Parent Reading List

These are just some of the books we recommend reading. Click on the Amazon.com button to view and purchase a variety of books on the young child, Montessori education, and the classroom.

Our Classroom Monthly Themes

Listed along the side of this page you will find the classroom themes for each month. You should know that what is listed is not necessarily presented in a formal lesson, but serves more as a guide for conversations, directs the tone of the work on the Language Enrichment shelf, and forms the structure of our circle-time discussions. As Montessorians, it is our role to always be in the moment, ready to follow the child in his or her interest, readiness, and individual ability. The children provide the catalyst for instruction. The materials on the shelf provide the means for instruction, and are designed with purpose in regards to your child's developmental, intellectual, and emotional needs. Through careful observation and planning, your child’s teacher knows when to provide the experiences that will inevitably lead your child to independence.

The "themes" provide the color, the spice, the richness for our day-to-day interactions. They aid us in learning more about the world and each other. And though they may sound great to you and me, they may not interest all the children all the time. One child may love looking at Seurat's paintings and experimenting with pointillism (q-tips and tempera paint), while another may want to go outside and discuss why worms are so important to our garden. As in all lessons given in the classroom, a child is free to decline an invitation to participate in learning about the different "themes." It is the job of the teacher to entice your child to the subject by learning what interests your child most and highlighting it in an individualized way. In addition, due to the unique nature of the individual classrooms, the students’ personalities/interests, and our different teaching styles, the themes may be addressed in different ways, at different times, and vary from class to class.

Because our class themes are structured to highlight major holidays, cultural events, cycles found in nature, and even famous birthdays and events, we do address the same themes each year. Your child’s experiences in class, however, will build upon his or her experiences the previous year, culminating in gained knowledge that is inline with state requirements for Kindergarten, and in some cases, beyond state requirements. In addition, each year your child’s knowledge and understanding of these themes will be deepened and enriched as we examine them in a more detail and different way. We hope you will find this information useful, and that it will serve to enlighten you as to what your child is learning as well as enrich your conversations at home.

If you have questions concerning our classroom themes, the lessons your child is receiving, or the Montessori curriculum in general, please feel free to ask your teacher any time.

Thank you!

When Should I Keep My Child Home from School?

The time of sniffles, sneezes, coughs, and tummy aches is upon us. In an effort to keep our children and classrooms as healthy as possible (not to mention cut down on all those doctor visits), we thought you might find the following information helpful. What you will read below is a list of symptoms that Virginia Social Services requires you report to your child’s school and/or necessitates that you keep your child home for a minimum of 24 hours. If your child exhibits any of the following symptoms, please plan on keeping your child home, cozying up, and stocking up on popsicles and soup!

Fever: During the night or that morning a temperature of 100 degrees or higher means that your child must stay home and cannot return to school until he or she has been fever free for 24 hours.

Stomach Ache: Two or more occurrences of vomiting or diarrhea or both in the last 24 hours.

Sore throat: Complaints of sore throat, tender, swollen glands in the neck area and/or a fever of 100 degrees or higher. (If your pediatrician diagnoses your child with strep throat we require that you notify the school).

Cough: Frequent cough that produces mucus that is not clear in color, and/or a cough that sounds like a bark or is accompanied by a sore throat or wheezing

Earache: Does the child have constant or severe pain? Does the child hold or guard his/her ear with hand?

Rash: The child has a rash that blisters, develops pus, or is painful.

Conjunctivitis (pink eye): Red, itchy eyes with yellow to greenish “pus like” drainage, eyes that are crusted over upon waking in the morning, or pink and watery eyes. Your child should see an eye doctor and use prescription drops for 24 hours before returning to school. Over-the-counter eye drops are not sufficient to properly treat pink eye. It would be helpful for us to know if your child is diagnosed with viral or bacterial pink eye, as the viral form of pink eye is not treatable with antibiotics and is more contagious than a bacterial pink eye infection.

Head Lice: The child must be louse and nit free before returning to school.

