Books on Montessori

[CT Mommy]

Hi all-

My dd will be starting Montessori in the Fall and I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good book or two for parents on Montessori education and/or how to support/implement the philosophy at home (in terms of discipline, teaching new skills etc.). Let me know!

Nicole

[somanyjoys]

I tried reading The Absorbant Mind by Marie Montessori (and that would be the best one to read) but it would really hard for my mommy brain to follow.

I'd recommend Montessori From the Start.

For ideas of things to do at home, Small Beginnings or Mommy, Teach Me by Barbara Curtis are both great. Disclaimer: She is a Christian and that comes out in her books and methods. (I am too, so that is fine with me. I just know some people would be turned off by that.)

[honeybee]

Here's someone's amazon list of Montessori books. It may be helpful. I've read Montessori Today by Paula Polk Lillard. It explains the whole philosophy but focuses on the elementary classroom. She also wrote Montessori: A Modern Approach which focuses on the Children's House (preschool/K).

My favorite book, though, was Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius. That is more a look at how Montessori philosophy stacks up to the most recent scientific research about how children learn. I'm a math/ed major, so I loved looking at it from that viewpoint, and I learned a lot about the details of M philosophy in the process of reading it.

I've also picked up a few from the library that I've skimmed through that have M activities to do at home.

http://www.amazon.com/suggested-read...d_i=0939195046

[nkm1968]

Montessori Books

I love the Paula Polk Lillard books too. Also, "Our Peaceful Classroom", "Nurturing the Spirit", and "Look at the Child" (I think all are by Aline Wolf) are wonderful. My all time favorite Montessori book is "Children Who Are Not Yet Peaceful" by Donna Bryant Goetz. And also the Michael Olaf catalogues (Joyful Child, and Child of the World) are the best intros to Montessori for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school age children, and even useful stuff for teens!

[Boernemama]

Originally Posted by nkm1968

Also, "Our Peaceful Classroom", "Nurturing the Spirit", and "Look at the Child" (I think all are by Aline Wolf) are wonderful.

I agree! I love Nurturing the Spirit! It is a wonderful book and really helps you see the reasoning behind the "gracious and courteous" part of practical life.

[chekhovgirl]

This is a really simple book to start with and it has great pictures:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Amaz...1269377&sr=8-2

[honeybee]

Are any of those Aline Wolf books meant FOR the children? I want to find a story book to read to ds about going to school next fall. We have a "going to preschool" book from the library, but it doesn't really match what he's going to experience. The school isn't "noisy," and there won't be a big truck to drive around and play in (I'm really going to have to work on that one, because now ds will be expecting the truck!).

I found a book for children about Maria Montessori, but it was a much higher level than ds is ready for.

[nkm1968]

Books about montessori for children

Definitely Aline Wolf"s "Our Peaceful Classroom" is FOR children (any age) and there is also a chapter book at our library called "Mammolina" which is a biography of Montessori for probably 8 to 10 year olds. You could find "Our peaceful Classroom" either on Amazon, or through Montessori Services, which has a catalogue for families, or through Child of the World, the Michael Olaf catalogue. It also seems to be a staple in every Montessori classroom I've ever seen.