Montessori Mondays - Montessori Vs.

I want to share this wonderful list that we provide new and prospective parents at our school. I think for most people it offers a more concrete look at the Montessori method because it puts it in context of the educational system that is familiar to almost everyone. I should note that this comparison was provided by InfoDisc. Div of Software Holdings, 1000 Words & Pictures CD ROM. Enjoy!
Montessori Method vs. Traditional Method

1. Emphasis on cognitive and social development vs. emphasis on social development
2. Teacher has unobtrusive role in classroom vs. Teacher is center of classroom as "controller"
3. Environment and method encourage self discipline vs. Teacher is primary enforcer of discipline
4. Mainly individual instruction vs. Group and individual instruction
5. Grouping encourages children to teach and help each other vs. Most teaching is done by the teacher
6. Mixed age grouping vs. Same age grouping
7. Child chooses own work vs. Curriculum is structured for the child
8. Child discovers own concepts from self teaching materials vs. Child is guided to concepts by the teacher
9. Child works as long as he wishes on chosen project vs. Child is generally allotted specific time for work
10. Child sets own learning pace vs. Instruction pace is usually set by group norm
11. Child spots own errors from feedback of material vs. If work is corrected, errors are pointed out by the teacher
12. Child reinforces own learning by repetition of work and internal feelings of success vs. Learning is reinforced externally by repetition and rewards
13. Multi-sensory material for physical exploration vs. fewer materials for sensory development
14. Organized program for learning care of self and environment vs. Less emphasis on self-care instruction
15. Child can work where he chooses, move around and talk at will (yet not disturb the work of others); group work is voluntary vs. child usually assigned own chair: encouraged to participate, sit still and listen during group sessions
16. Organized program for parents to understand the Montessori philosophy and participate in the learning process vs. Voluntary parent involvement

Friday Notables - Peas in a Pod, Snack in a Snap

Any parent or caregiver with a toddler knows how important it is to carry snack foods with you throughout the day and while I love the go to cheerios sometimes you can find yourself searching for something a little different. Making sure snacks are healthy is also a big factor, which is why I was so excited when about a year ago we discovered snap pea crisps. They are usually sun dried and/or baked and look like a chip in the shape and color of a pea pod. And although they basically taste like a chip puff, these crisps retain a lot of the vitamins, fiber, and veggie protein that you would find in a serving of peas. Even better, they are great for toddlers still getting teeth in because they soften easily and almost dissolve in your child's mouth. There are a few brands out there so I recommend checking your local grocer's health food isle for them. Thanks for reading!

Midweek Creations - Scratch Art

This is a great two part activity for you and your child to do together. Work in sequencing language like today, tomorrow, first, and second. Enjoy!

What You'll Need
- blank white paper
- crayons
- Popsicle stick

Let your child color all over a piece of paper with several different colored crayons. Next, help them cover their picture with a heavy coating of black crayon so that no colors or white spots are left. Set aside the activity for the next day, explaining to your child what you will do tomorrow. The next day, get the sheet of paper out and help your child recall what they did yesterday. Take the popsicle stick and rub it over the paper to remove the black coating and show your child's colorful marks below. Once your child becomes comfortable with this "reverse coloring" you can help him draw shapes on the paper.

Montessori Mondays - The Educational Mess Part III

Today we are going to tackle those really hard messes - messes made on purpose by your toddler to elicit a response from you.

Making messes on purpose - knocking things over as part of a tantrum
As your little toddler grows, his need for independence grows as well. He begins to test his boundaries and develop a will of his own. Then one day, you will want him to do something, such as put his socks on, and if your child really doesn't want to he may say more than just no. Toys, books, or food may end up on the floor. For your part, it is important to let your child know that that behavior is not okay and the best way to show that is through modeling the type of emotional reaction you want to see. If you have an even bigger reaction than your child's, then whatever you talk to him about will be pointless. Take a deep breathe and create a conversation by giving him a chance to define his emotions and put reason to his actions, even if you have to fill in the words. For example: "Why did you knock the toys on the floor?" "Is it because you were angry because you are not ready to put your socks on yet?" "It's okay to be angry, but it's not okay to knock over your toys because it could break them. Next, time if you are not quite ready to put on your socks, tell me "one minute." If your child is not open for a conversation, let him have a moment to himself, but don't let him move onto something else before talking about it. After talking, have him pick everything that was knocked over and then ask him if he would like to put his socks on now or in a minute. Giving your child even a few moments difference if he wants puts him in control while still achieving your goal of putting on socks.

