A Guide to a Montessori Home Life

1. A Guide to a Montessori Home Life

2. What you Know! Characteristics of Montessori children • guided towards independence • thinkers • responsible • creative • explorers • curious

3. Montessori School Consistent routines Consistent rules Prepared environment Clear expectations Materials designed for development of specific skills and concepts Small furniture Home Life Relaxed routines Flexible rules Varying schedules due to busy lives Expectations unclear Environment and materials designed for family living Standard sized furniture Common Differences

4. Commonalities Familiar surroundings Consistent adult(s) Consistent room(s) Interesting materials Social opportunities Nutritional needs met Homelike environment Family atmosphere

5. Bring it All Together • Schedule meeting with teacher • Get resources on furniture • Get resources on toys • Take a parenting class • Read developmental information • Create your ‘to-do’ list • Prioritize your list

6. MEETING WITH TEACHER • Ask for a copy of classroom rules • Ask for list of your child’s abilities in: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math and all of the Cultural subjects • Ask for resources in Child Development and Developmentally Appropriate Practice • Ask for their expert recommendations for your Montessori at Home transition

7. Furniture at Home Made for success Small Just enough Less is more Functional Real Simple Wooden Natural Beautiful “Just My Size!”

8. Furniture Suggestions Bed – easy to get into, out of and to make! Table and 2 – 4 chairs Chairs to allow child to put feet on floor comfortably Safe stool for bathroom and kitchen Low clothes rod in the closet Its nice to reach your own clothes!

9. Developmentally Appropriate Toys Look for ideas! Parent friendly websites: http://www.flickr.com/photos/montessoribyhand/tags/montessori/ http://thinkorthwim.com/recommended-works/toys-ages-3-6/ http://www.brainbuildingtoys.com/ http://www.fatbraintoys.com/index.cfm

10. Just Enough? How much Target makes shelf units – 3 vertical cubes. Turn it on it’s side and you have a nice unit. How many Two or three units should be manageable by your child How long When the toys are collecting dust – change them out for ones you keep in storage!

11. Parenting 101 ? Lucky for you! Help is available NOW! A toolbox – FULL of tools - in a book! • Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (aka S.T.E.P.) • Jane Nelson writes POSITIVE DISCIPLINE books – for ALL age levels!

12. Guilt Free Parenting It’s a BUSY time for you! That means it’s a busy time for your children! Choose ONE change in your parenting style to alter each week. Too much change too soon – you AND your children will revolt and chaos results. (Chaos is the antonym of discipline!) If you have perfect parenting skills – skip this part.

13. More Tools Each Week Tool # 1 – For one week, observe your children’s behavior Make notes on how THEIR behaviors make you feel on a situation by situation basis. IF you feel annoyed most of the time, the behavioral issues you are dealing with are MOST likely simple attention getting. IF this is the case, giving responsibility in a pleasant team style manner will eliminate the negative behavior being used to get your attention!

14. Tool # 2 Family Meeting! • Schedule for same time every week • Have a prepared agenda • Light a candle or have a special way to signal beginning of meeting • Snacks may be nice - if they are not a distraction • Allow each family member a chance to facilitate meeting ( if developmentally appropriate) • End the meeting with a special reading, a song, a prayer, or something meaningful to your family

15. Making Schedules Family commitment Sample! Tool # 3 Kathryn Munir Shelli Monday Kitchen Living Room Personal Laundry Tuesday Kitchen Personal Laundry Dining Room Wednesday Dining Room Bathroom Personal Laundry Thursday Living Room Bathroom Kitchen Friday Bathroom Dining Room Living Room Free Time Free Time Free Time Saturday Sunday Family Time Family Time Family Time

16. Sample! Tool # 3 Making SchedulesBedtime Routine • Dinner • Chore • Bath • Teeth • Reading • Drink of water • Bathroom • Hug • Last Hug • Lights out

17. sample Tool # 3 Making SchedulesMorning Routine • Wake up to alarm • Make Bed • Get Dressed • Eat Breakfast • Brush Teeth • Make Lunch • Get Backpack and lunch • Go to School!

18. Tool #4 Making Rules (Positive) For the Car • Seat Belt • Quiet Voices • Music everyone likes • Restore toys & books • Use trash bag for trash • Seat Belt on until FULL stop

19. Making Rules (Positive) Tool #4 • Home • Be respectful of family • Normal tone voices • Use words to solve problems • Do daily chores • Attend family meetings • Have family time • Cooperate • Laugh and enjoy each other

20. Tool #5 Prepare the Environment The adult’s challenge is to be certain that the environment offers all the key experiences necessary for the child’s success.

