Sensorial Workshop/ Parent Teacher Conferences are coming

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Nanci Olesen

“Introduction to Montessori Materials: Sensorial.”  That’s the fancy name of the workshop we have planned for you next Friday morning. Join Erin Haapala, our lead teacher in Children’s House 2 for an informative and entertaining hour and a half.  Erin will describe the area of the Children’s House classroom called “Sensorial.” 

How does one take an abstract idea like color, form, shape, or width and turn it into a material?  The sensorial materials do just that. At three years of age, children learn concretely. They learn through manipulation and exploration.

Our senses define the edge of consciousness. Each taste, smell, sight and touch we experience awakens our senses, forming the impressions that are the gateway to intelligence. 

Come see our sensorial materials in Children’s House 4, and experience Erin’s description of these materials.  We’ll have handouts, a powerpoint, and  plenty of time to answer your questions and to discuss the materials.

Sign up in the Parent Resource Center.  OR email, nanci@mayflowerchildren.org.  Childcare is not available for this workshop.

“Introduction to Montessori Materials: Sensorial”

  • 8:30 -10:00 AM
  • Friday, February 24 in Children’s House 4
  • $5.o0 suggested donation

And… PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES are coming! On March 1 and 2, we will be hosting our parent teacher conferences. This is a wonderful opportunity to spend 20 minutes with your classroom’s lead teacher.  She will give you a report a few days before conferences that you can refer to during your session.  On Tuesday, February 21, conference sign-up will begin.  

We are unable to offer childcare during conferences.  If you are in need of childcare during your 20 minute conference, consider signing up before or after a family who also needs childcare during conferences. You can trade off watching one another’s children on the playground.  If you need other ideas for childcare, contact me!  I’ll help you brainstorm other ideas or put you in touch with other Mayflower families.  It is important to not have your child present in the room at conferences.  We teachers look forward to talking to each of the parents in our classrooms during conferences.  Thanks so much!

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“Completing the Cycle” parent workshop cancelled

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Nanci Olesen

Our Thursday workshop has been cancelled, due to lack of reservations.  Because we emphasized this topic several weeks ago, hosting a “kindergarten coffee”  and showing the materials that a third year Children’s House child uses,  I think that most parents are already aware of their options and have been introduced to the idea that our school offers the typical Montessori curriculum, which can include a third year of Children’s House.  This is what is recommended in Montessori theory, and this is what many schools invite parents to commit to from the start.

The low numbers signed up for our workshop indicate to us that probably most parents have already considered whether to send their child to the kindergarten year at Mayflower.  We have asked Molly O’Shaughnessy to speak at Mayflower this coming November, addressing the same topic. This will be beneficial to all families, and will be of particular interest to new families next fall.  Having Molly come in November will help parents think through the many options they have to consider for re-enrollment in January.

Our next workshop is Friday, February 24, featuring Erin Haapala speaking about the Sensorial Materials in the Montessori Classroom.  Reserve now by emailing nanci@mayflowerchildren.org, or stopping in at the Parent Resource Center to sign up.

“Introduction to Montessori Materials: Sensorial”  with Erin Haapala

Friday, February 24, 2012

8:30 AM-10:00 AM

Join us!

 

 

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Completing the Cycle: The Importance of the Third Year in Children’s House

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Nanci Olesen

On Thursday, February 9, Molly O’Shaughnessy will present “Completing the Cycle: The Importance of the Third Year in Children’s House” at Mayflower.   We are honored to have Molly come to speak with us.  As the executive director of the Montessori Training Center, Molly has trained many Children’s House guides (teachers) in her years of service. 

As Mayflower Early Childhood Center blossoms into a full Montessori program, we are eager to let you know what the “three year cycle” is about in Montessori pedagogy.  Children usually begin their time in Children’s House when they are three years old, and in established Montessori schools, parents are asked to make a commitment to three years of education in the same classroom (or “environment,” as we call it!).  This culminates in what is thought of as the kindergarten year in traditional schools. 

In Montessori ,  a child develops his or her senses and  motor skills. During the third year a child  works with the Montessori materials in more depth. The child also becomes a leader in the classroom, helping younger children learn how to work with the materials.

Academic work begins on a new level in the third year of Children’s House, and a child establishes himself or herself as a writer, a reader, and a mathematician.  Check out these links for more reading about the third year of Children’s House:

A Third Year of Montessori, or Kindergarten?  a video by LePort Schools

Philosophy of the Third Year by Woods Creek Montessori

There are many more resources.  At our workshop on Thursday, February 9, we’ll have handouts for you too.

Sign up for the workshop in the Parent Resource Center or by emailing me: nanci@mayflowerchildren.org.

