Tomorrow's Child magazine September, 2012 by The Montessori Foundation

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September 2012

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Tomorrow’s Child September 2012

Tomorrow’s Child (ISSN 10716246), published four times a year, is the official magazine of The Montessori Foundation, a non-profit organization. The opinions expressed in Tomorrow’s Child editorials, columns, and features are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the magazine or The Montessori Foundation. Acceptance of advertising does not represent the Foundation’s endorsement of any product or service. It is the policy of The Montessori Foundation, a non-profit organization, to encourage support for the organization by discounting the sale of bulkorder shipments of Tomorrow’s Child in order that schools may make the magazine available to their families. The Montessori Foundation does NOT grant permission to reprint material from Tomorrow’s Child in any other form (e.g., book, newsletter, journal). Copies of this issue or back issues are available for purchase through our online Bookstore: www. montessori.org. For Standing Bulk Orders call 800-655-5843 (toll free), use the order form on page 38, or place your order at www. montessori.org. The Montessori Foundation does not provide refunds for cancelled standing bulk orders.

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Some Basic Information Every Montessori Parent Should Know Tim Seldin Co-Opting the Montessori Report Card Rose Woodhouse What Should We Teach Our Children? Maren Schmidt Creating a Musical Home Kenneth K. Guilmartin Taking the Butterflies out of Back to School Chelsea Howe, Psy.D. Building the Pink Tower Vina Kay 101 Steps to Parenting the Montessori Way Working with the Toddlers In Your Life Margot Garfield-Anderson

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Dear Readers: In 2013, the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) will sponsor its next International Montessori Congress in Portland, Oregon (USA). Held every four years, the AMI International Congresses has traditionally been all but closed to the wider community of Montessori educators. In a landmark decision, AMI decided to make this next Congress much more inclusive, inviting other Montessori organizations to join with them in creating an international gathering of the worldwide community of Montessori educators. The Montessori Foundation, along with our affiliated membership organization, the International Montessori Council (IMC), is honored to lend our support to the 2013 International Montessori Congress as Cooperating Organizations. The Congress will bring together world-renowned speakers, research presentations, and exhibitions on Montessori around the world. The Congress’ theme is Montessori: Guided by Nature. We encourage you to mark your calendars now to attend two major Montessori Conferences in the next year: The Montessori Foundation and International Montessori Council’s 2012 International Conference (The Peace Academy) in Sarasota, Florida November 1-4, 2012 and the 2013 International Montessori Congress in Portland, Oregon (USA) on July 31-August 3, 2013. For information about this November’s Montessori Foundation and International Montessori Council’s 2012 International Conference go to www.montessori.org. We’re committed to saving our natural resources and will not be printing a promotional brochure this year. Everything is on our website!!! For information about the 2013 International Montessori Congress go to montessoricongress.org. — Tim Seldin, President, The Montessori Foundation Chair, The Interunional Montessori Council

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Some Basic Information Every Montessori Parent Should Know

Negotiating the Montessori Maze Private/Independent; Public/Charter; Parochial; Preschool; Elementary; Secondary; International Baccalaurean (IB); Accredited/Non-Accredited. What does it all mean?

Tim Seldin, President, The Montessori Foundation; Chair, The International Montessori Council

he first thing to remember is that Montessori was the name of a person — Dr. Maria Montessori, Italy’s first female physician. It is also the name given to a community of schools found across the US and Canada and in virtually every country in the world. What it is not is a franchise. Each school has a distinct personality and, although differences may seem significant at first glance, authentic Montessori schools follow the principles of Montessori education and have more commonalities than differences. What makes a school Montessori is not the name or the word alone (many Montessori schools do not use ‘Montessori’ in the name of their school) but rather three main components: 1. Each class is led by a formally trained and certified Montessori educator. This training, typically offered at the college-graduate level, involves more than a year of specialized teacher education and a supervised student-teacher internship experience. 2. Each classroom has a complete set of Montessori educational materials appropriate for the age of the children in that class. 3. The class is organized and run according to basic principles that make a program Montessori instead of something else,

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

which includes three-year, multi-aged groupings. Independent – Private – For Profit – Non Profit – Charter – Parochial: The Many Faces of Montessori Schools Using US terminology, all ‘independent’ schools are non-public, which means that they are not owned or operated by a state government. All ‘private’ schools are independent in the sense that they have the freedom to organize their educational programs and build a faculty based on the principles that are the foundation and guidelines of a particular educational philosophy. Public schools, on the other hand, must follow a state-issued mandate. They are funded through taxation, and parents do not pay to have their children attend. Some schools are owned by an individual family or the partnership of a couple of people who joined together to organize a new school ( for profit). Others will be non profit, run by a head of school and governed by a volunteer board of trustees. Some will be public schools run by the school district or charter Montessori schools, which are private schools serving through a charter as public schools. Private schools have more freedom to develop their own program and select families whose philosophy matches the school’s approach. These programs, whether or not they are for profit or non profit, rely on the marketplace and the ultimate test is whether or not parents are willing to pay for their children to attend. The term ‘parochial’ tends to be limited to schools run by the Catholic church. Jewish, Islamic, and Christian Montessori schools also operate schools of their own with the goal of providing education grounded in their faith. Independent schools are, by definition, not affiliated with any religious organization. Montessori schools can be small or large. Some focus on a limited age range; others run from toddlers 6

through eighth or twelfth grade. Some schools use space leased from a church, synagogue, or mosque. Some are found in inner cities; others will have a few acres; and some will have vast campuses. The quality of the program, in general, is not connected to how large or extravagant the facility. It is found in the nature of relationships among parents, teachers, and children. A great Montessori school is a real community. The Educational Marketplace: Why Choose an Independent School? The most basic premise is that parents and schools choose each other and tend to do so very carefully. Each independent school operates in an educational market place and succeeds only by establishing and serving a special niche in its community. One of the reasons that parents turn to the private sector is that they know that their children will not be only a number among many. In addition, families often feel more comfortable with other school families who share a similar commitment to their children’s education and family values. Parents choose

private schools because they are looking for something not offered in the local schools, which is why for the last hundred years plus, almost all Montessori schools have been independent. With public funding comes public control. There is, obviously, a marvelous case for free public Montessori education. What’s not so obvious is the important role that independent schools play in developing innovation, offering families real alternatives, and providing their students with an extraordinary level of attention and support. Finally, Montessori schools, along with Waldorf, Reggio Emelia, and other innovative schools, offer a distinctly different educational program and philosophy. In the public sector, Montessori schools offer a public school program that meets the requirements and expectations of the state’s department of education in a way that is inspired by Montessori. Each school needs to be looked at individually to determine what is the best match for your family.

If this is your child’s first year in Montessori … Understanding what you will see in your child’s Montessori classroom ost children begin their Montessori education in the 3-6 (Primary) classroom. If you are new to Montessori, perhaps the most obvious difference you will notice in a Montessori classroom is the role of the teachers (sometimes referred to as guides). Teachers are not the center of attention in the classroom, which doesn’t mean that they are not teaching. Rarely will teachers gather a group of children together to give them a lesson. In fact, children will tend to work alone or with other children more often than you’ll see them in a large or ©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

Curriculum

The Fantasy Controversy

There is an extensive, well-defined Montessori curriculum for children from infancy through age 12. We call this Scope and Sequence, and it is a way for teachers to track lessons, the use of materials, and the progress of their students. The Montessori Foundation’s Scope and Sequence constitutes about 400 printed pages, and many schools are using the interactive digital version to manage classwork and communicate with parents.

For those of you who are new to Montessori, your child is most likely in the Primary division. One big difference you will notice in the 3-6 classroom (from what you might find in a traditional preschool) is the absence of toys. You may have heard that Montessori places very little emphasis on fantasy. This is true; however, it is not that we think that fantasy has no value. We just don’t think children need any help with it. The fantasy life of young children tends to be quite rich without any help from us. Children don’t need to be taught to use their imagination. We believe that children under the age of six, in particular, are in a process of rapid brain development, which will happen naturally if they are exposed to the right stimulation. The Montessori program is designed to provide just that.

For schools that are interested in this tool, it is available through The Montessori Foundation (www.montessori.org). If your school has a copy, you may want to take a look. Be warned, though, it is not an easy read. What you will see are page after page of charts, reflecting the order in which lessons are presented, the materials used, the ages of the children when lessons are first introduced, and how the lesson expands and transitions over the years from concrete, hands-on manipulation of materials to sophisticated levels of abstraction

The stimulation that young children need is very different from what most people think of as formal education. Instead of listening to teachers talk, focusing on workbooks, or reading from a text, what they need is direct experience with real things. Very young children develop what you might think of

small group or with an adult. This is perfectly normal and consistent with the way children learn best.

Although the times have changed, for most children, the educational approach has not.

Do not expect to be able to compare your children with their classmates. In this age when everyone is so concerned about grade levels and standards, Montessori has a decidedly different perspective. Our objective tends to be in opposition to the fundamental objectives that created and supported the traditional school systems from which most of us graduated. Our position is that the education we are most used to was designed to assimilate large numbers of children from other countries and rural communities into a government-designed mindset of what was most needed in the 1900s: passive, Americanized, factory workers, who knew the right answers and were not encouraged to think independently.

At the heart of Montessori education is the fundamental belief that no two children are the same; they learn at different paces and in different ways. When children are truly interested and have choice, they tend to learn and retain much more. They do not just study for an exam, only to have the information fade away once the exam is passed. For this reason, Montessori teachers tend to be guides and sources of inspiration. You might even refer to them as mentors and tutors. The whole secret of Montessori is that it tends to inspire in children a sense of their ownership of what they are learning in school. This assumption that children

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

as the fundamental skills that will help them learn how to learn: development of an inner sense of order; an acute ability to observe things around them; development of the ability to voluntarily concentrate; development of strong eye-hand and large-muscle coordination and balance; and the development of a strong sense of independence and self-confidence. The Role of Practical Life To the casual observer, Montessori curriculum for children under the age of five may look like it’s focused on working with simple everyday tasks, such as sweeping, mopping, cleaning windows, etc., or with solving puzzles; however the underlying objectives are much more complex and serve as the foundation for: 1. the development of vocabulary; 2. the development of ability to problem solve, developing and implementing plans in organized ways, honing their eye-hand coordination and fine-motor skills; and 3. the development of observation skills (especially in the area of sensorial activities that involve acute attention to

are born bright, curious, and capable tends to focus on what children are good at, while quietly working to strengthen other areas of learning that may not come as easily. Montessori focuses on the positive not the negative. You will not see Montessori teachers hugging kids, saying “Good job.” There is a genuine sense of ownership among the children that this is their ‘house,’ and this is their work. Montessori children do not work in order to achieve attention from adults. We want them to feel as partners, leaders in their classroom. Another thing you’ll notice is that the children will tend to learn more from each other even than from adults. This is not unique to Montessori. It is the way children have learned throughout history. ■ 7

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

the discrimination of physical characteristics). Experiences like this tend to lead children to an increased ability to learn new things for the rest of their lives. Classroom Organization and the Freedom of Choice As you become more accustomed to the Montessori classroom, you will notice that, although the room is organized into different areas of interest, they are all inter-related. Most of what the children do shows how everything is connected to everything else. For example, lessons in geometry are also lessons in logic, artistic design, fine-motor control, vocabulary, mathematics, and so on.

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Even though there is probably a classroom schedule posted, parents will find that, for the most part, the students set their own schedule, especially during the morning work cycle (lasting from two to three hours). If you observe a classroom on different days, you will notice that on same days, your children will tend to move from one activity to another, while, on other days, they will remain focused for very long periods of time on a single activity. This is how children develop the ability to voluntarily choose work, follow through, and concentrate.

nated by certain things. They may not be able to put it into words, but you will probably start hearing about Puzzle Maps, the Moveable Alphabet, and Metal Insets. This tendency to zero in on something, generated by the child’s own interest, is a very good thing. Parents may be worried that he’s not getting a balanced education; however, he’s learning everything about something that is his voluntary choice. How will I know if Montessori is working for my child? First, it’s likely that teachers will send home portfolios of paintings and papers

You might notice that children go through phases, where they are fasci-

A Few Words About Accreditation To be an accredited school means that a school has voluntarily gone through an extensive process of selfstudy, strategic planning, and external evaluation to confirm the authenticity and viability of its Montessori program.

of accreditation. As a result, many parents ask us: “How do I know if a particular Montessori school is accredited?” The easiest way to find out is to simply ask the school’s administrator. And the answer is that most Montessori schools are not accredited.

