How Young is Too Young

"Aren't They Too Young To Go To School?"
The Benefits the Young Child Gains From Montessori Educational Experience

If we take a few moments to consider the work of the young child it is really quite extraordinary what is accomplished in the first three years. The moment of birth commences a lifelong journey towards independence. At birth he relies on his mother to meet all of his basic needs. He cannot talk; he cannot crawl, scoot or walk; he cannot hold things; he cannot feed himself. Yet within three years the child has acquired the language of his culture complete with nouns, correct verb conjugation, syntax, intonation and accent. He is able to move in a variety of ways: scooting, crawling, walking, running, jumping, tiptoeing. He is able to grasp the items of his choice and make sophisticated manipulations of objects using his thumb and fingers. He is able to feed himself using utensils and digest any food he wishes to ingest. Quite an admirable work in just three years. How is all that possible in such a short time?

Old Stories for Young Minds

Recommended Reading for Parents
By Jennifer Rogers

It would be hard to exaggerate the value of time spent reading to a young child. Early childhood educators, parenting gurus, reading tutors and experts in literacy agree that children who have been read to have a distinct advantage intellectually and emotionally. The benefits of even the best educational videos and television pale in comparison to the advantages of one good book shared by a parent each night at bedtime.

The Brain and Sensitive Periods

An article entitled “Your Child’s Brain” appeared in Newsweek Magazine a few years ago. It provided exciting information then as well as now. When a child is born, the brain is a jumble of neurons waiting to be connected - trillions and trillions of them “like the Pentium chips in a computer before the factory reloads the software.”

The article made the case that with the “right input at the right time, anything is possible.” And they implied, that if you “miss the window, you’re playing with a handicap.”

Keeping Kids at the Table

Click here to download "Keeping Kids at the Table"

A recent article in a food magazine had a column on how to keep restless kids at the table during holiday dinners. Aside from the obvious question, what
about every meal, most of the advice seems deeply flawed. The author suggests providing a distraction (crayons, paper, stickers), using bribes (having some
prizes available to give to the child who sat the most politely and the longest - then, surprising all the children by giving a gift to every child), making it cool to stay seated (don’t seat all of them together), asking them to put on a show (teach them a few magic tricks they can do before and after dinner), and getting them involved (have them toss the salad, pass the bread basket).

Primary Video: Creel, Mexico

Creel, Mexico. Boy working on Pink Tower exhibiting extended period of concentrated work.

Toddler Video: Nine month old eating a meal

Nine month old eating a meal at a weaning table as suggested by Montessori philosophy. Notice her independence, coordination, and joy.

Video: Elementary Music

Children at Countryside Montessori School work on various musical activities including tone bars, white bars, singing in two-part harmony, and voice warm ups.

Mentor Transcript: Elementary (Helping the Child Who Won’t Choose, Work Plans, Writing Poetry)

Ask a Mentor chat transcript from March 11, 2010.
Elementary: Helping the Child Who Won’t Choose, Work Plans, Writing Poetry

Click here to download the pdf file:
Wanderers_WorkPlans_WritingPoetry.pdf

Mentor Transcript: Toddler (Food Preparation, Parent Infant Plan)

Ask a Mentor chat transcript from March 9, 2010.
Toddler: Food Preparation, Parent Infant Plan

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FoodPrep_ParentInfant.pdf

Mentor Transcript: Primary (Learning to Write, Work Cycle, Artworks)

Ask a Mentor chat transcript from March 9, 2010.
Primary: Learning to Write, Work Cycle, Artworks

Click here to download the pdf file:
Writing_WorkCycle_Art.pdf

Mentor Transcript: Elementary (Difficult Parents, Advanced Math)

Ask a Mentor chat transcript from March 4, 2010.
Elementary:Difficult Parents, Advanced Math

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Parents_AdvancedMath.pdf

Mentor Transcript: Toddler (Toileting, Work Cycle, Snack)

Toddler: Toileting, Work Cycle, Snack (March 2, 2010)

 Toileting_WorkCycle_Snack.pdf

Mentor Transcript: Primary (Farm, AYM Staffing, Consistent School Policy)

Primary: Farm, AYM Staffing, Consistent School Policy (March 2, 2010)

Farm_AYMStaff_SchoolPolicy.pdf

Mentor Transcript: Elementary (Research, Math Review, Class Management )

Elementary: Research, Math Review, Class Management (February 25, 2010) ResearchMatheReviewClassmanagement.pdf

Mentor Transcript: Toddler (Transitions, Assistants, Homevisits)

Toddler: Transitions, Assistants, Homevisits(February 23, 2010)
TransitionsAssistantsHomevisit.pdf