tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50216718442247190602024-03-13T03:27:15.195-04:00The Montessori AdvisorI am a lifelong educator and I owned a Montessori preschool and Kindergarten from 2009-2015 in Columbus, Ohio. I am also a mother of a Montessori raised middle school daughter and Casa son. Often parents come to me for advice based on how I am raising my children. This blog is a way to convey some of that advice.Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-30465480515854553552022-12-10T12:43:00.001-05:002022-12-10T12:43:48.638-05:00Toddler Montessori Gifts<p> </p><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_-126312473472268002layout" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="m_-126312473472268002column m_-126312473472268002scale m_-126312473472268002stack" style="margin: 0px; width: 580px;" valign="top"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_-126312473472268002layout" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="m_-126312473472268002column m_-126312473472268002scale m_-126312473472268002stack" style="margin: 0px; width: 580px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_-126312473472268002text" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" class="m_-126312473472268002text_content-cell m_-126312473472268002content-padding-horizontal" style="display: block; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 10px 20px;" valign="top"><p style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzU0ci9agf9Oogw6sOlS3MZYNdBJPJrk_-lSXfibshkz0uv-jUofmq7xiMxL_dIIsgMgDVxBahHAD4Xdqb_W-meUTQO1QRk1ZO8RJufBdvl3oXWDo6pQQHGxfIcdZhMKVK3eykk3JVDgEwGKlvpNBF7yTCkxhzKTcQ7JzE9PVjHuStk7AWEvxI4udbQ/s800/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzU0ci9agf9Oogw6sOlS3MZYNdBJPJrk_-lSXfibshkz0uv-jUofmq7xiMxL_dIIsgMgDVxBahHAD4Xdqb_W-meUTQO1QRk1ZO8RJufBdvl3oXWDo6pQQHGxfIcdZhMKVK3eykk3JVDgEwGKlvpNBF7yTCkxhzKTcQ7JzE9PVjHuStk7AWEvxI4udbQ/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">“The absorbent mind is indeed a marvelous gift to humanity! By merely 'living' and without conscious effort the individual absorbs from the environment even a complex cultural achievement like language. If this essential mental form existed in the adult, how much easier would our studies be!”</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16px;">Maria Montessori</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f%3D001t-3EBmrUOfURsc9Q2cX1N9lnwKMbAtevNmT5C6gWo9viTSp9woH75T3GGWhfghwxWBnLMlpZU7LLcUwI8ilE-fDvoMeHsgeNvioVf3OeYa6jS2MPx_A9g18O5_yLUICyD8RNEl7nLEQDb3TA02qQTIvHgLKzINW8JeB3m-CgT5c10kw66AGH1h8aaqbPWNPLHmAc5sT0DutbgSqZXU37IQ%3D%3D%26c%3DhiYedWqbHI0-4R1VMLpIXXU4MPIc5SyrlJg809HfzMvWezxPiJbUSA%3D%3D%26ch%3DIfxaNHBAtE4EH-bXncnsBxbH4ZZg5dGSEpky6AYn_ud8g7Lr3iZzFA%3D%3D&source=gmail&ust=1670381807222000&usg=AOvVaw20UBsMsOpL7gAvzP30yf4R" href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001t-3EBmrUOfURsc9Q2cX1N9lnwKMbAtevNmT5C6gWo9viTSp9woH75T3GGWhfghwxWBnLMlpZU7LLcUwI8ilE-fDvoMeHsgeNvioVf3OeYa6jS2MPx_A9g18O5_yLUICyD8RNEl7nLEQDb3TA02qQTIvHgLKzINW8JeB3m-CgT5c10kw66AGH1h8aaqbPWNPLHmAc5sT0DutbgSqZXU37IQ==&c=hiYedWqbHI0-4R1VMLpIXXU4MPIc5SyrlJg809HfzMvWezxPiJbUSA==&ch=IfxaNHBAtE4EH-bXncnsBxbH4ZZg5dGSEpky6AYn_ud8g7Lr3iZzFA==" style="color: black; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Formation of Man</a><span style="color: black; font-size: 16px;">, p. 64</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Because the best gift is their absorbent mind, we don't need to stress too much about getting holiday gifts that our children will love. Less is more, too many items on the toy shelf makes concentration difficult. Instead, focus their gifts on ways that you can involve them in family life. What can enable them to help you in the kitchen? The yard? From the For Small Hands website (a Montessori store at </span><span style="font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://www.forsmallhands.com/</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">) I would recommend:</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">D460: Pizza Making Tools</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">D312: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f%3D001t-3EBmrUOfURsc9Q2cX1N9lnwKMbAtevNmT5C6gWo9viTSp9woH75cfux94dRFAjAbw8E3PXT65sx9KUhMmQgd-RkBd3WKr7JdxSLeU89_DZ5gtoJxl-Dt2c7FqJ2dyL0pdHSPgMxoztk8ZT5ynbCmVX5aV05K6tAvy660MR1ZS58cY2u5mDKCUOr-8chLL11Ugvh3CZGeTx3LW2QYIlTA%3D%3D%26c%3DhiYedWqbHI0-4R1VMLpIXXU4MPIc5SyrlJg809HfzMvWezxPiJbUSA%3D%3D%26ch%3DIfxaNHBAtE4EH-bXncnsBxbH4ZZg5dGSEpky6AYn_ud8g7Lr3iZzFA%3D%3D&source=gmail&ust=1670381807222000&usg=AOvVaw3QE0Yu92UXBXPc8liYJXYw" href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001t-3EBmrUOfURsc9Q2cX1N9lnwKMbAtevNmT5C6gWo9viTSp9woH75cfux94dRFAjAbw8E3PXT65sx9KUhMmQgd-RkBd3WKr7JdxSLeU89_DZ5gtoJxl-Dt2c7FqJ2dyL0pdHSPgMxoztk8ZT5ynbCmVX5aV05K6tAvy660MR1ZS58cY2u5mDKCUOr-8chLL11Ugvh3CZGeTx3LW2QYIlTA==&c=hiYedWqbHI0-4R1VMLpIXXU4MPIc5SyrlJg809HfzMvWezxPiJbUSA==&ch=IfxaNHBAtE4EH-bXncnsBxbH4ZZg5dGSEpky6AYn_ud8g7Lr3iZzFA==" style="color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Fruit Wedger / Corer with Push Plate</a></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">D108: Mini Masher</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">D349: Mini Bamboo Cutting Board</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">D317: Red Mini Whisk</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">D104: Wavy Chopper</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">D327: Wood Handled Spreader</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">D316: Swiss Vegetable Peeler</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">D350: Mini Colander Set</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">D234: Mini Cupcake Set</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">G274: Glass Pitcher with Lid</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">D513: First Glass Set</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">PL451: Window Washing Activity</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">Q25: Children's Corn Broom</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">W42: Hardwood Clothesline Stand</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">Q70: Lamb's wool Duster</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">Q56: Whisk Broom and Dustpan Set</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">Q86: Natural Sweep Carpet Sweeper</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">SC616: Metal Leaf Rake</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">Q40: <span class="il">Child</span> Size Snow Shovel</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">SC813: Lil' True Temper Wheelbarrow</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">SC403: Lil' Gardener Tool Set</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">SC679: Mini Galvanized Watering Can</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">SC561: Plastic Compost Bin</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">SC211: Terra <span class="il">Kids</span> Beaker Magnifier</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">A275: Crayon Rocks</span></p><p align="center" style="color: #7b6e65; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">R294: Unplugged Play-<span class="il">Toddler</span></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-47979691700213159902022-12-06T20:57:00.000-05:002022-12-06T20:57:25.833-05:00Use This! Not That!<p> </p><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129layout" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="m_8007440107393923129column m_8007440107393923129scale m_8007440107393923129stack" style="margin: 0px; width: 580px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129text" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" class="m_8007440107393923129text_content-cell m_8007440107393923129content-padding-horizontal" style="color: #7b6e65; display: block; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 10px 20px;" valign="top"><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold;">USE THIS...NOT THAT!