Schools seek accreditation because it represents a seal of recognition from an outside organization that certifies that it is worthy of trust. Schools also do it because the very process of selfstudy leads to stronger schools. The key to understanding is that accreditation was originally developed for professional programs of higher education, such as law and medical schools. Accreditation was then applied to four-year-colleges and eventually high schools.

There are a number of other regional, national, and international accrediting bodies for private schools. The best known in the US would include the seven regional commissions that accredit colleges and schools under the umbrella of AdvancEd (www.advanced.org). Likewise, the National Association of Independent Schools and its affiliated state organizations accredit non-public schools. Parents of young children may also ask about NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) (www.naeyc.org) accreditation, which is a national program that accredits programs serving younger children.

The concept of accreditation evolved because of the need to know that the graduates of a high school, college, or professional school could be reasonably expected to meet professional standards. At this point in time, most Montessori schools do not go beyond the eighth grade; therefore, it is still relatively rare to see schools with programs that do not extend beyond the elementary years apply for any form

There are, however, several organizations that do accredit Montessori schools in North America and abroad. While we at The Montessori Foundation strongly encourage Montessori schools to become accredited, we cer-

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

tainly want parents to understand that they should not be concerned to find that their school is not accredited. Obviously, parents need to trust their eyes and ears to figure out if the school is a right fit with their family. The real thing to be gained by a school that seeks to become accredited is not the piece of paper but the depth of understanding that develops as part of the self-study process as to what makes the school unique and what makes it Montessori. For more information about Montes-sori school accreditation, contact:

The American Montessori Society (AMS) www.amshq.org (212-3581250) The Association Montessori International (AMI) www.amius.org (585.461.5920 The International Montessori Council (IMC) www.montessori.org (800-632-4121/941-309-3961) Note: A fourth and very important accreditation program that you may come across is MACTE, which stands for Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education. MACTE does not accredit schools; it accredits Montessori teacher education programs. ■ 9

that your child has created during the week. [Editor’s Note: Don’t be surprised if you see many, many variations of geometric drawings. Once children discover the metal insets, they love to practice fine-motor skills in every color! So many colors! When my children were young, I could have wallpapered my kitchen with triangles, rectangles, and geometric forms that I still can’t name.] Many schools now send out information by email. This may include videos, pictures of work, letters to the whole class, letters to you as parent. Watch your email. Ask your child. Don’t ask: “What did you do in school today?” Be specific. Ask: “Did you work with the Pink Tower?” (Learning the names of materials will help. Attend parent education nights and class meetings. Set up a time to observe in the classroom. We hope that by the time you are reading this article, your children have settled into their Montessori classrooms and are looking forward to each new school day. If you would like to know more about Montessori, and we certainly encourage you to do so, there are many ways to do this. In addition to reading Tomorrow’s Child, there a number of books and materials that you might find interesting and helpful. These include: Montessori 101: A Guided Tour of the Montessori Classroom, The Montessori Foundation How to Raise an Amazing Child: The Montessori Way, Tim Seldin The Montessori Way, Tim Seldin & Paul Epstein, Ph.D. Montessori Madness, Trevor Eissler Understanding Montessori, Maren Schmidt Montessori: A Modern Approach, Angelina Stoll-Lillard All of these, and many more, are available online through the Montessori Bookshelf (www.montessori.org). ■

Co-Opting the Montessori Report Card by Rose Woodhouse from her blog The League Ordinary Gentlemen (June 15, 2012), and reprinted with her permission http://ordinary-gentlemen.com

Editor’s Note: Rose Woodhouse has a blog in which she discusses many topical issues, one of her blog posts was about the way Montessori schools report on student progress. At her son’s school, hard copy report cards are used; however, in other schools an online record keeping system may be used in which a similar format is followed but using an online mode of communication. Rose sends her son to a local Montessori school which, in her words, is: “Totally old-school, completely unreconstructed Montessori. Nearly bare and hushed classrooms, practicing silently walking lines, washing tables, etc. They have a picture of Maria Montessori displayed prominently in every classroom.” In this article Rose discusses the way in which Montessori educators communicate with parents, and she looks particularly at a typical Montessori approach of reporting to parents about student progress. he thing I love absolutely most about the Montessori Method is the report card. If I could change one thing about the mainstream educa-

tional system, from elementary school through college, it would be to borrow my child’s school’s report card. It is an 8” x 14” sheet of paper with tiny print. It lists everything the children can do in the classroom (pouring, Pink Tower, Sandpaper Numbers, Trinomial Cube, isthmus versus strait, interrupting, listening – I have a special fondness for the completely outdated items, such as flower-arranging and grace in movement). Next to each of these there are three boxes for each of the three trimesters. The teacher puts a 1 if the activity has been introduced to the child, a 2 if the child is practicing that skill, and a 3 if the child has achieved the skill. I LOVE this, and wish I could grade my students similarly. First of all, it gives a much clearer overall picture about how the child is doing. A B doesn’t say nearly as much. It also emphasizes to students that they are expected to master everything. An A implies one child is better than another. A “completed” versus a “practicing” just means one child has achieved it, and the assumption is that another will. Every skill might take a different

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

length of time for each child to master. This communicates a faith in our children not only to do work but that they will do it well, even if it takes a while. Also, it puts the onus on the teacher. Every child is expected to master every skill, and it doesn’t really matter when. If he doesn’t, it’s not the child’s failure (as traditional grading implies), it’s the teacher’s failure. We don’t leave a student at a B performance. We do the activity or teach that skill until the student actually has it down. Children can also mark their own progression better. If one gets an A or a B every semester, it doesn’t tell you much. But looking at the end-of -year report card, my child can see that information that he was introduced to or practicing at the beginning of the year is information that he has now mastered. Newly near and dear to my heart, it emphasizes practice over innate skill. Even if you don’t agree with me that there are no innate skills, there is plenty of data that shows that de-emphasizing discussion of innate skills and emphasizing discussion of effort improves children’s performance. By assuming that every child will eventually learn everything, and not simply comparing students to one another, it sends a message that all one needs to do is practice. Would that this were the norm at every level of education and students were used to seeing their work discussed this way. I would happily grade like this. Even if grad schools require an overall letter grade at the end, viewing their work in this way would, I think, be a boon to the students. ■ Rose Woodhouse is ABD in philosophy. She promises that she will totally get that dissertation done soon– really. She teaches and is mom to a few very young ‘uns, one of whom is disabled. She also proclaims to love TV as “more than a friend.”

hat should we teach our children? Research shows that 80 percent of the facts we learn for tests are forgotten in a month. We remember best that information with which we have an emotional connection. It’s a lot easier to remember your birthday than the year of the Battle of Hastings (1066, in case you’re wondering).

What Should We Teach Our Children?

If we don’t emphasize memorizing facts in our teaching, what should we teach?

by Maren Schmidt

First, let me say that facts are important. Having a base of knowledge gives us some tools with which to think and do things. Actually, I’ve told students, we don’t have to learn our math facts. We could carry around a chart with the facts or carry a calculator. But if we don’t have our chart or calculator with us at a critical time, what do we do? If not knowing is painful, and knowing helps us, we discover that memorizing key bits of information makes us more efficient in our thinking and doing. Having certain information and skills at our fingertips makes doing more fun. Teaching and learning. Two entirely different activities. Remember, we are rearing adults, not children. Traditionally, what we teach in most schools too often depends on what we want our students to know instead of what they need to know. That raises the big question: what do our children need to learn to become fully functioning adults? Helping our children possess certain qualities might serve our job best, certain qualities, such as having the ability to make good decisions; loving to learn; dealing with change; questioning; making choices; learning to be good at doOur focus needs to be on helping our ing things, and much children possess certain qualities, more. With these qualities, learning becomes such as having the ability to make like breathing – somegood decisions; loving to learn; dealing thing we don’t even have to think about. with change; questioning; making

choices; learning to be good at doing things, and much more.

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

In this article I’ll address some of these qualities 11

our children should learn and how we might teach them. We’ll start with learning to make good decisions. Learning to Make Good Decisions Learning to make good decisions is acquired by making poor decisions and figuring out, on our own, how to turn it around. We learn far more from our mistakes than we do from our successes. When confronted with a problem that we have to figure out over the course of a few minutes, a few hours, a few days, or a few months, we gain not only knowledge but wisdom. By allowing our children to get clear and accurate information – which may be learning the hard way that the stove is hot – about their interactions with their environment of people, tools, nature, and ideas, we start them on the path of learning to decide independently how they will act. With our young children we’ve removed many feedback loops for learning and, thus, to making decisions, good or bad. Preschool administrators comment on the growing number of three-year-olds who aren’t toilet trained. Comfortable diapers remove feedback to the child about their actions or lack of action. Plastic tip-proof covered cups prevent spills along with preventing feedback on the fine-motor control necessary to drink from a glass. A diet of finger foods prevents learning how to use a fork, knife, and spoon – perhaps for a lifetime.

accurate feedback for optimal learning. When we can prepare a child’s indoor and outdoor spaces with a variety of activities that match skill and will, we also create a place where a child is eager to try new pursuits, as well as repeat familiar activities in order to absorb the skill. For example, we don’t hand a threeyear-old a copy of Tom Sawyer and expect him to read it. Yes, we want the child at some point, perhaps by age ten, to have the skills to read at that level. Spoken language is a key to being a successful reader. We keep language in the air by reading aloud everyday. We involve our children in conversation, as well as limit or eliminate television and video game time. With the goal of literacy, we teach our three-year-old the sounds of the alphabet and later introduce the shapes of the letters with their corresponding sounds, one by one. Next, we show how to spell a word by sounding it out and writing the word with loose letters organized in a box. In isolation from a book, we introduce short words on cards, such as cat. Next we

introduce cards with two words at time, big cat, followed over the course of weeks by three-word exercises, such, as big yellow cat, then on to sentences: The big yellow cat ran. These exercises are placed in baskets and left on a shelf in order that the child can choose to repeat when he so desires. Slowly, the eye and the mind are trained to start at the left-hand side and move to the right in order to decode the symbols. Instead of asking the child to read out loud, we ask him to act out a collection of sentences written on paper strips and placed in a basket, an activity he can do anytime, independently, without adult interaction. When we see that he is acting out the sentences accurately, the child is introduced to longer sentences or two sentences on a page: The big yellow cat ran after the brown-spotted dog. As the child becomes more familiar with the words, he begins to memorize that certain combinations make certain words and doesn’t need to decode each sound for each word.

