Tag Archives: early childhood

Seven Extra Hours

By: Alex Chiu

What if you and your child were given the gift of seven extra hours to your day or even to your week? Most of us would probably be thrilled to have that extra time to do all of the things we complain that we never have the time to do! Looking at some shocking statistics from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), it might just be possible to find those seven extra hours. According to the AAP, “today’s children are spending an average of seven hours a day on entertainment media, including televisions, computers, phones, and other electronic devices” (www.aap.org). Seven hours a day. That is longer than an average school day in the United States. And adults might be right up there with their own screen time, too, if they carefully and honestly looked at how they spent their leisure time.

So why should we be concerned, and what can we do? The prevalence of media and modern devices has many of us in a frenzy to keep up with the latest trends and to be ‘connected’ at all times. There are great advantages to having access to media and all of the new technology, and there are many excellent and appropriate times and places for its use. However, we need to be careful that too much screen time, especially for children, doesn’t negatively impact their growth and development.

And we do know that are consequences to our children’s media use. Childhood obesity and shorter attention spans are just two issues linked to media overuse by children that have raised the alarm for parents and experts alike. From a child development perspective, young children need hands-on, real world, sensory-rich activities that promote concentration, experimentation, and socialization much more than they need to leap into a cyber world. As Maria Montessori said, “It is through appropriate work and activities that the character of the child is transformed. Work influences his development in the same way that food revives the vigor of a starving man. We observe that a child occupied with matters that awaken his interest seems to blossom, to expand, evincing undreamed of character traits; his abilities give him great satisfaction, and he smiles with a sweet and joyous smile.” (San Remo Lectures).

The work that Dr. Montessori saw as crucial to healthy development in children was that related to real world, daily life activities where children touched, smelled, tasted, carried, tended, learned about, and experienced the world around them. She said, “The hands are the instruments of a man’s intelligence” (The Absorbent Mind), and it’s hard to imagine her thinking that little hands constantly holding onto electronic devices would lead to this goal.

To be fair, some of our children’s screen time is constructively spent on educational purposes and schoolwork. Schools rightly take pride in the technology they offer to their students. Teachers work tirelessly to find creative ways to incorporate technology into their lessons to capture their students’ attention and to make this very big world a little smaller and more accessible to their students. We do want our children to become familiar with cutting edge technology and to not fall behind on the rapid developments in that field. Staying savvy with progressive technological advances is necessary in our modern, fast-paced world. We can even find wonderful Montessori apps that extend traditional lessons, and technology certainly can be seen as something which promotes children’s curiosity and desire to learn more. It opens doors to places some children might not otherwise experience, and it has real benefits as children continue to broaden their scope of learning as they grow.

However, the emphasis from the AAP is that seven hours is spent on entertainment media. So, how can we limit our children’s media use and help our children find other ways to entertain themselves? Healthychildren.org suggests creating a “Family Media Plan” where you set boundaries for what media your children may use, when they may have screen time, where in the house screen time takes place, and how long your child may spend with entertainment media. But once the screens are powered down, what will your children do? Consider moving more, playing more, connecting more (face to face, not online!), and creating more. Just being aware of how much time your family spends in front of a screen may help you take a step back and start to brainstorm other things you’d like to be doing instead.

We know that childhood passes so quickly. Freeing up some of those seven hours spent on entertainment media may provide you with the opportunity to do more meaningful activities where you are engaged with your child. It may ultimately help to slow things down for a little while and result in some of your family’s best memories. You can share those memories on social media when you’re done!

A Few Tips for Monitoring Media Usage at Home

Designate screen-free zones at home—especially consider no media in children’s bedrooms.
Let your children know when they are permitted to turn on the electronics and set time limits.
Utilize parental controls to keep your children safe from inappropriate content, websites, etc.
Have a TV/Media “Turn Off” Week—no screen time for 7 days, not just 7 hours! Or consider “No Media Mondays” where at least one day a week is spent without any screen time.
Make the media meaningful: watch television together and discuss and ask questions about what you are watching. Or research a topic of interest together online or help your child find a YouTube tutorial for something he or she is interested in learning.
Mix up media with movement – decide that after 30 minutes of screen time that you and your child participate in 30 minutes of exercise. Dance, walk, play tag, anything that gets you up and going!

