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Making Sense of It All – The Montessori Sensorial Area


By Alex Chiu

This month, The Montessori Children’s Academy will host the third in its series of Parent Education Workshops on January 9th from 7-8PM at the Short Hills campus. The topic for this upcoming workshop is the Sensorial area of the Montessori classroom, a hallmark of Montessori education. The Sensorial materials were designed by Dr. Montessori as a way for children to be able to explore and then make sense of their environment. Because she believed that sensorial exploration began at birth and that children had a developmental period where they were exceptionally receptive to what they took in through their senses, she created the Sensorial materials.

Dr. Montessori said, “The senses, being explorers of the world, open the way to knowledge. Our apparatus for educating the senses offers the child a key to guide his explorations of the world” (The Absorbent Mind). Each material in the Sensorial area isolates a different sense, and Dr. Montessori categorized her Sensorial materials into eight groupings based on which sense was being used: Visual, Tactile, Baric, Thermic, Auditory, Olfactory, Gustatory, and Stereognostic. The Montessori Sensorial materials help children organize, compare, order, and classify things based on how they look, feel, sound, smell, taste, etc. While this may at the surface appear very simple, a child’s discovery of these various qualities helps to build the foundation for learning in other areas.

For example, when children use the Pink Tower, a centerpiece of the Sensorial area, they can discriminate the size of each pink cube from the smallest to the largest. However, if we take a closer look at the depth of the learning behind this simple work, we can recognize that children are gaining so much more. First, as with most Montessori materials, there is only one Pink Tower, so children must either wait for a turn to use it or learn to use it cooperatively with another classmate. Next, the child must go through a multi-step process to prepare to do the work. A work rug must be unrolled. Then, taking one cube at a time, the child must navigate the classroom from where the Pink Tower is stored to his or her work rug. This takes several trips back and forth, as there are 10 cubes!

Once using the material, the child may arrange the cubes in a variety of formations. Horizontally on the rug, the child can see how the cubes compare in size. Vertically, the child can build the tower. Children can be quite creative as they use these materials, sometimes creating beautiful displays in an endless array of patterns and designs. This promotes not only discovery of the size discrimination, but it also provides an outlet for creativity and artistic expression.
As with all Montessori materials, the work is self-correcting, and the child, through the control of error built into the work, will see whether or not he or she has placed the cubes in correct size order. If a larger cube is place on top of a smaller cube, the tower would not look visually accurate, and in some cases, would topple over because it’s not structurally sound. There’s no need for a teacher to intervene in this work, as the child can see for him or herself whether or not the work was completed correctly.

On an even deeper level, the Pink Tower is an introduction to mathematics. Each tower is made with 10 pink wooden cubes that increase in size from 1cm cubed to 10cm cubed and represents the base 10 number system. From the youngest age of 3, children are exposed to the concrete material that later helps them understand more advanced mathematical concepts. As an early introduction to mathematics that can grow with the child as he or she is ready, it leads the child to move on to the cubing of numbers and cubed roots with the Montessori Golden Bead Material in the Math area in a natural and progressive manner.

Each colorful and beautiful Sensorial material, from the Pink Tower to the Red Rods, the Knobless Cylinders to the Color Tablets, the Trinomial Cube to the Geometric Solids, the Sound Cylinders to the Rough and Smooth Boards, has a plan and a purpose behind its creation. While initially the children may simply be intrigued by the materials because they are attractive and colorful, they eventually are drawn into deeper learning as they investigate the many aspects of each work. Their senses are refined and awakened, and they come to make sense of their world in a much greater way. Again, as Dr. Montessori so cleverly understood, the children’s work with the Sensorial materials indeed “open(s) the way to knowledge”.

Peace

By Alex Chiu

“Peace is every step,” wrote Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, mindfulness teacher, author, and peace activist. In his many books, he offers suggestions for how we can find peace in any and every moment, especially the most hectic ones! This sage one would probably love spending time in a Montessori classroom where he could see that peace, indeed, is in every step the children take at school. Within everything a child does in the Montessori environment, there is an underlying lesson which helps to build the foundation of living mindfully, joyfully, and peacefully with ‘every step’.

