I promise! The astronomy will come! 

Pulleys - Simple Machines

As with other topics, my AMI albums do not directly or explicitly state when to bring in simple machines (think levers and pulleys). And for this, I am SO thankful. Because Montessori is about living life and handing just every single thing to the child isn't really fulfilling that human tendency towards exploration... Hm. The fact is, different children reach that interest at different times and by different routes. So bring in simple machines when it makes sense ;)
(note: I do have upcoming support albums that will make it very clear where the connections lie regarding various topics of interest)

In the meantime, I have done the work of "strewing" - books and hints here and there, Life of Fred, Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding levels 1 and 2, and just encouraging all interests and all questions.

This morning we made sourdough pancakes (YUM!! And I don't feel heavy like I usually do after pancakes - definitely sticking with sourdough from now on!).

Our table is, well, otherwise in use, so Legoboy set us up a picnic area on the floor, but he didn't want all the toppings right in front of him - too tempting ;) He tied a string to a wagon-thing to pull it towards us when we need it, but then thought, "Hm. It would be nice if we could do something else that would push it away from us." He thought of getting one of his sticks weapons, but then remembered I don't want those things near my food (he uses them outside and they are dirty). I said, "I wonder if there is a way to have another string to pull from right where we sit that draws the wagon away from us?"

He thought about that. But that would be "pulling" and he wants to "push". But could it be done? While I finished up the pancakes I let him explore.

The original set-up

He DID it!!!
Now, where is the picnic blanket so we can EAT!?

Afterwards, he said he was really interested in it, and continued to ask questions - what else would we do the opposite to get the desired result (we discussed sewing machines - how a machine uses two threads and one needle where hand sewing uses one - and yes there are variations, but we were thinking "first machine" here - I even have a book about the sewing machine's inventor --- I thought this would lead to a study of inventions and inventors and was already thinking "timeline making supplies", "which inventors biographies do we have on hand" and the like - UM. Wrong again, Mom!). He then asked, "Do we have anything about this pulling thing?" He kind of missed the word "pulley" thinking I said "pulling". It fits, though, huh!?

First thing I pulled out was our Funk and Wagnalls Science Encyclopedia - a bit dated, but I have always liked the straight-forward format AND the corresponding project book. YES, there is a project for simple machines (the main entry is entitled "Machines, Simple" - so a built-in lesson on how we look for the main word for an entry, then it will be followed by a common, then its appropriate adjective - just like in the back of a cookbook --- no album page for this one, just real life! ;) ).

But he wanted more. Legoboy asked, "Do we have any science light-units or guides? Don't buy any if we don't, but if we have them, I'd be interested!"

Turns out I have Christian Light Publications Science LightUnit 404 which covers simple machines. While I am not "excited" about curriculum for the sake of curriculum or workbooks in general, if you are Christian, these light-units (workbooks) can be used as a study-guide. They quite nicely in lay out the topic at hand in a straight-forward manner, with clearly divided text, and several integrated hands-on demonstrations (these are not experiments because we know the outcome - they are demonstrating a principle at hand). They are designed to be utilized by the child and the only ones we like and use do NOT require the use of a textbook. We keep (from stuff given to us) and purchase only the topics of interest and use them in a child-led manner. While these topics that I keep/purchase are on our state-standards, thus I expect them to be covered, Legoboy also has time between now and 6th grade to get to them. For level 4, we also have 405 on Electricity. The other topics I find are fully covered with the Montessori work, BFSU, or are very easily supplemented without the use of a "guide."

If anyone is interested, I am happy to put together a list of lightunits that correspond well with Montessori albums at appropriate moments - just as this one on simple machines and the next one on electricity.

Yep. He's a happy camper!

Lots of hands-on work and I know he will put together his own experiments/tests because that is the sort of thinking and learning that has been encouraged through providing very basic Montessori materials - creativity! ;)


UPDATED TO ADD: Just when a boy thinks he is too old for wagons and other such "young child goods" - do NOT BELIEVE HIM! Tuck the item away, but not entirely out of sight. He WILL want it  back!
The wheeled thing in question above has been on the "young child goods" list for 2 years. And now... he's been working with it for 4 hours. I think it has new life ;)

Toddler Montessori At Home

Ok, in the last 2 weeks I have been asked for varying levels of insight into toddler-hood by no less than 15 individuals! I preface the entire following post with these points:
--I am not infant-toddler trained *at all*.
--My initial Montessori experience was in a wonderful AMI school in the after-school care, the lower elementary and the toddler room (somehow I was never needed in primary at that particular school!). These experiences were strong ones and truly formed my whole Montessori way of thinking - in comparing to later experience, I find that the children were full of joy, with very bright eyes, and the teachers were expert observers!
--I have raised exactly one child through the entire infant-toddler stage.
--I have played a role in providing Montessori environments to countless children on a part-time basis, including providing a Montessori environment in my own home for daycare purposes.
--I am not an expert; I would love to go back for more AMI training, but I (like most of my readers) simply can't do that. I did primary and elementary - those were two miracles by themselves. My official training time is done :(

But I love to share what worked for US!