Extreme fatigue or muscle aches: Children who can’t keep their eyes open, even after having a normal night’s sleep, and who are experiencing muscles aches may be showing early warning signs of the flu. If your child is feeling too ill to stay awake in class, consider having him or her stay home. At the very least, alert the teacher and make sure someone is available in case your child needs to come home.

If your child exhibits any of the above symptoms while at school, we will call you to come and pick up your child. Please know that we only send a child home when state licensing requires us to do so. As it is important to us that we protect other children from getting sick, please make every effort to pick up your child as soon as possible once you have been notified that he or she is not feeling well. Remember: when in doubt ask yourself, “If my child were healthy, would I want him or her near someone with the symptoms of which my child is complaining?”

Thank you for helping us to keep all of our children at school as healthy as possible!

Other ways you can help:

1. Teaching your child to wash his/her hands after using the bathroom and before/after eating. Stress “making a bubble glove” before rinsing thoroughly.

2. Teach your child to cough or sneeze into the crook of the arm verses the hands.

3. Teach your child to keep hands away from eyes, nose, and mouth.

4. Teach your child to properly blow the nose, dispose of the used tissue, and wash hands.

Order and Beauty in the Classroom

Excerpt taken from

“The Prepared Environment”

by Sarah Elizabeth Pharis, 2006

Because of Montessori’s scientific training she was well aware the impact the environment has on the living being. She understood well that the best way to learn about a living being is to examine its natural habitat. She drew our attention to the fact that a change in environment can significantly alter development and behavior. Human beings present a special challenge in this area because we do not have a “set” environment. Our ability to adapt allows us to thrive under many different conditions. In addition to our adaptability, we can create our environment. So often our environments are adult oriented and situated for adult comforts, needs, purposes and tastes. We are able to feel comfortable and efficient in these spaces we create for ourselves, and often we do not take into consideration that the nature of the child is very different from the nature of the adult. If we were to pause and reflect upon this, it would be made clear to us that the adult environment does not serve the needs of the young child.

It is around age three that young children are ready to expand their experiences because an increase in their consciousness has taken place. The drive to establish themselves in a wider and more diverse social group emerges. Though children still need security, love, and protection during this phase, they will exhibit signs of an increased need for independence. To this end, the classroom environment needs to be constructed as carefully as the home environment. The classroom must allow for an immerging sense of self. The child needs an environment that is sized to fit a small body. Mario Montessori Jr. points out that “if the environment is not so arranged, the children are constantly confronted with tasks which they see adults perform and which they know they could do also, if they were not too small in relation to the objects involved. They may come to regard adults, therefore, as powerful rivals instead of models.” The prepared environment should fit the child physically, but also allow for increased independence by eliminating the constant need for physical assistance from the adult. In this way the child is able to perfect movement – a very important part of the child’s development at this time.

Though less obvious, the psychological needs of children must be taken into consideration when preparing the environment. We use our knowledge of the human tendencies, a child's absorbent mind, and their unique developmental sensitivities to aid us in the construction of the classroom environment.

Montessori’s idea of a prepared environment evolved as her experiences with young children increased. What began as a sparse room was slowly filled as she experimented with materials that the children might or might not like. If the children accepted the materials, they were kept, if they rejected them, they were discarded. When she put the child in touch with the environment and removed herself as the center of instruction, she altered the traditional role of the adult/child relationship in the classroom. She took into consideration that young children at this age are concerned primarily with constructing their personality and that their interest lies in the process rather than the end result or product. She understood that it is through spontaneous activity that the child constructs him/herself.

Order is perhaps the most striking characteristic of the Montessori classroom. Order is essential for a child’s development and sense of independence as it helps a child to make sense of her world. Montessori writes, “the mind of a little child is certainly not blank when he begins the education of his senses, but his concepts are all confused. The chaos of his mind has greater need of ordering what it already knows than of gaining more knowledge.” To this end, everything in the Montessori classroom has a particular place. From the depths of the cabinets to the shelves, the child should perceive nothing but order. Order should be reflected in everything from the physical aspects of the classroom, to our schedules, to the way that materials are presented. This provides an opportunity for the child to anticipate what is happening or will happen in the classroom. Order is reflected throughout our routines, classroom customs, and most importantly in our relationship with the children. Order and continuity in our interactions with the children allows us to build trust. Our actions must be consistent so that double standards are not introduced into the classroom and into our relationships with the children. Our actions must be dictated by the same guidelines we ask of the children... no double standards! The child needs to feel conformable, calm, and at peace with her relationship to the environment and her teacher.

