freeindeed Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Just wondering if any of you do this & what it looks like in your homeschool. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Bumping this up for you. Not hsing, but dd4 is going to attend a private Montessori VPK program - free for three hours a day. I wonder how Montessori kids transition back to hsing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 (edited) I've discovered several sites that have given me some ideas. Here they are: http://www.montessori-home-schooling.com/teach-montessori-at-home/home-set-up.aspx http://simplymontessori.blogspot.com/ http://montessorihomeschooling.blogspot.com/ http://onehookwonder.blogspot.com/search/label/Montessori http://www.montessorimaterials.org/ http://montessorination.com/printouts/ http://www.montessorimom.com/montessori-free-printouts-downloads/ Edited July 8, 2011 by freeindeed Additional info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Montessori printshop has very good stuff. I use that for DD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleGreen Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Check out the blog countingcoconuts and mymontessorijourney. They may have some good inspiration for you. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 :) Thank you. I've added those sites in my favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnemom Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 It is hard to really do Montessori homeschool, because I think that a large part of the Montessori experience is having access to all the materials. And unless you have an unlimited budget and space to store things, it just won't work out. I would look at a place that offers Montessori materials and try to determine what your child would be most interested in. I purchased or made a dozen or so Montessori type materials. I like Montessori Services for practical life activities and Alison's Montessori for all other materials. I bought a movable alphabet, materials for transferring activities, materials for color mixing. I made things like counting activities and three part matching activities. Implementing the Montessori philosophy in your home is easier than getting all the materials. I guess I mean things like doing things that foster your child's independence (getting stools so your child can reach sinks, letting them help with cooking from a very young age, preparing little cleaning activities for them, etc.). Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazzie Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 You might find some inspiration from the blog 1+1+1=1, although recently her preschool stuff includes lots of printables and is more traditionally focused. She has older posts on making activity trays that are Montessori inspired. There are also some teachers online who share Montessori albums and lesson plans. However, it's easier in the home to be Montessori-inspired rather than pure Montessori! I've also found the yahoo group Playschool6 to be really helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceman Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 We've involved into Montessori inspired. My K'er is ready for more direction, so we are really just using some Montessori materials for some subjects. So, not in the spirit of Montessori, but we are using some of the well-thought out materials. For my toddler, I plan to have some Montessori materials available ONLY for when I'm doing school with the older one. It will be mostly practical life works (I'll change them out frequently), and some sensorial works. I'm working with her now so that she'll be a little more independent by the time we officially start school with the older one. Hoping it works... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 It is hard to really do Montessori homeschool, because I think that a large part of the Montessori experience is having access to all the materials. And unless you have an unlimited budget and space to store things, it just won't work out. I would look at a place that offers Montessori materials and try to determine what your child would be most interested in. I purchased or made a dozen or so Montessori type materials. I like Montessori Services for practical life activities and Alison's Montessori for all other materials. I bought a movable alphabet, materials for transferring activities, materials for color mixing. I made things like counting activities and three part matching activities. Implementing the Montessori philosophy in your home is easier than getting all the materials. I guess I mean things like doing things that foster your child's independence (getting stools so your child can reach sinks, letting them help with cooking from a very young age, preparing little cleaning activities for them, etc.). Hope that helps! Yeah, I don't plan on spending a lot of money. I made some sandpaper letters, numbers, and shapes today. Also, I put together a dress-up basket and plan to make a few more Montessori-inspired items this week. I have a friend who is giving me several books about the Montessori approach, so I'm hoping to glean more ideas from them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom&nana Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I'm also making as many of the materials that I can. I made the moveable alphabet from Montessori print shop, just finished laminating and cutting today. The link mentioned above (1+1+1) has a link on her blog to get the book "Montessori at Home" right now at a discount. I hope to buy it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 http://www.youtube.com has some great videos that demonstrate how to use common montessori learning materials...like math activities, or the moveable alphabet and lots more.Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GardenTenders/Kim Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 What little I have learned about Charlotte Mason so far is that she believes children should be allowed to use things in the home to learn. The baking with you brought that to mind. I like some Waldorf ideas too. What I have been doing since last year is using play to help her learn things. Just in play so many things come up. this year I plan to get a bit more structured but not by much really. We also take advantage of free community programs, which tend to be more Montessori or Waldorf in nature. No I am not one of those moms that wear a jumper and hides her child away during the school day. LOL We are very active and spend a lot of time at the zoo and going to places that interest her. We also have a wonderful local and active homeschool community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockermom Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I'd look here, as well: The Adventures of Bear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 It is hard to really do Montessori homeschool, because I think that a large part of the Montessori experience is having access to all the materials. And unless you have an unlimited budget and space to store things, it just won't work out. I tried doing Montessori Pre-K with my kids and it was a complete flop. You need to have time, energy, money, and space to organize and present materials. I had a toddler around who knocked down our pink tower and "rearranged" all our materials. I gave up and we started RightStart Math at age 4.5 and SWR at 5.5. We read a lot of books (that could involve everyone) and we played at the park and talked a lot. I'm happy with my kid's pre-k experience. Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazzie Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I just visited 1+1+1=1 and bought the eBook Montessori at Home. It's $8 until the end of July and really looks fantastic. There are color pictures and he gives suggestion for which materials to buy and what you can put together at home. So far I am finding it very homeschool-mom friendly and am excited to use these ideas with my youngest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom&nana Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I just visited 1+1+1=1 and bought the eBook Montessori at Home. It's $8 until the end of July and really looks fantastic. There are color pictures and he gives suggestion for which materials to buy and what you can put together at home. So far I am finding it very homeschool-mom friendly and am excited to use these ideas with my youngest. Thanks for your review. I'm going to buy it very soon. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eloquacious Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I bought the eBook too, and I'm surprised that he mentions base ten blocks but not Cuisenaire rods in place of the bead material. Our plan for things is to use what we have, what we can make, or substitute. For instance we're now in the process of making orange ten-bead strands with pipe cleaners and orange pony beads. The one blog I saw that mentions pony beads says that they can't be used because they aren't perfectly spherical, and hence won't make a good 100s flat or 1000s cube. This is true - which is why we'll only be using them with numbers up to 100. I may make beads for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, too, but if I do I'll make them in the Cuisenaire colors rather than the Montessori colors so they'll coordinate with the rods we'll use. We made the bead strands mainly because my son will be counting by tens and learning about place value, and I wanted him to have a deep understanding that each rod had ten beads, because he made it. They are orange because the Cuisenaire ten-rod is orange, and because of that I bought hundred flats and one thousand cube in orange from the Base-10 system. They are the same dimensions as the Cuisenaire rods, so they should flow nicely, leaving me with a system very much like the Montessori beads, only cheaper. An added bonus is that I can also use the Cuisenaire idea books and Miquon with them, which I wouldn't be able to do with the true Montessori beads. :) Anywho, sorry for the long post, but that was just one idea of how to do things cheaply. We are doing Montessori-ish around here. I believe in being more parent/teacher-led, and we can't have trays just laying around with a 1 year-old running around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 you can also look at a montessori catalog such as one from montessori services and many of the kits they sell are things you can do with your own belongings. I've had lots of fun looking through the 11-12 catalog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 you can also look at a montessori catalog such as one from montessori services and many of the kits they sell are things you can do with your own belongings. I've had lots of fun looking through the 11-12 catalog. Thank you. I ordered a catalog from them today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Chasing Cheerios is another good blog to check out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloAla1975 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 We do Montessori-inspired preschool. Most of our materials are either printed for free (most from the previously mentioned websites), made by me, or bought. Melissa and Doug and Guidecraft toys have many montessori manipulatives. Also, much of our practical life materials come from home ;). The classroom is set up in one half of the dining room. We have shelves containing "work" trays which I rotate weekly. Sometimes more often-just depends on what kind of week he has had. He is allowed to work anytime that he chooses, and for as long as he chooses. Some days he has no interest, others he will spend hours working on his trays, then beg for more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifra Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 I used (as did my mother before me!:lol:) Elizabeth Hainstock's Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Preschool Years. It is still in print, and is very good at cutting to the chase as to what equipment is important and what is only neccessary with a large class. It also tells you how to make the materials (and where you can possibly buy the materials commercially for cheaper than the Montessori companies). I am fine motor challenged so I'd rather buy the materials, but if you are handy, you can save a lot of money! The best and most expensive Montessori material are from Neinhuis Montessori, Michael Olaf caters to homeschools and Montessori schools, Montessori N Such is cheaper. All of these places charge outrageous shipping fees. The first thing I would start out with would be the practical life exercises. You should get for your child a child size broom (Berea College makes a good child broom) and mop and teach you child how to use them. They should also know how to set the table, dust the furniture, peel carrots and/or potatoes, etc. Then you start on the sensory material, like big and small, rough and smooth, colors, shapes. Only then do you start on the academics--first sandpaper letters, then moveable alphabet. Mathematics is last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 (edited) Wow, I found some great bargains on materials at Target today! For less than $5 I bought a miniature broom & dustpan set--pink & oh so cute! Also, from the dollar section, I purchased foam blocks, a squishy ball, magnetic alphabet & number sets and stamp sets of the alphabet & numbers and colored ink pads. Score! :D Edited July 14, 2011 by freeindeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 oooooh ... I am so happy to see a Montessori thread. I agree with a PP that you can't copy the Montessori method in the home, but I think any method for classrooms will not translate directly into the home. In our case, sweet DS would never (and I mean, NEVER) do something unfamiliar if "invited". I made all activities required, for the first couple of times at least, which is quite un-Montessori. And DS just didn't naturally use many materials as intended, but they were quite valuable supplements. I have loved the primary level manuals available at Montessori RD (for Research & Development, I'm pretty sure). Right now DS and I are working through Geography, which he loves. It requires some adaptation but is systematic, thorough, and fun for my little one. I made the mistake of purchasing the infant guides; these are so specifically geared toward group care that they were a waste of money. If you email the folks at MontessoriRD they give excellent advice RE the manuals & materials, and have steered me away from spending extra $$ at their store on manuals that wouldn't suit my situation. (gee, this is wordy, but I'm so tired ...) good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 I know I am late to this party but I also bought the Montessori at Home ebook and I really like a lot of his ideas. I was wondering if there is anyone who incorporate Montessori in their homeschool with little bitties around? I was looking for things to keep my 3 y/o occupied while I do school with older sis but I have a mobile baby too. I am trying to figure out how to set something up for her without baby getting into it. I have been thinking it just may not work for us. Anyone have suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 I just posted about some Montessori inspired things that I've done: http://freeindeed-redkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/07/montessori-inspired-activities.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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