This peace education begins on the very first day of school when teachers introduce lessons on Grace and Courtesy. They model the use of simple words and actions that demonstrate respect and regard for self, others, and the environment. Children learn the polite way to greet people. They are shown how to carefully walk around the work rugs of their classmates and how to move throughout the classroom slowly and with care. Vocabulary for interrupting someone or asking for something is provided and practiced. All of this early groundwork sets the stage for a classroom community whose members can work together and enjoy one another, while at the same time promoting a peaceful, safe, warm environment in which the children can learn and grow.

After these early Grace and Courtesy lessons, the children begin their exploration of the Montessori materials, making their way to the Language, Math, Cultural, Practical Life, and Sensorial areas. All of these areas of the classroom are filled with enticing ‘work’ for the children to do, leading them to wonderful academic discoveries. But mastermind that she was, Dr. Montessori incorporated ‘secret’ lessons into the materials she developed. In addition to teaching an academic skill, each activity is also a lesson in mindfulness and part of Montessori’s goal of education being a vehicle for peace in the world.

When using any of the Montessori materials, children must navigate through several steps. These include setting up a work space (either at a table or on a floor work rug), retrieving the material from the shelf, performing the tasks required to complete the work, returning the work to the shelf when finished, and then cleaning up the work area. The children’s movements must be planned, precise, and peaceful in each step. As they traverse throughout the classroom, they must negotiate the other people and furniture in the environment. When attending to their work, they have been shown how to use the material purposefully and carefully. The children understand that the care of the materials benefits the whole class, and they want to make sure things are taken care of for themselves and for everyone in their classroom. The beauty of the materials captures their attention and inspires their interest and careful consideration. Children take their time as they work. They aren’t rushed to complete one thing in order to move on to another. Instead, they are in charge of their work time which is safeguarded in an uninterrupted work cycle which facilitates their investigation of the materials and allows them to explore without being hurried along to the next activity. They enjoy the work that they do!

Many Montessori classrooms also include a special Peace Table where children might be found raking sand in a Zen garden, observing seasonal items from nature such as seashells or pinecones, or balancing a collection of smooth stones. Even the youngest Montessorians engage in these peace activities either at a Peace Table or in their other lessons chosen from across the curriculum. As shown in the lovely photograph above, some of the children in one of our MCA 2 ½ – 3 ½ classrooms took time to create beautiful ‘nature mandalas’ using a collection of items from nature in combination with pretty glass seashells and stones. Providing children with such opportunities allows them to observe nature, to make a connection with the materials, to mindfully take time to create a pretty display, to sit peacefully, and to take delight in the work that they completed.

Peace, indeed, is every step in the Montessori way. We take heart in knowing that Montessori education continues to promote peace in the development of our children, and we remain hopeful that the children will live out these lessons of peace as they grow and move about in our world. We wish everyone a joyful, peaceful 2019!

Growing Up with a Grateful Heart

 

By Alex Chiu

Your spouse passes a dish from the dinner table to your son. You bring a tissue to your daughter when she is sniffling while watching TV. Your mother brings your child a birthday gift. As parents, our almost kneejerk response when any of these things occur is to immediately prompt our child with “What do you say?” Sometimes we do this even before the child has had a chance to process that someone has done something kind for him or her. But what do we really accomplish with that prompting? Generally, children will give the required “thank you” response you are seeking, but is there a real sense of gratitude behind those words?

To nurture a true grateful heart, we must make gratitude a daily practice with our children. It’s important for them to understand that there is so much we can be grateful for—big and small— and recognizing this at an early age helps children grow up with gratitude as a matter of course. Why is this important? Research indicates that having a sense of gratitude can help people reduce feelings of sadness, stress, and loneliness. In his article “7 Surprising Health Benefits of Gratitude”, author Jamie Ducharme outlines how gratitude can help people become more patient, reduce overeating, combat depression, improve relationships, improve sleep, and generally make you feel happier (Time Health, November 2017). And Ann Morin has her own list of seven benefits (seven must be a lucky number!), adding that gratitude can lessen aggression, improve empathy and self-esteem, and promote better physical and psychological health (“7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude That Will Motivate You to Give Thanks Year-Round”, Forbes, November 2014).

