[momofmine]

I love the MOntessori concepts, and we did a lot of Montessori stuff when my older ds was learning to read. I feel it gave him a super foundation. We had a math curriculum called Right Start, and although we didn't use it as a curriculum, we did play with the stuff a lot, and did some of the abacus, and I feel that learning to group numbers by 5s and 10s, that he got a good basis for understanding the beginnings of math and playing with numbers.

Now I am doing this all over again with ds2, and I am considering trying Shiller Math, or just reading about montessori math and trying to do it on my own. We don't exactly do curriculums, we just get the stuff and play games with it when the child wants to and is interested.

Is Shiller math really Montessori math? Any thoughts on what I'v said?

Thanks for any opinions!

 

[True Blue]

I didn't like it. It's very, very spiral and random. Like, one lesson you are doing north south east and west....the next adding....the next something like probability of shapes in a bag. It was really weird. I don't really recall montessori being like that. I think some of the concepts are based on it, but I didn't care for the way it was carried out. We got rid of it and got RightStart and LOVE it.

 

[momofmine]

Thank you! That's so funny, because Right Start is what we have! I really do like it too, it's just that we haven't used it for a long time, and so I was trying to decide whether to go back to that or try something new. I am really drawn to the Montessori math stuff.

I'm glad to hear you like Right Start. Here is my dilemma. My son is 9 now. We haven't really done anything with it for a few years, so I feel like I need to go back and pick up where we left off (lessons B), but that would be so easy for him. He has picked up a lot of math since then, and we've done other things. Yet, I don't want to skip ahead, because math is one of those things that I think it's important to not have any holes in the foundation. Maybe we'll just go back and very work through things, for understanding.

 

[True Blue]

I think they have a trasitions lessons version....for kids kind of switching into RS...maybe that would help, and be more easier (for you especially) than sifting through all the lessons in B?

 

[tankgirl73]

You could do the 'placement test' at the alabacus website, or call their customer service to find out what level he should be in -- they're VERY helpful in nailing that down. It could be that it would be best to go through level B and just go very quickly through the easier stuff, or it could be that he can go straight into C or D with what he's learned in the meantime.

If it's C or D, then yes you would need to do the transitions lessons first. Those are designed for the more advanced child starting in RightStart after doing other math programs previously, to introduce them to the concepts and the RS way of doing things. Your case is slightly different, since he has done some RS before, so again there would probably be some transition lessons that would be skimmed over quickly. But it would 'catch him up' on anything he might be lacking in before going to the higher level.

We've just switched DS10 to RightStart. We're doing level E even though it's technically "going backwards" for him, but he needs some reinforcement of certain concepts. We did the Transitions and it was sooooooooooo wonderful, now we're into level E then will do Geometry.

DD is only 2, and I'm doing a lot of Montessori things with her. We definitely will be using RS with her when she decides she wants to 'do math'.

Did you know the author was a Montessori teacher? I find the method to be VERY congruent with Montessori principles, it's not exactly like Montessori math of course but I do see lots of overlap, and of course it's all spelled out for the parent so I don't have to learn all the fiddly little details to do montessori math myself!

 

[momofmine]

That is so helpful, thank you! I know, I love the Montessori math concepts, but I think, where do I even start? I look longingly on ebay at all the beautiful Montessori math materials, but I don't even know what to buy.

I've tried doing some RS with my 4 yo, and sometimes he goes for it, but most of the time he doesn't want to do the "lesson" he just wants to play with the manipulatives. And I feel like I am sitting there trying to read the book and convince him to do it with me in a fun way. Any suggestions??

One thing my 4 yo does not like is when I try calling the numbers "one ten one" for eleven, etc. he can't count consistently all the way to twenty yet, but he does know those aren't the words most people use, and he wants to know the "real" name. So I've just been saying both. Do you think will still work? I'll say the RS name first, and then say, "We also call that eleven."

I may try that placement test on the site, thank you, I didn't even know that was there. On the one hand, I feel like quickly making our way through B and then moving on, just because we haven't done any formal math lessons. He does a LOT of math by playing games, going to a math club, just asking me as things come up, etc. For example, he is really into aerodynamics, so the other day we were doing algebra and figuring distance/time/rate formulas. He definitely really "gets" math, and picks it up quickly, it's just how his brain works I think. But, I just want to be sure the foundation is there and solid, b/c that is what I didn't get, and in college I really had to go back and learn basic stuff before I finally started 'getting' math myself.