21. Tool #6 Organize the Home Environment A place for everything, everything in its place * Make safe restoration and cleaning materials available to child * Use trays and baskets on low shelves when possible * Have just enough! Too many things out at one time become overwhelming to you and your child!

22. Kitchen • Safe Stool • Real Tools • Simple Menu • Appropriate work space • Dishes and glasses in lower cupboards • Snacks and drinks on low shelves in cupboards and refrigerator

23. Bathroom • Safe Stool • Easy access to hygiene materials • Low Mirror • Basket or plastic container for personal equipment • Container for bath toys • Basket for cleaning equipment (ex. sponge to wipe out tub and sink) • SAFE cleaning solutions (ex.vinegar water with lavender or citrus essential oil)

24. Play Area Play is the child’s work Less is more Enough activities to keep child engaged ‘Age Appropriate’ shelving ‘Age Appropriate’ activities Child should be able to restore independently Tables and rugs for work

25. Bedroom • Keep it simple for child to manage • Alarm clock • Clothing rack to child’s height • Drawers organized so child can restore • Excess clothing and too many choices creates difficulty for child’s independence

26. Family Room • One or two pieces of child size furniture: table and chairs, small stuffed chair, bean bag chair • Child sized bookshelf • Child sized storage shelf • Games for the whole family • Puzzles for the whole family • Art materials for the whole family

27. Living Room Similar to Family Room May function as Family Room Decorations to match age of child Clear rules about food and drink

28. Dining Room Teach manners by example No television during mealtime Table set properly Good time for conversation and music

29. Outdoors Non Toxic Plants Non Toxic lawn care Safe play equipment Container for small equipment that child can open and close Garden for produce, herbs and flowers Child sized real tools

30. 13 months 18 months 2 years 3 years Picks up toys, puts them away with parental modeling and reminding Imitates housework Copies parent’s domestic activities Puts toys away, cleans dry and wet spills, dusts, dries dishes, sets, table, gardens, carries things carefully and with accuracy Developmental Chart for Home Tasks and Chores

31. Developmental Chart for Home Tasks and Chores Prepares dry cereal, snacks, and lunch items, sorts laundry, feeds pets, loads and unloads dishwasher, waters plants, makes bed, folds laundry, puts clothes on hanger Puts things away neatly, makes a sandwich, takes out trash, picks up mail, answers phone correctly, vacuums Does simple errands, manages household chores well, cleans sink, washes dishes, cooks simple meals, manages laundry, car washing, sweeping and mopping floors, counting coins – learning about money. Children want to contribute and feel worthy 4 years 5 years 6 years

32. Life Made Simple and Easy for You and Your Child Positive Discipline and Respect Structured and Prepared Environment Positive Role Modeling Routine and Scheduling Love and Laughter

33. Consistency With the Classroom The communication with your school, your child’s teacher and an understanding of the Montessori Philosophy is the KEY to a successful child in the family. *** You will have Montessori at Home – both physically and philosophically!

34. Practical Life Skills Order Organization Coordination Concentration Independence Contributing member of society

35. Sensorial Skills Develops comparative and superlative language skills, Problem solving, and Math Concepts Strengthens Auditory, Visual, Tactile, Kinesthetic, Olfactory and Gustatory senses

36. Language Skills Begin even before birth! Oral language develops from hearing! Writing comes before reading! Children must have conversation!

37. Math Skills Quantity and number concepts are part of a child’s daily life. A child’s play is their work. Math is in their play. Setting a table is math, music and dancing are math. Buttoning a shirt is math.

38. Science Skills Science is the study of ……. life and the physical world. It must be experienced to be learned!

39. Geography and Cultural Skills Experience Experience Experience Experience Experience

40. Life Long Skills Research shows that children in a Montessori environment develop independent learning skills that last their entire life. Montessori children become formal thinkers, community contributors, and are life long learners.

41. “Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.”

42. This presentation was brought to you byThe Institute of Montessori Education.TIME is a proud supporter of child, teacher, head, and parent continuing education with Montessori methodology as the foundation. Schools using this presentation have graciously attended TIME’s workshop on ‘Parent Education in a Montessori School’www.montessoriedu.org TIME09