So how can parents help their children (and themselves) learn the practice of gratitude? Let’s count some very simple ways to express gratitude at least four times throughout the day:

1. First thing in the morning: Begin the day by sharing one thing you’re grateful for that morning. Warm water to wash your hands, the sun shining, fuzzy pajamas, breakfast—model a sentence of gratitude and invite your child to think of what he or she is grateful for that morning.
2. On the way to school: Comment about one thing you see that makes you feel grateful. Recently, for me, it was having all green lights on the drive to school! But it could be anything—a car that functions, the beauty of the changing leaves, a favorite song that comes on the radio. A simple recognition of “I’m so grateful that song came on—it really brightened my mood!” is a great way to share your gratitude with your child.
3. At home after school: Express your gratitude to your child when he or she is helpful, kind, or considerate to you or any other family member. But be specific and add on to the usual “Thank you”. If your child remembers to put toys away before coming to the dinner table, you might extend your gratitude by saying “Thank you for remembering to clean up—that really helps me and shows me that you’re responsible and that you care about taking care of your toys and our house!” Invite your child to think about who has done something since coming home from school that he or she would like to thank.
4. At bedtime: Have your child share one thing about the day that he or she is truly grateful for—it could have been time spent with friends, learning a new skill or concept at school, the yummy dinner you made, snuggling with the dog, anything!

It may take some time for this habit to take hold, but if you take the initiative in sharing what you are grateful for on a regular basis, your children will very likely follow suit. And then the entire family can reap the many more than seven benefits of a grateful heart!

For a list of fun gratitude activities for the whole family, including how to make a ‘gratitude box’, some gratitude prompts, gratitude games, and even gratitude apps you can download, check out: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/gratitude-exercises/

More information and resources on gratitude, including those used as references in this article include:
http://time.com/5026174/health-benefits-of-gratitude/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/#13d897b9183c
https://tinybuddha.com/

And some lovely children’s books with a gratitude theme you might enjoy:
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Seuss
Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Jake Swamp
Splatt Says Thank You by Rob Scotton
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

Preparing for Parent/Teacher Conferences

By Alex Chiu

With Parent/Teacher Conferences coming up very soon, we thought we would repost this article from last fall to help parents prepare for these special school meetings.

By the month of November, students are well into their school routines. They have learned the classroom rules and guidelines, refreshed their memories after a summer off from school, likely made some new friends, and are deep into their new learning. This is why November is often the time of year when schools will schedule their Parent/Teacher Conferences. It’s a perfect time for teachers to connect with parents to share their observations about their students, and it’s the opportune time for parents to glean some insights into how their children are performing in school both academically and socially.

Prior to conference season, teachers take a great deal of time to prepare for their upcoming meetings with parents. They may work with the students individually for the most up-to-date assessments of certain skills, they will take more time observing the children as they interact with peers in the classroom and on the playground, and they will collect any important and pertinent information for students, which depending on the child and the school, may include support services reports, samples of student work, or additional notes.

Montessori teachers have an edge in preparing for Parent/Teacher Conferences because a large part of their training specifically focuses on observation in the classroom. Montessori teachers learn and practice the art of observing how their students work and interact, using their observations to drive which lessons to present to which children, which materials to rotate, and which parts of the environment to adjust to meet the children’s needs. Therefore, parents of Montessori students can be assured that at their conferences, they will learn quite a bit about how their children function at school and what they might be able to do at home to bridge the school to home learning.

For parents with children in school for the first time, we’ve gathered some information to help you prepare for your first Parent/Teacher Conference. For ‘veteran’ parents, these reminders may help you get the most out of your conferences this year.

At your conference, you can expect to learn about your child’s:
1. Recent academic progress.
2. Behavioral development as observed by the teacher since September.
3. Social interactions and development in the classroom.
4. Strengths and challenges within the classroom.

During the conference, you can help your child’s teacher learn more about your child by:
1. Describing your child’s attitude towards school.
2. Sharing anything that currently may be impacting your child’s academic or social progress (e.g., family illness, move to a new home, other family changes or potential stressors).
3. Discussing what you see as your child’s strengths and challenges.
4. Providing information about any special interests/activities your child has outside of school, so as to help your child’s teacher get to know a little more about your child.