For more ideas and information about children and media, visit the sites used as references in this article:

American Academy of Pediatrics www.aap.org

American Academy of Pediatrics Information for Parents www.healthychildren.org

PBS Children and Media Site for Parents http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia

Center on Media and Child Health www.cmch.tv

Solutions for your Life http://solutionsforyourlife.com

School Is In Session for MCTD’s Adult Learners

By: Hannah Ferris with Doreen Adamo and Bernadette Fasolas

The summer months are filled with activity at The Montessori Children’s Academy (MCA). We are busy running our MCA Summer Camp, preparing our classrooms for the upcoming school year, and our Teacher Education Program, Montessori Center for Teacher Development (MCTD), is hosting our third cohort of enthusiastic Adult Learners.

Montessori Center for Teacher Development, which is one of the seven subsidiaries of The Montessori Children’s Academy’s family of schools and services, was founded in 2014 and is one of just three Montessori Teacher Education Programs in the state of New Jersey. MCTD operates out of the Morristown campus of MCA and is led by Program Director Doreen Adamo and Assistant Program Director Bernadette Fasolas. Mrs. Adamo and Mrs. Fasolas are also Head Teachers at MCA during the school year that bonded over their own shared Montessori training experience years ago. Together with the rest of the talented and experienced MCTD staff and guest lecturers, they are excited about sharing their passion for the Montessori Method with future generations of Montessori teachers. MCTD’s Early Childhood Teacher Education Program is affiliated by the American Montessori Society (AMS) and fully accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE), and works closely with both to develop and deliver the highest quality education for future Montessori teachers. Upon successful completion of the program, the Adult Learners will receive Montessori Early Childhood Certification through AMS, permitting them to become Head Teachers at Montessori schools throughout the US.

In addition to our Early Childhood Teacher Education Program, MCTD is happy to announce a new Early Childhood Assistant Teacher Training Program that will be offered later this summer,.

Early Childhood Teacher Education Program

MCTD’s Early Childhood Program is affiliated by the American Montessori Society and fully accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education. This program is for Adult Learners seeking certification that would allow them to become Head Teachers in a Montessori Early Childhood environment. Recent Adult Learners have come from diverse backgrounds to gain additional certification in the field of education, to re-enter the workforce, or to completely change careers.

The Early Childhood Teacher Education Program begins each summer with Academic Phase I. This involves a four-week, intensive session with courses in Child Development and Montessori Philosophy, as well as Practical Life and Sensorial curricula. Academic Phase II begins in September of the same year, as the Adult Learners reconvene for evening and weekend courses in Math, Language, and Cultural Studies (Science, History, Geography, Art, and Music). Throughout both phases, the Adult Learners participate in Student Teaching Seminars that are aimed at preparing them for a Montessori school setting during the Practicum Phase of their training. These Seminars include Parent Involvement, Classroom Management, Observation, and School Administration.

To begin the second year of the Early Childhood Teacher Education Program, the Practicum Phase, the Adult Learners seek an Internship in a Montessori school to fulfill the requirement for student-teaching hours. Gaining practical experience in a classroom alongside an AMS Montessori-certified Head Teacher is a perfect example of the “learning by doing” principle set forth by Dr. Montessori.

Some of MCTD’s current Adult Learners are looking forward to beginning the Practicum Phase in September, while others will continue to work through Academic Phase II. All are looking forward to the next steps in their Montessori journeys.

The 2017-2019 Early Childhood Teacher Education Program is currently accepting applications on a rolling basis. Open Houses will be held in January, February, and March of 2017.

Early Childhood Assistant Teacher Training Program

This summer, MCTD expanded its course catalog to include our Early Childhood Assistant Teacher Training Program. This program is designed for individuals currently employed as Assistant Teachers who are looking to expand their knowledge or for those interested in gaining employment as Assistant Teachers in a Montessori environment. MCTD holds the belief that a more thorough understanding of the Montessori Philosophy will allow Assistant Teachers to flourish in the classroom. This new program gives a foundational overview of the Montessori Philosophy and the basic curriculum areas of a Montessori classroom, with both lectures and hands-on experiences.

Two “Modules” are being offered for the Early Childhood Assistant Teacher Training Program. Module I includes two days of classroom instruction on the Montessori Method and Philosophy. Module II includes three days of training on the materials used in the Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math, and Cultural areas of the classroom. Adult Learners have the option of taking either Module I or Modules I & II. (Module I is a prerequisite for Module II.)

Montessori classrooms, especially Early Childhood classrooms, are incredibly busy places. There is not always ample time, especially at the beginning of the school year, for a new Assistant Teacher to learn the ropes from his or her Head Teacher. MCTD recognizes this gap in teacher education and has designed this new program as a stepping stone into the world of Montessori. MCTD is excited to be welcoming Adult Learners into our new program this summer and hopes that it will inspire some of the current Assistant Teachers to become AMS certified Montessori teachers in the future.