So here we go: 


For toddler-hood, I did use Montessori from the Start (separating the wheat from the chaff ;) ) as well as my observations at local Montessori toddler programs (which wasn't all that great); I drew as much as I could from my past experience of working in an AMI toddler room as the routine substitute - to this day it is probably the best toddler Montessori environment I've ever been in - other AMI rooms came quite close; and none of the non-AMI ones suited me at all, sad to say - and at the time I didn't even know the difference between AMI and AMS.
NOTE: If I could begin again, I would set aside Montessori from the Start and read "The Joyful Child" by Susan Stephenson - available at MichaelOlaf.net. While Montessori from the Start has more detailed activity descriptions, it was really hard to separate the wheat from the chaff!

A simply grand infant-toddler activity.
Yes I bought this salt shaker set specifically
so my son could do this work of mounting toothpicks.
Solid glass, heavy, and a metal cap.
Step 1: toothpicks into wide-mouth jars
Step 2: tootpicks into water bottles
Step 3: Mounting toothpicks on salt shakers.
CONCENTRATION.
COORDINATION.
FOCUS.
FILLS their inner drive towards TINY work.
It's real (glass and metal).
(I don't care for pepper, so this is actually the pepper shaker -
we use the salt one for salt!)

My very strong advice on this age is to worry less about teaching anything in particular and focus more on:
--real experiences
--real materials (heavy glass tumblers are more appropriate for an older infant sitting at his chair, then a plastic sippy cup knocked off the tray or traipsing around the house)
--whole/real language - and verbally labeling all things in the environment.
--beginning the sound games just for the fun of it
--including the child in all activities possible
--lots of snuggling, reading, conversations (encouraging responses)
--trust the child's ability to learn, including learning boundaries. Maintain them. (provide toothpicks for mounting on a saltshaker lid, but no they do not go in the mouth)
--Develop good habits by allowing good things to happen. Don't interrupt a child's attention and focus for example.
--Cull bad habits by stopping them immediately. Those keys on the table with the swiss knife attached? Yep. They're enticing, but they stay there when you've said 'no' and the child has been given something else to explore.
--OBSERVE your child.

I can't emphasize any of the above enough! Perhaps some day I will be able to write a blog post (or series of blog posts) about each of those points. In the meantime, take them one by one and consider what you can do to implement them. What does it mean? What new habits do you need to work on for yourself? What environmental changes do you need to make?


For inspiration - we have always had small homes; for a few months at different times we did live with other families in larger houses (and I had less control over those houses, in regards to safety features) - so my posts focus on the smaller spaces - and limited budgets.

Three previous posts:
Practical Life for the Toddler Years
Infants and Toddlers at Home
Toddler Montessori Home Environment

See the full set of toddler posts by clicking here.

Montessori Homeschool Schedule and Work Boxes

The last two months have been a time of transition for us. We typically start our new school year with Advent (the first Sunday of the new liturgical year for our church). While he started to tell people he is now in 4th grade and he's 9, Legoboy is one (wanting to be) confused little boy!

He is 8. But during this study of ancient civilizations we came across the Chinese belief that life starts at... conception. Ok, perhaps that's not so novel. What is novel about this teaching is how it is applied: the child is counted as being alive since conception, hence 9 months old (even 1 year old) at the time of birth! So Legoboy knows he began life in August and after 4 years running of being 5 years old (an age he wanted to be forever), he is now firmly decided that he is 9 and has been 9 since August. And indeed, I certainly now have more than 9 years of memories of this beautiful little boy, having seen him for the first time 9 years ago in early September!
(note on the link above - I can't find the book where we read that, and I am having trouble finding solid information on the internet about the belief - this article was the one that explained it the most, but it's not entirely my preferred article either - just saying: that's NOT the article Legoboy read!)

Well, so back to that time of transition - I had a LOT on my plate, we were just coming off of 3 months of non-stop sheer craziness of roller coaster experiences (I hate roller coasters, by the way) - and we just didn't get our new year in gear... until today! (this is being scheduled a bit out from the time I actually write this ;) )


Some background: 
Legoboy has been working with a weekly and a 2-weekly plan for 3 years now. At age 5 1/2 we started on a weekly plan, but it really more of laying out the plan for the week, then either at the beginning of the week or the beginning of each day, marking with an appropriate letter what was expected each day of the week. He had the option of doing more in each area as well, which he routinely did, but he was also learning how to budget his time, earn free time, get his responsibilities fulfilled, all while I was right there helping him.

By age 7, we were creating the weekly or 2-weekly work plan and he would rarely need to ask for guidance on what to do and when - he had the plan, we'd already discussed it, he knew the expectations and he had his personal research. There were times I would do as my training and theory albums suggests and ask during our planning sessions, "When do you plan to work on this?" or "What is your plan for this project?" and provide feedback based on his answer. If it's a great idea, call it what it is. If he has a not so great plan ("I'll do that one on the last day of the week" - translation: I am putting that one off because "I don't really want to do it" OR "I am putting it off because I need help and I don't know how to ask for the help I need despite my insistence that I don't need help"), then I provide a suggestion or even a requirement: "It is Monday 9AM; this particular aspect of the project or this math practice (or whatever it is) needs to be done by 2PM Tuesday." or "Let's meet about (this thing that is troublesome) at 1 pm on Wednesday and we will work on it together." I am telling him at that point that I am helping, not asking him.