</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129layout" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="m_8007440107393923129column m_8007440107393923129scale m_8007440107393923129stack" style="margin: 0px; width: 193.975px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-scale m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-center" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="m_8007440107393923129image_container m_8007440107393923129content-padding-horizontal" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 10px 20px;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="CToWUd a6T" data-bit="iit" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjGAWNOy5clGVNnYxFsvXR5KcrKEtS8_vYYeyf9menM422PfaC8gg_VemBFx50uCDyKMM_-8aZH2ChNH4jXk_WWBfc1xbfN_-luV-wWXkGAlMITVx6ts-yuIPzlacx8FHNkRD3iXliuBnWmQJQISEfUzg2c9_Ir3BcvihrDOsQUWbLuKW9rB-8lBeDcjoejmOAJobVqGUE_Z72Plk3NLfA=s0-d-e1-ft" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="174" /></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129text" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" class="m_8007440107393923129text_content-cell m_8007440107393923129content-padding-horizontal" style="color: #7b6e65; display: block; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 10px 0px 10px 20px;" valign="top"><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">USE THIS!</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">Young children are working hard on hand eye coordination and using utensils with proper manners. Eating from a cup or bowl with a spoon provides a multitude of benefits. </span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">Pouches are certainly easy, but do not provides any skills for the <span class="il">child</span>. Save these for road trip snacks.</span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">NOT THAT!</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-scale m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-center" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="m_8007440107393923129image_container m_8007440107393923129content-padding-horizontal" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 10px 20px;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="CToWUd a6T" data-bit="iit" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgD2cPh1fr1u9OMxM0IXJwUL6MbUUdwAPQrStY0u9LfiC31PzuQC-jFKRO8ncfO0AcqQ48QD6iZUp14Yp2SaDj15glX4OTg8JHES2RwmSsmG3JVfiXYjk9OWjRNo7ZYC9LkYTZxgCKqhYsHcHf0uOvbQi4T0bAsBJaL1AgEDlLY0vJWrpQF8SEHwo6Dc4OSKCQFzPnZXMqcmm0uXIPBvuI=s0-d-e1-ft" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="173" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td align="center" class="m_8007440107393923129column m_8007440107393923129scale m_8007440107393923129stack" style="margin: 0px; width: 193.975px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-scale m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-center" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="m_8007440107393923129image_container m_8007440107393923129content-padding-horizontal" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="CToWUd a6T" data-bit="iit" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiN8Fw1nvDkGK019BRH9q9-gMntI5-9BYSoT8ui8vwopa-V6QDRcuD_Jxsc06KAhKR0gdI4GhIgNi_0LqY_snZIOS_09DV1F8JBoY_bqZZMoHiWM0kOZqTDKOpmQeVm2xhiKCdvQ8PPZdPfV0IaiobgoEAUoVgPENIvMCEyA6AWufVg9AF9_d3-wrwRuquZ0h7JKusZeHwUF_eTsx0UA2Q=s0-d-e1-ft" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="168" /></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129text" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" class="m_8007440107393923129text_content-cell m_8007440107393923129content-padding-horizontal" style="color: #7b6e65; display: block; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 10px;" valign="top"><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">USE THIS!</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">Young children play hard outside running and climbing, and sturdy, fastened shoes are a must to enable us to play like we need to. Plus, they get really annoyed when mulch or gravel gets into our open shoes. It cuts down on their playtime getting mulch out!</span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">Sandals and croc-type shoes are easy to slip on and off, but are best left to the beaches (croc-type shoes are perfectly servicable for indoor slippers).</span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">NOT THAT!</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-scale m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-center" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="m_8007440107393923129image_container m_8007440107393923129content-padding-horizontal" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="CToWUd a6T" data-bit="iit" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhXGH-Z8nFy7BmnvPNOKD-jEJ1qdCmDUjQAWAUk3knYghrVD-zJJBUJebtTZaUOAOM_pBOQR8_juqWXuMRLGWPuiUWkng7aHbsnWyVi9YDuHZ-SDPlAxReT1RHEPuHTrHbc_YAJJNm5ic_Rk8KTbQw4UtgzgRu1AFFAHv4veVcFWDp7DXiJwC9jkHQONzHJO00mH3BJMaAi2TGOd4dBhwI=s0-d-e1-ft" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="173" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td align="center" class="m_8007440107393923129column m_8007440107393923129scale m_8007440107393923129stack" style="margin: 0px; width: 192.05px;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-scale m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-center" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="m_8007440107393923129image_container m_8007440107393923129content-padding-horizontal" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px 20px 10px 0px;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="CToWUd a6T" data-bit="iit" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhpT-f5UfxhaDLI8d2HV2Rd2KHtB3EV5ls8a6fXp0TfhPevSABwp73Ncf00JLoDDXMPPZymzrKFNehfWKWV6hDP7AJoBBeTS_Rg_jhWCFGu8bV2sWiPpvq5zBSSez6R2ssTeFAqfGT3li5InFHrYNKhL4FeiI3qVSpxlGBKLexSfKekRmMBEkLtASRfvDKls78jtE_dnzWHGGSHCyFTApo=s0-d-e1-ft" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="172" /></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129text" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" class="m_8007440107393923129text_content-cell m_8007440107393923129content-padding-horizontal" style="color: #7b6e65; display: block; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 10px 20px 10px 0px;" valign="top"><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">USE THIS!</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">You can use absorbent pads on furniture in case of accidents, this allows children to feel wet and understand when they should have gone to the bathroom. These are also a great choice for the car rides to and from school.</span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14px;">Pull-ups do not allow children to feel wet, and teaches them to ignore their body's signals. It is also confusing to a <span class="il">child</span> that sometimes when they release they feel wet, and other times they do not. Save pull-ups for nighttime sleep, which requires the hormone ADH (antidiurectic hormone) to be fully developed in order to wake up dry. </span></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">NOT THAT!</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-scale m_8007440107393923129image--mobile-center" style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" class="m_8007440107393923129image_container m_8007440107393923129content-padding-horizontal" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px 20px 10px 0px;" valign="top"><img alt="" class="CToWUd" data-bit="iit" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjFWQSGD5rkVo60AOkGy6NeEbNRXFCqDN3itbkVjmgyBIGnLml6mMjfIVYdB0hBryyPL6wZXpiSj0CRLQ_iY5Ihed1IgMOQ0MzSyEHXurlXAlIiQKVuDN_KE4tVewb77VBLAYQVD6ritXm_ardVzuGB2zHLxp7ix_RMQD5J6LtSyt2fXq6BUCQUvuzyC51OPjm9pHe3YRM4r3d9mPvoPh4=s0-d-e1-ft" style="display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="200" /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-16554808546883555382020-01-26T19:51:00.000-05:002020-01-26T19:51:58.310-05:00Young Infant "Toys"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRHBcKw3udawvd8_mLATxBekY7gdOGqbk9tWHW8_Qo0Ml58aHq7FeFl6Ds1DfLbkdzK_iaNoHUICtYJ7GKG8tMLwXYn-pHKA5hFqTvqLQuocEBAQ8pzGPe1graxrcYvY2OHJvwR3Zi9Tm/s1600/IMG_6490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="746" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRHBcKw3udawvd8_mLATxBekY7gdOGqbk9tWHW8_Qo0Ml58aHq7FeFl6Ds1DfLbkdzK_iaNoHUICtYJ7GKG8tMLwXYn-pHKA5hFqTvqLQuocEBAQ8pzGPe1graxrcYvY2OHJvwR3Zi9Tm/s320/IMG_6490.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Reposted from my Moonlight Blog: March 30, 2017</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Hi Tammy!</span></div>
