MONTESSORI READING: A JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY

MONTESSORI READING

Article credit, voilamontessori.com 

For conventional educators, reading is a skill that must be taught by means of drills, homework, and tests.  Yet, most children who go through authentic Montessori programs are not taught to read; they discover reading on their own!

How do Montessori children learn to read without direct adult instruction, and is it possible to give your child the same experience at home?

In a Montessori environment, preparation for reading is everywhere.  It’s in the left-to-right hand and eye movements required to wipe a shelf; in the rhyming songs we sing; in the vocabulary we give.

Presentations that guide a child towards reading start around 2 ½ years. With a fun group activity called Sound Games, children realize that words are made up of individual sounds.  Each sound is then associated with a symbol when Sandpaper Letters are introduced.  These symbols – the 26 letters that make up our alphabet – become the plastic (or wooden) letters of the Moveable Alphabet.

The Art of Table Setting

Today, I had the opportunity to witness a few of our primary community members prepare the tables for lunch. Although they carried out this work flawlessly, it did seem quite challenging. They are required to take one item at a time, carrying it from the cabinet to the table, which can take several minutes. It truly did resemble a form of art, placing each item carefully on the table in the correct order.

What impressed me most was the dialogue that was shared between our two, pre-selected lunch helpers.

“Can you help me tie my apron, please?”

“Here, you lay out the napkins while I do the spoons.”

“We need to get the water from the refrigerator, but I need your help.”

“Would you hand me the napkin?”

I enjoyed hearing these two young people interact and collaborate with one another. It was truly delightful! They found pure joy in the work they were doing, and carried themselves in such a way that they knew this was important and purposeful work.

Not once did I see the guides intervene because it was simply not necessary. She didn’t step in to correct their errors, or straighten a napkin that was slightly offset. The task was carried out in full by the two friends, who relied on one another for help.Setting the table can be defined by many adults as a “chore”, but for a child, it is a purposeful, meaningful, and fulfilling work that stimulates all of their senses. Through this work, they enhance their concentration as they focus on each minor detail, self-control as they learn to carry one item at a time, critical thinking through exploring and manipulating different styles of place setting, collaboration, delegation, and leadership skills, care of environment and care of others, and they develop a healthy self-image because the work is real and necessary. And because of this, we cannot call it a “chore” since it is joyful, purposeful work. Just like an artist carefully and meticulously paints or sculpts his masterpiece, so do our children carefully and meticulously complete their work.

They understand that this is important work, and gain self-confidence as they see the outcome of their efforts; a room full of happy children eating and socializing in a well prepared environment.

Nido: The Most Important Time in Your Child’s Life

“We should not look at newborn infants as small, helpless human beings, but as persons who are small in size, but with an immense mental capacity, and many physical abilities that cannot be witnessed unless the environment assists in the expression of life.”
– Dr. Silvana Montanaro

The Infant Community at Healthy Beginnings Montessori House is affectionately referred to as the Raspberry Room. Like all of HBMH’s classrooms, our Nido environment is rooted in the educational philosophy of Maria Montessori. In fact, the word Nido comes from the Italian word “nest” and is meant to convey the warmth and security of a home.

Through the environment’s simplicity and order, the room is safe, secure, stimulating, and most importantly full of . The preparedness of the teachers allow students to learn at their own pace, using their senses to explore and discover the world.

IMAGINE…

Age appropriate materials and aids that induce concentration, movement, language, and cognitive development

“Open” classroom, absent of inhibiting items such as playpens, “bouncing” seats, activity saucers, swings and walkers

Floor Beds, which permit movement such as slithering from day one; crucial to their development

Gently touched and spoken to softly, as a whole individual, in an environment with low baby-to-teacher ratio

Calmness is nurtured by following your babies natural rhythm of development

Trust is cultivated by understanding how your baby communicates information

We invite those with little ones between the ages of 6 weeks – 18 months to stop by for a tour, and witness the beauty of our Montessori Nido!
P: 972-881-8200
E: carli@healthybeginningsmontessori.com

Healthy Beginnings Montessori Professional Development: November 2014 Training Recap

Our Team Building Teacher Workshop was a great success this last Saturday! We had a wonderful group of teachers, those who traveled from all over Texas and a few from our very own school. We discussed the positive effects of team building, including the components that make up a prepared environment, successful communication/collaboration amongst staff members, and tips on how to improve the quality of your classroom while strengthening classroom management. Each participant walked away with a better knowledge of how to add these practical skills to their own classroom environment, including 9 continuing education hours towards their professional development. Such an informative workshop!

A few photos highlighting moments from the workshop…

Ms. Tami (trainer), discussing the importance of the prepared environment.

Brainstorming blueprints for the layout of a prepared Montessori classroom.

The teams presented their final blueprints for their “dream” Montessori classroom, illustrating all the components that make up a truly prepared environment.

Lunch is served!

We discussed the advantages vs. challenges of working as a member of a team.

Be sure to stay tuned to our blog for upcoming workshops; we hope to host one every quarter next year!

A Place for Everything, and Everything in its Place

Children subconsciously absorb all of their surroundings, that is why it is important to maintain a well organized, prepared learning environment at all times, thriving with works that match their individual interests and needs.

Between the ages of birth to six years, a child experiences several different, spontaneous stages of their lives where they will focus on defining a specific skill, and sometimes concentrate on that skill alone for several weeks at a time. Moments like this, are referred to as a child’s “sensitive period”. As Montessori educators, we need to recognize and capitalize on these sensitive periods by preparing tools for the child to use, adequate space to work, and enough time to finish each sequence. We want to make the most of each precious learning experience. There is no greater gift than respecting the child and their need for order.

 
Uncluttered and organized…a place for everything, and everything in its place.

Hand Washing – An Exercise in Practical Life

  “The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.” – Dr. Maria Montessori Hand washing is an exercise in practical life that sparks the interest in almost …