This has worked well for almost 2 years! But I think he's hitting that odd pre-puberty thing that boys hit around age 9. Yeah. HARD. Oh the Rebellion! He still has a heart of gold, but there is a new creature living in that body!

So here we are at 8 1/2, re-adjusting how we do our Montessori work plan yet again. I love following the child - not a dull moment! During this transition time, he needs a lot more hand-holding, but at the same time, he needs to prove his independence, while continuing to cultivate proper relationship skills and practical skills to have a strong foundation for the adolescent years ahead (did I just think 'adolescent' and 'my son' in the same sentence? Oh, I'm going to cry.).



So here is what we spent 4 hours working out: 

Legoboy wants a specific structure. So we created a quick and easy chart: 

DAILY: We have listed the subjects that must be covered every day. This includes both new lessons and continuing the work himself (ie reading analysis would count under "Language" here). We went through our scope and sequences (ours are fully-detailed excel spreadsheets, organized by ages), selected and printed just what we wanted to accomplish in the next 2 months, worked out what would need to be done and approximately how often. He selected to do most subjects daily, figuring that even he does 20 minutes each day on sentence analysis for example, it will "keep it fresh" (his words!). 

WEEKLY: Next, we have the subjects that must be covered at least one day each week. This usually entails specifically doing something NEW or more intense or another nuance - not just repeating the same work (he is moving towards upper elementary when desired repetition is a thing of the past but is still very necessary. For this month, that includes a Latin lesson, performing a piano lesson for me (whether he moves ahead to the next lesson or not), and selecting a big chore or project to do around our home. 

DAILY PRACTICE: Then there are things under daily practice - that could very well be nothing new at all; current month's items here include: piano practice, Latin flashcards he creates during the weekly Latin lesson, tae-kwon-do practice, speech practice, some form of art (he currently has a cross-stitch project in-progress, is working on his own version of a Book of Kells, and frequently looks to learn other skills - this way, he has built-in time each day to develop these skills). 

With this plan in mind, we will still create a weekly or 2-weekly work-plan to show what the goals are for the coming 5-12 days as well as to evaluate the work done in the previous 5-12 days - see where we are in the scope and sequence, what should be practiced more, what areas we want to go more intense with and select a new biology or geometry topic (we are reviewing these subjects by topic area, now we've done the full albums, we'll review each area in-serious-depth and see where it takes us). 

     I am sometimes asked my thoughts on monthly work-plans. I personally and professionally cannot, in my heart, recommend them for any child younger than a mature upper elementary. Why? Because there is a longer time period to "see" the results of one's planning. There is a greater responsibility and maturity gained from making plans and seeing them through; evaluating and adjusting, with more immediate feedback. That is why we adults will look to the next semester or set of months, then make our plans for about the next month, then sit with the child to focus on the next *week*, and depending on the child's needs, let's just focus on each day, but the child is still visually exposed to the weekly plans - not the rest of it - that is too much for a 6 year old to truly learn from. Now at almost age 9, Legoboy is getting towards upper elementary and is ready to see the scope and sequence plans I have, but I *only* print out the sections that I think we can feasibly do in the next 2-3 months -- and even then we might not finish one area, but go far beyond in another area. 

     With that said, I find that 6 year olds without a work-plan at all, are missing out on a *huge* piece of Montessori elementary. See this upcoming post for more information. 

We have always held to a daily routine, which is difficult to put onto paper at times because every day is different. For now, we finally have some morning consistency because Sunday mornings are our only morning out-of-the-home commitments (starting in February we have twice-monthly Monday morning homeschool classes at a local-ish museum, which we will then count as "morning work cycle" for those days). Afternoon activities might be more work time, or speech, or tae-kwon-do or atrium. 

Finally, we have reached an age where the workbox system is much more readily modified into a Montessori environment. Others have modified Montessori to make the workbox system fit; we've modified the workbox system to fit elementary Montessori. Essentially we have ONE box (could be two or three), with the usual supplies needed for the day and for the week - it is essentially the "hard-copy" of the work-plan. If a larger material is required, those can be placed nearby, or noted on that week's work-plan and he knows to go gather the materials. This works great for those pre-puberty boys are losing EVERYTHING, ALL, THE, TIME. 

At primary age, we would do something similar when traveling, in a backpack, to keep skills going. Or if I were sick or had a big project and wanted him "occupied" he'd have a planned out box to go to if he had nothing in mind. Typically, he didn't use it ;) In elementary, if he were to be spending the day with another homeschooling family or when I traveled for a week for a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training, I packed him up a box and a notebook with a list of assignments we created together - enough to keep him busy when needed, but if it didn't get done the world wouldn't come to an end. 

But now, he developed this solution to keep us on-task and not "forgetting" to do things each week. We have one place to store the small items that are used daily. Like the tae-kwon-do breaking boards, the books we want to read together this week, pencils and erasers and sharpeners in a nice pouch not buried in his desk somewhere, but actually available ;) The clipboard with the work-plan. It might hold the Life of Fred book we are currently reading. 