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I’m looking for some recommendations from a Montessori perspective of fun activities and play time to do with an infant. She is 6 weeks old and I want to keep her appropriately stimulated (not over or under stimulated) with things that her brain can actually process at this age and the coming weeks. Do you have any tips?</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Hello!</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">For six week old, a generally recommend a soft, but firm place to lay on her back and observe. A futon mattress works well. I like to place it in a place where she can have one nice view (like where she could see out a bank of windows to outside), and if she turned her head the other way it is a blank wall. This will provide her with a self-selected break if she chooses. </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">In the first 3 months we use the mobile series. I have linked to the DIY versions (thank you, to Rachael at Little Red Farm and Meg from Sew Liberated). You can also buy either assembled or unassembled versions on Etsy. They are not very commercially available, we make them in teacher training.</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">The Visual Mobile Series</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (these are used for baby to look at, and should always be kept out of reach):</span></div>
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<a href="http://michaelolaf.com/store/product12.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Mobile hanger</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wee-Gallery-Cards-Baby-Collection/dp/B001CBAJBQ?th=1" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Black and white pictures</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (0-4 weeks)</span></div>
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<figure class="wp-caption alignright" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #6b6b6b; display: inline; float: right; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 10px 0px 20px 20px; max-width: 100%; width: 236px;"><a href="https://i1.wp.com/s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/dc/8d/7c/dc8d7c578e69517190b7978f1ab89c78.jpg?ssl=1" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;"><img class="size-medium" height="174" scale="0.8888888955116272" src-orig="https://i1.wp.com/s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/dc/8d/7c/dc8d7c578e69517190b7978f1ab89c78.jpg?resize=236%2C174&ssl=1" src="https://i1.wp.com/s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/dc/8d/7c/dc8d7c578e69517190b7978f1ab89c78.jpg?zoom=0.8888888955116272&resize=236%2C174&ssl=1" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/dc/8d/7c/dc8d7c578e69517190b7978f1ab89c78.jpg?zoom=0.8888888955116272&resize=236%2C174&ssl=1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top;" width="236" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="background: rgb(242, 242, 242); box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 10px;">Visual Mobiles</figcaption></figure><br />
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<a href="http://www.littleredfarm.com/2011/10/homemade-munari-mobile-tutorial.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Munari Mobile</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (3-6 weeks)</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.littleredfarm.com/2011/11/octahedron-mobile-tutorial.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Octahedron Mobile</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (5-8 weeks)</span></div>
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<a href="http://sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/2009/07/the-gobbi-mobile.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">The Gobbi mobile </a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">(7-10 weeks)</span></div>
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<a href="http://texashealthmoms.blogspot.ca/2012/03/dancer-mobile.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Dancers Mobile</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (8-12 weeks)</span></div>
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<a href="http://michaelolaf.com/store/product32.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Flowing Rhythm Mobile</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (8-12 weeks)</span></div>
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<a href="http://michaelolaf.com/store/product31.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Butterflies</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (10-16 weeks)</span></div>
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<a href="http://michaelolaf.com/store/product34.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Hummingbirds</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (10-16 weeks)</span></div>
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<a href="http://michaelolaf.com/store/product13.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Mother and baby whales</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (10-16 weeks)</span></div>
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<a href="http://montessorihomes.blogspot.com/2011/04/long-awaited-toy-tripod.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Tripod mobile hanger </a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">(can be used with or without mat, also available to purchase)</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/177225205/gift-set-of-2-montessori-baby-mobiles-in?ref=shop_home_active_5" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Bell on a Ribbon</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (12-16 weeks)</span></div>
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<a href="http://michaelolaf.com/store/product1046.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Wooden ring on elastic</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (12-16 weeks)</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.beginningmontessori.com/primary-colours-mobile/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Primary colours mobile</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (12-18 weeks)</span></div>
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<a href="http://michaelolaf.com/store/product1045.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">Wooden musical mobile</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> (16-20 weeks)</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Then I also use a tented cloth on her side (the side that is more “stimulating”). She can reach for it and eventually work on grabbing it. That is basically a cloth of firmish material (a washcloth works) that you pull up in the center so it looks like pyramid).</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit;">I HIGHLY recommend the book </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Joyful-Child-Montessori-Global-Wisdom/dp/1879264102" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">The Joyful Child</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">, by Susan Stephenson. Her </span><a href="http://michaelolaf.net/BirthYearOne.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #f5908a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.5s ease 0s;">website </a><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">is also a wealth of information.</span></div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-58480252260600850472020-01-08T20:52:00.001-05:002020-01-08T20:52:49.661-05:00Natural Consequences and Toddler Clean-up Expectations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Reposted from my Moonlight Blog: April 12, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Question from FaceBook:</span> How do you handle when toddlers refuse to put things away? Mine just turned two and we are trying to get her to put her toys away when she’s done with them. Sometime she does it really really well, and other times she just refuses. The natural consequence I’ve been using is that she doesn’t get to play with those toys anymore and they go away in the closet and she says bye-bye. But that doesn’t seem to be making too much of an impact. What do you guys suggest for this?</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Answer:</span> This expectation would not be developmentally appropriate. They will not begin doing this consistently until much later (in school, this is one of the signs that they are ready for the 3-6 classroom). I model cleanup, invite them to join me, but it is not an expectation. At home we would encourage families to keep the toys out to a minimum (between 9 and 12 activities). Try to not have big buckets of toys, such as giant buckets of blocks. With those toys have 10 or so pieces out only. Taking the toys away would be considered a punishment, which we try to avoid. In this situation, the natural consequence is to have a mess to look at, a toy that gets stepped on and hurts someone, or gets stepped on and broken. As I am modeling clean up, I mention these consequences as the reason I am cleaning up.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">The adult keeps the order, the child internalizes it, then they begin to keep the order themselves eventually.