Childhood is measured by sounds
and smells and sights, before
the dark hour of reason grows.~John Betjeman
What's included for two- to three-year-olds:
1. Website access to documents & articles on:
- how to start, where to begin
- frequently asked questions about how to create a Montessori home environment
- creating activities
- observing your child in the Montessori environment
- get free or cheap materials for making activities
- supplies and a must-have Montessori materials lists
- recommended book list
- storing materials & activities
- creating a budget
- forums and blogs to join for support
- suggested weekly and monthly timelines.
2. Website access to links to affordable and free public Montessori material PDF downloads (when applicable)
3. Website access to Montessori lesson activities in Practical Life, Sensorial, Zoology, Science, Art, Language, Math, Geography, and Social Grace & Courtesy.
Most lesson activities have pictures, some have photo galleries (multiple pictures or photos), and others are text only. The lesson activities and articles are easy to download and save to your computer. Some of the lesson activities can be handmade or prepared with materials from home, others can be bought at Montessori suppliers.
4. Montessori articles & FAQs included:
- Absorbent Mind: "From birth to six is the stage of the absorbent mind. This is the type of mind with which the human baby, shortly after birth, starts taking in and absorbing the environment in which he finds himself. This is very different from the adult mind. The absorbent mind [of the child from birth to six] is..."
- Circle Time: "At the beginning, circle is simple. Towards the end of the year, it becomes richer and more complex.... One thing remains constant in all these circles--it is the..."
- Daily Routine
- The Home Preschool: "The materials you can start with are simple toys, practical life and sensorial materials: also toys, books, simple puzzles, and books that are familiar to the child. Slowly and gradually the young child will be weaned from them and intrigued by more challenging materials. But in the beginning give him..."
- The Human (Physical) Embryo: "Montessori says the spiritual expresses itself in the physical. Thinkers in every age have been struck by the astonishing fact that a being which at first does not exist should become a man or a woman able to think and to have ideas of his own. The infant starts from..."
- Independently Working: "Young preschoolers will be exploring their environment sensorially and there are projects you can make for them to do while you work with an older child. The key to it is to have..."
- Indirect Preparation: "We all learn according to what we already know. One sees, hears, and understands according to what one already knows. Whenever is printed on the subconscious experiences and will determine our reactions, and are a way of handling future experiences. This is the..."
- The Montessori Adult: "Consistency and continuity are the backbone of the Montessori environment. They are the order which brings security and allows the child to really unfold. The adult’s role in general is to..."
- Movement and Independence: "The moment [a child] is born he starts to move independently, and in order to reach independence he has to keep on moving. There are two types of movement..."
- Nurturing the Child's Home Environment: "The first step is to prepare the child's environment in such a way as to allow your child easy, safe access for both getting out and putting away her belongings, including..."
- The Sensitive Periods: "The sensitive periods are transitory periods in the child's life during which time she is prompted by an inner urge to focus her attention on certain elements in her environment. The activities and impressions resulting from this activity help the child to..."
- Siblings and Lessons, and Siblings Working Together
- Social Grace & Courtesy: Conflict Resolution; Care of the Environment FAQs; Discipline FAQs.
- The Three Period Lesson: "The Three Period Lesson is a way to present and introduce concepts and new terminology, or the names of things, to a child: new sounds (letters), numbers (symbols), geometric shapes, colors, and geography forms (like the land and water forms or the continents). It is also a way to..."
FAQs:
- My two-year-old seems interested in new activities, but then she will swat at the materials, sweeping everything off the table or across the floor. Do you know what this might mean? Or do you have any suggestions for me on this behavior?
- How do you tell if my toddler has mastered an activity?
- When do other toddlers...recognize individual letters? Should I be working on that? Is it too early to start with sandpaper letters and phonics?
- I'm having some difficulty encouraging my 27-month-old to stay engaged in one activity after introducing it. What do I do?
5. Lesson activities included:
Practical Life:
- Open and Close Zips and Snaps
- Open & Close
- Sponging
- Cleaning Spills
- Sweeping
- Putting on a Coat
- Dry Pouring Into Bowl
- Large Scrubbing
- Small Scrubbing
- Cheese Cutting
- Pouring
- Water Pouring
- Advanced Pouring
- Spooning
- Tonging
- Tea Party
- Washing a Table
- Washing a Window
- Using Mats/Rugs in the Classroom
Sensorial:
- Sort Silverwarer
- Sorting Large Objects
- Sorting Small Objects One and Two including Button Sorting and Bead Sorting
- Match Fabric
- Froebel Bag
- Geometric Solids Intro
- Geometric Solids and Bases
- Cylinder Blocks
- Advanced Cylinder Blocks
- Color Box 1
- Color Box 2
- Thermic Tablets
- Pink Tower
- Brown Stairs
- Touch (Tactile) Boards
- Touch (Tactile) Tablets
Zoology:
- Feeding Fish
- Insect Matching
- Introduction to Animals
- Classify Animals
Science:
- Boats Experiment
- Bubbles and Air One and Air Two Experiments
- Sink and Float
Art:
- Simple Toddler to Threes Art Projects
- Metal Insets (beginning drawing of geometric shapes)
- Clay
- More Art
Language:
- Beginning First Sounds
- The Classified Picture Cards
- I Spy Game
- Sand Paper Sounds/Letters
- Write Sand Paper Sounds/Letters
Math:
- Early Counting with Objects
- Home-made Counting
- Number Rods--math counting 1-10
- Sand Paper Numbers 1-9
- Spindle Boxes--math counting 0-9
- Color Bead Stair--math counting 1-9
Geography:
- Land and Water Forms
- Land and Water Forms Match to Cards
- And How to Make
- Land and Water Globe
- World Globe or Color Globe
Social Grace & Courtesy:
- Conflict Resolution including Social Grace and Courtesy
- Care of the Environment FAQs
- Discipline FAQs
Photo credit: theloushe via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