Within the limits of safety, learning to make good choices begins with clear and accurate information about personal interactions within one’s environment. Learning to make good decisions is based on having good information. Our Montessori classrooms are designed to give children clear, accurate and timely information. Wise decision making is at risk without this important information, as well as confidence to explore new activities. Learning to Love to Learn Trying to keep our children frustration free by controlling the consequences of movement prevents our children from getting necessary and 12

Creating a Musical Home Kenneth K. Guilmartin Founder, Center for Music & Young Children

id you know that all children are musical? Just as humans are born with the potential to talk and to walk, we have the innate ability to sing and to move rhythmically. For children, music is not only fun to listen to, sing along with, and dance to, it also provides a host of developmental benefits. Studies suggest that active music-making

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Reading becomes faster and more fluid. As each stage of learning to read is met with a favorable outcome, the child experiences a success cycle, where learning creates a desire for more learning. All these steps describe an indirect preparation for learning to read a book like Tom Sawyer. If we want to help a child love to learn, we prepare him indirectly for the next step of accomplishment in such a way as to assure success. We then allow the child to take the step independently. By creating a place where a child can choose activities that create the next step in a continuum of learning through indirect preparation, we help a child love to learn. By making the tasks neither too easy nor too hard – by creating a Goldilocks’ spot of “just the right” task – we provide the nourishment for a lifetime of loving to learn. Begin with the end in mind. Start giving lessons where the child is at the

enhances children’s language, cognitive and physical development, and also contributes to their social skills, confidence, and self-esteem. Music learning, it seems, supports all learning. Parents play a crucial role in helping their children to reap the benefits of music and to develop their inborn capacity for music learning. Remarkably, even if you believe yourself to be musically inadequate or feel shy about singing or moving to music, you can still help your child become a music-maker. All you need to do is open yourself to sharing some music time with your child. Just as you help your child learn language simply by talking to him, you can help him learn music simply by making music together. For many of us, music is thought of as something for the talented few: “Only professionals make music.” We’ve lost touch with the fun and

edge of his skill level by giving an adequate challenge, and prepare for the next step as the young child repeats various activities to gain competency. Using indirect preparation is a key teaching skill to help children love to learn. It makes learning, as Goldilocks would say, “Just right!” As our children love the challenge of new learning, we will also be indirectly preparing them to learn to deal with change. Learning to Deal with Change

closeness that informal music-making can foster. But for your child, your ability to enjoy music is far more important than your ability to perform music – no infant or toddler ever judges the sound of a parent’s voice! Here are some tips for playing musically with your son or daughter: It’s simple: sing and dance with your child. The best thing you can do to help set your child on the road to a lifelong love of music is to participate enthusiastically in music activities yourself. Have you ever noticed how instinctively children try to imitate older siblings and grownups? Imitation is an important part of how they learn. Children learn to talk this way, as well as to walk. If you read books, they’ll want to read. If you sing and dance, they will, too. And don’t just put on a CD: sing, bang a drum, get up and dance! It doesn’t matter if your notes aren’t perfect or if you miss a few steps; just show

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

We are awash in a world full of usergenerated instant messages, tweets, pictures, videos, and more. Our interactions with our environment, that consists of people, objects, nature, and ideas, seem to be dominated by electronic objects and the ideas that flow through them. People and na-

Every two days we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003.

Learning to deal with change has become one of the critical life skills of our times. The amount of new information that we can access through the Internet grows in such a geometrical progression that it staggers the mind. In 2010, Eric Schmidt (no relation), then CEO of Google™, commented that every two days we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003. “I spend most of my time assuming the world is not ready for the

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technology revolution that will be happening to them soon,” Schmidt said.

ture appear to take a back seat to ohso-many electronic interactions. We deal best with change when we feel safe and know that we possess a skill set that will help us navigate uncharted waters. Interestingly, the skills that might serve us best in dealing with change are best learned from

your child that you enjoy making music. ■

Sing a lullaby to your child before bed. Young children love to hear their grown-ups sing to them. The sound of your voice, even if it isn’t pitch-perfect, is precious to your child. A lullaby provides a time to be close physically, emotionally, and musically. The lullaby can transform the bedtime hour into an oasis of loving calm. For babies and toddlers, it provides a comforting bedtime ritual. For older children, who are increasingly verbal, it is often the time they spontaneously confide their hopes and fears.

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Take cues from your child and respond musically. If your baby or toddler “coos” on a pitch, coo right back on the same pitch. If your child sings on the way to the grocery store, sing along. If your child brings an instrument 13

people and nature: Being aware of change. Facing feelings. Knowing when to accept or reject change. Having an attitude of anticipation. Knowing that you can choose to act, not react. Learning to relax. Setting smart goals. Having a support system. Without learning how to deal with change and making conscious choices of how to act, feelings of helplessness, as well as feeling trapped and victimized, occur in times of uncontrollable change.

Learning to relax will help us avoid fighting change when perhaps struggling with change is not the wisest Learning to be aware of our feelings option. Being in nature, exercising, and having a vocabulary to name and learning to breathe, again, are all those feelings is important with dealthings we learn from other people. ing with change. Feelings are our natAnticipating change can be fun. It can ural signs that our needs are, or are feel like Christmas. A birthday party. not, being met. Being in touch with A vacation. Our attitude makes a difference. We always have a choice of how we will act or Ask everyday if we have improved our not act in the face of change. acts as a directional trim tab for reach- Attitude and choice are abilities we learn from the people ing our objectives. Asking helps us around us.

Nature helps us show our children the nature of change. Day and night. The phases of the moon. Weather. Seasons. Seeds. Growing. Dying. Wind. Weather. Caterpillars. Tadpoles. Being aware of the changes that are occurring all around us everyday and seeing the patterns of change helps us learn to put our lives in perspective. A rock filled with stromatolites sits on our bookcase, a reminder to put everything in perspective. Geologists believe the stromatolites to be the oldest living thing captured in the fossil record, living 3.5 billion to

to you, try to stop what you are doing and play! ■

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Make it a family affair. Make music as a family. Have a dance party or a sing-along. Get out the pots and pans and form a kitchen band. Gather around the piano at holiday celebrations. Can you imagine sitting around as a family and singing instead of watching TV or playing computer games? As technology increases, the importance of non-technical group interaction also increases, especially at home. One of the goals of Music Together is to bring music back to family life. We think that family music-making can be a wonderful activity shared by brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents, and other members of the extended family, including nannies and babysitters. Bring your child to an early childhood music program like Music Together. Young children learn

1 billion years ago. Change happens, and this too shall pass.

maintain altitude and attitude.

our physical, emotional reactions helps us met our needs and deal with change. Some change is good. Some is bad. Change for change’s sake is not always what we should accept. Knowing the nature and patterns of change, along with our underlying emotions and needs, helps us discern if we should welcome the change or choose something else.

best in a non-formal environment, free from performance pressure and undue interference with their natural sense of fun. Music Together provides children with all the ingredients for music learning. It offers them a rich musical repertoire to actively explore, along with the pleasure and support of being with loved ones in a music-making community. Music Together activities are designed to be accessible and interesting for all styles of learning. Best of all, it’s a fun activity that the whole family can participate in together. And, attending class might just bring out your inner-musician as well! Early childhood is a period of rapid change and development; it is also the most critical time in a child’s musical growth. Early childhood music classes can help you support your child’s music development, while providing a special sense of bonding. Parents constantly tell us how much they value and enjoy the time spent with their little ones sharing music and movement.

Young children, as all of us did, need knowledgeable adults to guide them to learn the essential skills to deal with a lifetime of change and growth. We need to provide our children a safe place to experiment and make mistakes in order to learn to make good decisions. Our children need adult guidance to point out interpersonal skills of communication and intrapersonal skills of how to read emotions and how to make informed choices.

At Music Together, we believe all children can achieve basic music competence (which we define as the ability to sing in tune and move with accurate rhythm), provided their early environment supports such learning. And early nurturing of a child’s innate music ability also provides the foundation for later success with traditional music or dance lessons. It starts with you, the parents and caregivers. Your active and joyful participation is essential to your child's musical growth. So the next time your child is humming the theme to her favorite cartoon and rocking to the beat, be sure to join in and make some “music together!” Resources for Family Music-Making: For more ideas on how to bring music into your family life, check out the 32-page activity guides included with each of the Music Together CDs: Family Favorites, Family Favorites 2, and Lullabies. These CDs have won over 30 awards amongst them,

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

Learning to deal with change is about learning to see the world change around you and having skills that will allow you to go boldly where no one has gone before. That’s life. We should be helping our children prepare for it. Learning to Question Information is an avalanche, if every two days we now create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003. To be able to dig ourselves out of this morass of words and images, in order to find our way and to live our lives, learning to ask questions becomes an essential skill. First we have to ask big questions such as, “What is truly important to know?” These answers will be as varied as there are people on this planet. All of the answers will be right for each and every person asking the questions and hunting for the answers. Maybe not the right answer for me. Maybe not for you. What is vital is asking the questions. And continuing

including the NAPPA (National Parenting Publications) Gold Award, the Mom’s Choice Gold Award, and the Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Award. If you are a teacher and would like a taste of the Music Together curriculum offered in preschools and kindergartens around the world, consider adding the award-winning Music Together Family Favorites Songbook for Teachers to your library. For more information and to purchase these items, please visit the Music Together LLC online store at: http://store.musictogether.com. Kenneth K. Guilmartin conceived and led the development of the innovative Music Together program for the Center for Music and Young Children, which he founded in 1985. He has composed numerous scores for off-Broadway and regional theatre productions and is a popular presenter of early childhood and music education conferences. He has created music programs and

to question. It is possible to build a life based on erroneous information, so we need to keep on questioning. Daniel Pink in his book, DRiVE: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, suggests that to help us find our purpose in life, we need to ask a big question: What’s my sentence? Pink makes the point that our lives can be summed up in a sentence: He was a wonderful father who gave his children wings; She helped people regain their health; He helped everyone he met see his or her potential. Once we know our sentence – for our life at this very moment – then we know what is important to know. Our questions become a search for vital and true information upon which we will build our lives. Pink explains three qualities that are necessary for us to tap into our potential as individuals. We need to have autonomy. We need to have a sense of purpose. We need to

have a level of mastery of essential skills related to our purpose. Autonomy means we have a choice of the activity in which we engage. The choice is based on internal motivation and not extrinsic rewards or punishments. When we can be curious and self-directed in the way we use our time, we create more powerful results than those obtained through stick-and-carrot methods. In short, autonomy means we have the freedom to question, to find those answers in our own way and in our own time. The by-product of asking the big questions and knowing our sentence is that we have a sense of purpose that guides our actions and provides a backdrop where we can consider plans and decisions. Understanding our purpose creates a personal value system. As we make our independent choices for activities central to our purpose, we start on a lifetime path of mastery.

conducted teacher training for numerous early childhood centers nationwide. A graduate of Swarthmore College, he studied composition and pedagogy at Manhattan School of Music and is certified in Dalcroze Eurhythmics by the Manhattan Dalcroze Institute. Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music program for children from birth through age seven and the adults who love them. First offered to the public in 1987, it pioneered the concept of a research-based, developmentally appropriate early childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasizes and facilitates adult involvement. Now taught in over 2000 communities around the world, Music Together is committed to helping families, caregivers, and early childhood professionals rediscover the pleasure and educational value of informal music experiences. Rather than emphasizing traditional music performances, the Music Together program encourages family partici

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

pation in spontaneous musical activity occurring within the context of daily life. Music Together recognizes that all children are musical and that every child needs a stimulating, supportive music environment to achieve basic competence in the wonderful human capacity for musicmaking. For more information on our teacher trainings or to find a class near you, please visit: www.musictogether.com.■

our purpose, we focus on developing essential skills and core knowledge that relates to our big questions. Asking everyday if we have improved acts as a directional trim tab for reaching our objectives. Asking helps us maintain altitude and attitude. To help children learn to question, we have to allow them the freedom and time to ask and answer the big questions in their unique way. We have to allow children to have important choices in their learning and living activities. We have to give them the gift of deep time – time with people, time with tools, time with nature, time with ideas – to explore, make connections and develop mastery of essential skills and knowledge.