The Montessori classroom is a beautiful classroom. This is important because it acknowledges the sensitivity that children have to beauty. The aesthetic qualities of beauty need to be reflected physically and in the atmosphere of the classroom. Order has a very close relationship with beauty. The simplicity that is present in order creates for the child an opportunity to take in the environment and to integrate it into the personality. It is important, therefore, that what a child “takes in” be orderly, meaningful, and lovely.

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Mario M. Montessori, Jr, Education for Human Development (Oxford: Clio Press, 2005), 19.
Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood (New York: Fides Publishers, 1966), 149.

Smithsonian.Com Article: Madame Montessori

Please click HERE to read this interesting article on Maria Montessori.

Courtesy of www.smithsonian.com

Why Montessori for the Kindergarten Year?

by Tim Seldin with Dr. Elizabeth Coe

This article originally appeared in Tomorrow's Child magazine.

Every year at reenrollment time, and in thousands of Montessori schools all over North America, parents of four-almost-five-year-olds are trying to decide whether or not they should keep their sons and daughters in Montessori for kindergarten or send them off to the local schools.The advantages of using the local schools often seem obvious, while those of staying in Montessori are often not at all clear. When you can use the local schools for free, why would anyone want to invest thousands of dollars in another year's tuition? It is a fair question and it deserves a careful answer. Obviously there is no one right answer for every child. Often the decision depends on where each family places its priorities and how strongly parents sense that one school or another more closely fits in with their hopes dreams for their children. Naturally, to some degree the answer is also often connected to the question of family income as well, although we are often amazed at how often families with very modest means who place a high enough priority on their children's education will scrape together the tuition needed to keep them in Montessori. So here are a few answers to some of the questions parents often ask about Montessori for the kindergarten age child.

In a nut shell, what would be the most important short-term disadvantage of sending my five-year-old to the local schools?
When a child transfers from Montessori to a new kindergarten, she spends the first few months adjusting to a new class, a new teacher, and a whole new system with different expectations. This, along with the fact that most kindergartens have a much lower set of expectations for five-year-olds than most Montessori programs, severely cuts into the learning that could occur during this crucial year of their lives. In a few cases, kindergarten Montessori children may not look as if they are not as advanced as a child in a very academically accelerated program, but what they do know they usually know very well. Their understanding of the decimal system, place value, mathematical operations, and similar information is usually very sound. With reinforcement as they grow older, it becomes internalized and a permanent part of who they are. When they leave Montessori before they have had the time to internalize these early concrete experiences, their early learning often evaporates because it is neither reinforced nor commonly understood.