MCTD is currently accepting registrations for the Early Childhood Assistant Teacher Training Program. The program will run from August 15-19, 2016. For more information and to register, please visit: http://www.MontessoriCenterForTeacherDevelopment.com/AsstTeacherTraining.html.

Lunchtime for the Adult Learners

I recently asked Doreen Adamo and Bernadette Fasolas (MCTD’s Program Director and Assistant Director) to share their favorite things about leading MCTD. They fondly reminisced about their own experiences as Adult Learners during their training years and then pointed me in the direction of the MCTD lunchroom. The MCTD Adult Learners studying this summer in Academic Phase I were preparing to share a meal. Once a week, a self-selected student takes her turn in preparing a family-style lunch for her classmates. They began this little tradition after bonding over their love of trying different cultures’ cuisines. This summer, they have already experienced a variety of loving prepared meals including homemade Sri Lankan curry. The most recent menu item was a colorful, fresh veggie and pasta salad. They are also eager for this cohort’s exceptional baker to take her turn to participate in this new tradition!

The current Adult Learners have more than just adventurous eating in common; they have bonded over their desire to work with children, their previous work experiences, and their varied life journeys. Their friendships are just beginning, and given the lasting friendship between Doreen and Bernadette, which was formed during their own Montessori training, it is likely that these, too, may last for many years to come. Moreover, these friendships formed during MCTD’s Teacher Education Program are complemented by the common passion of carrying on Dr. Maria Montessori’s legacy. Both MCTD and MCA is delighted to support this current cohort of Adult Learners as their Montessori journey begins.

For more information about MCTD’s programs, please visit http://www.MontessoriCenterForTeacherDevelopment.com/ or contact Doreen Adamo, Program Director at MC4TD@aol.com.

MCA Book Club Inspires Summer Reading List

By: Alex Chiu

In the fall of this past school year, The Montessori Children’s Academy (MCA) was proud to host Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore as a guest speaker for a Speaker Series event. Dr. Kennedy-Moore shared her professional insights on a variety of parenting topics, balanced with her own honest experiences as a mother of four. She was an engaging speaker, and she enlightened everyone who attended this special event. Her focus on the topics in her book Smart Parenting for Smart Kids stirred up lively conversation. The book, which is filled with vignettes and strategies for raising smart kids who will become healthy, happy, and independent adults, raised a great deal of interest and intrigue among the audience members.

In order to keep the conversations going, MCA sponsored a Parent Book Club featuring Smart Parenting for Smart Kids in the spring of 2016. Twenty parents from all three MCA campuses participated in the six weekly sessions, with each week zeroing in a different topic of discussion taken from sections of the selected book. A Head Teacher at each campus guided the conversations where parents exchanged personal experiences about the challenges of parenting, asked questions, and bonded over the content of the conversation.

The Book Club provided a platform for delving into a variety of issues that were commonly experienced by members of the group, and together, using the book as a guide, they brainstormed methods for better understanding and helping their children. Certainly this was the common denominator for the group – all parents seek new techniques for working with their children as they grow up.

We reached out to Dr. Kennedy-Moore and invited her to share some background information about why she wrote Smart Parenting for Smart Kids. She shared the following:

“One of the comments that my co-author, Mark Lowenthal, and I hear a lot from parents in our practices is “My kid is smart, but…” The “but” could be that their children get very upset when they make mistakes, or they have trouble getting along with other kids, or they constantly argue with adults… These parents know that their children are bright, but they worry because they also know that it takes more than school smarts to create a satisfying life…

This book is about helping children develop inner strength and outward empathy. The world tells bright children that their performance matters; they need us, their parents, to tell them that they are much more than the sum of their accomplishments. They need to know that we love them for their kindness, curiosity, imagination, determination, and sense of fun. Qualities like these aren’t necessarily impressive, but they matter deeply.”

MCA’s Director of Montessori Development, Camilla Nichols-Uhler, added that many of the tenets in Dr. Kennedy-Moore’s book complement Montessori education, making this book choice something which dovetails with what our parents are learning about how their children work within a prepared Montessori environment. She explains:

“In Montessori classrooms, teachers guide the children to develop solutions to challenges and problems in a practical way while at the same time gaining self-confidence. Children find ways to be successful working independently and in groups through each stage of their development and throughout their Montessori education. The focus is not just on academics, but also on developing the whole child. Smart Parenting for Smart Kids and the Montessori philosophy share the value of nurturing the whole child. Parents learn how to lay the best foundation at home just as we lay the foundation for our students’ academic, social, and emotional growth while at MCA.”