To keep us on-track, Pink offers a little question: Was I better today than yesterday? Learning to question begins with asking the big questions to understand our purpose in life, to understand our sentence. For once we understand

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Most importantly, and the most difficult – we have to give ourselves as adult models of fearless questioning. Learning to Make Choices Our children’s world is changing at a pace that is difficult to comprehend. The jobs that are here today probably won’t exist in ten, much less twenty, years. We need to teach and help our

children learn a skill set that will enable them to navigate the fast-moving changes they will inevitably encounter during their lives. A situation we are seeing with twentysomethings has been named “a failure to launch.” The shift in our economy’s infrastructure has limited the number of job opportunities for those entering or trying to re-enter the work force. For many, it feels safer to play video games in their parents’ basements than to make a conscious effort to create a different opportunity for their futures. In my observations, people who have had the opportunity since early childhood to make important choices in their daily routines seem to have the resourcefulness to choose to do something different. Yes, the world is not what they were told it would be, but the young adults who are comfortable with making choices have the ability to respond to new circumstances. Their years of practice with making choices is a habit. Learning to make choices and living with the consequences of those choices also creates a sense of commitment within an individual. Those young adults without years of practice lack the creativity to see things differently and are paralyzed by their inability to see or make a choice to step out of the expected. How do we help our children to learn to make choices? We can start with the one-year-old by laying out two sets of clothes and asking, “Which outfit would you like to wear now?” For our two- or three-year-old, who has dressed himself with a plaid shirt, striped pants, argyle socks, and a polka-dotted stocking cap, we acknowledge and appreciate his efforts by saying, “I see you got dressed all by yourself.” On shopping trips we can ask, “Which would you prefer this week for dinner: broccoli or green

The key is the adult watching to know when the next challenge needs to be introduced, and making sure the challenge is not too hard or not too easy. beans?” At bedtime, perhaps we offer simple choices such as, “Would you like to brush your teeth before or after your bath?” 16

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

Whenever we can let our children make a choice, we do. We need to bring a deep respect for the child’s work in learning how to learn to live, day-by-day, choice-by-choice. With years of experience, our thirteen-yearold will choose the right friends; our seventeen-year-old will confidently choose a college; our college-graduate will build a career. We also need to understand that sometimes, for the novice, choice is about satisfying curiosity. We can’t truly choose what we don’t know. How can we choose between cherry or coconut pie unless we know how each one tastes? To help our children know, we need to offer our children bits of knowledge and experience in order for them to make choices they can live with. Using the correct name for objects is one help. It’s not a thinga-majiggy. It’s a phillips head screwdriver. We offer tastes and smells of new foods. This is a bell pepper. This is a carrot. This is cinnamon. This is ginger. The names and the experience with items that have sensorial qualities of texture, sound, movement, shape, and much more can be introduced to our children three or four items at a time. We can give short demonstrations on how to do tasks, such as how to turn a page, to carry a breakable item, or to wash a glass. Being able to choose confidently requires that we have the experience and knowledge to not only know how to choose, but to know what we are choosing. We help children learn to make choices by respecting their need to learn to make choices and live with those choices. Being confident in their ability to choose well allows our children to live their lives creatively, to develop self-discipline, and to work cooperatively with others, because they respect others’ right to choose. Remember, the child is always asking us to “help me help myself.” if we will only stop to listen. Allowing choice is a good place to begin our help. Learning to Be Good At Doing Things Recently I read an article by a father of a three-year-old boy discussing his

son’s prowess in the kitchen, and what a surprising amount of tasks his son could accomplish: washing vegetables, stemming mushrooms, cracking eggs, and kneading dough. The dad observed, “I’m not pushing him. He’s pushing himself.” Our “under-seven’s” are in a developmental stage where they are absorbing information and skills from the people, objects, ideas, and tools in their environments. Now that we know about mirror-neurons, it’s perhaps easier to understand that children learn by watching people perform tasks. If we give our children the tools and time to duplicate that task, they learn to do it quite well. A child with an interesting job to do will do it again, and again, and again. Repetition is a learning characteristic of this age child. Our “over-seven’s” get bored at doing the same task over and over, day after day, but not the younger child. They love the familiarity of family and are learning foundational skills for later learning. The young child’s innerteacher directs the child to copy tasks he sees others in his environment doing. The will to do is very strong, and the will develops the skill. The will needs to be nourished by giving the child appropriate tools, time, and a safe place in which to repeat and repeat an activity. That’s one way a child learns to be good at doing things. Another way is by being presented incremental challenges that enlarge a child’s scope of activity. Once a child can crack an egg successfully, perhaps the new step would be to introduce a hand whisk or fork and show how to stir the eggs for scrambled eggs. Or perhaps show the child how to peel a boiled egg and slice it. The key is the adult watching to know when the next challenge needs to be introduced, making sure the challenge is not too hard or not too easy. In the case of the egg, we can add more tasks until the child can cook scramble eggs independently, put them on a plate with sliced fruit and a piece of toast. I’ve known many fiveand six-year-olds that could prepare this type of simple meal for their entire family. And clean up afterwards! It all began with their interest in kitchen activities at age two or three.

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

The way we help our children learn to be good at doing things is by showing them and allowing them to do many activities, adding challenges along the way. It may seem simplistic, but our children learn by watching and then doing. Too many children, rich or poor, live their lives in homes and schools that offer little in the way of rich, interesting, and life-affirming activities with the time and tools necessary to perfect a skill. In our Montessori schools and homes, we offer our young children opportunities to develop practical living skills from learning how to care for themselves, others, the indoors, and outdoors, as well as learning how to interact with others. From washing hands to washing windows, our young children want to learn how to do things well. As the dad said, “I’m not pushing him. He’s pushing himself.” Let’s make sure our children have a place to push themselves. The Big Question Remains As adults helping children learn to help themselves, the big question remains: what do our children need to learn to become fully functioning adults? Our focus needs to be on helping our children possess certain qualities such as having the ability to make good decisions; loving to learn; dealing with change; questioning; making choices; learning to be good at doing things; and much more. Our Montessori communities provide a place where we can continue to ask this question and find the optimum ways to help our children help themselves – for all their lives. ■

Maren Stark-Schmidt, an award winning teacher and writer, founded a Montessori school and holds a Masters of Education from Loyola College in Maryland. She has over 25 years experience working with young children and holds teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale. She currently writes a syndicated parenting column, available at www.KidsTalkNews.com and is author of Understanding Montessori: A Guide For Parents, and Building Cathedrals Not Walls. Contact her at maren_schmidt@me.com and visit MarenSchmidt.com. Copyright 2012 17

Taking the Butterflies Out of Back to School (for parents & children)

Summer! Parents appreciate the more relaxed perspective that the summer offers (summer nights, vacations, lax bedtime routines, etc.), and children love the idea of summer camps, swimming, vacations, and less structure in their lives. Going back to school can be a difficult time for children – albeit a time of relief for many parents. Going back to school affects parents and their children. Parents are often overjoyed at the idea that children will be back in a structured environment with a consistent schedule and look forward to a return to ‘normalcy.’ Children (and parents) can’t help but have some nervous butterflies about the new school year. In fact, parents and children often go through a ‘mourning process’ at the same time. So, how are we to cope?

s parents, it’s important that we validate our children’s feelings. Let them express how they feel about going back to school. For most children, it’s a ‘mixed bag.’ They may appreciate playing with friends, seeing their teachers, and recess. But, they may be less excited about doing homework, getting up early, and being prepared and engaged with lesson plans. It’s important that parents validate that these feelings are normal; however, with time, it will become easier. For parents, this, too, can be a ‘mixed bag.’ After getting home from a long day at work, parents are often starting their ‘second shift,’ of hustling to make dinner, helping their children with homework, preparing themselves for their next work day, getting their children ready for the next school day, and putting them to bed. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the process. Validate your own feelings – that this is a difficult time and transition is challenging for everyone. The same advice applies to you – this

Chelsea Howe, Psy.D. The Montessori Foundation 18

can, and will, get easier. It’s an adjustment period. Structure can be a good thing (even when it sometimes seems like a scary word). Begin stricter bed time routines earlier on in the summer to help children become accustomed to going back to school. Allow them the freedom to choose a book to read from every night. Perhaps, ask parents of children in the classes to join them for a ‘book club’ so they can read together and discuss books. Ask children to re-enact scenes from the book or create a diorama from the book. Use a fun alarm clock to help children become more oriented to waking up on time and getting up to start the day. Depending on the child’s age, ask them to help with breakfast routines or gathering their belongings. For parents, this, too, is a time to reconnect with that lovely word, “structure.” Try to create meals for the week ahead of time so that you are not rushed when you get home. Get a white board and designate certain ‘chores’ for each member of the household (making sure that the chore is appropriate for the age and ability of the child) – note that the board includes items that you do

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

(e.g., taking out the trash, recycling, laundry, etc.), so that they know that you are also responsible for duties. (Children are often concrete and do not recognize the many things we do, but visibly showing them that you, too, are responsible for household chores makes them feel that you are involved in the same process).

Nature in a Box/Martha Carver Needs to be resized and hi-res/Marth contacted

Write a list of meals for each night, so that you are more likely to stick to it. Perhaps, take turns cooking with your partner, so that you can indulge in self-care, whether going to the gym, going on a walk, taking some time to yourself, and so on. Once children go to bed, find some time to re-unite with yourself and your significant other, if he or she is present in your life. Discuss subjects other than the children, such as happenings in the day, friendships, etc. And, create date nights as frequently as possible to revitalize that relationship. If expenses are difficult, offer to take turns with another couple with children once every other week to exchange services. It’s amazing how making yourself and your relationships a priority can create positive changes in your life. Most importantly, be willing to say “no” to things. School becomes less “crunch time,” when children and parents become more focused throughout the year. Children often do not know their limits and need to model their behavior after their parents. As parents (we are human!), we often agree to do things that later on, we regret. Be willing and able to say “no” if it’s something that does not directly involve or benefit your family or if it causes too much strain on yourself and others. You will be happier in the long run if you learn to use this word, proudly and firmly. Children, too, will learn to set their priorities and will help to decrease their anxiety of taking on too much. Sometimes, we see what is best for others but have difficulty applying it ©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

to ourselves. So, ask yourself why you are agreeing or disagreeing to do something. If you have good reason, commit, do it, and have no regrets. This is a learning process. But, apply it to your children, too. They do not need to be involved in every single sport or activity. Ask them to choose one, commit to it, and let it be. We all have this lovely dance we do; it’s called life. But, it’s one moment at a time. And, stressors will come and go, without our even doing anything to “cause” them. Stay present, stay focused, and stand still. The stressors will pass and you will learn how you coped with it. Choose to grow and validate the fact that you are a work in progress. There will always be times that we are overwhelmed; however, it is how we choose to deal with it (and model it to our children) that can truly teach us how to grow. ■

Building the Pink Tower by Vina Kay t all started with a simple question at the dinner table. “What should I make a movie about next?” my elementary-aged son, Amal, asked, after finishing his first successful production with the neighborhood boys. The Adventures of Underwear Man had premiered just the week before, with root beer and popcorn and a new sense of purpose. My burgeoning filmmaker son was looking for inspiration. When I said, “How about a movie about your school?” I was just following the writing mantra “write what you know.” But the idea took, not with him who scoffed at a movie about school, but with me who couldn’t let the thought go. Why? I have been lucky enough to learn from my children what education and schools can be. We stumbled across Montessori education when my oldest son was just

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

three years old, and we haven’t looked back since. I have watched my children and their classmates thrive in an environment that respects who they are, provides guidance and support without dictating, and challenges them to be curious, independent learners. But as someone who cares deeply about what education can, and should, be for all children, I wanted to know why this couldn’t be the experience all children shared. Does that mean that Montessori education is the only answer to all of our concerns about education? Probably not, but it is the lens I have looked through with my own children. Among the things I believe Montessori has to offer is the possibility of turning our conversation about education around by considering the whole lives of children. If we stop focusing on children as producers of test scores and achievement alone, but as whole beings filled with curiosity, kindness, and a strong sense of justice, we might begin thinking about what schools should offer them differently. In addition to preparing chil-

winfield b/w ad to come

101 Steps To Parenting The Montessori Way

Read about Montessori education and philosophy and how it applies to your child. As a start, read Tomorrow’s Child. We also recommend our books The Montessori Way and How To Raise An Amazing Child. Purchase a copy of The Michael Olaf Catalog(s). These wonderful publications are a clear introduction to Montessori for

parents as well as a source book of ideal toys, materials, books, etc. for the home. (www. michaelolaf.com)

Teach grace and courtesy in the home. Model it. Use courtesy with your child and help your child to demonstrate it.

Take the time to stand back and observe your child carefully, and note the characteristics he/she is displaying.

Refrain from physical punishment, and learn ways of positive discipline.

Analyze your child’s wardrobe, and build a wardrobe aimed at freedom of movement, independence, and freedom from distraction.

Have a special shelf where your child’s books are kept and replaced after careful use.

Make sure your child gets sufficient sleep.

Make both going to bed and getting up a calm and pleasant ritual.

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

10 Make regular trips to the public library, become familiar with the librarians and how the library works, and enjoy books together. Borrow books and help your child learn the responsibility for caring for them and returning them.

cue from the work of young Children’s House students to carefully and methodically make something beautiful from some simple pink blocks. We know that much thought and planning went into presenting children with those pink blocks and, likewise, we honor the intentional work that is necessary to open the doors to meaningful education.