“COMPLETING THE CYCLE: THE IMPORTANCE OF THE THIRD YEAR IN CHILDREN’S HOUSE”– a parent workshop for YOU!

Thursday, February 9: 6:30-8:00 PM at Mayflower (dining room)

CHILDCARE AVAILABLE!  Sign up now!

All best,
Nanci

 

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Movement and Montessori

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Nanci Olesen

Recently I read an article in the Star Tribune about a third grade class in Farmington, MN in which the children are asked to move — touch their elbows to their knees, jog in place– in the midst of their spelling tests.  The teacher of this classroom was born and raised in Finland,  a country whose teaching methods have become a favorite topic of discussion among educators in the United States.    Read the article, or look at the book “Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland?” (Pasi Sahlberg).  The article goes on to cite examples of the curriculum in Finnish schools: lots of outdoor time, movement in the classroom, projects designed for the children to be able to research their own interests.  It sounds remarkably like the work we do in Montessori.

The teachers at Mayflower Early Childhood Center have all been trained in the Montessori method, undergoing a rigorous year of training and exams to achieve the depth of understanding necessary to work with your children in our prepared environments.  In order to incorporate movement and choice into a classroom, boundaries need to be set so that the children understand how to work and how to exercise their freedom.  Our teachers understand this system and are constantly observing how your child works within it. 

Dr. Steve Hughes spoke at our school on January 16, describing the way that a child’s brain develops and what components are needed for optimal brain development.  You can see his talk here.  Hughes emphasized the importance of movement for brain development.  We like to call it “purposeful movement.”  Your 3-6 year old child is constructing his or her world– connecting body and brain, every moment, every day. 

I recommend the book “What’s Going on in There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life.”   We have it in the Parent Resource Center.  Stop by to see if you can borrow it! 

UPCOMING PARENT WORKSHOP: 

“Completing the Cycle:  The Importance of the Third Year of Children’s House”

Thursday, February 9, 6:30-8:00 PM in the Mayflower Dining Room

Childcare is available!  Our speaker is Molly O’Shaughnessy, director of training at the Montessori Training Center.  She will answer your questions about the opportunity to keep your child at Mayflower during the kindergarten year.  Join us! Sign up by emailing nanci@mayflowerchildren.org or signing the clipboard in the PRC. 

See you soon. Carry on!

–Nanci

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Hosting an AMI accreditation specialist

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Nanci Olesen

Thursday, January 26 and Friday, January 27 are big days for Mayflower Early Childhood Center.  For the children and parents it will seem like school as usual, but for the teachers and staff there is a sense of “opening night.”   We are hosting a person from Association Montessori Internationale, Nancy Keane.  She will be observing in all four of our classrooms over the course of the two days.  Trained as a Montessori teacher herself, and then as a trainer of Montessori teachers, Nancy now is also trained to be an accreditation specialist.  She arrived from Florida this evening to begin her two day visit of our school.

We are excited to welcome her to the Parent Resource Center tomorrow morning, where she will get settled before she begins her observations.   She will be looking at our classrooms to be sure that they have all the materials needed for a Montessori Children’s House.  She will also be observing our “presentations” to children, checking them for accuracy.

A Children’s House is a “prepared environment” for the 3-6 year old child, and everything has its place.  As you have no doubt noticed, our classrooms are kept clean and orderly. We instill in the children a sense of responsibility for the materials and the room itself.   This is called “care of the environment” in our Montessori albums (the handbooks that we make ourselves, which detail every presentation of each material).  There are many aspects to “care of the environment” that your child is learning and has adopted in his or her daily life in our classroom.  Everything has a place and is put back where it goes.  All materials are color coded and easily identified as belonging to one another.  These aspects help the child feel the sense of order, which is a need that a child between the ages of 0-6 feels intensely.  This is a period of time in the child’s life when he or she longs for “order.”  As the brain develops, returning to familiar surroundings and seeing everything in its place helps a child comprehend his place within that environment.

So Nancy Keane will be applying her expertise to our fledgling Montessori school Thursday and Friday to observe how we have established ourselves within the realm of what is needed to be an accredited Montessori school by AMI (Association Montessori Internationale).  We are lucky to have her here and eager to hear her feedback.

 

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The Kindergarten Year at Mayflower

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Nanci Olesen

I’m still exhilarated from our parent workshop this afternoon featuring Steve Hughes, who spoke about the importance of movement for cognitive development AND the way that Montessori education is perfectly suited to facilitate ultimate brain development in a young child.   Thanks to all of you who attended… about 40 people!  I will blog about Dr. Hughes’ presentation in the next few days.