</span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Q: Thanks so much for this clarification. One of the problem is that toys are indeed a big bag of blocks. She loves to dump them all out and then sort of organize them, but then it’s always a struggle to put them away. I will try giving her just 10 pieces. So in that case, does that count as one toy and then she can also have a handful of other choices? Right now we’re doing a lot of puzzles and sets of things like animals that are magnetic. So each toy has a lot of little parts. What should I do in terms of how many of those to have out at a time?</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">A:</span> The group of ten counts as one one activity. For animals I keep 5 or 6 out as one activity. One puzzle is out. One or two books (and I count that in my nine). If most things have multiple pieces I try to stay closer to the 9 mark than 12.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Q:</span> Thank you so much! It makes total sense, now that you pointed it out, that taking the toy away was not a natural consequence. That feels much better to me to just ask her to clean up and do it for her for now. We are also struggling with the obedience aspect. I know that cooperation not obedience is the goal, and I love that. But at what point does it become not OK for your child to flat out disobey you? Only in issues of safety? What do I say if she says no when I ask her to do something?</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">A:</span> I actually don’t even think cooperation is a goal. It is nice when it happens, but it also isn’t a developmentally appropriate expectation at this age. Try to reframe your thinking from disobedience, to “acting in ways that are age appropriate”. They cannot really disobey at this age, they are acting in large part on impulse. Even if they “know” a rule, even can repeat it back, they often cannot help themselves from not following the rule to satisfy curiosity or another internal need. As they develop this impulse control they may start “disobeying”, but this typically happens around three or so and is another sign that they are ready to move from a toddler environment to a 3-6 environment. It shows that they are leaving the unconscious absorbent mind period and are entering the conscious absorbent mind period.</div>
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In my classroom, I stop a child from doing something that falls into the category of the four Ds.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">The Four Ds</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Destruction</span> When something could be broken or pieces lost.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Disruption</span> Such that it is truly bothering another, rather than something could potentially bother someone.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Disrespect</span> Being unkind</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Danger</span> Being unsafe for oneself or another. I do make a distinction between safety like you might have to go to a hospital or could die , which I always stop, and minor injuries, like you could fall or pinch fingers, etc. I will often allow those types of “risky” behavior.</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-23052758273322019242020-01-04T21:15:00.002-05:002020-01-04T21:15:42.374-05:00The Bird Takes Flight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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{Reposted from my Moonlight Blog, 8/28/2017}</div>
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Today is my son’s first day of school away from me. He is three, and I have had a classroom at our home for him for the last year and we are raising him in a Montessori home. I am not saddened by this transition, or worried that he is too young or will not be able to handle being away from me. Rather, I am excited for his future. I am excited for him to become attached to another caregiver, an adult that he can trust and learn from. I am excited for him to make friends, and I am even excited for him to have arguments with other children and the resulting lessons he will learn from those interactions. We dropped him off and then we left. We did not linger, we are not spending our time watching him through the observation windows.</div>
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The most important thing when your child starts school is TRUST. I was deliberate in my choice of his school. I researched, I visited, asked important questions about how the classrooms ran and the certifications of the teachers. I talked to past parents at the school.So now I trust that they will do what is in his best interest and in the best interest of the community of learners.</div>
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As a school owner, I have seen that families often cause unwitting stress on the school relationship. This in turn puts stress on the child and inhibits the child’s growth. The two issues I come across most often is 1) The families do not want their child to be growing up and see the child as still a baby and incapable and 2) The families do not trust that someone else will do things like they do it.</div>
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One of the primary differences between Montessori and other philosophies of education is that we start from the place that a child is inherently capable. From the time of birth the child has within him all he needs to construct himself.</div>
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“At birth, the child leaves a person- his mother’s womb- and this makes him independent of her bodily functions. The baby is next endowed with an urge, or need, to face the out world and to absorb it. We might say that he is born with the ‘psychology of world conquest’. By absorbing what he finds about him, he forms his own personality.” (The Absorbent Mind, Chapter 7, p. 88).</div>
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This child is not ours to mold into who we want him or her to be. Rather, the child MUST construct himself as he is. And to do this the child needs rich experiences.</div>
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No, no other person will care for your child like you do. Not even your partner. Part of the rich experiences a child needs are allowing other caregivers to be a part of our children’s lives. Research has shown that children do well with more than one caregiver: “In the Study of Early Child Care, when quality and type of care were controlled for along with family background, children exposed to large amounts of care were at increased risk for attachment insecurity only if their mothers were highly insensitive.” (<span class="meta-citation-journal-name" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. </span><span class="meta-citation" style="box-sizing: inherit;">2007;161(7):669-676. doi:10.1001/archpedi.161.7.669. </span>Retrieved from: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/570794). Throughout a child’s life they will have to learn how to deal with all sorts of people. Through our carefully chosen network of people we allow into our children’s lives, we can give our children practice in this. And there are many positives besides experiences. Try as we might, we are not impartial observers of our own children. We have biases, both positive and negative, that can blind us to some of the realities of our children. We need outside sources to push past these biases to allow our child to reach their full potential. As parents, we have strengths and weaknesses that affect how and what we can teach our children. Having a bigger variety of caregivers will allow our children to capitalize on other adults’ knowledge and experiences.</div>