FIND OUT IF THEY WANT TO CONTINUE

dren for life, through learning concepts and practical skills, we should also be asking what schools are adding to the joyful living of children now. So, inspired by my son, I am making a movie, along with my creative partner Jan Selby (also a Montessori parent). We want to open eyes to a different way of thinking about education and show what is possible. We want to show that schools can be places for creative learning, problem solving, collaboration, and community building. Our working title is Building the Pink Tower, taking its courage your extended-day child to take at least some responsibility for preparing his or her own lunch. 15 If possible, allow your child a plot of land (or at least a flower pot) in which to experience growing things. 16 Take walks together at the child’s pace, pausing to notice things and talk about them. 11 Read together daily. With younger children, stick to books with realistic themes. 12 See that your child gets to school on time. 13 Allow sufficient time for your child to dress himself/herself. 14 Allow your child to collaborate with food preparation and en22

17 Help your child be in a calm and prepared mood to begin school rather than over-stimulated and carrying toys or food. 18 Eliminate or strictly limit TV watching and replace with activity-oriented things which involve the child rather than his/her being a passive observer. When the child does watch TV, watch it with him/her and discuss what is being seen.

We believe that a documentary film that tells the story of education and learning beautifully, that takes viewers into warm and welcoming classrooms, that captures the voices and expressions of children making their own discoveries, is the best way of showing the world the potential Montessori education holds. Our project will take some time, and we hope to build more than a film or a moment of conversation, but a movement of shared passion for making education meaningful for children. When the rest of the world sees what schools can be, we think that conversations, goals, and policies on education will change for the better. 19 From the earliest age, give your child the responsibility to pick up after himself/herself (e.g., return toys to place, put dirty clothes in laundry basket, clear dishes to appropriate place, clean off sink after use, etc.). This necessitates preparing the environment so that children know where things go. 20 Hug regularly, but don’t impose affection. Recognize the difference. 21 Assign regular, age-appropriate household tasks that need to be done to maintain the household (perhaps setting silverware and napkins on the table, sorting, recycling, dusting, watering plants, etc.). 22 Attend school parent-education functions.

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

We believe that education has a future. We hope you will join us in this movement. There are many ways to help. We need to raise money to make a beautiful film — as beautiful as the education we want for all children. Visit our website at www.buildingthepinktower.org and learn more about our team, read our blog, and make a donation. Watch our trailer and share it with others through word of mouth, social media, and house parties. Follow us on Facebook (Building the Pink Tower) and Twitter (PinkTowerMovie) and stay a part of the conversation. Be a part of this project, and help share a vision for education with the world. ■ Vina Kay is Co-Producer/CoDirector of Building the Pink Tower and can be contacted atvina@buildingthepinktower.org (www.buildingthepinktower.org)

23 Arrange time for both parents to attend parent-teacher conferences. Speak together in preparation for the conference, and write down questions to ask. 24 Talk to your child clearly without talking down.Communicate with respect, and give the child the gift of language, new words, and expressions.

28 Teach your child safety precautions. (Deal with matches, plugs, chemicals, stairs, the street, how to dial 911, etc.) 29 Teach your child his/her address, phone number, and parents’ names. 30 Count! Utilize natural opportunities that arise.

25 When talking to your child, physically get on his/her level, be still, and make eye contact.

31 Tell and re-tell family-based stories. For example, “On the day you were born...”

26 Sing! Voice quality does not matter. Sing together regularly. Build a repertoire of family favorites.

32 Look at family pictures together. Help your child be aware of his/her extended family, names, and relationships.

27 Refrain from over-structuring your child’s time with formal classes and activities. Leave time to ‘just be,’ to play, explore, and create.

33 Construct your child’s biography, the story of his/her life. A notebook is ideal, so that it can be added to each year. Sharing one’s story can become a much-loved ritual. It can be

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

shared with the child’s class at birthday time. 34 Assist your child to be aware of his/her feelings, to have vocabulary for emotions, and be able to express them. 35 Play games together. Through much repetition, children learn to take turns, to win and lose. 36 Together, do things to help others (e.g., take food to an invalid neighbor, contribute blankets to a homeless shelter, give toys to those who have none, etc.). 37 Speak the language of virtues. Talk about patience, cooperativeness, courage, ingenuity, cheerfulness, helpfulness, kindness, etc. and point out those virtues when you see them demonstrated. (Visit Virtues Project at www.virtuesproject. com.) 23

Dr. Maria Montessori

Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war. — Dr. Maria Montessori

1870-1952 Italy’s First Female Medical Doctor Creater of the “Montessori Method” Educational Activist Child Advocate Nobel Peace Prize Nominee

Leave a Legacy

Charitable 501(c)3 organizations, like The Montessori Foundation, need financial assistance from people like you to continue our work. These gifts can be donated as gifts of cash, negotiable securities, and charitable bequests. By making bequests and other “planned gifts,” you continue to make an important difference in the world. What better way to thank the people or organizations that have had an impact on your life, or the life of your child or grandchild, than to make a contribution from your estate through a bequest? Gifts large and small are important. It is a way to demonstrate your values and beliefs to your family. It reinforces what you have done during your life and sets an example of kindness to people you wish to help. By donating, you become an immortal philanthropist.

Montessori

If you would like to help The Montessori Foundation continue our work, please visit our website at www.montessori.org or call our office: 800-655-5843/941-729-9565.

THE

FOUNDATION

The Montessori Foundation19600 E State Road 64 • Bradenton, FL 34212 941-729-9565/800-655-5843 • 941-745-3111 (fax) • www.montessori.org

38 Refrain from giving your child too much ‘stuff.’ If there is already too much, give some away or store and rotate. 39 Memorize poetry and teach it to your child and recite it together. 40 Put up a bird feeder. Let your child have responsibility for filling it. Together, learn to be good watchers and learn about the birds you see. 41 Whenever you go somewhere with your child, prepare him/her for what is going to happen and what will be expected of him/her at the store, restaurant, doctor’s office, etc. 42 Express appreciation to your child and others and help your child to do the same. Send thank-you notes for gifts. Young children can dictate or send a picture. Older children can 24

write their own. What is key is learning the importance of expressing appreciation. 43 Help your child learn to like healthful foods. Never force a child to eat something he/she does not like, but also don’t offer unlimited alternatives! Make trying new things fun. Talk about foods and how they look or describe the taste. Introduce the word savor, and teach how to do it. Engage children in food preparation.

own table and chair for working; perhaps a rocker in the living room to be with you; a bed that can easily be made by a child; a stool for climbing up to sink or counter. 46 While driving, point things out and discuss: construction work, interesting buildings, vehicles, bridges, animals. 47 Teach the language of courtesy. Don’t let your child interrupt. Teach how to wait after saying, “Excuse me, please.”

44 When food shopping, talk to your child about what you see – from kumquats to lobsters. Talk about where food items come from. Talk about the people who help us by growing, picking, transporting, and displaying food.

48 Analyze any annoying behavior of your child and teach from the positive. For example: door slamming (teach how to close a door); running in the house (teach how to walk); runny nose(teach how to use a tissue).

45 Provide your child with appropriate-sized furniture: his/her

49 Spend quality time with people of different ages.

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

Working with the Toddlers in Your Life by Margot Garfield-Anderson

Montessori Foundation Staff and IMC Membership Director

eptember is the traditional start of the new school year in the Northern Hemisphere, and if you are reading this article then you’ve made a commitment to providing a Montessori experience for your child or grandchild. It’s the beginning of a wonderful journey for your entire family. There are many ways parents and grandparents can be active parts of the learning experience while reinforcing what is being learned at school each day. Two and a half years ago, I became a first-time grandparent. My granddaughter, at just three minutes old, was held up to meet me via the wonders of the Internet and Skype, while I was run-

50 Teach your child about your religion and allow them to feel a part of it. 51 Help your child to have positive connections with people of diverse ethnicities, language, and beliefs. 52 Laugh a lot. Play with words. Tell jokes. Help your child to develop a sense of humor. 53 Share your profession or occupation with your child. Have him/her visit at work and have some appreciation of work done in the world. 54 See that your child learns to swim (the younger the better). 55 Have a globe or atlas in the house, and whenever names of places come up, locate them with the child.

ning the Foundation’s San Jose, California conference and was seen by 100+ Montessorians, who shared in my joy as we crowded around my laptop that Sunday morning. Her birth and my love of the Montessori way have helped me pen many articles over the past few years on our joys and times together, as we create traditions and memories for us both. And while Blakely and her parents don’t live close enough to any Montessori school for her to attend, we’ve brought many of the core principles and philosophies of Montessori to her life. Here are just a few that you can try at home.

56 Make sure your child has the tools he/she needs: child-sized broom, mop, dust pan, whisk broom, duster, etc., to help maintain the cleanliness of the household.

down to special events. Talk about it regularly. 62 Get a pet and guide your child to take responsibility for its care.

57 Learn to say no without anger and with firmness and conviction. Not everything children want is appropriate.

63 Refrain from replacing everything that gets broken. Help children learn the value of money and the consequences of actions.

58 Arrange environments and options so that you end up saying yes more than no.

64 Take a nighttime walk; listen to sounds; observe the moon; smell the air.

59 Refrain from laughing at your child.

65 Take a rain walk. Wear coats and boots to be protected, but then fully enjoy the rain.

60 Alert children to upcoming events so they can mentally prepare, e.g., “In ten minutes, it will be time for bed.” 61 Help children to maintain a calendar, becoming familiar with days and months, or counting

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

66 Allow your primary-aged child to use his/her whole body and mind for active doing. Save computers for the elementary years and later when they become a useful tool of the conscious mind. 25

Then she helped me scrub the sweet potatoes. Children of this age love most activities that involve water. And finally, she tore up the lettuce for a huge salad that we made together. She did quite well with all of her tasks and felt very invested in our meal that night.

We donned our beautiful matching aprons (a special birthday gift this year [purchased from www.uncommongoods.com]) and set about preparing some ingredients for a company dinner. After I peeled organic carrots, Blakely placed them inside the roasting pan, and we counted.

I urge you not to get discouraged or upset if they don’t go in for many vegetable dishes at this age. I’ve just read a book on picky eaters, and there’s actually a biological connection as to why young children don’t naturally love vegetables. It’s a great idea to let them try what you are making, and not be overly concerned if they don’t finish a big bowl; but more importantly, keep it simple. Children of this age do not need to have sauces or heavy cheeses slathered on their food. The important part of the experience (besides the time together), is that you are introducing children to something new, and each time they try the same food in the future, it creates a memory and builds up the “like” factor of a food.

67 If you must travel without your child, leave notes behind for him/her to open each day you are gone.

73 Aid the child in absorbing a sense of beauty: expose him/her to flowers, woods, and natural materials; avoid plastic.

68 Expose your child to all sorts of music.

74 Help your child start a collection of something interesting.

69 Talk about art, visit statue gardens, and make short visits to museums and look at a couple of paintings. Make it meaningful and enjoyable. Don’t overdo.

75 Talk about the colors (don’t forget shades), textures, and shapes you see around you.

During her visit this summer we decided to do our first-ever cooking project.

70 Help them learn to sort: the laundry, silverware, etc. 71 Help them become aware of sounds in words. Play games: What starts with mmmm? What ends with t? 72 Organize the child’s things in appropriate containers and on low shelves.

76 Provide art materials, paper, appropriate aprons, and mats to define the work space. Provide tools for cleaning up. 77 Evaluate each of your child’s toys. Does it help him/her learn something? Does the child use it? Does it ‘work,’ and are all pieces present? Is it safe? 78 Refrain from doing for a child what he/she can do for himself/herself.

Do No Harm This is one of the principle tenants of a Montessori education. What we, as adults, sometimes unwittingly, or out of our own frustration, do is jump in to ‘teach’ instead of trusting the process of Montessori and the child’s innate love of learning to see them through a particular experience. At this young age, children will repeat and repeat and repeat an activity. This helps them master that activity. I watch Blakely tirelessly diaper and un-diaper her baby doll, scrub a table with a small sponge and some soapy water, or squeeze the water out of a sponge. Sometimes she’s successful, and sometimes she isn’t, but she keeps at it, and when she’s done with that skill, she moves on. So you might ask: How does this harm a child if I do it or correct the way she’s doing it? When we stop a child from trying to figure something out on their own, or rush in to finish an activity they are struggling to master, because we

79 Provide opportunities for physical activity – running, hopping, skipping, climbing. Teach them how. Go to a playground if necessary. 80 Teach children how to be still and make ‘silence.’ Do it together. Children love to be in a meditative space if given the opportunity. 81 Teach your child his/her birthday. 82 Read the notes that are sent home from school. 83 Alert the teacher to anything that may be affecting your child -- lack of sleep, exposure to a fight, moving, relative visiting in home, parent out of town, etc. 84 Provide a place to just dig. Allow your child to get totally dirty sometimes, without inhibitions.

