Silence Leads to a Calm & Peaceful Child and Work Time

Our world is extremely noisy.  As you sit in your home you might hear the television, music, video games, phones, and a number of appliances running.  The top selling toys are the ones that light up and make some kind of noise!   Outside there is noise from traffic, emergency sirens, planes, trains & wildlife.  Noise surrounds us and our children.  To experience silence is rare! 

Maria Montessori developed The Silence Game to test the hearing of children.

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AuthorDeborah Herrington

Toddler Introduction to Numbers

I am continually amazed at the concepts very young children can understand and master!  I was privileged to keep my little grandson while my daughter worked.  This arrangement was possible since the Montessori certification courses I teach are in the evenings and on Saturdays. Guiding him through learning was almost like breathing - it came so naturally!  Every moment with a toddler can be fun but also a learning opportunity!

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AuthorDeborah Herrington
CategoriesToddler, , Math
TagsIntroduction to Numbers, Sandpaper Letters

Fun Summer Activities

I wanted to share with you a few summer time activities to use in your classroom, summer camp program, or your home environment.  All of these activities are simple, low cost, fun, and brings joy into your summer schedule.  These are just a few of my favorite summer time activities.  Whatever you do remember to enjoy it, be creative, and have FUN!  When you are having fun the children are too!

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AuthorDeborah Herrington

Toddler Montessori Vocabulary Exercises

Every child has their own time table. Parents of more than one child already know this to be true - every child passes through the different phases of development at different rates. As parents and teachers, there are many things that we can do to aid the child through these phases.  The first, and perhaps the longest stage of development, is the development of language skills. 

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AuthorDeborah Herrington

The First Step to Teaching a Child to Read

The most often asked question that I receive is, “What is the best way to teach my child to read?”  The majority of parents and teachers realize that the most important gift you can give someone is the ability to read.  If a person can read, then they are capable of teaching themselves anything!  With access to well-stocked libraries and the advancement of the internet, the ability to search and read about any topic in just a few seconds is a reality.  Therefore reading is the single most powerful skill needed to educate yourself.

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AuthorDeborah Herrington

Extensions with the Sensorial Materials

The beauty of the Montessori method and the concrete materials is that there is an order within each activity itself.  The order in which the materials are presented is a progressive order of difficulty that challenges the child’s intellect, increases his attention span and hand and eye coordination.  Before there is any thought to variations we must remember first things first!  The child will need to have mastered the initial presentation with a material before being introduced to an extension or variation.  As the children progress through the materials then we can add variations and extensions as their interest increases.

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AuthorDeborah Herrington

Welcome to Montessori Plus

Welcome to the Montessori Plus Blog!  Our goal is to write and publish education articles for teachers and parents that reflect the joy and love of educating children through the Montessori Method.  We also want to offer Montessori materials at an affordable rate and some free materials for Montessori educators and parents.  We hope to be an encouragement and a source of information as you practice the Montessori method of education with the children in your life whether in a classroom or in your home!  Some of these articles are featured in our Monthly Newsletter in a downloadable format to distribute to your school for free! 

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Posted
AuthorDeborah Herrington

The Kindergarten Year, Public School or Montessori?

This is the time of year when parents of our four- and five-year-old children are trying to make the decision of staying in a Montessori classroom for their child’s kindergarten year or transitioning to public school.  This is a question that my husband and I debated with our first child.  If you decide to send your child to a traditional kindergarten class, it will be like receiving a raise in your income.  No more school tuition!  This decision is many times based on the budget of our households, but it is a decision that needs to be based on far more than money. 

In our Montessori environments the teacher knows your child’s strengths and weaknesses since your child has been in the same school for hopefully several years.  If you move your child to a public school kindergarten you will be stalling their learning!  The teachers in their new classroom will need time to get to know your child and in their curriculum, everyone learns the same thing at the same time starting with colors, shapes, numbers and sounds. 

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AuthorDeborah Herrington