What would be the most important advantages of keeping my five-year-old in Montessori?
Montessori is an approach to working with children that is carefully based on what we've learned about children's cognitive, neurological and emotional development from several decades of research. Although sometimes misunderstood, the Montessori approach has been acclaimed as the most developmentally appropriate model currently available by some of America's top experts on early childhood and elementary education. One important difference between what Montessori offers the five-year-old and what is offered by many of today's kindergarten programs has to do with how it helps the young child to learn how to learn. Over recent years educational research has increasingly shown that students in many schools don't really understand most of what they are being taught. Howard Gardner, Harvard Psychologist and author of the best selling book The Unschooled Mind goes so far as to suggest that "many schools have fallen into a pattern of giving kids exercises and drills that result in their getting answers on tests that look like understanding. Most students, from as young as those in kindergarten to students in some of the finest colleges in America do not understand what they've studied, in the most basic sense of the term. They lack the capacity to take knowledge learned in one setting and apply it appropriately in a different setting. Study after study has found that, by and large, even the best students in the best schools can't do that." (On Teaching For Understanding: A Conversation with Howard Gardner, by Ron Brandt, Educational Leadership Magazine, ASCD, 1994.) Montessori is focused on teaching for understanding. In a primary classroom, three and four-year-olds receive the benefit of two years of sensorial preparation for academic skills by working with the concrete Montessori learning materials. This concrete sensorial experience gradually allows the child to form a mental picture of concepts like how big is a thousand, how many hundreds make up a thousand, and what is really going on when we borrow or carry numbers in mathematical operations. The value of the sensorial experiences that the younger children have had in Montessori have often been under-estimated by both parents and educators. Research is very clear that young children learn by observing and manipulating their environment, not through textbooks and workbook exercises. The Montessori materials give the child concrete sensorial impression of abstract concepts, such as long division, that become the foundation for a lifetime understanding. Because Montessori teachers are well trained in child development, they normally know how to present information in developmentally appropriate ways. In many, many American schools, children do exercises and fill in workbook pages with little understanding. There is a great deal of rote learning. Superficially, it may seems that these children are learning the material. However, all too often a few months down the road little of what they "learned" will be retained and it will be rare for the children to be able to use their knowledge and skills in new situations. Learning to be organized and learning to be focused is as important as any academic work. Doing worksheets quickly can be impressive to parents, but there is rarely any deep learning going on. More and more educational researchers are beginning to focus on whether students, whether young or adult, really understand or have simply memorized correct answers.

In a class with such a wide age range of children, won't my five-year-old spend the year taking care of younger children instead of doing his or her own work?The five year olds in Montessori classes often help the younger children with their work, actually teaching lessons or correcting errors. Anyone who has ever had to teach a skill to someone else may recall that the very process of explaining a new concept or helping someone practice a new skill leads the teacher to learn as much, if not more, than the pupil. This is supported by research. When one child tutors another, the tutor normally learns more from the experience than the person being tutored. Experiences that facilitate development of independence and autonomy are often very limited in traditional schools.

Isn't it Better for Kids to Go To School With the Children From Their Neighborhood?
Once upon a time people bought a home and raised their family in the same neighborhood. There was a real sense of community. Today, the average family will move two or three times before their children go off to college. Many public schools expect a turnover of more than 20% of their population a year as families move in and out of the area. The relationships that once bound families living in the same neighborhood together into a community have grown weak in many parts of the country. In many Montessori schools, families who live in different neighborhoods but who share similar values have come together to create and enjoy the extended community of their school. Children growing up in Montessori schools over the last fifty years often speak of how closely knit their friendships were with their school mates and their families.

Since most children will eventually have to go to the neighborhood schools, wouldn't it be better for them to make the transition in kindergarten rather than in first grade?
The American Montessori Society tells of one father who wrote, "We considered the school years ahead. We realized a child usually does his best if he has good learning habits, a sound basis in numbers and math, and the ability to read. We realized that he has had an excellent two-year start in his Montessori school. If he were to transfer now to kindergarten, he would probably go no farther than he is now, whereas if he stays in Montessori, he will reap the benefits of his past work under the enthusiastic guidance of teachers who will share his joy in learning."Many families are aware that by the end of the kindergarten year, Montessori students will often have developed academic skills that may be beyond those of children enrolled in most American kindergarten programs. However, parents should remember that academic progress is not our ultimate goal. Our real hope is that the children will have an incredible sense of self-confidence, enthusiasm for learning, and will feel closely bonded to their teachers and classmates. We want much more than competency in the basic skills; we want to them to honestly enjoy school and feel good about themselves as students. Once children have developed a high degree of self-confidence, independence, and enthusiasm for the learning process, they normally can adapt to all sorts of new situations. While there are wonderful and exciting reasoning to carefully consider keeping a child in Montessori through elementary school and beyond, by the time they are first grade they will typically be able to go off to their new school with not only a vibrant curiosity and excitement about making new friends and learning new things.