©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

are in a hurry, we do not allow them the time to work through the frustrations of that activity. As long as there is no physical danger in what and how they are exploring at this stage, let them figure it out; otherwise, this becomes the harm we speak of. “The adult helps the child to meet his needs, to become independent. If the adult acts on behalf of the child, development is impeded.” (Montessori, M. The Child in the Family) Some adult behaviors mentioned by Dr Montessori that can be an obstacle for children are: continual surveillance; correction, admonishments; arbitrary commands; and, encouragements or rewards.” (Caldwell, Sharon. “An Introduction to Montessori Education,” Montessori Leadership, July 2012) Soon enough, you will be introduced to the term “control of error.” Again, according to the Sharon Caldwell of The Montessori Foundation, “In all areas of the Montessori curriculum, simply getting something right is never the goal. Rather, the acquisition and refinement of the ability to know when one is mak-

85 Refrain from offering material rewards or even excessive praise. Let the experience of accomplishment be its own reward. 86 Don’t speak for your child to others. Give space for the child to speak for himself/herself, and if he/she doesn't it's okay. 87 Apologize to your child when you’ve made a mistake. 88 Understand what Montessori meant by “sensitive periods.” Know when your child is in one and utilize it. 89 Learn to wait. Some things people want to give their children or do with them are more appropriate at a later age. Be patient; the optimal time will come. Stay focused on where they are right now.

ing an error, and to know what adjustments or additional learning is necessary, constitutes a higher intellectual level than simply being able to parrot (or even arrive at) a correct answer.”

look somewhat Spartan. This is done very purposefully, and it is recommended that this concept be carried over into the toddler’s home play and sleeping areas. Again, the purpose is not to overwhelm them visually or cognitively.

Choices Young children can actually be overwhelmed and shut down when presented with too many choices. It is a good idea to limit how many toys you have at any one time in their play area and only try to have toys that are developmentally appropriate for them to be using. You can even apply this same system when it comes to mealtime if you have a picky eater. If you are offering a wide variety of food to a young child they may just opt not to eat at all, but if you ask Would you like banana or apple for your snack? they will undoubtedly choose and eat one and stick with it. The Prepared Environment When you visit your toddler’s classroom, you might wonder why it may

90 Play ball together: moms and dads, boys and girls. 91 Tell them what you value in them. Let them hear you express what you value in others. 92 Always tell the truth. 93 Go to the beach and play in the sand. 94 Ride the bus; take a train -- at least once. 95 Watch a sunrise. Watch a sunset. 96 Share appropriate ‘news’ from the newspaper: new dinosaur was discovered; a baby elephant born at the zoo; a child honored for bravery; the weather forecast.

I suggest that new parents and grandparents simply let your experiences unfold as they will. Sit back and observe; you will be amazed at what your child can do, even at this young age. ■

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or is it always in the child’s eyes, falling out of headbands, etc? 98 Let your child help you wash the car and learn the vocabulary of the parts of the car. 99 Talk about right, left, straight, turn, north, south, east, west, in a natural way so your child develops a sense of direction. 100 Place a small pitcher of water or juice on a low refrigerator shelf and a glass in a low place so your child can be independent in getting a drink. 101 If your child is attached to things like pacifiers, start a weaning process. Enjoy life together! ■

97 Evaluate your child’s hairstyle. Is it neat and not a distraction

Dear Cathie A Montessori Teacher’s Perspective

method to be successful Thus, this awareness of others is critical in our Montessori classrooms as each classroom works to become a community. As in all communities, the members work to help and support each other. While this becomes natural in an adult community, young children do not come to the classroom with the skills to be supportive to others; therefore, they are modeled and taught by the older children in the community and by the adults that guide the child. The culture of a Montessori classroom is a place where people treat each other with respect, kindness, care, compassion, and let others do their work without bothering them. So how exactly do guides in Montessori classrooms accomplish that goal?

by Cathie Perolman Nurturing Nest Montessori, Columbia, MD Dear Cathie, My child has now finished an entire year in a Montessori classroom for children ages 3-6. He is thriving there and is so happy. We are wondering about this Peace Curriculum and the idea of community. How are children taught to value peace? How is peace is even defined to children so young, and can they truly grasp such an abstract concept? Can young children really ‘buy into’ being a part of a community when they don’t even know what it means? — Mom PS. Our child really does seem to act peacefully much of the time. But is that his personality, or can that be taught? I am so pleased to hear that your child is flourishing in his Montessori classroom. And it is wonderful to hear about his peaceful persona. Growing peaceful children is an important topic in the Montessori classroom and one crucial to the success of our classrooms. I agree that some children are calmer and more peaceful than others by their very nature. Some move with a greater care, make slower and more deliberate choices, and may even choose their words more carefully before they speak. Others tend to be more physically and mentally active. They run whenever there is an opportunity and love to physically interact with others. Some tend to speak 28

without a filter and may choose words or behaviors that appear unkind to others. Others make impulsive choices. Many children are in the middle in some or all of these areas. These temperaments are often evident soon after a child is born. In the Montessori classroom, we make every effort to help each child reach his maximum potential. We encourage children to make the most of their time and experiences in the classroom. We show them how to move and work mindfully; being aware of the space and needs of others. In our classrooms, many activities are happening simultaneously. Children need to be able to work near others without disturbing them in order for our

It begins with the environment itself. A Montessori classroom is set up to resemble a children’s house or home. The objects in it are beautiful and carefully chosen. The design of the room allows for the children to move around freely, but the space is designed so that they need to move carefully to negotiate their way around the furniture. This discourages quick, uncultivated movement and encourages children to move with care and grace. Children (and adults) tend to become like those that they are around. Children learn their behavior patterns from their parents, caregivers, and teachers. Adults who work in Montessori schools are conscious of their choice of words, speed of movement, and interactions with others. They tend to model the kind of behavior that they want the children to emulate. They make a point to create a culture of mindfulness, where the adult has a single task on which she is focused and completing. There is also a culture of gratitude and appreciation of others. “Thank you, Miles, for showing Maria where we keep the cotton balls.” This not only lets Miles feel proud of his contribution to the classroom community, but it lets all the other children who heard that comment know that we value the help of others and that it is appropriate to say the words “thankyou” to express that gratitude. Soon those expressions of gratitude are heard from children as well. Kind words are modeled throughout the classroom and the school.

In a Montessori classroom, a child has ample time to do what he needs to do. He is seldom hurried and never rushed. So, his school climate is a calm place, where he is free to do the things he needs and chooses to do at a speed that is reasonable for him. Being honest, there are many days or parts of days that are not totally peaceful in any classroom. In this instance, the guide works to help the children find the solutions to their challenges, fix their problems, and restore the peaceful nature of the classroom. This peaceful nature becomes the norm rather than the exception.

FPO

We do try to help children understand the concept of peace even at a very early age. We read books about peace and peaceful situations. We sing songs about peace, and we create experiences om which a child feels peace. This might be sitting silently looking into the flame of a candle or watching the glitter slowly settle to the bottom of a wand. We show children how to practice making themselves totally still and silent in an effort to quiet the wiggles of our body and the chatter in our minds. This is the basis of meditation in some faith communities. We encourage children to use those techniques to restore themselves to a calm state when they are feeling upset. Most classrooms have a Peace Corner, where this work is done. As in so many other areas, the 3-6 Montessori classroom plants a seed for the things that will come after the children leave this level. It is our belief that children, who have begun to value peacefulness, can calm their own bodies and minds, and are valued and contributing members of their classroom communities are ready to take on even bigger challenges when they leave our classrooms at age six. Have a wonderful start to the school year! — Cathie

Cathie Perolman is an experienced Montessori guide at the 3-6 level. She is a Montessori teacher educator and publisher of educational materials. Cathie lives in Columbia, Maryland. She can be contacted through Tomorrow’s Child at: tcmag@montessori.org ©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

CELEBRATIONS OF LIFE

Preparation of the Children “Soon, we will celebrate Oktoberfest. This is a German festival. ‘Fest’ means celebration in German. It is a happy holiday, and it lasts for sixteen days. Our Fest will only last one day, but we will still have lots of fun. We will have your parents and many friends come to our Oktoberfest. We will sing and dance, and we will have an art exhibit. We will save our beautiful art work and hang it on the walls and fences outside, so everybody can look at it. Later, we will discuss what you would like to make for our exhibit. Now we will listen to a German song to which we will sing and dance.”

Preparation of the Environment Decorate your classroom with a Bavarian mountain or country theme, incorporating such elements as:

Oktoberfest

Overview This old German Volksfest was created by the King of Bavaria in 1800 as a special holiday for his subjects. He wanted everybody to be part of the festivities celebrating the marriage of his son. It was such a success that it has been celebrated ever since. The Oktoberfest begins in September and ends on the first Sunday in October. The Oktoberfest takes place on a big meadow called Thereslenwiese outside the city of Munich. It takes a large field to accommodate all of the activities of an Oktoberfest. There might be horse races, exhibits of all kinds (including farm machinery), and many large tents for beer gardens, dance halls, and stalls to sell all kinds of merchandise. There is also room for the Rummelplatz, a sort of amusement park with all kinds of rides. Since almost anything has, at one time or another, been incorporated into this celebration, if you hold an Oktoberfest, you can create and incorporate whatever your heart desires. However, it is important to keep it ‘folksy’ and let the flavor be German. An Oktoberfest always begins with a big parade to the fair grounds. The chief elements in the parade are the beer wagons, drawn by tremendous horses. Both horses and wagons are decorated with flowers and feathers. Children will dress up their wagons and follow along in the parade. There are always grand oompah bands, and people in traditional costumes. 30

■ Pictures, posters of Germany, especially of the Alps and the Alpine countryside. ■ Pictures of flowers like the Edelweiss, Enzian, and Almrausch. ■ Pictures of children dressed in Lederhosen and Dirndl and knee socks, the traditional costumes of Bavaria. ■ Dolls in traditional dress. You will find different kinds, because each region has its own distinctive garb. ■ Pictures of ski resorts and mountain climbing (available from travel agencies and ski shops). ■ Bavarian woodcarvings. ■ German toys. ■ A model alpine chalet. ■ A rucksack, alpine hat, lederhosen, hiking boots, and walking stick.. ■ Lebkuchen – a kind of ginger bread made from special, ancient, secret recipes. It is sold all over the world. You see it in very elaborate tins decorated with gold and labeled with old German writing. The tin alone is worth the investment, though the contents are delicious. ■ If you can, include a German toy train to add to the ambiance of the theme. The first German Elsenbahn went from Nuremberg to Furth about 150 years ago. The fascination with trains is still alive today.