So there's our January plan. We'll see how it holds into February!

Bank Game Fun

Nope. Not THAT Bank Game ;)

When I started doing Montessori at home, I could not figure out the Bank Game. It needed beads, it didn't need beads; it needed colored cards, it didn't need colored cards; it definitely needed white cards, but in how many sizes!? My mind was BOGGLED.

Along came AMI training - total immersion for the year. Baptism by fire ;)

Well, one mystery solved: the Change Game or Exchange Game in AMI can be called other things in other albums, among those other names: The Store, Making Change, and... the Bank Game (and sometimes Bankers' Game). But in AMI, the Bank Game is specifically an elementary presentation. Confused yet? Me too! I went to elementary training straight-away afterward.

Here is what the AMI albums, when followed in sequence break down to:

Primary:

The Change Game - the first time create a tornado and a HUGE mess of golden beads; invite the children to help you count up, knowing full-well that you will have to exchange to the next category to find the final quantity in such a way that it can be found with the cards. Thereafter, this material is used for all 4 operations in a variety of fashions. The material requires 3 sets of small number cards (for the addends and for the numbers being taken away), one large set of number cards (for the subtrahend, dividend, and sums), and a set of small black numbers (could be written in black ink on small slips of paper) for the multiplier and dividend. All those cards are white with appropriate colored numerals.

This work opens up the decimal system and its operations to the child like no other mathematics material on this planet. LOVE it!!!!


Elementary: 
The Bank Game uses one set of white cards that goes into the MILLIONS (up to 9,000,000 - just with no commas) - for the answer. It uses a set of colored cards with black ink that goes into the thousands - for the multiplicand. It uses a set of gray cards with 1 double-zero, and 2 sets of the numbers 0-9 for the multipliers.
There are 3 roles in the AMI album, so I can't explain the 6 roles that some of the materials boxes contain. Sorry! And the AMI albums say to  not even bother with those labels - just toss them.

If an elementary child isn't strong on his facts, he can be the runner (gets the "money" from the "vault" - at another table). The banker and customer are at a small table with the colored and gray cards laid out on a third table. The customer gathers his multiplier and multiplicand and brings them to the banker. The banker then needs to make the calculations and give the customer the appropriate "money."
(don't you wish you could go into a real bank and do that? "I'd like $6,327 and I'll take that 64 times please!" Sigh. ;) )

The banker should know his facts; the customer should be learning them to double-check the figures; the runner should also be double-checking, but if he is weak on his facts, being the runner is perfect practice.


So how we do this at home? With an only child?


I am the customer; we share the role of banker. He's the runner. It means we'll only do 1-2 problems at a time because it takes longer and we're doing more work for each person.

The frustrating thing is how often he says, "This is SO easy!" And then he stops thinking - and he makes stupid mistakes. This work was much more appropriate at age 6 and early 7; less so at age 8 1/2 even though we pull it out from time to time to review because of those silly mistakes he makes in his work.

As I said, he's older now. When he was younger, he was interested but it was a LONG work for one little boy, a work meant for 3 children. So we work together and it has to be on my time. He moans about it once in a while; or when things get tricky (meaning he's getting stuck on something he knows he should know but tries not to know), he'll say, "I thought I picked a SIMPLE problem!" (meaning, "I'm just picking numbers to get through it - I'm not really interested in this.")
(yes, I have him select all his problems. Sometimes I have a guideline - such as zeroes in the middle, or at the end; double numbers next to each other; etc. but he still selects - so it is HIS interest and HE picks up on the pattern - thus even in these grumbling moments, he is still seeing the patterns in the results of HIS chosen numbers. "Well, now I know what will happen with THAT next time - I won't do THAT again!" - and 9 out of 10 times, the next time he WANTS that challenge again! Sigh. I love 8 year old boys!)
And then he suddenly picks up on something - either related directly to his selected problem, or some other number pattern. And he's excited and interested and wants to try a few things to see if he can replicate the revelation or the pattern - even if it's just a coincidence in the numbers. Such as the problem shown below - he loved that the multiplier and the answer both ended in 1, and that the last two digits of the answer add up to 6 (the other digit in the multiplier). So then he was off doing a few shorter problem (3 digits by 2 digits) to see if he could replicate. Did not want help from me. Ok. So much for grumbling that "this is SO easy, it's BORING!" and "This is so hard, and it's still boring." He learned the word boring recently and has been using to describe everything, so I'm not entirely listening when he uses it. Boring or not, we have responsibilities - and it's not boring - as his 2 Bank Game expedition this afternoon proved!

Hmm. Multiplier must have run away ;) It was 61 - so we had a 6, a 0, and a 1.
The multiplicand is decomposed as in the large bead frame work.
as well as the multiplier.
Then each row is multiplied by the 1 (in this case); the answer is brought.
Each row is then multiplied by 10 (add that zero) just as in the large bead frame work -
then multiplied by 6.
Re-organize the white cards as needed when duplicates are needed
(the children are to think of a solution for when they need duplicates!)
-- answer arrives in the result. 