If I keep my child in Montessori for kindergarten, won't he/she be bored in a traditional first grade program?
Montessori children by the end of age five are normally curious, self-confident learners who look forward to going to school. They are normally engaged, enthusiastic learners who honestly want to learn and ask excellent questions. What teacher wouldn't give her left arm for a room filled with children like that? Well, truthfully over the years we've found some who consider these children "disruptive." Disruptive, you ask. A polite, independent Montessori child, disruptive?Well, first off, let's remember that Montessori children are real human beings, and not all children who attended Montessori fit the idealized description. However, enough do that the generalization is often fairly accurate. Montessori children by age six have spent three or four years in a school where they were treated with honesty and respect. While there were clear expectations and ground rules, within that framework their opinions and questions were taken quite seriously. Unfortunately, there are still some teachers and schools where children who ask questions are seen as challenging authority. You can imagine an independent Montessori child asking his new teacher, but why do I have to ask each time I need to use the bathroom? or Why do I have to stop my work right now? So the honest answer is that it depends on the teacher and school. From an academic viewpoint, Montessori children will generally be doing very well by the end of kindergarten, although, once again, that is not our ultimate objective. The program offers them enriched lessons in math, reading, language, and a wide range of lessons in science, geography and other cultural areas. If they are ready, they will normally develop excellent skills and become quite "culturally literate."

When one of these children enters a traditional first grade, they may have already mastered the skills that their new school considered first grade curriculum. Some Montessori children are still more advanced. Once upon a time in America, elementary schools had only one course of study for every child at each grade level, and the only option for children who were academically gifted was to skip them ahead one or two grade levels. This created all sorts of resentments, jealousies among students, and social stresses on children who socially and physically still belonged with their own age group. However, as Dr. Montessori's educational strategies have been incorporated to a greater or lesser extent by more and more school systems, it is becoming more common to find elementary schools that are willing and able to adapt their curriculum to meet the needs of individual students who are ready for accelerated work.The key concept in Montessori is the child's interest and readiness for advanced work. If a child is not developmentally ready to go on, she is not left behind or made to feel like a failure. Our goal is not to ensure that our children develop at a predetermined rate, but to ensure that whatever they do, they do well. Most Montessori children master a tremendous amount of information and skills. Even in the rare case where one of our children may not have made as much progress as we would have wished, he will usually be moving along steadily at his own pace and will feel good about himself as a learner.

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Dr. Elizabeth Coe is the Past President of the American Montessori Society and Director of the Houston Montessori Teacher Education Center in Houston, Texas.

Tim Seldin is the President of the Montessori Foundation and Chair of the International Montessori Council.

Take Home Work

by Sarah Elizabeth Pharis

At the Primary Level (3-6 years old) of a child’s Montessori education experience, most of the work accomplished occurs in the classroom with a “hands-on” manipulation of materials designed to meet a child’s developmental and intellectual needs. The materials, the classroom, the schedule, and even our interactions with the children, are structured in such a way as to open the door for spontaneous and creative “work” to take place.

Because it is the goal of any Montessori teacher to have a child’s urge to work come from an inner drive to discover the world, (rather than from a need to please a teacher or parent), it rare, even on the elementary level, that take-home work is assigned. Simply put, emphasis is not placed on the end result (a picture, a page of equations, an art project), but rather on the process.

In our classroom (note: every teacher does this differently), in order to insure that it is the process and not the product that receives the most attention, the children are given a place to collect any written work or art work. Before the collection reaches the point of overflowing, a child sifts through the work, choosing what he or she deems to be the best. The remaining paperwork is recycled, and the chosen pieces are collected and taken home. Through this process I am able to see the progress that has taken place, and you are able to treasure your child’s work without being inundated with papers and artwork to clutter up the fridge. In this way your child discovers that when he or she chooses work it is chosen freely – free from a teacher’s coercion and free from the desire to please a parent by producing evidence of the work accomplished. This is how we gently direct your child toward concentration and self-mastery.