Meanwhile, many of you are in the process of trying to figure out where your child should go to school in his or her kindergarten year. Because Mayflower is only in its second year of offering Montessori, you are new to thinking of Montessori Children’s House as a “three year cycle.”

It is possible for a child to be in Children’s House for three years, starting at age 3.  In fact, that is the way that Montessori education is structured.  Most established Montessori schools ask parents to make a commitment to the three-year cycle so that the child can receive the full benefit of participating in this form of education. At Mayflower we are not in the position to ask you to commit to this, because you are still new at learning about Montessori and because we still have classrooms which are morning only and which operate on only three days a week.  But we’d like to start offering you the information about how the three-year cycle works, and get the conversation started.

The materials in a Montessori Children’s House are prepared so that a child will work through all of them throughout the course of three years.   The child advances through the four areas of the classroom (practical life, sensorial, math, and language).  The child is given the opportunity to advance at his or her own pace, and learns to mentor the younger children, while delving into more complicated work on his/her own or with peers.

From eBridge Montessori, a school in western Massachusetts:

“The first year children are beginners. They not only get lessons from teachers, but also learn from the older students by observing and listening to their work.  With the help of the older children, younger children usually learn quickly and enthusiastically. The second year children are more independent and comfortable in the classroom. They learn how to interact with both older ones and younger ones, while developing their knowledge and skills in all different areas. The third year children have the unique opportunity to be role models and community leaders. Their knowledge is reinforced and practicing and sharing with the younger children strengthens their skills.”   Check out eBridge’s complete description of the three-year cycle here.

On February 9 (6:30-8:00 PM) we are hosting a talk by Molly O’Shaughnessy, who will describe the importance of the three-year cycle in a Montessori Children’s House.  This talk will be very helpful for all parents of children at Mayflower.

We know that many of you are making decisions about your child’s kindergarten year even sooner than February 9, and that you would appreciate input from us.  Margaret Shreves and I will host a Kindergarten Coffee hour in the Parent Resource Center on Friday morning, January 27, from 8:30-9:30 AM. Stop in with your questions. We’ll have reading material on hand about Montessori and the third year, AND we’ll have material about your other school choices (which you might know through and through by that point…!).  We’re here to talk with you about your child… and we’re here to answer your questions!  Save the date!

 

 

 

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Dr. Steve Hughes next Wednesday! AND more workshops…and Admissions Open House Wrap-up.

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Nanci Olesen

Two wonderful and important workshops are on the schedule at Mayflower this month:

Dr. Steve Hughes speaks internationally about brain development.   Hughes (http://www.goodatdoingthings.com/ ) will present “Montessori: The Best Brain-Based Model of Education” on Wednesday, January 18 from 4:30-5:30 PM. The workshop will take place in the Mayflower dining room. Childcare is available! Dr. Hughes speaks  about the Montessori method and its effectiveness in terms of a child’s brain development. We are so lucky to have him speak with us! This workshop is open to the public. Tell your friends! You can sign up in the Parent Resource Center or by emailing nanci@mayflowerchildren.org.

While you’re checking your calendar, block out Saturday morning, January 28 from 9 AM to 10:30 AM for the workshop “Montessori in the Home.”  I am the presenter at this workshop and I will be presenting time honored techniques of adapting your home environment to promote your child’s independence.  Coat racks can be lowered.  Shelves and drawers simplified.  Dishes and glasses can be at your child’s height…!  I will help you think through your home in order to better accomodate your child so that his or her transition from school to home will be more effective. The workshop takes place in Mayflower’s Fireside room and includes a power point presentation, handouts, treats, coffee and tea, and ample time for discussion. There is no childcare available for this workshop. The idea is that you might slip away from a Saturday morning at home (with another parent or friend in charge of your children)  to have time to think about your household.   Sign up for this workshop at the Parent Resource Center, or by emailing me (nanci@mayflowerchildren.org).

And finally, THANK YOU to  all of you for getting the word out about about our open house last night.  It was well attended (maybe 50 people?) and we were delighted to be able to show our classrooms (what we call “environments” in Montessori lingo), and engage prospective parents and children in a hands-on experience of our classroom.  The Parent Involvement committee, along with other parent volunteers, provided EXCELLENT treats, and there were parents staffing the Welcome Desk, and parents involved in set up and clean up!  I feel so grateful to this wonderful community for all that you share! 

Join us for two great workshops this month!

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Open House on Thursday!

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Nanci Olesen

Welcome back, Mayflower families!  Many of you  have expressed excitement about getting back into the routine here at school.  The children have had two wonderful days so far this week, remembering their friends, playing outside (in the balmy weather) and reacquainting themselves with their classroom activities.  In Montessori, we call this their “work.”  So a Montessori child is truly returning to work, just like many of us, in this brand new year.