Friday Notables - Songs with Signs

I believe knowing some basic signs makes communicating with your toddler a much richer experience as it gives them that extra voice. The best way to work signing into your daily life is to sign when you talk to your toddler. They will quickly pick up on the signs. There are also lots of fun songs out there that incorporate signs into their fingerplay and most signing books will feature a few in their text. This is a very simple song that my toddler class signs at the beginning of every group music time and they absolutely love it. It teaches some of the most basic signs for grace and courtesy and the first verse can be modified for whatever location you are in. (If my directions for the signs aren't very clear, check out a copy of Baby Signs that I recommended a few Fridays ago as they have an amazing glossary.) Enjoy!

(Pat legs with hands in time to the first verse)
What's okay to do in school,
Do in school,
Do in school,
What's okay to do in school,
On this (day of the week).

Say please (rub palm across chest)
And thank you (flat palm starts at chin and moves down so fingers are pointing away)
Use words quietly (one finger on mouth, sshh)
Be gentle with others (rub downward facing palm on other forearm)
And use walking feet (hands alternate up and down on legs as if walking).

Midweek Creations - Color in a Bag

It is important for toddlers to explore different textures, but gooey, mushy textures are sometimes just out of the question at home unless they are food (think mashed potatoes). This is a great craft you can easily prepare for your little one that will fascinate him with its squishy, mushy texture and teach him about colors mixing. Because it requires boiling liquid, I wouldn't necessarily recommend including your toddler in the prep for this craft. Enjoy!

Materials

• 1 cup cornstarch

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 4 cups cold water

• Food coloring

• 2 gallon-size ziplock bags

• Duct tape

Instructions

1. Over medium heat, combine the cornstarch, sugar, and water in a saucepan, stirring continuously.

2. Once the mixture begins to thicken, remove the pan from the heat and stir for another minute or so until it thickens to a pudding like consistency. Let it cool for 30 minutes.

3. Spoon the mixture into two bowls, stir a few drops of food coloring into each (we used red and yellow), then divide the colors between the ziplock bags. Seal the bags with duct tape and let your child mix and mash the colors (they'll keep for up to a week).

Montessori Mondays - The Educational Mess Part II

I apologize to all my readers for not posting a Friday Notables last week. Unfortunately I was very sick, but I am feeling much better now.

The last couple of posts, I have been talking about the benefits of a good mess, but what about those times when your independent little toddler starts making messes on purpose -knocking things off shelves, throwing toys, turning her plate over and knocking food off the table. Those moments can be frustrating and sometimes baffling, but it is important step back and take some time to see if you can figure out why she is making the mess before reacting. If you can figure out why, explain to the child that what she is doing is not okay and redirect her to an activity that will still fulfill the need she is getting out of making the mess.

Today, we are going to look at a couple examples of reasons a child might make a mess for fun and possible solutions. Next week we will look at a couple of examples of toddlers making messes to get your attention. Again, it is important to remember that each child is different and might have different reasons for making a mess or respond differently to redirection - these are only tips.

Making messes because its fun - knocking things off shelves
Young children may think knocking things off shelves is fun because it gives them control over their environment and often objects make an interesting sound when they hit the floor. Involve your child in cleaning up her mess and then get some simple small wooden blocks out. Making sure you have your child's attention, build a tower out of the blocks and then knock the tower over. Be sure to share a smile with your child letting her know that its okay to knock the tower over and then invite her to try the activity. Be sure to reinforce caring for materials and your environment by helping the child pick up and return the blocks to their proper place after finishing the activity.

Making messes because its fun - throwing toys
Throwing things is another stepping stone in your child's mastery of motor skills. Just take a moment to consider that only several months before as a baby your child was working on grasping objects. No wonder toddlers are eager to try out their skills at throwing and it really is a skill that shouldn't be discouraged as it helps improve hand eye coordination and teaches muscles how much force is required to throw objects of varied weights to varied distances. A fair amount of children go on to participate in some form of sports later on as well and finding a positive outlet for throwing can help them work on a skill used in baseball, football, and basketball. So, if your child seems to be throwing toys for fun, have them return the toys to their proper place and get out a basket, a piece of tape, and six small items for throwing - I prefer to use little bean bags as they have some more weight to them, but balls of crumpled paper or rolled up socks work well too. Find an open area and put the piece of tape down with room for the child to stand behind and set the basket far enough in front of the tape to encourage the child to toss the objects vs. just reaching over and placing them in the basket, but close enough that the child can easily make the toss. First, show the child how to stand behind the line and then toss the objects into the basket being sure to miss a couple of times. After you have thrown all the objects, check the area around the basket for the missed objects and place them back in the pail, then transfer those in the basket back to the pail and offer your child the chance to try the activity. If your young child tries walking up to the basket and dropping them in don't correct her, but if she begins throwing the objects very hard past the basket on purpose and may hit something breakable or hurt someone nearby try to move the activity outside or to another location where there is more space. If moving the activity is not an option, it may be best to stop the activity and explain to your child that throwing things too hard can hurt things and others and then help her put the materials away and find a new activity for some time. I would suggest some large movement activity.