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So fly my little bird. The sky is the limit for you and I am so excited to be a witness to your journey.</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-58689571185123429502019-10-18T17:29:00.000-04:002019-10-18T17:29:22.063-04:00Last week was...interesting...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new cleaning fish rocks work!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "avenir next" , "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">My assistant was out last week due to a stomach bug. I was fine by myself during the class because we only have seven students, which is within Ohio's ratio rules for one teacher. At lunchtime, a substitute/floater teacher came in to relieve me (I leave at 12:15 to pick my son up from his school). I get a text in the evening, "What do I do if egg shells get in the fish tank?" Apparently, while she was helping a student in the bathroom, another student decided to test the boundaries, and take fistfuls of crushed eggshells from our eggshell crushing work. Then the next morning while I was netting the rocks and eggshells out of the fish tank with some students the egg shells went down the toilet (then later a pair of socks) by the same student. The student walked quickly to the bathroom, and it looked as it he was clenching his cheeks because he really had to go to the bathroom. I thought very little of it because he it toileting independently. But then I heard laughter from the bathroom. So, I went to check and sure enough, the student had put a fistful of shells in the toilet, as well As a result, the students responsible for the toilet today were not permitted to walk freely in the classroom for the remainder of work period, I brought them works they requested to the table. Then they worked on picking up the egg shells that were on the floor. The egg shell work is being removed from the classroom (hopefully after this testing phase is over we can add it back, because the ultimate goal is to make chalk with the egg shells). In addition, tomorrow the rocks from the aquarium will be dry and the students that were dumping the egg shells in the aquarium will spend tomorrow removing the shells from the rocks so we can put the rocks back in the aquarium. Another new rule will be that they may not close the bathroom door for privacy. They had been trustworthy up to this point in the bathroom, but with the bathroom experiments today we’ll put another layer of security on this. This is a great teachable moment. Our rules exist for a reason (to keep the fish safe, to not break the toilet) and to break those rules have consequences that aren’t fun. Breathe...</span></div>
Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-83978795959826794082019-01-28T17:13:00.000-05:002019-01-28T17:13:13.686-05:00My Monthly Art Gallery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haddon Sundblom, "Fireside Santa", 1930s</td></tr>
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One of the differences between Montessori and traditional preschool is how we decorate the classroom. We do not use posters, alphabets, etc. The beauty and simplicity of the classroom is one of our hallmarks. It allows the focus to stay on the materials and the children.<br />
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For my classroom, I also try make the decor in the classroom meaningful, a reflection of what the children are seeing in the world around them, as well as a way to introduce art and famous artists. In my Montessori training I remember a story about a child looking at a famous painting with Dr. Montessori. Dr. Montessori was looking at it as most adults do, but the child saw minute, seemingly insignificant, details (a mouse in the corner) because they looked at it with different eyes.<br />
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Admittedly, this is a new area for me, as I am not well versed in the area of art and art appreciation. So, I am constantly learning. And I look forward to being able to offer my students other art outside of paintings. But I am starting where I know a little (December was my first month of trying this art gallery).<br />
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<b>December Art Gallery</b></div>
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I am starting with the painting above, as it was the students' favorite in the gallery this month. Really, the only one that they took notice of. This is the Coca Cola Santa, created in the 1930s that everyone has adopted as the look of Santa (red coat and hat, rosy cheeks, etc). Sundblom said he based the look on the 1823 poem "A Visit From Saint Nicholas" (what we now call "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"), and used his neighbor, a postal worker, as the model. The children definitely noticed his shoes were off and all of their questions had to do with that.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUo-kLIv5xTQtkOfKdgADLyzFPaFCpSqlrMoY02GLaUNJfDTYfccLFIS-hQiClwyz2j9jOnbLX83a1MVXicyXpOL6rgt-OJ18wgyI8qeN_hZJVrorsaoFpMDlrl8xgSTkIsVqV3LyWmFPs/s1600/IMG_1159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUo-kLIv5xTQtkOfKdgADLyzFPaFCpSqlrMoY02GLaUNJfDTYfccLFIS-hQiClwyz2j9jOnbLX83a1MVXicyXpOL6rgt-OJ18wgyI8qeN_hZJVrorsaoFpMDlrl8xgSTkIsVqV3LyWmFPs/s320/IMG_1159.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"The Christmas Tree", Alexei Mikhailovich, 1910</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Hwem39UeMLSi8zE84DTJe5yc-245Zz1QtZvyJUP-uMKNUKzKf7SE42wSJwjkPM4JC-funQwx7c5P9tbJFhzRN_c6IGNCcFzyJD1dQZfp50ll73Ckn0EZfA8JC5gJaI-qejW3F68AuK0q/s1600/IMG_1164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1322" data-original-width="1101" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Hwem39UeMLSi8zE84DTJe5yc-245Zz1QtZvyJUP-uMKNUKzKf7SE42wSJwjkPM4JC-funQwx7c5P9tbJFhzRN_c6IGNCcFzyJD1dQZfp50ll73Ckn0EZfA8JC5gJaI-qejW3F68AuK0q/s320/IMG_1164.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Santa with Elves", Norman Rockwell, 1922</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCK9SZA9RgEi2oJShhKNfF3CkAujYcoNaO-NxVjAJrqDqu0cDhrS3t74LES5Em0p-QTWvdh0MXyecemNUg_6Qp2SXRojYchdxvBiiClI-oREEfyHiSF0fcoIVjjTsAIyCYiCSNTHl-6UfQ/s1600/IMG_1158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1125" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCK9SZA9RgEi2oJShhKNfF3CkAujYcoNaO-NxVjAJrqDqu0cDhrS3t74LES5Em0p-QTWvdh0MXyecemNUg_6Qp2SXRojYchdxvBiiClI-oREEfyHiSF0fcoIVjjTsAIyCYiCSNTHl-6UfQ/s320/IMG_1158.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Christmas in the Brothel", Edvard Munch, 1903-4 </td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SxwUgaYNUEWwq-d8C_VD_mYGvxEXe-DM4QkdI_T4Mr6OOQF2sYfNjl_rfJ-7e8UX9TH_CugSeaEynOXPNtG28ReeiyKt7HPlmi-wJr2iiKL2MgJ4cBkbbho-MFS1tG7uTIqUnBZcTXPW/s1600/IMG_1157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="977" data-original-width="1113" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SxwUgaYNUEWwq-d8C_VD_mYGvxEXe-DM4QkdI_T4Mr6OOQF2sYfNjl_rfJ-7e8UX9TH_CugSeaEynOXPNtG28ReeiyKt7HPlmi-wJr2iiKL2MgJ4cBkbbho-MFS1tG7uTIqUnBZcTXPW/s320/IMG_1157.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Christmas Night (The Blessing of the Oxen)", Paul Gauguin, 1902-3</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNI6RALnKuaV8SNWykYXjycwGUOihGG7BzbwaBm2WYPdINKhAAzgpcq0vDB02KOx6qaoATBTNLOlwIvtE829J19lVzP3bErTuVBjqpHcAP4xKoAULTW0BEGQRlOE75zuH2-eUKqBUwykK/s1600/IMG_1162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1577" data-original-width="1125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNI6RALnKuaV8SNWykYXjycwGUOihGG7BzbwaBm2WYPdINKhAAzgpcq0vDB02KOx6qaoATBTNLOlwIvtE829J19lVzP3bErTuVBjqpHcAP4xKoAULTW0BEGQRlOE75zuH2-eUKqBUwykK/s320/IMG_1162.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Adoration of the Shepherds", Caravaggio, 1609</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbychMR5VHz9cFC0lBAov10mb7loczCfNvwNFU8yfCbEC7tphMiUMLpuqgDV5zWwwuXLewryCQh_dvS4Y5B-oNsYZPrzJT62HI0nvt4MRAxRztmysX6xYYa0nyj5fY0xoiFMCb8BH2rne/s1600/IMG_1161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="1125" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbychMR5VHz9cFC0lBAov10mb7loczCfNvwNFU8yfCbEC7tphMiUMLpuqgDV5zWwwuXLewryCQh_dvS4Y5B-oNsYZPrzJT62HI0nvt4MRAxRztmysX6xYYa0nyj5fY0xoiFMCb8BH2rne/s320/IMG_1161.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"The Adoration of the Magi", Leonardo da Vinci, 1481</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVMJf2aqvmoSuniv8boT1GL2eWnNdcSdxqwjIa6xkqmC2nsPX-dFwwSUYJ-Inz5FYN0NyHaUnoogLLIGMtpu5f8urynAtmanVr8HQsy6LFbJetfd51WfnVag-j4SvWXWIFoPdCdgwZxjZ/s1600/IMG_1160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVMJf2aqvmoSuniv8boT1GL2eWnNdcSdxqwjIa6xkqmC2nsPX-dFwwSUYJ-Inz5FYN0NyHaUnoogLLIGMtpu5f8urynAtmanVr8HQsy6LFbJetfd51WfnVag-j4SvWXWIFoPdCdgwZxjZ/s320/IMG_1160.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"The Mystical Nativity", Sandro Botticelli, 1500<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<b>January Art Gallery</b></div>