So much for that nice pretty rows we see in the albums!
This is how my son really sets it up for his own work.
Sometimes neater - usually not. 

As neatly organized as it gets. ;) 

How We Homeschool

Here is what I see happen in many homeschools:

A wonderful curriculum is selected or compiled from a variety of sources. This is for science; that is for math; etc. Or it's a complete curriculum package. Very handy and neatly laid out.

Then mom and dad (more particularly mom) gleans a neat idea from a homeschool friend in the neighborhood or homeschool co-op or from an online acquaintance. Or the child has an interest in something and a kit or supplies are found at the store or in storage. "This would be great to do with the children!" The materials are purchased or gathered. And there they sit.

Or they do work on it, but the curriculum has to be set aside for the time it takes to work on that project. Because there is only so much time left in the day.

And then we're behind on school.

Repeat cycle.

And there is burn-out.

Sometimes those fun things are saved specifically for burn-out time - February for many people (I happen to LIKE February myself ;) ). A good plan for anticipating what is coming, because you know it's coming, so let's have something on hand to cover it!

Well, if it works out that way.

Most of that stuff ends up sold to other homeschoolers who love the idea and may or may not use it. I once tracked the ownership of a particular resource I had just purchased back no less than EIGHT homeschool families, most of whom didn't even open it up before eventually passing it on. All contents were intact and none of the projects had ever been done in it.


But I ask: why plan for the burn-out? How about avoiding it altogether and still doing those fun things? ;)
Why sell off unused stuff that you KNOW your kids would have just LOVED if they'd had it at the right time, but they're now in college and you're online selling it off?



In our homeschool:

We do hit our times here in our homeschool where we just need a break. We don't call it burn-out because we're not burned out - we're just gearing up for a change of pace. We have these built-in times anyway because we live according to a liturgical year and that helps. But our curriculum choice helps too.

We have and use AMI Montessori albums. These albums provide a foundation and framework in their appropriate areas, as well as build connections between the subjects. If I just provide my son with THOSE lessons, he will have a solid foundation and a firm framework, but he won't have everything he needs.

Yikes, you're thinking! You mean your curriculum doesn't cover everything? (nope!) But that's terrible! A comprehensive curriculum is what a family needs to ensure the child learns everything he needs to know! (Well... not exactly).

See. My son has the foundation and the framework. And if I had more children, each child would then receive a solid foundation and firm framework. But what each child *needs* from there is going to be very different from the next child!

SO. We have a foundation and a framework. We then have TIME to explore personal interests (no, not just the interests he expresses, because the Montessori albums guide me to present in new areas in order to find new interests) in ways that speak to this child. So if my son is interested in the layers of the earth over types of rocks right now - so be it - we explore the layers of the earth. I know we'll come back around to that foundational presentation in the future and he WILL come around to studying different types of rocks.
And if he doesn't get there on his own? It is covered by 'family requirements' and 'local educational requirements' (anything required by the state in which you homeschool).

If my son wants to explore the orchestra by attending orchestral performances, we can do that; or if he would rather go to the music store and talk with an employee while the employee is pulling an instrument apart to clean it, repair it, and tune it -- we can do that instead! Or do both!

Thus, all the requirements are covered, with minimal time.

And we can pull in ALL SORTS of additional resources that supplement our "curriculum" (I know my Montessori trainers cringe at that word! Sorry! it's what most people understand, in regards to organizing a child's educational experience, so I'll use it for now ;) ) --- and we can explore personal interests SO DEEPLY.

And still have time and space left for family life.

What sort of stuff do we pull in while at home?

• Fun science kits
• Cooking experiments
• Art projects of ALL kinds
• Just sit and read for hours on end
• Work on handcrafts for hours on end
• Play games - lots of games - cards, boards, co-operative, etc. 
• Writing one's own music
• Being allowed to attend a midnight showing of The Hobbit and stay up afterwards to discuss it. 
• Learn a foreign language; continue learning sign language --- for the FUN of it. 
• Keep the house clean, together. 

And the stuff we can do outside the home is endless.

Ok, so some of those things apply more to my son than to my own free time (I run two small businesses from my home after all!). The point is that time is available because we're not looking at just the bare minimum requirements for 8 hours a day.

There is also a teeny-tiny amount of time available for computer usage, but at age 8, that time is less than half an hour per week. Not that I actually clock it at this point; it's just that the computer is for work and minimally available for play. Thus... there is also time for... SOCIAL INTERACTIONS. The only thing that non-homeschoolers want to know about ;) 

Lots of time. Lots of energy. Neither of which are spent on tedium or unnecessaries. 

Especially now I am pretty much DONE making materials or earning money specifically for Montessori materials. Blissful SIGH! ;) 

Consider how YOUR child learns. If you have more than one child - what are their similarities and differences? Is it possible to provide them a foundation and a structure and then allow each one time to explore their individual interests? Can they then learn from one another? And be involved in each other's interests at each one's own level?

;)


By the by, the kit mentioned above that had 8 previous owners? We had a BLAST with it! I'll post about it soon. It's been a while but is still discussed quite often.