Projects and Activities Bavarian Hosentrager (Suspenders) The traditional Bavarian hiking outfit consists of lederhosen, suspenders, knee socks, and hiking shoes. To complete our outfits, we’ll just add suspenders. Use wide ribbon (1 1/2 to 2 feet long). Cut them in lengths of 1/2 to 3/4 of a yard, according to the size of the children. Cut a third piece 6 inches long for a mid-brace. Lay the two suspenders out before you, side by side 6 inches apart. Staple or sew the crosspiece onto the suspenders approximately 8 inches from either end. Together, these three pieces of ribbon make your suspenders. Decorate them with little white felt flowers (which represent Edelweiss, the traditional flower of Bavaria). Pin the suspenders onto the child's pants or shorts for the Oktoberfest celebration. Make a Bavarian Jager Hut (Hunter’s Cap) This is a simplified version of the Bavarian alpine hat, which is traditionally made of heavy green felt and decorated with a bright feather. For each hat, you will need a rectangle of green felt approximately 15” x 8” (fitted to the children’s head size). Fold the rectangle along two diagonals to form an isosceles triangle (two sides equal with a longer base). Using a simple, large stitch, sew the sides together to form a stubby cone. Now fold the lower hem up around the outside to form a rim. With a few stitches, sew the rim in place. Push the top down inside a bit to eliminate the sharp peak. Decorate with a bright feather. Decorated Wagons Encourage the students to construct a gaily-decorated ‘beerwagon’ to begin the Oktoberfest parade. You do not need to have horses, as the children can pull a decorated wagon along or include a few decorated wagons in the parade to mimic the horse-drawn beerwagons used in the true Oktoberfest parades. Pom-Poms Pom-poms are worn on knee socks during Oktoberfest. You can either buy large red ones, or you can teach the children how to make their own; either way, you can sew or staple them onto the children’s knee socks. To make a pom-pom, you need heavy red wool and two circles cut from thin cardboard (make them 2 inches in diameter, and cut a 1/ 2 inch diameter inner circle in the middle of each.) Thread the yarn onto a darning needle and pass the yarn through the inner circle and around and around the outer circle until the entire surface is covered with yarn. Now, take a small sharp-edged scissor and cut the yarn all the way around the edges between the two cardboard circles. Bend the cardboard circles at one end apart, just enough to take another piece of yarn (at least 10 inches long) and tie it very tightly between the two circles, capturing all of

the threads around the middle. Tie it around twice, so it won’t come loose. Now, tear the cardboard and slip it out from between the tied thread. Shape your pom-pom by fluffing it between your fingers. You will have the two long threads left over from the 10-inch piece of yarn that you used to tie off the pom-pom; use this to make a little bow and attach it to your knee socks or shirt. Make a Model Alpine Mountain Scene Children are always fascinated by model trains that meander through papier-mâché mountains, so why not build a German ‘alp’ as a decoration for the classroom? To make it, you will need plaster of paris, newspaper, and water. Even better, and much more simple, go to your local medical supply house and purchase several rolls of the plaster-embedded cloth that doctors use to make casts for broken arms and legs. This material needs only to be cut in one-foot lengths, dipped in water, draped over a simple frame, and allowed to dry. In either case, make a crude mound of crumpled newspaper that is about 2 or 3 feet high. Drape the plastersoaked newspaper or plaster cast cloth over the mound, adding piece after piece, until you form a shell of about 1/ 4 inch thick over the entire outer surface. Once it dries, paint it brown and green like a mountain. Add little stones, tiny trees, and houses from an N-gauge model train set, and perhaps some baby powder for snow. Be sure to include some high mountain pastures on your alp for the cows and several hiking trails up the mountain. A Wandern Take the children out for a hearty German wandern, a meandering hike, wearing rucksacks and your alpine hats with big feathers. Stop and eat a picnic along the way. The Germans love to hike and see nature. A Bavarian Sangerchoir (Singing Club) Encourage the children to form a singing club and sing German folk songs. 31

Oktoberfest Community Celebration Let the children decide what kind of artwork they want to do. Put their names on their work and mount artwork on colorful paper (construction paper, wallpaper from old wallpaper books, or recycled gift boxes, which you can cut to size). Put the artwork away until you need it. Before the Oktoberfest celebration, hang the artwork for the show in the most attractive way possible. Notice how impressive ‘scribbles’ can look on a nice mat! Be proud! Enjoy! You can also prepare a sports event, e.g., your own ‘Olympic Games,’ a spelling bee, a hop-athon, or anything else you can think of. This is your chance to involve all age groups in one big school community event. You can sell just about everything at the Oktoberfest. Put up stalls or plain tables and put out your wares. Here is a chance for real lemonade stands for the older children, bake sales for children and parents, and, of course, German food. There are specialty German foods you will want to include at this festival. This is a good time to create a whole food area and sell food. Make it colorful and interesting. Your parents could man the barbeques and roast sausages. Make a ‘Wurst table.’ Let people choose from the various kinds of German sausages,, which the children have arranged nicely on platters. The children make signs and labels to showcase the different kinds. The children can 32

also make a ‘sausage banner.’ Hang it between two poles over your ‘Wurst table.’ You can make this as elaborate as you wish by adding relevant decorations and including different types of German food, such as German potato salad, sauerkraut, pickles, and mustard. Weisswurst is the authentic sausage for this Fest, but there are so many kinds that you could make a study of them with the children. You could sample Wiener (get the real kind), Bratwurst, Roastwurst, Knockwurst, and Frankfurter. Serve these with German buns (hard rolls). There is probably a German meat store in your area that will be able to provide you with more information about the differences and about how to serve them. (There, you will also find nice containers for your Practical Life area.) Singing and dancing activities are a must at a German Volksfest. Try to get somebody who can yodel and play an accordion. Of course, the ultimate form of entertainment at your Oktoberfest would be an authentic German oompah band! They can be found in many cities and towns, wherever there is a German-American community. Form a saengerchor. German choirs are world famous, and Germans love ‘Songfests.’ They usually perform songs by a men’s choir, followed by songs by a women’s choir and conclude with songs for a mixed choir. Many German songs are translated into English and easy to find. Learn some in German. Then form your own saengerchar or “singers’ choir” and sing for your guests. A famous German institution is the turnvereln or gymnastics club. If you have some good gymnasts in the school, this is the time to let them show their talent. Featuring any other kind of physical talent would be fine as well. Another interesting booth or stand could be a Lebkuchen (German ginger bread) stand. Build a booth with the children and let them decorate it with hearts and flowers.

Pennsylvania Dutch motifs will do nicely. You need nails to hang your gingerbread that can be in the shape of hearts. Use your own gingerbread recipe and bake big hearts. It should be 8 to 12 inches long. Make a hole at the top before you bake so you can put a colored string or pretty ribbon through it later. With icing, write the name of your school and “I love you,” then date it and mark it “Oktoberfest.” Sell them at your beautifully decorated booth. People in Germany wear the hearts around their necks. They make nice souvenirs for the children and can be hung on a wall as decoration for a long time. This is an especially nice baking, decorating, and selling project for older children. You can also have a bake table, where other baked goods can be sold. If you have a parent who can bake apfelstrudel or other German fare, you are lucky indeed. If your property is big enough, you can also have a Rummelplatz (rides or a whole amusement park). Bring in people who will run it for you and share the profit with you. Have a ‘balloon man.’ who shapes balloons into birds and animals. Have a clown or even a circus, anything that strikes your fancy and is easily available to you. Hayrides also make for lots of fun at an Oktoberfest. This is a dream festival if you want to raise funds for your school, but if you are going to call it Oktoberfest, make sure it is Bavarian, otherwise just make it a carnival. Today, there are Oktoberfests all over the world. Wherever Germans settled, they celebrate Oktoberfest.

Resources More Oktoberfest information and recipes can be found online at: http://www.germanfoods.org/consumer/rec ipes/oktoberfestrecipes.cfm http://www.ehow.com/way_5251435_oktoberfest-games-kids.html http://www.suite101.com/content/oktoberfest-germany-for-kids-a71536 http://holiday-party-decorations.com/oktoberfest/party-ideas.htm http://www.vistawide.com/german/oktoberfest/oktoberfest.htm http://partysupplieshut.com/oktoberfest/ok toberfest-history.htm http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/oktoberfest-activities.htm http://german.about.com/library/blbraeuch e_sep.htm

Kartoffelsuppe (German Potato Soup)

Cooking with Children

Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel) For 6 - 10 servings, you will need:

Filling: 3 pounds of juicy cooking apples (sliced thinly) 1 cup of sugar ½ tablespoon of cinnamon 1 cup of raisins Pastry: Buy a package of prepared filo dough (ultrathin sheets of pastry dough used in Greek cooking). Filo can be found in the frozen pastry section of your grocery store. ½ stick of melted butter Decoration: 1 egg yolk 2 teaspoons of sugar ½ cup of slivered almonds Dust a large cutting or pastry board with flour. Melt the butter. Lay out your first sheet of filo dough and, using a pastry brush, brush it liberally with melted butter. Repeat with a second and third layer of filo. Be sure to keep the unused filo covered with a damp towel, as it dries out quickly otherwise. Mix your apple slices, ½ cup of sugar, ½ cup of raisins, 1/4 tablespoon of cinnamon, and (for adults) ½ tablespoon of rum. Spread this mixture onto your pastry dough. Roll the dough together tightly to form a long cylinder. Tuck in the ends to create a seal. Repeat the same steps to form a second strudel. Butter a baking tray with raised sides and preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat the egg yolk, and paint the two strudels with the mixture. Sprinkle with sugar and almonds. Bake for 10 minutes at 475 degrees; turn the temperature down to 400 degrees and bake for 20 minutes; turn the heat down to 300 degrees and bake for 15 minutes. This three-step baking process is very important. Remove from the oven and set on a large tray. Pour the juice from the pan over the strudel and set aside to cool. Serve warm.

Rotkohl (Sweet Red Cabbage) Red cabbage and German potato salad make the perfect accompaniment to a lunch of mild German sausages. For a class of 25, you will need: 5 large heads of red cabbage 6 tablespoons of olive oil 5 medium onions 10 whole bay leaves 50 whole cloves 10 tablespoons of apple vinegar 10 large apples 5 teaspoons of sugar 5 teaspoons of cornstarch Salt to taste Cut the cabbages into quarters and cut out the stems. Grate the cabbage until fairly fine. Finely dice the onion and brown it lightly in the olive oil. Add grated cabbage and stir-fry lightly. Add the bay leaves, cloves, vinegar, sugar, and a little water to steam. Steam this mixture in the covered pot for ½ hour. Peel and core the apples. Cut them into slices 1/4 inch thick. Add the apples, salt to taste, and steam for an additional ½ hour. Mix the cornstarch with a little cold water and stir into the liquid. Remove the bay leaves and serve.

Kartoffelsuppe or German potato soup is a favorite with children and can almost be a meal by itself. To make an authentic Kartoffelsuppe for a class of 25 children, you will need: 10 strips of bacon 12-14 pounds of potatoes 5 small onions 10 tablespoons of olive oil 10 tablespoons of flour 14-15 pints of beef soup stock 4 teaspoons of ground (not powdered) marjoram 10 sprigs of parsley 5 sprigs of celery leaves Salt and pepper to taste Peel the potatoes and then boil them for 30 minutes in salted water until they are done but not mushy. Remove them from the pot and pour off the water. Finely chop your bacon, onion, parsley, and celery. Fry the bacon and onion in the pot with the olive oil until they begin to brown. Stir in the flour, and simmer for another minute or two. Add in the parsley and celery. Then add in the marjoram. Slowly stir in the soup stock, carefully removing any lumps. Simmer for 10-15 minutes with the cover on the pot. Mash two-thirds of the potatoes and dice the remainder. Stir the mashed potatoes into the soup and then add the diced potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow the soup to simmer another 15 minutes and serve. Note: you can also make homemade pretzels, for which there are many recipes on the Internet. Children can form the pretzels into different and unusual shapes and, if you like, you can include geometric shapes that the students have learned or are studying.

Kartoffelsalat (Hot Potato Salad) 15 pounds of potatoes 6 cups of soup stock 5 large onions 25 strips of bacon 1 2/3 cups of salad oil 10 tablespoons of vinegar Salt and pepper to taste Wash and boil the potatoes until they are cooked but still firm. Peel and mince the onion. Cut the bacon crosswise into 1/4-inch lengths and fry until they are crisp. Peel the potatoes while they are still warm and slice them into 1/8-inch pieces. Add the bacon, minced onion, oil, vinegar, hot soup stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Allow the salad to stand for an hour before serving. Serve warm with bratwurst.