Our Book Club facilitators and parent participants enjoyed Dr. Kennedy-Moore’s book and the discussions about positive parenting that ensued at the club meetings.

Mrs. Gallo, one of the club facilitators, shared her experience with us:

“I thoroughly enjoyed hosting the MCA Book Club. The parents were great and really positive and supportive of each other. We had five parents and most were able to attend the entire series. We typically started out with the chapter topic, but often parents had parenting issues that they wanted to talk about. The biggest takeaway from the series was tuning into the child by reflecting what the child is saying. This enables the child to know that you heard him or her and allows the parent to slow down and focus on the child. I think a forum for parents to come together and discuss parenting concerns is so needed… All-in-all it was a positive experience…”

With so many challenges facing parents and children today, having a place where people can come together to exchange ideas and glean insights from experts and peers can alleviate some of the stress of parenting. It can also foster feelings of confidence when parents realize that they are not alone and that there are people and resources out there to support them in their efforts to be the best parents that they can be. As the saying goes, “It takes a village.”

A parent participating in our Book Club commented:

“The Book Club offered me an opportunity to pause and reflect on some of the struggles I face as a parent in addressing my children’s needs. I found it helpful to hear other parents’ experiences and to discuss strategies with them…. I enjoyed participating in the Book Club and found it helpful, overall.”

We were thrilled by the positive response to our inaugural Parent Book Club and are looking forward to hosting another in the 2016-2017 school year. Stay tuned to learn when it will be held and which book will be the focus for the next set of meetings! If you were unable to be a part of our Parent Book Club this year, we recommend that you add Smart Parenting for Smart Kids to your summer reading list. And while you’re at it… Here are some other titles you may want to check out while traveling, lounging poolside, or just taking a lemonade break in your backyard:

Montessori Madness!: A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education, Trevor Eissler
The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness: Five Steps to Help Kids Create and Sustain Lifelong Joy, Edward Hallowell, MD
The Big Book of Parenting Solutions, Michele Borba, Ed.D.
Getting It Right with Children, Madelyn Swift
Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, Angeline Stoll Lillard
Parents Do Make a Difference, Michele Borba, Ed.D.
The Pressured Child, Michael Thompson, Ph.D.
Raising a Self-Disciplined Child, Roberts Brooks, Ph.D. and Sam Goldstein, Ph.D.
Building Moral Intelligence, Michele Borba, Ed.D.
Generation Text, Michael Osit, Ph.D.

More Than Blocks

By: Alex Chiu and Hannah Ferris

There is no question that Montessori materials are beautiful and intriguing. However, there are often many questions asked about how these materials help children learn. Today, we’d like to give you a peek inside one of our Montessori classrooms with a close-up view of some of the most notable Montessori materials.

Maria Montessori, as a medical doctor, applied her knowledge of the developmental stages of the child to her educational method. She understood above all that children learn by doing. The materials that are used by our students today are specially designed to allow children to learn a lesson by engaging with them. In fact, many of these materials are designed according to specifications left behind by Dr. Montessori.

In our mixed-age (3-6 years) classrooms, the materials first are presented by the teacher and then utilized by the students at different levels of difficulty according what is appropriate for each child. The teacher introduces materials in a formal lesson where the teacher demonstrates how the materials are meant to be used. The child will then conduct the lesson independently according to teacher’s (usually non-verbal) demonstration.. Materials are controlled for error and the use of physical objects allows abstract, complicated ideas to become accessible to young children. As children become ready to learn more complex concepts, the same materials ‘grow’ with the children, offering new information to add to their understanding, moving from very concrete to more abstract learning.

This post will highlight one material from each of the five main areas of the prepared learning environment that MCA provides in its 3-6 classrooms. It will serve as an introductory guide to the Montessori curriculum and to the science behind the materials that your children encounter daily.

Practical Life

The Practical Life area of the classroom contains activities that are designed to improve fine motor skills through daily functions like spooning, pouring, and hand washing. Dr. Montessori believed that learning how to carry out daily functions fostered independence, coordination, concentration, and confidence even among her youngest students. At MCA, the youngest members of our family begin their Montessori journeys in the Practical Life area.

Parents and visitors alike are always amazed to see our students engaged in Food Preparation, using real cooking utensils, inviting friends to eat snack with them, and then cleaning up when they are finished. Child-sized tools welcome students to the Practical Life area and provide greater opportunity for success in completing the activities. Parents are delighted when the confidence and skills gained in this area transfers to home life and children participate in cooking, setting the table, and cleaning up with their families.

