Mon, 29 October 2012 23:12:11

Montessori Materials and the 3-Year Cycle of Montessori Preschool

A Montessori preschool classroom may look confusing to parents unfamiliar with Montessori.  3-year-olds are in the same class with 4, 5, and 6-year-olds, and as if that weren't a bit strange in a world where most preschools and practically all elementary schools have narrow age groupings, in a Montessori preschool class, each child does his or her own thing. There are few, if any, large-group lessons that are so common in other childcare or preschool settings. So parents new to Montessori legitimately ask:  What is it that enables these very differently sized and differently skilled children to all thrive in the same class?  How do you ensure a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old both are challenged and learning optimally? One part of the answer has to do with the Montessori materials, with which the children spend the bulk of their time in the preschool class. A Montessori preschool (or Primary) classroom has four main areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language and Math. &n..

 

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Mon, 29 October 2012 20:12:36

What's the big deal with independence in Montessori preschool?

Montessori preschool and toddler programs place much more emphasis on helping children become independent than other programs do.  Why is that?  Does it really matter whether a 2-year-old can put on his own jacket, or whether a 5-year-old can peel a carrot or tie his shoelaces? When parents first see the snack routine in one of our Montessori toddler environments--setting the table, serving themselves and each other, and cleaning up after themselves--they are stunned.  Often, parents are concerned that their own 18-month-old won't ever be able to fit into this group of toddlers who seem so mature and capable! What is it about a Montessori preschool and toddlerenvironment that enables young children to competently do for themselves things that much older children still can't do in other settings? According to Dr. Montessori, educating young children is educating them for independence: If teaching is to be effective with young children, it must assist them to advance..

 

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Mon, 29 October 2012 20:12:13

The hidden benefits of your child's third year in Montessori preschool

The third year in Montessori preschool has sometimes been called the cashing in year or the leap year.  It's the time when students put together all the different skills they have indirectly and directly prepared for throughout their Montessori toddler and preschool years. Academically, the third year is often a flurry of activity. If you are the parent of a 3rd year student, you may already have noticed some of the interesting new work your child brings home: booklets of math facts practice; Books to Remember books to read to you; sentences cut into little pieces for analysis, and map shapes traced and labeled. Students also tackle progressively longer tasks: they might spend multiple days creating booklets of different leaf shapes carefully colored and labeled; they might illustrate and author multi-sentence stories, or complete math problems using more abstract materials such as the Small Bead Frame. In the third year of Primary, a typical Montessori preschool student achie..

 

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Sun, 28 October 2012 20:11:09

Cosmetology Schools: Enjoyable Way For People To Get In The Beauty Industry

Are you interested about what cosmetology schools provide? A lot of beauty colleges instruct the same old techniques regardless of the newest trends. Cosmetology schools ought to be fun and exciting. At Lytle's Redwood Empire Beauty College, leading beauty professionals teach the latest strategies and make learning exciting each step of the way. Get Your Cometology License in 1 Year at Lytle's Beauty College Hair stylists are some of the highest paid experts in the beauty industry. With the right option of cosmetology schools, a hardworking pupil can be successful in the steps of some other efficient Lytle's Beauty Empire College graduates. With the 1600 hours of training offered by the experts at Lytle's Beauty College, pupils will certainly get comprehensive knowledge on the latest styling tools, techniques, hair trends and even more so that they are are well-equipped to get in the beauty industry with self-confidence and charisma. Pupils in cosmetology schools also discover ex..

 

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Thu, 25 October 2012 20:57:06

A True Learning Community: the Mixed-Age Montessori Preschool Classroom

In addition to the unique Montessori materials, one of the first things you notice when you observe a Montessori preschool classroom is the wide range of ages in the class: 3-year-olds work alongside and sometimes with 5- and 6-year olds. Children stay in the same classroom community for a full three years: the traditional kindergarten year is integrated into the 3-year Montessori Primary program. Often, parents new to Montessori preschool wonder: how will this 3-year-cycle work out for my child? Will my 3-year-old be intimidated by the much larger 6-year-olds? Will my kindergarten-aged child revert back to babyish behavior because she is around younger preschool children? And, maybe most importantly, how can one trained Montessori teacher possibly ensure that 20 or 30 students in her classroom are challenged and engaged, when she has such a wide range of abilities to accommodate? The Montessori materials are one key factor that enables the 3-year cycle to work. But, in amazing ..

 

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