Hope these tips help and thanks for reading!

Midweek Creations - Treats for the Birds

With winter storms setting in, a lot of birds are having more trouble finding something to eat. This week's craft will help keep the birds near your home happy. It is also a great craft if you don't have pets in your home because it gives your toddler a chance to care for an animal and see the result of that care - lots of happy birds near your window.

What You'll Need:
mini bagels
birdseed
peanut butter
paper lunch bags
string

Split the mini bagels in half and help your toddler spread the peanut butter over the flat side of the bagel. Have the toddler help scoop and pour a couple cups of birdseed into the paper bag and then drop the peanut butter bagel in the bag. Close up the bag and let your toddler shake it to cover the bagel with birdseed. Remove the bagel from the bag and tie a string through the middle to be able to hang them outside near a window. There are several variations on this craft so feel free to get creative. Use bread, pinecones, or popcorn balls to spread the peanut butter on. If your child has a peanut allergy, try honey or sunflower seed spread.

Montessori Mondays - The Educational Mess Part I

Comedies love baby and toddler messes. Invariably there will be a "horror" diaper change scene, or a flinging food off the high chair scene, or a scene where all the pots or pans are strung all over the floor. And we can laugh at this because most of us have been there before, but often times the moms and dads in the movie are far from laughing and most people probably don't find those moments enjoyable when they happen in real life either. There is nothing magical I can say to make those moments enjoyable in the moment, but it is possible to put them in perspective. Yes, I talked about this in the previous post, but it is worth emphasizing again because it can be so easy to forget: Messes are moments for learning. It is also important to emphasize that toddlers don't always enjoy messes. Toddlers are eager to model behavior - including how easily we are able to hold a spoon, drink from a cup, or carry a tray of blocks. Often, toddlers don't want to spill their milk, they want to be just like you. So, while it may be frustrating for you that there is now a mess, the mess is often doubly frustrating for a toddler. That is why it is so important to take a deep breath and let your child know that its okay to spill because he is learning and then teach him how to clean it up. Your toddler will build upon their need for independence and self confidence in a way that could not have been done without a mess. And you can smile, because the mess is now gone and you have turned your child's frustration into a moment of confidence. Part II of this "messy" series will help you find some toddler friendly cleaning solutions as well as tips for making messes educational, but not so overwhelming. Thanks for reading!

Friday Notables - Where's My Nose?

There are so many books for children and toddlers out there it can sometimes be daunting choosing just one and there will always be those three or four books that will be best loved by children. I have found that Where's My Nose? by Susan Ring and Stephanie Peterson is one of those books that really immerses the toddler in its pages. The text flows very smoothly, is simple, and rhymes. The concept is also very simple - Where's My Nose? prompts almost every child to try and find the nose in the illustrations or to point to the reader's. Perhaps the most attractive aspect of this book, though, is the mylar mirror at the end which lets your child find his/her own nose. After a few reads, your child will begin to anticipate the mirror at the end and may likely skip to the back just to see themselves in part of the book. This is a book that will likely be read many times in a row, but when you see your child's enthusiasm for the book and their discovery for identifying where a specific item is you will probably be excited to be reading this book over and over as well. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Midweek Creations - Easy to Create Snow Background

I love using glitter for crafts, but a lot of times I avoid using it around small children because of the chance that it could get in their eyes. This next craft offers a great way to introduce glitter into your creation time with your child without really having to worry too much about the hazards or mess of glitter. Enjoy!
Easy to Create Snow Background
What you'll need:
dark colored paper (blue or black)
glue
glitter (silver looks best, but you can use whatever color you would like)
leftover circles from white hole punched paper
paintbrush

Pour some glue into a little cup and add a fair amount of glitter and small circles. Mix well with a paintbrush. Let your child paint the glue, glitter mixture on the dark paper (be sure to watch them very closely to make sure they don't try to eat or paint their face with the glue). Once your child is done, the glue will dry clear and you will have a beautiful snowy background to put behind a white silhouette cutout of a snowman or any Christmas/winter art your child might have made.

Montessori Mondays - The Educational Mess

Montessori materials are designed to have a self corrective element which allows children to teach themselves. A lot of times, especially for toddlers, that self corrective element includes the making of, what adults would call, a mess. If a tray is tilted too far stainless steel cups fall loudly to the floor, if a sponge is not right over the bowl for sponge squeezing some water falls on the table or floor - all simple messes that help a child hone the tiny muscles in their hands or refine hand eye coordination. These messes can also lead to wonderful moments for teaching little ones how to care for their environment by wiping up spills, sweeping the floor, or even washing their hands. These same messes, though, can also test our patience as adults and we begin our hardest to try and prevent them. This can work against both us and our children. The next few Monday posts for this new year will address the "educational mess," including some suggestions of what to do if your child begins making messes on purpose. Thanks for reading!