Montessori Reads ❃ Montessori Reads ❃ Two Powerful Books ... I had the opportunity to read and review two very important books for families and educators this summer. The first, The Shelter of Each Other by Mary Pipher, Ph.D., is a powerful book about the importance of building and maintaining relationships within our families. The second, Talking Back to Facebook by James P. Steyer, is extremely informative about the advantages and disadvantages of technology and digital media as it pertains to our children and families. I highly recommend both of these books for your family and school libraries. The combination of the ideas from these two books will give us strength and hope in a world that can sometimes be discouraging and overwhelming. I also suggest that schools and other parent groups consider having discussion groups with their families about the content of each of them. As in any time in history, the challenges of parenting are many. In this new digital age, connecting, protecting, and guiding our children are our biggest challenges and can be our biggest successes! — Lorna McGrath, Program Director The Montessori Foundation and Associate Head of The NewGate School (Sarasota, FL) The Shelter of Each Other by Mary Pipher, Ph.D. Author of Reviving Ophelia

film again. Following the film, there was an animated discussion among the viewers. As we began to consider our next NewGate sponsored event, we considered different contemporary films and books that might open discussions and help parents find solutions to some of our current parenting challenges arising from the media and technology. I suggested a book, which I read and found to be very helpful when my children were 9 and 12 years old: The Shelter of Each Other. I appreciated the author’s way of describing how family life in America has changed over time and how we can re-build our families. The group decided in favor of sponsoring a book discussion group in October 2012 using this book. As I re-read the book more than a decade later, I found it to be just as valuable and relevant now as it did back then. It has three parts: 1. The Crisis; 2. The Weight of this Sad Time; and 3. Solutions: What Will Survive of Us Is Love. If you are feeling disconnected from your children and want to find ways to re-connect, or if you are connected but concerned that the outside world has an influence on your children that is not altogether healthy, this book is one that you must read. I have two nieces and a nephew, who are raising their young families, and I have purchased a copy for each of them. It is important for our families, our schools, and our world.

After viewing Killing Us Softly 3, a documentary about the influence that advertising and the media have on the character and self-images of girls and women, a group of parents, teachers, and administrators at NewGate School decided to sponsor events throughout the school year that focus on ways to understand the 21st century world with regard to parenting and our children.

Talking Back To Facebook: The Common Sense Guide to Raising Kids in the Digital Age by James P. Steyer with a foreword by Chelsea Clinton

We got together with a local radio station and bookstore to promote an evening meeting, open to the public, showing the

James Steyer and his nonpartisan group, Common Sense Media, are dedicated to improving the media lives of young people and

their families. Mr. Steyer’s book is very informative for parents regarding the impact of media and technology on the privacy rights of children and the effects on their physical, psychological, and academic development. He recognizes and discusses both the positive and negative impacts that technology has on our lives. He encourages parents and educators to take action to protect the privacy rights of children by influencing our legislators to take a fresh look at the laws that are in place now (1998 was the last time that privacy-rights legislation for children was passed) and adjust or modify them to meet current digital media challenges. In the second half of the book, Mr. Steyer gives concrete, practical suggestions for parents about how to deal appropriately with their children and digital media at each age level from birth to 15 years old. Each chapter focuses on age groupings of about two years. Key ideas that are repeated, no matter the age of your child are: 1. Set clear limits for screen viewing of any sort for your kids (no more than 1-2 hours per day) and stick to them; 2. Computers and TV’s should always be in common areas of your house – not in bedrooms; 3. Do your research before allowing your children to view videos, search the Internet, or use e-books; and 4. Always talk with your children about what they are seeing and hearing. These are only the highlights. There is so much useful detail in each of the chapters in his answers to What Parents Need to Know. Here is just a sampling of the questions: How do I know what kinds of digital media are right for 3-to 4-year-olds? How can I keep my 5- to 6-year-old from being exposed to age-inappropriate content? Is it okay for my 7- to 8-year-old to watch YouTube?mHow can I enforce my family’s media rules when my 9- to 10year-old is spending a lot of time at his friend’s house? Is it okay for my 11- to 12-year-old to use Facebook? or I found a sexually suggestive photo on my 13to 15-year-old daughter’s phone. What should I do about it? He covers many more topics that we all need to be thinking about as our children grow up in this digital age.

ds ❃ Montessori Reads The Life & Times of Lilly the Lash: The Toy Store

by Julie Woik

A couple of years ago I reviewed the first book in this series. Recently, I met the author and she gave me this second book, The Toy Store. Each book in the series focuses on a different value or characteristic. In The Toy Store the characteristic is sharing. The main character is an elementary-age bo,y who believes that possessions are more important than relationships. His parents just happen to own a huge toy stor,e and he believes that it all belongs to him. Lilly the Lash helps Tommy learn to that sharing helps to develop friendships and friendships make people happy not possessing a lot of toys. The illustrations by Marc Tobin are wonderful! The story is told in verse and lends itself to great discussions. Children in kindergarten through the elementary years will really enjoy the adventures of Lilly the Lash. Julie is committed to helping young people learn about life’s values and joys through her books. She is also committed to supporting worthy causes so a percentage of the profit from this book goes to the National Lung Cancer Partnership. For more information go to www.lillythelash.com.

First Art for Toddlers & Twos / by MaryAnn Kohl Teachers – Remember your albums that you created for your certification? Those great lesson plans that told you exactly what you needed for each lesson, the level of difficulty of the lesson, the work of the teacher, and the work of the child. I don’t know about your training but in mine we didn’t have a lot of time to develop a large variety of lessons for the art area. Well, here is a great book of wonderful lesson plans for art activities. It’s as if a Montessori teacher wrote it. Parents – If you have an art center at home or would like to create one for your little one, this book gives you everything you need for over 60 art activities. Even if you don’t feel that you are the best artist in the world you can set up fun, creative, and interesting projects for your toddlers. You will love to use this guide!

Melody and the Big Meet / by Jeremy M. Thayer This is the story of a high school student who felt ostracized, alone, and discouraged by the way she was treated by some of her peers. It’s a story of determination, courage, finding your place, and loveMelody had one close friend. She was different from many of the other students. She wasn’t from a well-to-do family. She was pretty serious about school. She was honest and had a kind heart. She also happened to be quite a good sprinter. Children will be inspired and encouraged by reading her story. This is a chapter book that elementary-age children will enjoy reading.

Uncle Dave Goes for a Hike / by Corrine & Dave Brown This is a fun little book about a hiking adventure along the Appalachian Trail near the Kittatinny Ridge. Along the way Uncle Dave encounters several different wildlife creatures, a beautiful mountain view, and a scary surprise on the way back down the mountain. The illustrations by Tiffany LaGrange are quite nice. They are kid-style realistic. Children 3 -7 years old would enjoy this short story. You can find this book at www.peppertreepublishing.com.

Calendar October 11 - 14, 2012 - NAMTA Geometry & Mathematics for Development Baltimore, MD (440) 834-4011 www.montessori-namta.org November 1 - 4, 2012 Montessori Foundation & IMC 16th Annual International Conference Sarasota, FL (800) 632-4121 www.montessori.org margot@montessori.org November 1 - 4, 2012 - NAMTA Growing Montessori Readers Atlanta, GA (440) 834-4011 www.montessori-namta.org January 17 - 20, 2013 - NAMTA Whole School Practical Life Dallas, TX (440) 834-4011 www.montessori-namta.org January 18 - 20, 2013 - AMS Heads of School Retreat Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (212) 358-1250 www.amshq.org February 15 - 18, 2013 - NAMTA Adolescent Workshop: AMI/USA Refresher Course Tampa, FL (440) 834-4011 www.montessori-namta.org March 14 - 17, 2013 - AMS 2013 Annual Conference Orlando, FL (212) 358-1250 www.amshq.org April 18 - 21, 2013 Montessori Foundation & IMC West Coast Conference San Jose, CA (800) 632-4121 www.montessori.org margot@montessori.org

If you would like to post an event for your organization, please send information to tcmag@montessori.org

Classified Ads Head of School (MA) Amherst Montessori School, located in the culturally-rich Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, is seeking a skilled leader to serve as Head of School beginning July 1, 2013. Visit www.amherstmontessori.org for a complete job description.

Educational Resource AIM Language Learning Tel: 1 800 668 6288 / Fax: 604 947 9630 Www.aimlanguagelearning.com Julia@aimlanguagelearning.com Revolutionary FSL, SSL and ESL language learning kits and professional development consistent with Montessori philosophy.

Montessori-Trained Caregiver (VA)

In this issue, all books were reviewed by Lorna McGrath of The Montessori Foundation. Tomorrow’s Child also welcomes reviews from educators and parents. Please send reviews to lornamcgrath@montessori.org. Please include a hi-res (300 dpi) jpeg of the book’s cover. ©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

We are looking for someone with Montessori training or experience to look after our twin boys, currently almost two years old. We live in Stuart, VA. The position will have a 12-month contract, but would be expected to continue for three years. Please contact Liisa Wallace via email: mail@liisawallace.com

Ever wish for something to hand out at community events or open houses that easily explained or visually showed some aspect of Montessori that didn’t overwhelm the reader? Who better than the people who wrote the book, The Montessori Way, to introduce such a product!

Three Pamphlets Now Available in Spanish!

NINE Montessori pamphlets now available. Use the form below to order.

Each pamphlet bundle contains 50 of the same title and is incredibly affordable at $15 USD per bundle plus postage. The items are in stock and ready to ship. They may be purchased the following ways: 1. Through our online publication center located at the Foundation’s website: www.montessori.org (go right into the ‘bookstore’ tab) 2. By calling Margot at 800 632 4121 (IMC school members receive a discount on this item and will need to call with credit card. Should your IMC school membership need to be renewed, we will do that at the same time.) 3. Use this order form and either mail or fax your order. Make checks payable to: The Montessori Foundation and mail to 19600 E State Road 64, Bradenton, FL 34212 USA. Fax number is 941 359 8166. Please select: USPS Flat Rate Priority or expedited courier service, such as FEDEX/UPS, which can be substantially more expensive (price is determined by weight and location by the courier). We will estimate this for you before charging out). Couriers cannot deliver to a PO BOX. 1. What is Montessori? ❑ English ❑ Spanish

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Now There Are Three Ways to Purchase Tomorrow’s Child: The Magazine with Benefits! The Montessori Foundation always strives to help schools and parent organizations provide the most cost effective ways to get Tomorrow’s Child magazine into the hands of parents. At the same time, in our effort to conserve natural resources and save trees, we’d like to introduce Tomorrow’s Child, the electronic version.

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2012/13 Same prices as last year! Tomorrow’s Child magazine is the best way for schools to help parents stay connected on key issues in Montessori. Articles on parenting, research, how Montessori is done internationally, schools showcasing their uniqueness, graduate achievements and valuable calendar of events make this one of the most widely read Montessori resources worldwide. Administrators who put the cost of the magazine into their tuition understand that the benefits far exceed the minimal cost. When parents are informed and embrace the time tested & proven results that a Montessori education can bring to their families they will thank you! We greatly discount the print version to our schools. In the US a standing bulk order costs just $15.50 per family per year. 50 minimum in a standing bulk order. That’s just $750 annually! (Should your school have fewer than 50 families call our main office at 800 655 5843 to get approval for a smaller quantity.) Standing Bulk Order subscribers will also have access to Tomorrow’s Child OnLine (see inset).*

2 Individual Orders (Print) You may purchase our regular print version, same as always or you may sign up for the electronic version by using this form or by going through our publication center’s online bookstore at www.montessori.org . Those with current print subscriptions will continue to receive the publication mailed to their addresses.

3 Individual Orders (Electronic) When you subscribe to the electronic version you will be emailed a link to Tomorrow’s Child OnLine’s parent resource center along with a user name and password. Remember, the electronic version is not for our current standing bulk order subscribers, but for those who wish to have an individual subscription sent electronically. Each time we publish an issue, you will receive an email notifying you that the electronic version is ready for you to access through TCOL. Log on, go to the TCOL page and you’re ready to read. Just turn the pages using the arrow. It’s that easy and sounds just like you are flipping pages in a print magazine. Electronic subscribers will also have access to Tomorrow’s Child OnLine (see inset)*.

Tomorrow’s Child OnLine *Free Benefit for Standing Bulk Order & Electronic Subscribers Tomorrow’s Child OnLine, the parent resource center provides you with many other free articles and video presentations on effective parenting and how to incorporate a Montessori way of life into your daily family routines. Hosted by the Foundation’s Parent Education Director, Lorna McGrath, there are many short video clips on critical issues of parenting. This added benefit is available to bulk subscribers and electronic subscribers.

Contact Information: Make checks payable to: The Montessori Foundation. Mail to: 19600 E. State Road 64, Bradenton, FL 34212. Fax: 941 745 3111. Schools needing invoices, please contact dondinsmore @montessori.org

The Foundation always strives to keep printing costs under control as well as conserve resources and, therefore, we no longer keep an inventory of back issues nor large quantities of the most current issue. We will always try and fulfill new standing bulk orders with the most currently released issue. If that isn’t possible, we’ll start your order with the next one in the cycle and pro-rate your order. ©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine September 2012 • www.montessori.org

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