God With No Hands - cooling layer

We make our own yogurt and the last few times, we've been using a simpler method that we LOVE - it's so easy!

When removing the milk from the pan and placing the jars on the counter, we always notice the layer of cooling milk on top.

This layer is mentioned in the first Great Lesson - The Story of God With No Hands - right before introducing the volcano... so it can easily slip into the recesses of one's mind when confronted with that *awesome* volcano!

This last yogurt-making was interesting though...

We were both working quietly in the living room and continued to hear a pop - pop - pop. Ever so slight.

Dreading the possibility of a mouse in our apartment, we crept into the kitchen....

and found...


This....



If you listen very carefully you can hear the quiet pop-pops - just barely. There are two other videos as well - both showing the same thing, but we couldn't decide which one to post!


Give it a try! Boil some milk in a glass jar by placing a 75-90% filled with milk jar into a saucepan of water and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil until the milk is about 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Now use a mitt to remove the jar and place it on the counter. Just let it sit. It won't take long!

Neat, huh!?


Wanna make yogurt while you're at it?
If you don't have a nice consistently warm place, do what we do and place that pan of hot water in a cooler which has been lined with a thick towel. Close the cooler for now to get it nice and warm in there.
(if you want to use raw milk and keep it raw, to make yogurt, you'll heat only to 110, but will not get a skin on the milk)

When the milk is about 105-110, mix in a spoonful of yogurt with active cultures. Put a lid on the milk culture and place it in the cooler next to the pan (best not to let them touch if the pan is still too hot - you don't want to kill the yogurt culture). Close the lid.

Come back in 24 hours (usually less but the 24 hours part is easy for us!).

To a pint jar, we add about 1 1/2 tbsp of sweetener (powdered sugar, honey, maple syrup, fruit juice concentrate) and whatever other ingredients you'd like. We are out of vanilla (still waiting for it to finish up) so we've been using almond extract - YUM!

Or mixed with homemade granola. YUMMIER!

It's pretty thick to start, but gets a bit runnier with stirring, so minimize your stirring if you want thick yogurt.

No pectin, no preservatives, our own sweeteners.

AND science!

Can't beat it!


Yes, those are wide-mouth Ball glass jars - we have been slowly switching over to just using those, instead of re-using other glass jars, because, well, we're not buying as many other glass jars as we make more and more of our own food from fresh produce. I chose wide-mouth because 1) the food doesn't clog up underneath a lip and 2) the same lids and rings fit on both pint (think jam) and quart jars - I really need ease of use and mis-matched lids have been hair-pullers in the last year! ;) Now I have multiple sized jars and just one size of lid that fits on all the jars. And everything looks so NICE in the cupboard, fridge and freezer!

After stirring it is just a bit runnier than organic yogurt.
Just as thick as well-stirred non-organic yogurt. 

In the cooler; we make 4 jars at a time.
Saving the last half of one jar as the culture for the next batch.

AMI language and Dwyer - how they fit

The following blog post is not showing up in readers. I have now had several people contact me to suggest or request that I re-post it. I do not want to belabor the point, so this will be my last post on it ;)

The link to the blog post is: Dwyer and AMI Primary Language Album

Wednesday, I will have an elementary school day post up again. Yay!



Click her for a link to the Montessori Trails page correlating Dwyer with AMI with Pink/Blue/Green - aligned next to each other according to stages.

Dwyer and AMI Primary Language Album

In the last couple (now 3-4) weeks I have taken quite a few questions along the same lines and thought a blog post might be a great place to sort it all out ;)

1/7/12 - let me just reiterate right here - YOU have to decide what will work best for your family. My experience is my experience; while much of my opinion is based on a seriously high amount of observation, even I find myself outside of statistics many times, so I will not lock anyone into them ;) I can only help guide you based on your situation ;)


Within the English-speaking Montessori homeschool world, there are 3 language development "schemes" (anyone have a better word for that!?) that are most prevalent. I am sure there are many variations on these, but as a homeschooler coming to the internet getting started on Montessori, here are the three you will find most often, of late:
(when I was first getting started and before I went to training, #3 was not readily available and I never came across #2, though it was available)

1. Pink/Blue/Green - altogether the most prevalent. It was developed specifically for the English language  and is heavily promoted by AMS (the Montessori organization with the strongest presence in the United States; and the most accessible to homeschoolers and new Montessori teachers). This system has to work because it is so prevalent, but it can be very overwhelming for new homeschooling parents, and tends to be heavily modified by each user because of these overwhelming aspects. It was not developed by anyone in the Montessori family (Maria, Mario, etc.), but is a specific response to the English language, in a Montessori-inspired manner. History is sketchy on the internet, but it seems to be in response to American-English, versus English in general or British-English (can someone please verify this for me!?). In any case, it may be more appropriate for schools (over homeschools) when seeking to apply it in a pure form. But I would personally not send my child to a school that uses this approach, if I want a true Montessori school.
2. Dwyer Pamphlet - published by NAMTA - becoming more prevalent as families are really getting burned by the p/b/g work. I wrote up my first post about it here: Analysis of Dwyer booklet compared to AMI Primary Language Album. The emphasis of her pamphlet is "The Exploration of Language" - utilizing keys to unlock language. Keys - what Maria Montessori called her sensorial materials (keys to the world). And while it simplifies the process, it potentially over-simplifies it by mentioning some topics without going in-depth. The reason is that Muriel Dwyer summarized the approach that AMI uses; this booklet was never meant to be a complete step by step guide. 
3. AMI Primary Language Album - growing in prevalence only because certain AMI-trained Montessori teachers are taking AMI out of the cloistered elite and sharing it with the world. However, picked up straight by a homeschooling parent without Montessori training - it can feel almost as overwhelming as the p/b/g work. If you have a detailed scope and sequence with the album, you're much better off, but there can still be questions. Support and understanding of how the album works is growing. 
4. There are other resources as well, that seem to be variations on the above: Gettman, Montessori Read & Write, Hainstock's books, and the like. Much more user-friendly and designed to speak to the homeschooling mom, but not as complete as they could be. Excellent filler resources. 

