Happy Birthday, Dr. Montessori!

Dr. Maria Montessori was born August 30, 1870 in Italy. Today, we celebrate her work not as a philosopher but as an educator for young children. She was influenced by the works of Jean Itard, Edouard Seguin, Friedrich Frobel and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, all of whom emphasize sensory exploration and manipulations. She believed that when a child is presented with a rich environment of color, texture, shapes and sounds s/he gets enthralled with learning. Learning is a skill; it is a process of touching, feeling and comprehending with our senses. Dr. Maria Montessori began her work in India in 1939 and her work in India was continued by her students A.J. Joosten and S.R. Swamy. I was fortunate enough to be trained by Mr. S.R. Swamy.

Today on her birthday we would like to recognize her contribution to early childhood education and creating this method that she presented during a time of great change. Her teaching methods have influenced generations of children to actively learn and explore the world around them.

Everyday Montessori: Folding a Napkin

In today’s Everyday Montessori, we are focusing on the practical life skill of folding a napkin. Even though it sounds simple, folding a napkin can help a child feel like part of the meal process while improving his or her coordination. To do this at home all you need is a wrinkle free napkin.

1) Place your wrinkle free napkin flat on the table

2) Ask the child to smooth the napkin with his or her thumb from left to right.

3) Draw your child’s attention to the 4 corners of the napkin
4) Make an imaginary line from left top to the right end
5) Make an imaginary line from right top to the left end
6) Fold the right top corner w\ the index and thumb to the left bottom corner

7) Now smooth it nicely
8) Go to the left top corner and gently bring the corner to the bottom right corner

9) Now smooth it nicely
10) Keep your left palm flat pick up the napkin with your right hand and put it on the left hand
11) Gently place on the table next to the plate

Everyday Montessori: Holding and Carrying a Knife

In today’s Everyday Montessori, we are focusing on the practical life skill of holding and carrying a knife. Teaching your child how to handle sharp objects is important for ensuring both safety and fun in the kitchen. For this exercise all you need a child’s knife or a blunt edged butter knife.

Steps:

1. Have your child stand up with you 
2. Hold the knife by the handle keeping the sharp edge facing left
3. Hold the knife about 2 inches away from the 
4. Carry the knife

In these four simple steps, you can teach your child both independence and responsibility for themselves and others. We hope you and your child have a safe and fun time in the kitchen! 

Reflection: Building Blocks for Future Learning

I graduated from Evergreen Montessori House (EMH) over 20 years ago, but the lessons I learned during my time there still impact my daily life. During my four years at EMH, Ms. Gargi supplied me with the tools and guidance to choose my own course of learning; nothing was out of my reach. By directing my own course of learning, I floated into the distant galaxies of the solar system and traveled to the Amazon rainforest, where I befriended sloths and swam with pink river dolphins. Math was not an abstract concept. I could see how each number got bigger as I counted my way to one hundred (see post “The Montessori Method and Math”). Nothing has changed at Evergreen Montessori House; students are still empowered to take control of their education. 

My experience at Evergreen Montessori House created a desire in me to learn and investigate the world around me. We never truly stop learning and never stop using our imagination; even today I explore the universe and swim with dolphins. My time at Evergreen Montessori House helped establish a firm foundation upon which I continue to build my library of knowledge. 

National Poetry Month

February is considered to be the month of love, so it is only fitting that it is also national poetry month. Over the past 20 years, we have found that poetry is an amazing tool to teach our preschoolers and kindergarteners about rhythm, rhyme and different cultures. For example, the following poem is from the late Shel Silverstein’s book Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974):

Early Bird

Oh, if you’re a bird, be an early bird

And catch the worm for your breakfast plate.

If you’re a bird, be an early bird—

But if you’re a worm, sleep late.

When we discuss this poem in class, we highlight that the words “plate” and “late” have the same ending sound and therefore rhyme. Then, we talk about other words that end in “-ate” such as “mate” and “state”. “Early Bird” is a great poem to also demonstrate that every line of a poem does not have to always rhyme. In this instance, every other line rhymes. The next point is to highlight the meter or rhythm of this poem. It may be difficult to explain the importance of meter but by reading the poem aloud and changing the tone of your voice, you and your children can create different meters together.

Poetry is also a great tool to introduce children to different cultures. The most accessible way to introduce children to international poetry is through global nursery rhymes. The following nursery rhyme is translated from Russian (Wright):

Hush You Mice                                                        

Hush you mice! A cat is near us,                                

He can see us, he can hear us...                               

--What if he is on a diet?--                                        

Even then you should be quiet!                              

This nursery rhyme is similar to the poem above. First, we would discuss the rhyming pattern and determine together that “diet” and “quiet” rhyme. Next, we would draw parallels between “Early Bird” and “Hush You Mice”. Both poems discuss the relationship between predator and prey and describe a way that the prey can avoid being eaten. This parallel could be used as a bridge to connect similar ideas from two very different countries, and we can talk about each culture. Poetry is an important part of any culture and can be just one bridge between nations.

Work Cited

Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends the Poems & Drawings of Shel Silverstein. New York: Harper and Row, 1974. Print.

Wright, Dani. "Russia." It's a Small World. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2014.