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Interestingly, many of the pieces in January have similar names and are from a similar time period. Apparently, the Northern Hemisphere was under a deep freeze at that time, they called it a mini-ice age.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQlyrdMmY5DhSicQY43B8e52FPQofwdpVarBqQH2KDxQ0MJtyy53ZIC8NpZx64VaXn8K9odzMLvw-X1bX7uurDKOwNzzFoym7zBYe6dFdFthcplKNs49qpW3iQyc0oBdOyMUkZZywDjGO/s1600/IMG_1553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="1125" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQlyrdMmY5DhSicQY43B8e52FPQofwdpVarBqQH2KDxQ0MJtyy53ZIC8NpZx64VaXn8K9odzMLvw-X1bX7uurDKOwNzzFoym7zBYe6dFdFthcplKNs49qpW3iQyc0oBdOyMUkZZywDjGO/s320/IMG_1553.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Winter Landscape", Wassily Kandinsky, 1909</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1zHrqe-7nrYXmjhvYxV5ZYeBLrH6XDcKVatCEALF9JMSpEv34i0IJn8KE1yBqdz5ypGAQWSC4PNK78tjJpA3wKpSj8SS4tteJKDprntuBCgz-Un-19Tcx2tv-YhWvG8A2wJY7c7hPlrJ/s1600/IMG_1554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="1125" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1zHrqe-7nrYXmjhvYxV5ZYeBLrH6XDcKVatCEALF9JMSpEv34i0IJn8KE1yBqdz5ypGAQWSC4PNK78tjJpA3wKpSj8SS4tteJKDprntuBCgz-Un-19Tcx2tv-YhWvG8A2wJY7c7hPlrJ/s320/IMG_1554.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"The Magpie", Claude Monet, 1868-9</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAroIqhrHK4RhKEhygH9_ZIxCTAXpJaY6kr07EFwqa39UhAvCC0XAZwN3CEU_cKWrSmHApoLkGSWHYMa3afYvLMi-pE4Ew2ytQTRA9wnVMpxjww-z64C9NqJ2AyGHq26ofcq6XFP_jJpzS/s1600/IMG_1555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="887" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAroIqhrHK4RhKEhygH9_ZIxCTAXpJaY6kr07EFwqa39UhAvCC0XAZwN3CEU_cKWrSmHApoLkGSWHYMa3afYvLMi-pE4Ew2ytQTRA9wnVMpxjww-z64C9NqJ2AyGHq26ofcq6XFP_jJpzS/s320/IMG_1555.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Landscape in the Snow", Vincent Van Gogh, 1888</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFs7QiLhOt4DYLPjFX2PtWhBtHuK9kspLYKoFys54s9a5N6sYcQ4CWw56EyjPUuNir9SzDHKyHmaz4wFTmRbZtu4u47MytmGrz7cg0SP7zEVaO2YR0syJzOhZBdI8M700f87qYx3hXZG8/s1600/IMG_1556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFs7QiLhOt4DYLPjFX2PtWhBtHuK9kspLYKoFys54s9a5N6sYcQ4CWw56EyjPUuNir9SzDHKyHmaz4wFTmRbZtu4u47MytmGrz7cg0SP7zEVaO2YR0syJzOhZBdI8M700f87qYx3hXZG8/s320/IMG_1556.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Drum Bridge and Setting Sun Hill at Meguro", Utagawa or Ando Hiroshige, 1857</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcGsL0bwX-dldKkZ_LxoCf2MW0hOXaj9ooYdrLE2NCwsM1TQuQxmhd79Y_2s7c7geVJkG-X8fR0XTioeFwDxw-50p5zuCq2FCIp-ge3Ho0WnbE36RllRj601h1Xzbu0wKjCcSYkBB9_Y5/s1600/IMG_1557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="1071" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcGsL0bwX-dldKkZ_LxoCf2MW0hOXaj9ooYdrLE2NCwsM1TQuQxmhd79Y_2s7c7geVJkG-X8fR0XTioeFwDxw-50p5zuCq2FCIp-ge3Ho0WnbE36RllRj601h1Xzbu0wKjCcSYkBB9_Y5/s320/IMG_1557.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Snowy Landscape", Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1875</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-v4UAjNodZ_b7WQBFE0ApeMu4o6hZeijhcLB-yHc30S3BMDq54PsA3QVR7uWQh5EE8LcWRh2XzXvcGn8jDtYMXSz0Ma7kxwnkQ3hcyNqLiYDcTdAGRLZpoG7V8bzjepn5m8WbbOdmsUMI/s1600/IMG_1561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1077" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-v4UAjNodZ_b7WQBFE0ApeMu4o6hZeijhcLB-yHc30S3BMDq54PsA3QVR7uWQh5EE8LcWRh2XzXvcGn8jDtYMXSz0Ma7kxwnkQ3hcyNqLiYDcTdAGRLZpoG7V8bzjepn5m8WbbOdmsUMI/s320/IMG_1561.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Hunters in the Snow", Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrya6oCwFykm7AqzdfbMObibxlYPdGufiEVkWLCHqgUb4C2q0C9rU3U6VmhZbNQcPrRDfpDpCyoCQfMtF-0G1B656mbtZxOKkU6xX1ZCwu-8lyguRsUq8oI3vmDUNsQksn6CitiO9CKFU/s1600/IMG_1566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1117" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrya6oCwFykm7AqzdfbMObibxlYPdGufiEVkWLCHqgUb4C2q0C9rU3U6VmhZbNQcPrRDfpDpCyoCQfMtF-0G1B656mbtZxOKkU6xX1ZCwu-8lyguRsUq8oI3vmDUNsQksn6CitiO9CKFU/s320/IMG_1566.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Winter", Caspar David Friedrich, 1811</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Winter Landscape", Grandma Moses, 1940s</td></tr>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-29569500257052590482019-01-18T16:55:00.002-05:002019-01-19T13:48:03.913-05:00Kintsugi, Wait! You Let Toddlers Use Glass!?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Yes. We use glass and ceramic in a toddler, even in an infant, community. And there are several reasons, the aesthetics, the real material (glass and ceramic are closer to a natural state), and it is breakable. What? Breakable materials in a community of young children? Isn't that unsafe? Honestly, it depends on your definition of unsafe. They could break a material and get cut on it. This is true. However, they are being closely supervised, and any cut would, worst case scenario, require stitches. On the other hand, to not learn how to carefully handle items causes long term unsafe habits. Adults seem to think that at some point children will just be mature and careful enough to use breakables. The reality is, and this is born out in the research, children just do not learn how to properly handle these materials. Therefore their ability to handle these items is severely stunted, leading to more dangerous injuries because adults assume competence based on age and provide less supervision.</div>
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We had one of those breaks yesterday in class. A child aged 2 year and 10 months dropped a glass tray </div>
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and it broke. </div>
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We swept the glass, with a broom then a vacuum, and made sure that everyone was wearing their hard soled slippers. We saw that there were three large pieces that were potentially repairable. So, I saw an opportunity for two lessons. One in repairing a broken item, rather than simply throwing it away. The second was something I learned on social media, a technique used in Japan to repair broken ceramics called Kintsugi. where the break is repaired with gold and becomes part of the life story of the item. While our classroom budget does not allow for the purchase of gold, it does allow for the purchase of gold acrylic paint and a small tube of super glue. We first painted the broken edges with the gold paint, then I applied super glue and held the pieces together. It seemed to work! On Monday we will return this to its place on the shelf, with an addition to its life story.<br />
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For more information on Kintsugi: https://mymodernmet.com/kintsugi-kintsukuroi/</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-46173108182291366892019-01-12T18:40:00.000-05:002019-01-12T19:05:40.570-05:00A New Adventure/ My December Classroom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy New Year!<br />
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Something popped into my life at the end of November that fit in easily, and has been thoroughly fulfilling. A local Montessori school had their toddler lead guide leave with a family emergency, and they needed a fill in. They were able to accommodate my son's school schedule, and his school was able to allow him to stay for lunch so that I could be there for the children's entire work cycle. I began at the beginning of December, and made many changes to the environment, and the students adapted beautifully. A month in and new habits are being nicely engrained: spills are regularly being cleaned up, they get their placements out before snack, put their dishes in the bin after snack, and switch to slippers when they arrive.<br />
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Here's a look into our December classroom:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAViknEC28O1ufEufiqbW_OkmW2m9nFpJrkvwv7mZrrjxquQf1j-oDN1AxPExTbkV3GPOQeSWCTKRnd5bBQuxi2JQ73sI13EMHZT3gUy2QBQC8xRfnmfM47TcRqZ0yeFccSRdgCvQbC1sQ/s1600/IMG_1218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAViknEC28O1ufEufiqbW_OkmW2m9nFpJrkvwv7mZrrjxquQf1j-oDN1AxPExTbkV3GPOQeSWCTKRnd5bBQuxi2JQ73sI13EMHZT3gUy2QBQC8xRfnmfM47TcRqZ0yeFccSRdgCvQbC1sQ/s320/IMG_1218.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you enter the classroom to your left you will find a shoe shelf and chair to sit in while putting on and taking off shoes and slippers. On the shelf is a shoe horn for those difficult shoes. Next to that is the care of the the environment shelf and the sensory table. At the sensory table for December we were washing a baby.<br />
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Left-to-right on the top shelf (too high for student's to reach), is a candle that spins with the heat of the flame, facing towards the parent observation window is three resources for families to check out: "The Joyful Child" by Susan Stephenson, the NAMTA DVD "What is the Montessori Toddler Community?", and "How to Raise an Amazing Child" by Tim Seldin, and and LED candle.<br />
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On the care of the environment shelf is (left-to-right):<br />
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Top: "I Can Help" book, plant, watering can<br />
Middle: small broom and dustpan, duster, table washing work<br />
Bottom: flower arranging, hammering tees<br />
