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.