Bring your friends!!

Mayflower is hosting an open house on THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 from 4:30-6:00 PM!  This kind of open house is called an “Admissions Open House.”  We are inviting many families to come and see Mayflower in action, hoping that they’ll be interested in sending their children to school here.  We’d love to have you come to the open house, and BRING a friend who has heard you talk about this new Montessori school that you are sending your child to.  There will be snacks… all the classrooms will be open… we’ll be all excited to share the good story of Mayflower.  

Come join us!  Bring a friend!

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The Four Planes of Development

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Nanci Olesen

Aaron Lockridge, Children’s House guide at Lake Country School, described the “Four Planes of Development” on Friday, December 2.  30 parents were in attendance at this one and a half hour session. 

Lockridge began by describing Dr. Maria Montessori’s life and work.  Her work with children (ages 2-6) in a ghetto in the San Lorenzo neighborhood of Rome began on January 6, 1907.   Using materials that she had gathered in her studies of experimental psychology, Montessori began to teach what we now call “the exercises of practical life” as well as work with what are now referred to as the “sensorial materials.”  Basically the children were taught to care for their environment and for themselves. They were given many different materials with which to explore shape, color, and size, which led to discoveries in math and language.  As Montessori (the first woman in Italy to become a medical doctor) deepened her understanding of what children needed in order to develop into people who could care for themselves and maintain a curiosity about the world and how it works, she refined what are now called “Montessori materials” and a style of teaching (or “guiding” as we refer to it) that leaves much of the discovery in the hands and mind of the child. 

Lockridge used the two graphs that Montessori published.  The first is entitled “The Constructive Rhythm of Life” .   In this graph we are seeing the four planes of development broken into two halves.  Generally, the first three years of a plane are a period of construction, or building up. The second three years of a plane are a period of stabilization. Montessori noted that if a child’s needs are not met in a prior plane, those needs show up later. 

What are the physical characteristics in the first plane of development?  During these crucial six years, there is rapid development of the cerebellum. The nervous system is completing itself.  There is skeletal development and the development of equilibrium. Psychologically, the child needs to orient herself.  She needs to classify facts about reality, as she develops her understanding.  She desires to engage in purposeful work. She works with her hands, and these activities lead to consciousness, intelligence, and concentration.   

Lockridge described each plane of development in detail. For our purposes here I have described the first plane, the plane where your children are living right now. In this link you will find the second drawing or graph that Montessori works with.  This drawing is often referred to as “the bulb”– a graphic example of how child development happens.

There are handouts available in the Parent Resource Center from this workshop, and a theory paper on the topic is also available upon request.

Our next parent workshop is Wednesday, January 18, from 4:30-5:30 PM.  We are hosting Steve Hughes, who will present “Montessori: The Best Brain Based Model of Education.”  You may sign up for this workshop in the Parent Resource Center or by emailing me (nanci@mayflowerchildren.org).  Dr. Hughes speaks all over the world about Montessori education and its profound influence on child development.  You’re not going to want to miss this talk!

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The Holidays– Part 3: Gifts

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Nanci Olesen

The holidays are a wonderful opportunity for children to learn about giving. Although our culture often  portrays children as RECEIVERS at this time of year, children also are excited to give gifts.  Some children love to make gifts to give.   Find some simple craft ideas that YOU like and that you think you can help with, and get started.  Here is a link to some good ideas.

If crafting is not your thing, you can take your child shopping so that s/he can pick out gifts for family members and friends.  You can help your child understand what the dollar limit is on each gift.  Then help your child wrap that gift, by setting up an area in your home where s/he can wrap, with a minimal amount of guidance from you.

All of this of course takes an immense amount of patience, which is the main thing we want to portray to our children, especially at this time of year.  Finding this patience is sometimes the hardest thing.. and actually the most important part of the whole process.  Talk with other parents about how they are handling their holiday schedules, if you think that you’re getting a little overwhelmed.  Stay strict with yourself to be sure that you are not overbooking your family!   Then when it comes time for giving gifts you will enjoy the process so much more.

Here’s another idea:  have some extra coins on hand, or help your child collect some of his or her own money to give to Salvation Army bell ringers and other organizations seeking donations in public… or think of other ways you can donate to people at this time of year.  Many churches and organizations are hosting “mitten trees” or other drives to get warm outer gear assembled for people who need it. 

I found this book,  The True Gift.  For those of you who celebrate Christmas, this looks like a good find. 

Carry on, patiently. 

.

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