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Next while walking to the left is a ball tracker. This work has four balls: red, blue, yellow, and green. I took the photo while a student was chasing down the errant three balls :-).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZyNWA7JOtesnu65paPeu83wmjmRBIjtDtGXNZKDUo_TunT188iWQvv0b5CvNSTfv0FQK7pK1FlKHFDtqIM7F9W0vddQ2y7-H2ujbQzQHOqjAJeA5evKO4zA5e3ZzkzHPh9fCQrS_YkrJ/s1600/IMG_1232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZyNWA7JOtesnu65paPeu83wmjmRBIjtDtGXNZKDUo_TunT188iWQvv0b5CvNSTfv0FQK7pK1FlKHFDtqIM7F9W0vddQ2y7-H2ujbQzQHOqjAJeA5evKO4zA5e3ZzkzHPh9fCQrS_YkrJ/s320/IMG_1232.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Then we will come to the wagon with jugs to place in and pull around. NOTE: I use thick juice jugs rather than milk jugs. They split less easily when dropped.<br />
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Next we come to dropping bells into a jug. The younger members of our community can use a palmar grasp, the older members can use the string on the bell ornaments to drop with a thumb-forefinger grasp.<br />
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Next we come to drawing on the window with a window crayon and then washing the crayon off of the window. In the caddy is a squeegee, a spray bottle, and a microfiber cloth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DtKWDcJR-Cy1SSJpBP0-btX75tOp-75TfFLjli1q3E_VO8pObJk_H5O8yWEk0hutrCQpkughXNXOtS9-Ky2Su973Vqsc59UiIc4v6PQsXg1y9Be8-k8b-9uXSzZ8gKJ067BEothVjPi3/s1600/IMG_1238+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DtKWDcJR-Cy1SSJpBP0-btX75tOp-75TfFLjli1q3E_VO8pObJk_H5O8yWEk0hutrCQpkughXNXOtS9-Ky2Su973Vqsc59UiIc4v6PQsXg1y9Be8-k8b-9uXSzZ8gKJ067BEothVjPi3/s320/IMG_1238+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
When we turn we come to our art easel. We are currently using a paint brush and long green construction paper (12 x 18) with red paint to make wrapping paper. I only put about half an inch of paint in the cup each morning and refill as necessary during the work cycle. After the work cycle I clean the cup out. To hang the paper I attached a magnet strip to the easel and I use washers. This is easier than clips for the toddlers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0n_OicHvEl4OdqZHD0qLnUWeSRtmwCCVq8YeVczGyrMRo6T1v5c91FFM3GyOnKB6DcNA6QpBjleOS342whoAVDRMYqKeie74Qbq_BLmcjl1Cu1lhcl2XahyrVnvhGVIs0V3oJlM4U8w_/s1600/IMG_1328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0n_OicHvEl4OdqZHD0qLnUWeSRtmwCCVq8YeVczGyrMRo6T1v5c91FFM3GyOnKB6DcNA6QpBjleOS342whoAVDRMYqKeie74Qbq_BLmcjl1Cu1lhcl2XahyrVnvhGVIs0V3oJlM4U8w_/s320/IMG_1328.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The other side of the art easel is a chalk work. Red and green chalk and a sprayer and sponge to clean (the cleaning is more popular than the drawing!). You can also see our Rainbow Rocker behind the easel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgQZjQQLkx-WT7-oOOz3ITNxCi5BNQk8GzfnrPskRSKiywYoRGYDxXjeBpvTftWnPWvPl7pHrhCWxJORyyT7GjAhYYBxXwzVkfVSdoctzDJHLSVuAMcD3wRGnnVM4Yc3fXRSrD1XSnx_z/s1600/IMG_1234+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgQZjQQLkx-WT7-oOOz3ITNxCi5BNQk8GzfnrPskRSKiywYoRGYDxXjeBpvTftWnPWvPl7pHrhCWxJORyyT7GjAhYYBxXwzVkfVSdoctzDJHLSVuAMcD3wRGnnVM4Yc3fXRSrD1XSnx_z/s320/IMG_1234+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Beside our window washing is our art and music shelf (left-to-right):<br />
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Top: drying rack, Christmas cactus<br />
Middle: dough work, holiday card making (see below for close-ups of both)<br />
Bottom: Jingle Bells book and bells, drum with drumsticks<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j-32JIfnYQHncjBsQuN7tClUiHryAMSAJaE0F2MFMqATnIEhEEHsCO7nRcKSi7bw4RSqgKxTdqQ3Xnqdo2PmOlyxwMhzP9J7gOSK_ri5sYxSX8VwpVFfyX7e8SSvDXERI5Re9_PXZAdh/s1600/IMG_1361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1217" data-original-width="1600" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j-32JIfnYQHncjBsQuN7tClUiHryAMSAJaE0F2MFMqATnIEhEEHsCO7nRcKSi7bw4RSqgKxTdqQ3Xnqdo2PmOlyxwMhzP9J7gOSK_ri5sYxSX8VwpVFfyX7e8SSvDXERI5Re9_PXZAdh/s200/IMG_1361.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCY0cCdFjcldtvfuNagzCmITPECqH7OL5CDmLhPgN6rfzCveO33eytJHuAnEcysNCKgtJsjW73iUGuyk2RixuPVIiFKHOm0BrfgBlZm28iulkw7eCOUCWuDinp88JU1y3vnCNYo64K3gS5/s1600/IMG_1332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCY0cCdFjcldtvfuNagzCmITPECqH7OL5CDmLhPgN6rfzCveO33eytJHuAnEcysNCKgtJsjW73iUGuyk2RixuPVIiFKHOm0BrfgBlZm28iulkw7eCOUCWuDinp88JU1y3vnCNYo64K3gS5/s200/IMG_1332.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Both of these art works are open ended. While I make have a goal in my mind, I do not create a model for the children to follow. I also do not tell them it is a gift for their family. I let them create, then I saved it if they wanted to. Not all students made one and it is not required of them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm59YKXP3mq_R0ccg1oCU-9D0irHp61ewsivkfgEc8d5khAk-_exgeOzFA0beOvdzTZEaVBmt62WmQOYMJPOJOrVBDhljzxiZrfJ_CUgpHrYw-mlqZ1Xyrj91YKjdtmYAgpxEQ_q4v37dY/s1600/IMG_1367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm59YKXP3mq_R0ccg1oCU-9D0irHp61ewsivkfgEc8d5khAk-_exgeOzFA0beOvdzTZEaVBmt62WmQOYMJPOJOrVBDhljzxiZrfJ_CUgpHrYw-mlqZ1Xyrj91YKjdtmYAgpxEQ_q4v37dY/s200/IMG_1367.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPHIpFbebo7b3eNNEvlG4vDbocX45bLG1uqMiCJgJ7FosHemNrgcbP3UDxfnbOvzRbZGFr5OOs3OCYiYqUGN6ku3n3SbPrEDPPmjWClTe3_HJamK1tpku2lQT8jru2DcDf38Ysgo6gsL-/s1600/IMG_1366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPHIpFbebo7b3eNNEvlG4vDbocX45bLG1uqMiCJgJ7FosHemNrgcbP3UDxfnbOvzRbZGFr5OOs3OCYiYqUGN6ku3n3SbPrEDPPmjWClTe3_HJamK1tpku2lQT8jru2DcDf38Ysgo6gsL-/s200/IMG_1366.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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A wreath ornament from my youngest (19 months old), and my oldest (will be three at the beginning of March). The dough used is Model Magic.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9c_KKtW7POBxCF1b8rIUnUwHjAsHR62qYwvrw0rUXMsnD6aUxtI1OBj4dqKT7Dz_8kikcnu44zc4yjQIeJa2SYCFWN9_k3gGCRU02Wq46salCAq4GDHupoz-ZNRo6O-7TX7ssk1qP26B-/s1600/IMG_1368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9c_KKtW7POBxCF1b8rIUnUwHjAsHR62qYwvrw0rUXMsnD6aUxtI1OBj4dqKT7Dz_8kikcnu44zc4yjQIeJa2SYCFWN9_k3gGCRU02Wq46salCAq4GDHupoz-ZNRo6O-7TX7ssk1qP26B-/s200/IMG_1368.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKw8s5TmKS7RctUejXnSiRk21JNmHt_Ep0R7AKKrYnQy89_4irMVymiguN921nn9cNalj8rJmH6x06s1DctUsaD9PdWlDTBI4eQe57JPVFAl8YfplpnZg5WXtbWajt0NgnUPAlHHeRZc_/s1600/IMG_1369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKw8s5TmKS7RctUejXnSiRk21JNmHt_Ep0R7AKKrYnQy89_4irMVymiguN921nn9cNalj8rJmH6x06s1DctUsaD9PdWlDTBI4eQe57JPVFAl8YfplpnZg5WXtbWajt0NgnUPAlHHeRZc_/s200/IMG_1369.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
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Wrapped and finished gifts with holiday cards attached.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiro6G-kRg-tcuQm9JrbJ9K7F-3E0U9AX75ReNIL5UtF6VTJvoAVIn_3VFJal-a350STOhVJkgnMGH3NLkUfQtdpZNovtEvnYJkRlXMd9uqAkpTnRibogZJqgwUWgrBWysCXLO4cmh3l80h/s1600/IMG_1235+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiro6G-kRg-tcuQm9JrbJ9K7F-3E0U9AX75ReNIL5UtF6VTJvoAVIn_3VFJal-a350STOhVJkgnMGH3NLkUfQtdpZNovtEvnYJkRlXMd9uqAkpTnRibogZJqgwUWgrBWysCXLO4cmh3l80h/s320/IMG_1235+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Continuing on around the classroom, this is our Peace/Self-Reflection Corner (left-to-right):<br />
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Top: meditation jar, desktop fountain (which has been great for learning self-control and how to watch something with hands behind back and not touch), and lavender filled stuffed frog<br />
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Bottom: "Guess How Much I Love You" book and stuffed animal<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVg6ufZ2qJQF6x2vwKRYBUD5vK2N7NH5P-Gg5EKylIh4yN6ooDv6jq5zSlOJ2Kx9iqR3U396K1JNpXNBz20HOtGrkHBOYeB1vP0uRWI2crpn-0kQZAVAcdgNKGPIKqy9bV0ySZ1IwYUgcy/s1600/IMG_1236+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVg6ufZ2qJQF6x2vwKRYBUD5vK2N7NH5P-Gg5EKylIh4yN6ooDv6jq5zSlOJ2Kx9iqR3U396K1JNpXNBz20HOtGrkHBOYeB1vP0uRWI2crpn-0kQZAVAcdgNKGPIKqy9bV0ySZ1IwYUgcy/s320/IMG_1236+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Next stop the beloved fish tank. Another classroom addition that has been great for teaching self-control and care of living things. Five 25 cent feeder goldfish are in here, saved from being another animal's next meal!</div>
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On the science shelf is (left-to-right):<br />