So overall - no one perfect solution for the homeschool mom who would like to pick up a straight-forward guide and run with it. Why is that? Because every child is different, thus modifications are necessary. The nice thing? There is plenty of online support available through e-mail groups and generous Montessori-trained teachers who want this work in the hands of homeschoolers. 

Some other bloggers who have posted fantastic resources or reviews on the differences between pink/blue/green and the Dwyer pamphlet: 

• What Did We Do All Day?
• Kingdom of the Pink Princesses
• Dream Before You

There are many more - and you are welcome to add your link below if you have a blog post/series up about it :) 

Who developed each approach? 

The booklet by Muriel Dwyer appears to be a(n excellent and useful) summary of the AMI approach, which would have been approved by Maria Montessori (2020 edit: Muriel Dwyer worked with Mario Montessori on this approach that works for *any* language for AMI to continue to use in non-purely-phonetic languages). The AMI language album is not heavily focused on learning a language in the same style as Italian - instead is truly keys-based in its exploration of any language. There are conflicting sources for who developed the pink/blue/green series and it seems to be a collaborative effort. I am unfortunately short on time to look much further at this time, but would love if someone else could share this information if they know it for sure :) (see comments)

I think that clarifies most of the questions I have received thus far, except one other main one: 

If I want to follow your recommendation to use the AMI Primary Language with the Dwyer booklet, how do I do that? 

ANSWER: The Dwyer booklet is like the framework, the how-to, and the areas of absolute emphasis; and most parents who are interacting with their children right now, will be able to apply it right away. However, there are some "meaty details" that, if you have the Primary Language album, you will have so many aha moments, that your children will wonder why you're so excited! ;) 

DETAILS: 

The Dwyer booklet corresponds with large portions of the Primary Language album in the following manner (see the chart below)

As you can see, the Dwyer booklet gives the framework and the main things to emphasize, allowing for you to see at a glance what is most important within the foundation. From there, you can better apply the primary language album pages. Best scenario: use a detailed scope and sequence with ages to determine what should be done within a general time frame (parallel works); then use Dwyer to see where in the framework that is, so you have your "place in the grand scheme of things"; and use the language album for your actual presentations.


I hope this all helps! Keep asking questions as they come up!

Dwyer on the left; AMI Primary Language album (Keys of the World modified) on the right.
Note that where it says "mentioned" or "listed" in Dwyer, it means she refers to it, but provides no or very few details. The chart clearly shows that Dwyer summarized the AMI approach - they are the same, just a different level of detail. 

