The following is the text from this section of the 2009-2010 edition of The Joyful Child, Montessori from Birth to Three. To see other sections of this publication return to: http://www.michaelolaf.com/JCcontents.html Music & Language In the first days, months, and the first year of life the infant is especially interested in the sound of the human voice and in watching the face and lips of a speaking person. It is not an accident that the focusing distance of the eyes of a newborn are exactly the space between his face and that of the mother while nursing. Perhaps the best first communication experiences are provided while nursing the baby. We can feed the child's intense interest in lang
I hope that this information will set your mind at ease about few classroom myths. Always keep in mind that most of the time your children are keenly aware of what gets your attention. If your child should raise any of these issues, have fun responding in a healthy manner. If ever you feel there is a true concern, please drop a note to, or call, the teacher. 1. When I ask my child what he did at school that day, he tells me that he did nothing. Is this normal? Don’t be alarmed by this response. A large number of children will respond by saying they did nothing at all. Be assured that your child had a very busy day at school. There are a large number of reasons for this response. A young pres
The three-year-old preschool child loves order and consistency. The classroom is set up “just so”. Everything is in its place when the children arrive. The teachers help the preschool children to understand the ground rules and to use grace and courtesy. This gives the children a sense of security as they go about their daily activities.
“The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown to grow under the heat of flaming imagination. Our aim is not only to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his innermost core.” – Maria Montessori Dr. Montessori believed that teachers should focus on the child as a whole person, not on a daily lesson plan. The whole child is always more important than the curriculum. A child reveals himself through their choice of activities in the classroom. The Montessori teacher observes these individual choices and prepares the classroom environment to satisfy
Dr. Montessori said, “The hand is a delicate and structurally complicated organ, which not only allows the mind to manifest itself, but to e
A celebration of life for the preschool/kindergarten age child The children enjoy celebrating their birthdays at school with a walk around the sun! This celebration also includes a little science and history. The birthday child understands that the earth orbits the sun once a year. The teacher lights a candle representing the sun and places it in the middle of the floor. The birthday child holds a small globe and walks around the candle the same number of times the earth has been around the sun since the date of his/her birth. As the child makes each orbit around the candle the teacher tells something about the concurring developmental stages. (Infant, crawling, walking, coming to school) Cl
A Biography With Insight Into Her Spiritual Nature Dr. Maria Montessori (1870 -1952), made history by becoming the first woman physician in Italy. She was born in Chiaraville, and educated at the University of Rome. Although she is best known for creating the Montessori Method of education, her work was not to start schools or have a process of education labeled with her name. Dr. Montessori felt that the word "method" suggesting merely a system of education was an inaccurate indication of the nature of her work. (Montessori, 1966 The Secret of Childhood.) Dr. Montessori defined education as an "aid to life" rather than a method. (Montessori, 1965 The Child In The Church). She felt that edu
Maria Montessori And Helen Keller “There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature; to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony and the beauty in nature.” “There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all life to be found around them, in a real forest. Something emanates from those trees which speaks to the soul, something no book, no museum is capable of giving.” _ Maria Montessori “What a joy it is to feel the soft, springy earth under my feet once more, to follow the grassy roads that lead to ferny brooks where I can bathe my fingers in a cataract of rippling notes, or to clamber over a stone wall into fi
A favorite of the Montessori preschool child We need to take time each day to speak to the children quietly. We need to bring the idea of quiet to their consciousness and give them an opportunity to become quiet. Allow the children be still and listen to the silence. They will hear sounds which generally could not be heard, become perceptible. For example, the ticking of the clock, the chirp of a bird, a drip of water and other sounds not usually heard. While sitting in a circle the children become very quiet and still as the little book “Making Silence” is softly read to them. You can make silence.
“Education of even a very small child…does not aim at preparing him for school, but for life…” -Dr. Maria Montessori The toddler program provides a small nurturing group experience to children ages two years up to three years. The toddler classroom is a very special environment, where the needs of the youngest preschool students are appreciated and cherished. The classroom is designed with small tables, Montessori materials and other items that all support the independence and growth of young preschool children. The toddler classroom offers the traditional Montessori experience tailored for the younger child. Very young children are capable of absorbing information, concepts and skills fro
As Maria Montessori studied children she discovered that between birth and six, children have certain capabilities or sensitive periods for learning that will never again be so inviting to the young child. Three-year-olds absorb concepts and ideas in unique ways that make this an ideal time to begin Montessori education. Young children have an innate desire to emulate the people around them. This sensitive period indices the young learner to easily and naturally absorb each Montessori lesson presented. With great concentration and observation the child then tries to copy the exact order of the teacher’s presentation of the Montessori materials. Most beginning lessons are given in silence so
The community of preschool children is a great factor in preparing the stage for adult life, where there is almost always a range of ages and experience. The preschool child benefits from the nurturing, the care and the attention shown to them by children who are a little older. They absorb this experience and it becomes an example for a peaceful, cooperative world.