What parents can do to prepare for and help facilitate a smooth conference:
1. Bring a list of questions you may have or topics you would like to discuss, keeping in mind the time allotted for your conference. Prioritize your list.
2. Ask your child if there is anything he or she would like to discuss with the teacher and share his or her comments with the teacher.
3. Come prepared to listen and take notes.
4. Ask to see samples of your child’s work or which Montessori materials he or she has been using.
5. Ask what you can do at home to help your child with academic, social, and emotional development. Inquire if the teacher has any community references that may be helpful to your family.
6. Be respectful of the time. If you have more questions than time allows for, do ask for a follow-up meeting at a later date. Communication with your child’s teacher can and should continue beyond the conference as needed.

Parent/Teacher Conferences are a wonderful opportunity to learn about what a typical day at school is like for your child, develop stronger connections with your child’s teacher, and gain insights into your child’s development. By participating in these conferences, you are showing your child that you are interested in what happens at school. You also are modeling the importance of open communication, and you are building the bridge between home and school to promote your child’s success as a student. Happy conferencing!

Creating a Montessori Community

By Alex Chiu

Parents who choose Montessori for their children’s education hopefully find themselves embarking on an educational journey that goes beyond what their children learn within their classroom walls. An equally important aspect to Montessori education is creating a community among the children, parents, teachers, and administrators, and then extending this community to work together within their towns and cities. Just as the children learn the importance of caring for, respecting, and appreciating the people in their classrooms, Montessori schools try to extend this same sense of inclusion to their school parents and families and then branch out to work together with their neighborhood communities in a variety of positive and contributing ways.

At The Montessori Children’s Academy, we ring in the new school year with an informal Welcome Back Coffee where parents can meet one another and congregate at the school for a social gathering. It’s a great time for new parents to meet returning parents and glean some insights into what to expect in the coming days, weeks, and months. They might share helpful hints for smoother drop offs with their children or exchange phone numbers for playdates. It’s simply an opportunity to connect.

On a larger scale, MCA hosts an annual Harvest Family Fun Day at a park near the South Mountain Reservation. This celebration of the season includes a picnic, games, crafts, and other fun activities that all MCA families from across MCA’s three campuses can join in together. Not only does the  Harvest Family Fun Day provide families with a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon, it also allows children to see their teachers outside of the classroom and gives parents a chance to interact with teachers and other children and families in a relaxed environment without the demand of weekday schedules.

Additionally, MCA offers parents several Parent Education events throughout the school year. There is a book club for parents each year which focuses on one specially selected book with discussions led by MCA teachers who facilitate open dialogue and field questions from participants. The Parent Education Nights we host throughout the year each focus on different areas and materials of the Montessori classroom so that parents gain a better understanding of what is available to their children in the classroom, as well as learn the purpose of the lessons and the meaning behind the methods. The annual MCA Speaker Series is another evening event for parents, which features some of the most acclaimed professionals in their fields who come to share insights into a variety of educational and parenting topics. Past speakers have included Jonathan Wolff, Trevor Eissler, Carrie Donegan, Madelyn Swift, and Teresa LaSala, to name a few.

And another community-building endeavor is MCA’s annual outreach project. Each year, MCA selects a charity to support through classroom and community awareness about the charity, fundraising events, and meaningful connections with those involved in the organizations. In years past, we have focused our efforts to help Girls on the Run, Paws of War, St. Peter’s Orphanage, and Instituto Nueva Escuela. Last spring, MCA enjoyed a beautiful celebration of its ongoing work to make the world a better place in many ways both big and small, and we have found that our MCA families have come together so wholeheartedly to instill within our children the importance of helping others. Our MCA Lights the Way for a Lifetime of Caring event was truly a celebration of everyone’s combined efforts to not only support a variety of charitable organizations, but also to find joy in participating in such worthy efforts and making it a way of life.

Montessori education works best when we can build connections between school, home, and the greater community. This makes Montessori truly a way of life. And when children are able to move from home to school to the world at large where the values and expectations are aligned, the Montessori community and all of its members grow and flourish and work together even more beautifully.