tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376842956933759489.post4188635875650020022..comments2024-03-06T00:05:42.078-07:00Comments on itty bitty love: ask annie, aka Mrs. L, aka itty bitty loveAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02127875061038749101noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376842956933759489.post-82501660264182544702009-02-26T11:35:00.000-07:002009-02-26T11:35:00.000-07:00Thank you so much for this, the good Montessori sc...Thank you so much for this, the good Montessori schools in my area are too expensive for my budget, but I love the Montessori method. So, I was looking for someway to supplement my 2yr. old's current daycare instruction! I just found your site today and I am so happy that I did!K.W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13973159304326750620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376842956933759489.post-17851855646013691152009-01-26T02:54:00.000-07:002009-01-26T02:54:00.000-07:00So so useful. Thank you - once again! (:Similar to...So so useful. Thank you - once again! (:<BR/><BR/>Similar to Amber I really like the way you describe the purpose. When I read 'Coordination and Control of Movement (Practical Life)' it all clicked. I knew - sort of - that that was the key purpose, but when you wrote it like that, so clearly and succinctly it went in that little bit more and it all makes more sense now. <BR/><BR/>Thanks!Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06031000444299690058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376842956933759489.post-65508185300817279492009-01-25T01:48:00.000-07:002009-01-25T01:48:00.000-07:00Thanks Annie!I really liked how you kept bringing ...Thanks Annie!<BR/><BR/>I really liked how you kept bringing it back to the purpose. Giving an idea of scope for the activities but reminding us that the purpose is to refine the senses (Sensorial) or to strengthen motor control / order/ independence (Practical Life). I sometimes find that in my eagerness to find some way to create a similar-to-Montessori activity at home I lose track of the purpose. <BR/><BR/>Any more tips for home-Montessori-wanna-be's would be much appreciated ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10906019871298704814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376842956933759489.post-53859528406066211012009-01-23T20:01:00.000-07:002009-01-23T20:01:00.000-07:00This post is (once again!) *so* helpful!This post is (once again!) *so* helpful!jkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888111428733511377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376842956933759489.post-38112443589962084042009-01-23T19:56:00.000-07:002009-01-23T19:56:00.000-07:00Thanks for this! I also wanted to recommend for ho...Thanks for this! I also wanted to recommend for homeschoolers a book called "I Can Do It! I Can Do It!". It's out of print now, but can be had cheaply on amazon. It's not expressly for homeschoolers, but it shows how to make many, many homemade Montessori lessons.melhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06637174816423519588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376842956933759489.post-1701731346163969102009-01-23T19:53:00.000-07:002009-01-23T19:53:00.000-07:00Wow! Thanks for leaving such fabulous comments! ...Wow! Thanks for leaving such fabulous comments! <BR/><BR/>Anna - great suggestions! Children love helping with real, useful work, and making it possible for them to do things all by themselves is a must, too! <BR/><BR/>Sara - Yikes! It sounds like you made the right decision. After talking to you, I become even more conscious of maintaining clear communication with moms and dads. It sounds like you should start your own homeschooling blog, too! :)<BR/><BR/>Debbie - jk!(I love her character on SNL! wompwompwoommmmp....) Thanks for pointing that out about the geometric solids and the mystery bags. I guess I was thinking that concrete concepts should be presented to children before abstract concepts, and geometric solids are about as concrete as you can get. Hmmm... the geometry cabinet is fairly concrete material, too. I'll have to think about that one! <BR/>But, I agree, I wouldn't present that lesson to a 2-year-old. <BR/><BR/>Also, the mystery bag picture I posted was the most complex one we have in our classroom (matching buttons)... oops! I'm such a sucker for buttons! I think that you could set up a fairly simple mystery bag for a little one, though. I would put just a few objects that the child was familiar with in it - of course, identifying them with the child before hiding them away in the bag. This would probably be more suitable for an older 2-year-old or young 3-year-old, though.<BR/><BR/>Yay! I love discussing child development and Montessori materials! What a fun way to spend a Friday night! :)Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02127875061038749101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376842956933759489.post-29505413987296952982009-01-23T18:44:00.000-07:002009-01-23T18:44:00.000-07:00These are great suggestions, with one exception! I...These are great suggestions, with one exception! I don't want to be a Debbie Downer here, but I wouldn't reccomend for 2 year olds to do the Mystery Bag or Geometric Solids. These are on the later side of the sensorial spectrum. <BR/><BR/>Here are the reasons why I would wait, and I'll let parents decide for themselves. <BR/><BR/>The geometric solids are to be shown after the child has mastered the shapes in the geometry cabinet. The reason for this is that concepts should be presented from least complex to most in sensorial. 2-D is less complex that 3-D. In addition, the child can then make the discovery that the geometric solids have "faces" that are shapes from the geometry cabinet. <BR/><BR/>The mystery bag is one of the last presentations of the sensorial area. This is more appropriate for a 3.5 - 4 year old. The purpose of this material is refinement of the stereognostic sense (visualizing an object by touch) Thus, the child should be able to identify its shape and/or describe it with scientific language when using the mystery bag.P.S. Montessorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18162728010675647901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376842956933759489.post-26870589154521795482009-01-23T15:49:00.000-07:002009-01-23T15:49:00.000-07:00annie -thank you so much for posting this. i cont...annie -<BR/><BR/>thank you so much for posting this. i contacted you a few months ago about concerns with my sons preschool and you were so helpful. i am sorry that i didn't respond after our last exchange, i sorta just dropped the ball. i got very involved with what was going on at his school and how i was feeling as his mama (you know - they don't talk about mama instinct for nothing!). i finally decided that the pit in my stomach wasn't something i could continue to ignore. <BR/><BR/>we decided to remove him from the school, ultimately. at first i switched him to afternoons and things got better. but the straw that broke the camels back was when one of the teachers (my favorite one, even! you sorta remind me of her -- in the best of ways!) told me that they are ENCOURAGED by the director <I>not</I> to communicate with parents! WHAT???? shouldn't that be essential? <BR/><BR/>i have decided that, for the time being, i am going to do some home learning with my son. therefore, this post was amazing (all of your posts are, really). please continue giving us ideas! it's so helpful. i am going to include my younger son as well (older turned 3 in october, youngest will be 2 in april) so i can use all the advice i can get!<BR/><BR/>thank you, again, so much. your kind words and advice were so helpful and ended up helping me make the biggest choice of his schooling thus far. i am sure that there are many more choices that are far bigger to come, but you've helped equip me by giving me some knowledge of what your school is like! xoxsarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18201540282735408617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376842956933759489.post-6074833117300886552009-01-23T13:01:00.000-07:002009-01-23T13:01:00.000-07:00Thar sounds just right for a two year old. The onl...Thar sounds just right for a two year old. The only thing I would add is that a lot of practical life work that is done in the home is often based around what is going on in the kitchen - sweeping the floor, setting the table, washing the table (endlessly!). Also that having a cupboard or shelf set up for the child with cup, plate and cutlery and bib and wash cloth all accessible allows independence and all counts as practical life. Anything that the parent does can be helped with by the child in some way - wash the veg, stir a pot (my kids started stirring pots as soon as they could safely stand on a chair, much to my mothers horror and they do have to be watched closely, but none of them have ever got hurt and they can all cook meals from scratch now aged 4,6 &8), scrape a carrot, cut cheese. The list is endless!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com