Getting started with Montessori

[holliebug]

We already use some of the ideas in our home.
However, I'd really like to apply more of the Montessori approach.
I did study Montessori in college when I got my Early Childcare & Education diploma (in Scotland) so I know a little about how Montessori works.
How do you apply it to your everyday living?

I would really love to put Hollie in a Montessori pre school, but the closest one to us only accepts children over three, so we will have to wait until December to look into it.

Is there a good book to read to help me at home?

[holliebug]

Thaks in advance! :thumb

[anotherKatrina]

I like this source...

www.michaelolaf.com

It has links to Montessori info and catalogs of Montessori materials you can order. The catalogs themselves are a wealth of infomation. They're beautiful and you can curl up in a chair and enjoy reading them! You can get many ideas for making Montessori a part of everyday life.

Enjoy!

[kaydee]

We got some nice materials from the Michael Olaf catalog, as well. But mostly, we just set things up in a child-friendly way: making the rooms safe for ds to explore, putting his things on low shelves, having a table and chair the right size for him, having books in a shelf at his level, facing out. We now have some sorting trays and I am putting various items in them. Our is is almost 2, and will be starting in a Montessori school in May. He'll be in the toddler transition room, which isn't wholly Montessori, but a more gradual introduction. I imagine I will get some more ideas there. I also believe that AMS sells a booklet called "Montessori in the Home."

[chfriend]

Here are the one's I've looked at:

Montessori from the start: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805211128/102-9929689-9316160?v=glance

Montessori Play and Learn

Montessori in the Home: The Preschool Years

Michael Olaf's Joyful Child

For materials for very young children, I found http://www.littleredrobin.com/ to be the cheapest.

There's also a yahoo group "montessori makers" for folks who want to it it themselves. It's based on the Flylady system, so can be a bit intense. They list these resources:

http://members.shaw.ca/montessori4all
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/playschool6
http://www.montessorimaterials.org
http://www.jmjpublishing.com

We like the materials here, but use a child-led approach, rather than any sort of "strict" Montessori at home...we homeschool.

Hope those help.