During the first year of your child’s time spent in a Montessori classroom, most of our energies are spent on acclimating your child to the environment, aiding your child in his/her vocabulary enrichment, and laying the foundation for the work in math and language that will come as your child exhibits an ability to concentrate and work independently. "A Montessori teacher’s goal is to prepare students for life, not just for admission to college. We work to empower, liberate, and encourage children to become self-confident people who think for themselves, creatively solve problems, and who possess the emotional and spiritual balance, interpersonal skills, compassion and moral courage that will prepare them to lead lives filled with purpose, meaning, and joy."1

So much of the work that is being accomplished during the year is invisible to you. Your child cannot bring home the pink tower or the metal insets, and often your child will be able to tell you only what was for snack and who made a disturbance in class. You, of course, can ask your child's teacher for information on what happens during the day, but coming to observe your child is the best way to find out what your child is doing. In the meantime, look for the "work" that will come home from time to time. Sit with your child and go through the collection together. Encourage your child to talk about what he or she has brought home to share with you, for in the eyes of your child, what is being showcased is nothing less than the very best.

Please click HERE to read more on the Montessori child and homework.

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1. Seldin, Tim. “You Can't Hurry Love - Homework The Montessori Way.” The Montessori Foundation. 2007.

Montessori 101

Some Basic Information that Every Montessori Parent Should Know

by Tim Seldin, President
The Montessori Foundation

Taken from Tomorrow’s Child, a Montessori magazine for parents, this insightful and informative article provides information that every parent of a Montessori child should know. Packed with information and resources, we are sure you will enjoy this and the many other articles to be found at the online library at http://www.montessori.org/.

Click HERE to read Montessori101

The Science Behind the Genius

Last year we discussed the possibility of reading Dr. Angeline Lillard's book The Science Behind the Genius as a school and then meeting to discuss her wonderful research and insights. We would still like to host this event, and are working to schedule it sometime soon. In the meantime, please check out this informative and interesting book. Dr Angeline Lillard, Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, chronicles much of the scientific research that has examined Montessori theory, pedagogy and curriculum. The book also gives an overview of the Montessori Method. Should you be interested in reading more about Professor Lillard, her work, or the book we shall be discussing, please visit her website:
http://www.montessori-science.org/

Montessori Lingo

by Sarah Elizabeth Pharis

Periodically I receive articles, journals, and other publications geared toward the Montessori teacher. Often they contain a wealth of information invaluable to my understanding of pedagogy, classroom practices, and Montessori theory. I understand that unless you are a die-hard Maria fan, reading about Montessori’s philosophy on the young child can be a somewhat daunting, if not mind-numbing task. Some of her prose rambles and twists around old-fashioned metaphors, while more recent writings use too much of what I call “I.M.S.” (Insider Montessori Speech). It’s not every day that one hears the phrases “first-plane child”, “control of error,” or “normalization through independence” discussed around the dinner table. (Unless you live at my house!)

I find that for some parents, a lack of explanation or understanding of Montessori terminology can lead to confusion or frustration in regards to their child’s education. As a teacher, I see myself on the same “team” as the parents. We both want to see your child safe, happy, loved, and respected. We both want your child to have fun at school. We both want your child to make friends. We both want your child to learn to read.

As the parent, you know your child best. You have the right and responsibility of loving your child, guiding your child, and seeking out what you believe to be the best for your child. As the teacher, I have the honor and task of combining all of these with my knowledge of where a young child of 3 – 6 is developmentally, intellectually, and emotionally. Through our combined efforts, the Montessorian’s great hope is that after entering the world of the classroom, your child will be able to enter the world as a wholly integrated, socially conscious, analytically minded human being who loves to learn.

Sadly, our work can become stalled when teachers and parents don’t speak the same language. Informal conversations on the playground, parent education nights, and parent/teacher conferences aren’t enough. Their time is short, and we have to stop as soon as the conversations get going. When we find that we are differing greatly in our tactics to get your child to agreed-upon developmental and academic benchmarks, or we think we are not seeing eye-to-eye on your child's development, or when the prioritization of our expectations in regards to your child’s education don't appear to be matching up, I think in most cases Montessori "lingo," has gotten in the way.

It is my hope that you will see your child's teacher as not only a guide for your child, but also as a resource for you. We are highly trained, degree wielding, powerhouses of information on early childhood development. We have unique and invaluable insight into the inner life of your child. There is no question we wouldn't be happy to answer. We possess a wealth of information and have a great love of discussing Montessori's theories. If you don't understand why your child has been pouring rice back and forth between two pitcher for days on end, ask us! We promise to keep the I.M.S. to a minimum.