They are also very helpful. you are right. I emailed the author several years ago when I first bought it and she emailed me back right away and was very thorough.

 

[hippiemommaof4]

we're probably going to switch to montessori, where do you guys get your supplies I need lower elementry level stuff. I've only found one site to purchase from I need curriculum.

 

[momofmine]

I found some great Montessori math books in the library. Well, not just math, but sort of all things Montessori, with math stuff in it. Then I just looked on ebay and found a lot of stuff WAY cheaper than the Montessori sites. You may even be able to find some stuff gently used. It's pretty pricey.

I may buy a few Montessori math materials for DS (4), because they are just so beautiful and make sense, but I think I am going to stick with the Right Start for the bulk of it. Because I just have a hard time piecing everyting together with the math, without having some kind of "Montessori teachers' lesson plan" to know that I am not missing anything and doing things in the most logical order.

 

[hippiemommaof4]

Quote:

Originally Posted by momofmine I found some great Montessori math books in the library. Well, not just math, but sort of all things Montessori, with math stuff in it. Then I just looked on ebay and found a lot of stuff WAY cheaper than the Montessori sites. You may even be able to find some stuff gently used. It's pretty pricey. I may buy a few Montessori math materials for DS (4), because they are just so beautiful and make sense, but I think I am going to stick with the Right Start for the bulk of it. Because I just have a hard time piecing everyting together with the math, without having some kind of "Montessori teachers' lesson plan" to know that I am not missing anything and doing things in the most logical order.

yeah I pretty much need the structure of the curriculum and our library has very few homeschooling items/books etc . I am pretty certain I wont have any luck there. I really need some websites...I found one that looks really good for curriculum www.newchildmontessori.com , if anyone has ordered from there I would be interested in hearing about it too. We have a curriculum we paid an outrageous amt for (sonlight) and it hasnt worked for us at all its way too advanced for my kindy kid and literature heavy which sadly she isnt interested in yet.

 

[momofmine]

Yes, I hear you. You might try posting a thread over in the Montessori forum. Actually, come to think of it, I wonder if that is where I saw the Montessori homeschooling thread. But, I have looked at www.montessorimom.com, and it seemed to have some good stuff, even templates and things you can print out to make some of your own materials.

As for the library, I don't know about yours, but at our library, patrons can request books fr the library to buy. Every time I have requested they buy a book, I give a good reason why I think it would be a great book for the library to have, and they have always gotten it. It's been great.

 

[tankgirl73]

Another thing to remember with Montessori math, is that all those products are designed for a classroom with many kids. Not every child will use every tool -- there is such a wide variety of tools and types of things that different kids with different learning needs will use different sets of activities. Some are pretty 'standard' and essential, many others are "optional" depending on the child. Several different activities will be reinforcing the same basic concepts.

So if you're running a Montessori classroom, you want this huge variety for all your kids. Just homeschooling one or a couple, you don't need them all. And figuring out which you do need and which you don't, is a real challenge!

Anyway, websites for Montessori stuff -- first of all, try the MontessoriSwap yahoo group, as well as MontessoriMakers. There's a lot of stuff you can make at home for much cheaper than buying them. Sometimes it's not AS nice, or it's even very different, but still accomplishes the same learning goals. montessorimaterials.org and montessorimom.com have instructions and templates for making things at home.

For the actual materials, try:
montessoriequipment.com
montessori-n-such.com
affordmontessori.com

Shoot, there are a couple other good cheap ones out there but I can't find the links...

Then there's www.montessorifortheearth.com -- Lisa Nolan is a Montessori teacher and she's developed homeschool programs you can use, based on the Montessori approach with all the planning work done for you. You buy a year's access to the right age section of her site, you can also opt to buy email consulting/help from her. I did buy her age 2-3 resources, and I find them okay... some very useful information and good instructions, but MOSTLY it's stuff I've found elsewhere on the internet for free. But she does have stuff for up to age 9, and beyond preschool there is MUCH less information so it might be more worth it beyond there.