Stackers and Clackers

I'm always on the lookout for innovative Montessori
and developmental materials. So, here are some
great finds that look appealing!
Blurb from the Pkolino website:
 http://www.pkolino.com/category-s/101.htmhttp://www.pkolino.com/category-s/101.htm10 pieces 6 pieces

Wooden Rattles
Here's the blurb from the Maple Landmark website,
makers of these great rattles:
http://www.maplelandmark.net/montgomeryschoolhouse/rattles.lasso

Welcome New Followers

Welcome to our new followers. Now that I am back
Montessori bloggin' I welcome you to my blog!
May we all connect and support each other...
I am an inclusive Montessorian in approach.
I think anyone using Montessori to teach their
children or others deserves our hearty welcome!

AHM (Association of Home Montessorians)

Hi,
 I am rethinking the association idea, doing
some more research before trying to launch
such a project. I will keep you posted.
Thanks,
Kathy

More Suzuki Violin

Ok, here is the definitive website for Suzuki information...

the AMI of Suzukiness:

http://suzukiassociation.org/teachers/twinkler/

There are links there and search boxes for finding teachers

and a good introduction as to what the method is about.
Have fun!
K.

Roger Priddy Books

I found a set of children's books that are really cute and
fit with the Montessori cirriculum. There are numerous
titles by this author, so check him out at your
favorite online book seller!
Here is a blurb:

Roger Priddy left school at 16 with just one qualification – in art. He went to Berkshire College of Art and Design and trained as an illustrator. His first job in children’s books with working with the publisher Peter Usborne, at Usborne Publishing. After that he continued his education with Peter Kindersley at Dorling Kindersley, where he spent 16 years. Roger became Creative Director of DK’s Children’s Division and was Managing Director of the Children’s mass market publisher Funfax when it was acquired by DK.

In 2000, Roger set up Priddy Books with John Sargent at St Martin’s Press to create innovative and imaginative titles for children, from first books for babies through to early reference titles for older children. Since then, over 30 million copies of Roger's 200 plus books have sold worldwide, with five of his books – My big Animal, My Big Truck, Happy Baby Words, Happy Baby Colors and Puppy and Friends each selling over one million copies. His creativity has been recognised with numerous industry awards. Roger is happily married to Zena, they have four children, aged 3, 8, 16 and 20, and lives in London, England.

Homemade Sandpaper Letters

The Montessori From Scratch website has a nice idea
of how to make sandpaper letters (could be numbers as well). I was stuck cutting
out all mine, painting the boards, sanding the boards only to have the sandpaper

numbers not stick down no matter how hard I tried. So this direct glue and sand method
is a great solution! I suggested the use of a template for the glue before applying
sand if you want real professional looking letters or numbers. You could just use
a brush and stencil the numbers or letters in glue and then apply  the sand
as demonstrated on this blog:

http://montessorifromscratch.blogspot.com/2009/09/tutorial-sandpaper-letters-numerals.html

Suzuki Violin

I  have had a request for information regarding Suzuki Violin
and its connection to Montessori so here goes:

From the NAMTA Journal*:

Suzuki and Montessori


Some comments on the commonalities between the Suzuki approach to learning music and the Montessori approach to education.


My sons have both been in Montessori since they were three (they are now 8 and nearly 11, respectively). My elder son started learning the violin from a Suzuki teacher when he was around five, and now learns the piano (again, from a Suzuki teacher). My younger son has been learning the violin for the last two years. Over the years I have been somewhat intrigued by the number of parents who, like me, are both Montessori and Suzuki parents.


It is perhaps indicative that we talk about Montessori parents, and Suzuki parents. It is our children who are in these systems, why do we include the parents? I imagine it’s because both philosophies require the parent to be involved, to understand what’s involved in the approach, and do their part.


Why do these approaches go hand-in-hand? Well, they share a number of similarities.


Both Suzuki and Montessori respect the child, and feel that learning must be approached from where the child is, not where we think they should be.


Both believe in leading by example — not by telling (haranguing) the child to do what the adult thinks best, but by providing an example of the behavior the adult wants the child to copy.


Both provide the child with an orderliness that permits the child to learn. In the Montessori classroom this is expressed in the orderliness of the materials — everything has a place, every task has a sequence. In Suzuki, this is expressed through the set order of music pieces expressly designed to take the student step by step through the techniques necessary to learn the relevant skills.


Both philosophies stress the importance of providing the right environment to nurture the child’s developing character and self-image. Both feel that individuals learn at their own pace, not according to some standard drawn up by educators. In both methods, age does not determine what work the child is doing — they do what is appropriate for their skill level, not their age.


Both Montessori and Suzuki appreciate that repetition is the key to mastery.




Both philosophies believe that education is about bringing out potential, rather than “instructing”. The adult is a director rather than a dictator.
 
References


*Thompson, Linda K.: Montessori and Suzuki. The NAMTA Journal, v 15 (2).