Recently, during our Montessori Education Week celebrations, our students demonstrated their Practical Life skills for parents and visitors. Using the ‘flower arranging’ materials, they made lovely decorations with fresh flowers for their classrooms to mark the 109^th anniversary of Montessori education. This task required planning, measuring, careful handling of the flowers, and resulted in making our classrooms bright and cheery. It was a popular Practical Life activity!

Sensorial

The Sensorial area of the classroom contains materials designed to develop sensory perception. The most basic materials, designed for the youngest students in the classroom, may force the isolation of the senses. For example, Color Tablets focus on the visual sense and Sound Boxes focus on the auditory sense. As students grow and progress in this area, the activities become more complex and begin to prepare children for reading, writing, math, and logical thinking.

The Pink Tower is perhaps the most famous Montessori material. The Pink Tower is more than blocks; the ten cubes are classified in size from one centimeter cubed to ten centimeters cubed. A child is able to visually and physically differentiate between large and small as he or she carries one cube at a time from the shelf to the workspace to construct the tower. This pattern of movement forces the child to be aware of the surroundings, to control the body, and to concentrate on the task. Over time, understanding of the ten size classifications of the cubes will help prepare the child’s mind for math.

Language

Although our classrooms have a specific Language area, language lessons are not restricted to just one part of the classroom. Students practice their spoken language and vocabulary skills through conversation with their teachers and classmates, by singing songs, and when engaged in reading or listening to stories at circle times. Like the Sensorial area, the materials in the Language area of the classroom gradually become more advanced, and the children’s language skills progress into independent reading and writing exercises.

Sandpaper Letters help with both verbal and written language skills. Consonants (pink cards) and vowels (blue cards) are introduced to students by their sounds to teach recognition of the letter. The focus is on the sound the letter makes rather than the name of the letter. This allows for greater ease and understanding when moving from sound identification to reading words and later, sentences and entire books. After the sound of the letter is presented, students are instructed to trace the letters with their middle and index fingers – the fingers they will later use to hold a pencil. Again, as we have seen with so many Montessori materials, this provides the foundation for future skills. Sandpaper Letters may be used in a variety of other activities, like forming patterns and complementing sound games. Students will move on to the Moveable Alphabet to make words and sentences once they have mastered recognition of letter sounds using the Sandpaper Letters.

Mathematics

Montessori math allows students to physically hold the materials they are counting. This teaches them to recognize and distinguish between quantities of the numbers 1 through 10 and beyond. Such a hands-on approach makes understanding abstract math concepts easier when the student is ready to forgo materials and do math in his or her head. More complex math lessons for children ages 3-6 years include an introduction to the decimal system with the Golden Bead Material and forming large numbers with Number Cards. Montessori students graduate Kindergarten with a very strong foundation of mathematical ideas.

Number Cards and Counters are used by children who are ready to demonstrate that they recognize the numbers and can relate quantity to numbers. Our students often use seasonally-themed objects to count instead of beads or discs. These Valentine hearts nicely complemented our February holiday celebration, which is part of the fifth and final area of the classroom: Culture.

Science and Culture

The area of the classroom dedicated to Science and Cultural studies encompasses many activities, including maps, flags, calendars, and holiday celebrations, as well as the study of plants and animals, changing seasons, simple machines, and how things work.

Through the study of geography and different cultures, tolerance, grace, and curiosity are fostered and contribute to the Montessori ideal of Peace Education. At MCA, we are fortunate to have families and staff from various cultural backgrounds across all three of our campuses. These members of our community truly complement the study of culture when they come into the classrooms and share traditions from their home countries.

Students use Puzzle Maps to gain understanding of both physical and political geography. This promotes curiosity about different countries and demonstrates to the children that the world is a big place!

Science exploration often overlaps cultural studies as students learn about animals and climates in the regions of the world that they are studying. Creating a relationship with nature by observing the changing seasons, collecting natural objects to study closely, and caring for plants and animals in the classroom also shows our students that there are connections to be made across all disciplines and in their lives both inside and outside of school.

In every 3-6 classroom at The Montessori Children’s Academy, you can distinguish between Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, and Science and Culture areas. When observing our students during a work cycle, you will likely see materials from each area being used diligently and appropriately. Our teachers, who are skilled observers, determine when a child is ready to advance in a particular area to further sharpen his or her skills. Such careful observation on the part of our teachers provides great insights into each student’s personality and learning style, and therefore allows MCA’s teachers to give each student individualized lessons that will lead to their success. It is a very special environment indeed! The best way to learn more is to spend time in one of our classrooms. Call us to schedule a visit:

Morristown

(973) 410-9669

Chatham

(973) 665-0071

Short Hills

(973) 258-1400

Montessori Musings