(not included)	Prologue
	Education as an Aid to Life
	Development of Language (from Theory)
	Introduction to Language
	Introduction to Spoken Language
Aural Development (ages 0-4+)	Spoken: Vocabulary Enrichment
	Orientation Game
	Naming Objects in the Environment
	Collecting Classified Objects
	Practical Life Objects
	Parts of an Object
	Language of the Sensorial Materials
	Three Period Lesson
	Classified Cards - Social
	Related Objects Game - Presentations A & B
	Description/Definition Game
	Stories – Biological Classifications
	The Story of Living and Non-Living Matter
	The Story of Plants and Animals
	The Story of the Five Classes of Vertebrates
	Sorting Game – Biology Classifications
	Nomenclature Cards – Scientific
	Life Cycles
	Oral Language Games
Aural Development (ages 0-4+)	Spoken: Language Development
	Storytelling
	Reading and Books in the Library
	Poems
	Conversation
	Question Game
	Cultural Folders
	Extension: fictional story telling
	Land and Water Form Folders
	Land and Water Form Outline Maps
	Biome Folders
	Art Folders
	My State
	Writing
	Introduction to Writing
Aural Development (ages 0-4+)	Sound Games
	Sensitizing Fingers
Symbols for the Sounds (3 1/2 or so + )	Sandpaper Letters
Done WITH the above individual letters	Sandpaper Phonograms (Additional Sandpaper Letters)
Typically around 4, earlier or later	Movable Alphabet
Separate development (not in Dwyer)	Metal Insets (12 Stages)
	Small Metal Insets
	Map Making
	Writing - Art of Handwriting
Lightly touched on (hinted at) in Dwyer booklet	Sand Tray
	Chalkboards
	Paper Material (10 stages)
	Initial Strokes
	Green Boards (Initial strokes)
	Handwriting Charts – 6
	Book Making
	Reading: Phonetic Reading
	Introduction to Reading
Dwyer: Object Box 1	Phonetic Object Box
Dwyer: “Beginning of Reading”	Phonetic Reading Cards
Dwyer: “Activity Word Game” (part 1)	Phonetic Reading Commands
Dwyer: “Beginning of Reading”	Phonetic Booklets
	Rhyming Words
	Reading: Phonograms
Dwyer marks this as Object Box 2	Phonogram Object Box and Alphabet Boxes
(only hinted at)	Phonogram Shadow Box
Dwyer has “folders” for a version of these	Phonogram Booklets
	Phonogram Cards
(not covered in Dwyer???)	Phonogram Alphabet Exploration
Dwyer: “Activity Word Game” (part 2)	Phonogram Commands
Dwyer: kind of the Phonogram dictionary, but a bit different – would be great to do both versions	Research
	Spelling
	Dictionary
	Personal Dictionary
	Reading: Puzzle Words
Puzzle Words in Dwyer, under “The Test” (introduced with the movable alphabet according to AMI)	Puzzle Words
	Reading Classification
Mentioned in Phonogram Dictionary and Dictation as parallel work.	Presentation I – Classifying the Environment
	Presentation II – Cards with Labels
	A. Social
	B. Scientific
	C1. Biology Classifications: Living and Non-Living
	C2: Biology Classifications: Plant and Animal
	C3: Biology Classifications: Five Classes of Vertebrates
	Extension: Mix and sort - work up to 5 sets
	Presentation III – Definition Stages
	Reading: Function of Words
Mentioned in Phonogram Dictionary and Dictation as parallel work.	Introduction to Function of Words and Background
	Article
	Adjective
	Logical Adjective
	Detective Adjective
	Conjunction
	Preposition
	Verb
	Adverb
	Logical Adverb
	Continuation of Commands
	Symbol and Phrase Game
	Word Study
Further exploration of reading skills and language exploration – much of this can and should be done orally to begin with (with some details left out to be discovered when the child can read for himself), so that the reading portion becomes a deeper work for the children as well as a way to enhance whole reading skills with something familiar. Mentioned in Phonogram Dictionary and Dictation as parallel work.	Introduction to Word Study
	Compound Words
	Suffixes
	Prefixes
	Word Families
	Adjectives
	Singular and Plural
	Synonyms
	Antonyms
	Homophones
	Homographs
	Animal Collectives
	Animals and Their Young
	Animal Sounds
	Animal Homes
	Animal Families
	Contractions
	Reading Analysis
Dwyer: Listed under “Dictation”	Introduction to Reading Analysis
	Simple Sentences Stage I
	Simple Sentences Stage II
	Simple Sentences Stage III
	Musical Expression
Not touched on in Dwyer’s booklet.	Introduction to Musical Expression
	Notation with the Bells: whole step, half step, tetrachord
	Note Names with the Bells (Name Lessons with the Bells)
	Introduction to the Musical Staff: Staff, Ledger Lines, G-Clef
	Note Names on the Numbered Staff Board
	Note Names on the Unmarked Staff Board
	Unmarked Staff Boards – Parallel Exercise 1: Matching Cards with Bells
	Unmarked Staff Boards – Parallel Exercise 2: Nomenclature Cards
	Unmarked Staff Boards – Parallel Exercise 3: Grading
	Unmarked Staff Boards – Parallel Exercise 4: Descriptions/Definitions
	Composing on the Bells
	Reading Music
	Language Extension
Much of this work falls under real life experiences, aural and oral language development. We want the children to have real experiences so they have something to write about with the movable alphabet.	Who Am I?
	How to Teach a Song
	Clapping – Rhythm
	Introduction to Biology
	Introducing Animals
	Plant Study and Experiments
	Telling Time
Additionals particular to Keys of the World albums - not included in straight AMI albums or in Dwyer's booklet.	Appendix
	Language Scope and Sequence
	Language Materials List
	Master Copies

Related printable and physical materials available here: 

Keys of the World Language Arts

I am getting a lot of off-blog questions - mostly along the same lines. I get wordy in my responses, but here is a quick response ;) 

Can I just use the Dwyer booklet (summary of AMI)and not use the (AMI) full primary language album at all? 

Yes. *If* you are looking to just focus on learning to read and write, and that's it. As a homeschooler you are probably already providing a rich language experience, just living life, using real vocabulary, reading with your child and having lots of real experiences. 

Slightly longer answer: As you can see, the primary language album also includes music, science, as well as all the language studies that come after learning how to read and write. Yes, there are variations on these in elementary, but these are primary level lessons here, and if you have time and a ready-child, the primary language album will serve you well. There is SO much more available in the AMI Primary language album.

It just depends on your situation :)

1/5/12 - See My Boys' Teacher's comment about the albums. This answer also depends which albums you are using.


Click here for a link to the Montessori Trails page correlating Dwyer with AMI with Pink/Blue/Green - aligned next to each other according to stages.