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Top: fish feeding, "Let's Have a Pet" book, Golden Pothos cutting, fish book and a stuffed fish for naming parts of the fish<br />
Middle: "Wet Pet, Dry Pet, Your Pet, My Pet" book, fish in water, gluing parts of fish<br />
Bottom: rock exploration (geology), fizzy water (chemistry), Juniper branch (berries removed and placed in a salt shaker for smelling) and pine cones (life science)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuGoZPEaNd_PFTOnprM7luExt0-wZKjLvHLVjKVx0d99ZdjuJq1t6HIypKEChbGHHXp2xud76dcmrGFgK2fVFbktNFe6ImTragihOiTc_FFfJyIDhcHdgFSWVfe8vnyyNzjR6X_U1wTiH/s1600/IMG_1569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuGoZPEaNd_PFTOnprM7luExt0-wZKjLvHLVjKVx0d99ZdjuJq1t6HIypKEChbGHHXp2xud76dcmrGFgK2fVFbktNFe6ImTragihOiTc_FFfJyIDhcHdgFSWVfe8vnyyNzjR6X_U1wTiH/s200/IMG_1569.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
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Next we come to our calendar. The ornaments we are adding to our tree mimic the bead bars in the casa classrooms. This is an indirect lesson, we are only counting number of days in the month, not each line. We do not have a circle or calendar time, this is a first come first served work and members can also take it apart and reapply as much as they would like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqKdWqRm_TrIbSGiHaoDwKJDvGOe2zJqNTE6xZ9HbLMqzS7EmdjZPL23KH3sEsf6eO52AFKn4gCNrvRAG3KgXAxJ7751Yk_VTROVoK9fbm8XoUJprchH16Eql7bUi_MXYTql1R96VkwS6/s1600/IMG_1227+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqKdWqRm_TrIbSGiHaoDwKJDvGOe2zJqNTE6xZ9HbLMqzS7EmdjZPL23KH3sEsf6eO52AFKn4gCNrvRAG3KgXAxJ7751Yk_VTROVoK9fbm8XoUJprchH16Eql7bUi_MXYTql1R96VkwS6/s320/IMG_1227+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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On the language and math shelf is (left-to-right)</div>
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Top: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" book and stuffed animal (it was being loved when the photo was taken), plant, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" book<br />
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Middle: matching photos and objects, Frosty the Snowman (see below for details)<br />
Bottom: ornament for calendar, goldfish matching and sorting (using colored Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers), matching photos and shapes<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXddSCZobEDm7L98-jr5Wn8eelyOba9wnpkR9mgShCLHyl1C2uDx9Uf7dVHA9fv16fRd02hXGlEIYpWBfNTGWasWzT-jNDdvMQ5yer3zBLu6rfMKID2gLYr4yyTCE-qfghEaVrUUMXw39/s200/IMG_1338.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">matching photos and objects</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6PuUw6-_4SqeKcJ8OeFsldjkRhjq3yAQYHR3R-2SquR9oiI-7-cP6qtrLVMzaBSE3XqA_YQeRF7VFZBxiLWnXoWeJduUY4tB44if-rxYDKvKc1bihWTcNbFYUVZ8mGfi-riQEZ9Cgse3/s1600/IMG_1340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC6PuUw6-_4SqeKcJ8OeFsldjkRhjq3yAQYHR3R-2SquR9oiI-7-cP6qtrLVMzaBSE3XqA_YQeRF7VFZBxiLWnXoWeJduUY4tB44if-rxYDKvKc1bihWTcNbFYUVZ8mGfi-riQEZ9Cgse3/s200/IMG_1340.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frosty the Snowman</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS3P0nvameuFRpuAqDMYkgkc38S6SxFwvbxY_k4S4lZjL77xJ1ed8kkQ7UibRKpzA3MYa8hWWJdJ4Zqy8C5yz27vzcYgDnDzZtFrutajR67jrBLlTqgMoHgYRP4lMvZadzM8AblRoztOX/s1600/IMG_1342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS3P0nvameuFRpuAqDMYkgkc38S6SxFwvbxY_k4S4lZjL77xJ1ed8kkQ7UibRKpzA3MYa8hWWJdJ4Zqy8C5yz27vzcYgDnDzZtFrutajR67jrBLlTqgMoHgYRP4lMvZadzM8AblRoztOX/s200/IMG_1342.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">matching photos and shapes</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDg_sU6LEo0Cu5FSxNE7PuTEFZtC1TkH19zymP2n0CuSeR8dx2GQeWLJtxnMLVIH0dYMvqhpLMyRrIa3pufJAPCanCx4YWjcqhfNpGQ7yJvBChD1-9cXOQ8p9w2wFZMMAIcJKgO5Ooyib/s1600/IMG_1350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDg_sU6LEo0Cu5FSxNE7PuTEFZtC1TkH19zymP2n0CuSeR8dx2GQeWLJtxnMLVIH0dYMvqhpLMyRrIa3pufJAPCanCx4YWjcqhfNpGQ7yJvBChD1-9cXOQ8p9w2wFZMMAIcJKgO5Ooyib/s320/IMG_1350.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Continuing on, is our cooking station. Depending on what is on the menu, we will use a crockpot, fifth burner,or toaster oven. This month we made wassail and hot chocolate in the crockpot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXoBfbbdWcnGVXfw_lDljfSs0hWRHgPZ2sJLoaO3fkEFYMoXZl7ABhULsr7xK0rsTu0TvMHDDeiqzj15s53WE-aFP0Ahenu0uZ_B9CDqhLW8stKgP18rxpLpyX2AV__A_3YSM6mBxU4TE/s1600/IMG_1348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXoBfbbdWcnGVXfw_lDljfSs0hWRHgPZ2sJLoaO3fkEFYMoXZl7ABhULsr7xK0rsTu0TvMHDDeiqzj15s53WE-aFP0Ahenu0uZ_B9CDqhLW8stKgP18rxpLpyX2AV__A_3YSM6mBxU4TE/s320/IMG_1348.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our dishwashing stand and laundry hamper below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlgvPUEk9_hWa2PbqNpglvb5IASMJX4-SiN-JMKRan1h9PAJc3Fnp3LPBYu9X1xkQKeYDiAz92BWxFwTaHxL39PceWhl2qfy0Es83L8DkiLrgJm8lD2VY1fWx_amn7O69tgeXdfen_Xi9/s1600/IMG_1349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSlgvPUEk9_hWa2PbqNpglvb5IASMJX4-SiN-JMKRan1h9PAJc3Fnp3LPBYu9X1xkQKeYDiAz92BWxFwTaHxL39PceWhl2qfy0Es83L8DkiLrgJm8lD2VY1fWx_amn7O69tgeXdfen_Xi9/s320/IMG_1349.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our broom, sweeping guide, and mop for caring for our community. These are in almost constant use!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7yC-EFrmMHov3-PcOd-oy7pvaUbmpfV86QkUO9yF7ng7U5eX9S7VZ5RWt8H2LFhBRvY7N_vcgjBHoKK93BErBCRnuXF34Tttm4ydCZQDfnR_w_lvpXMQH1-FZVvU5flKMFMFblKBR0I8/s1600/IMG_1221+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7yC-EFrmMHov3-PcOd-oy7pvaUbmpfV86QkUO9yF7ng7U5eX9S7VZ5RWt8H2LFhBRvY7N_vcgjBHoKK93BErBCRnuXF34Tttm4ydCZQDfnR_w_lvpXMQH1-FZVvU5flKMFMFblKBR0I8/s320/IMG_1221+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
On the care of the self shelf is (left-to-right):<br />
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Top: box with bangles, tissue box, plant<br />
Middle: velcro frame, large button frame<br />
Bottom: brushing teeth, dressing a baby (see below)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxpQivxvJ-2ne_rkphfNuF8FRiZC6Hk2vDumQ9S6gkeqp38GZc2yOJGEJSAbbXQ6ZiBVD-8MlkfJxjHhemCg7WRZ6eXlSnya2kHDTSHk6vCdRCjwcbNt5B_bL3aTgTwT204XzQICdjJrm/s1600/IMG_1346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxpQivxvJ-2ne_rkphfNuF8FRiZC6Hk2vDumQ9S6gkeqp38GZc2yOJGEJSAbbXQ6ZiBVD-8MlkfJxjHhemCg7WRZ6eXlSnya2kHDTSHk6vCdRCjwcbNt5B_bL3aTgTwT204XzQICdjJrm/s200/IMG_1346.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">brushing teeth</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTX1tkAER_cTR0gvpmR5HfFl0Q-IFSjjONYm7nPVOepIbRhr2RdC9RW9KVWmq0yZQg_TJFXzKeh4GR-GwHMuAV7GJbQqKnAtPspSjeWEOz1obC6WGGac_CrMgE4zUZT1mIq3ryLfy20bAy/s1600/IMG_1347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTX1tkAER_cTR0gvpmR5HfFl0Q-IFSjjONYm7nPVOepIbRhr2RdC9RW9KVWmq0yZQg_TJFXzKeh4GR-GwHMuAV7GJbQqKnAtPspSjeWEOz1obC6WGGac_CrMgE4zUZT1mIq3ryLfy20bAy/s200/IMG_1347.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dressing baby</td></tr>
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On the care of the environment food prep shelf is (left-to-right):<br />
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Top: compost crock, placemats, napkins and silverware<br />
Middle: pouring water, snack item 1<br />
Bottom: snack item 2, making a pomander, bean pouring<br />
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Our snack changes daily and we put out the necessary prep and serving materials.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0iW2ERHWxfVIWUqIA6sNb9mgDaJuPrdlZv0jen4KRqjqVmJRRfZGi_x5yx6cuhNiJbgXdgBSse4urtbuCbAyEqvvp-Wimi33gyeIzMPThVoaMCfCC-QiI7vFLecz9Mzyni3gjyqElXR6/s1600/IMG_1224+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0iW2ERHWxfVIWUqIA6sNb9mgDaJuPrdlZv0jen4KRqjqVmJRRfZGi_x5yx6cuhNiJbgXdgBSse4urtbuCbAyEqvvp-Wimi33gyeIzMPThVoaMCfCC-QiI7vFLecz9Mzyni3gjyqElXR6/s320/IMG_1224+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Plates and glasses for snack.<br />
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On the sensorimotor shelf is (left-to-right):<br />
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Top: rainbow stacker, table work mats, geometric grading puzzle<br />
Middle: geometric lock boxes, disk on horizontal dowel, disk through slot<br />
Bottom: triangle stacker, bead stringing, screw block<br />
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Floor work rugs are next to the shelf.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MG98799iUPe_2pg8CKI5QSIx-GW3Z5rr9LGoe5clJ8o8jzibRDZuAyjz0cbjLX4Hi6fvK6dmeLP6IspHDUno_k4VfKyqU_hbgVWMFhXHW6GQIuxdCAZOFKr764G1hthCa-XFe6CfWz9S/s1600/IMG_1318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MG98799iUPe_2pg8CKI5QSIx-GW3Z5rr9LGoe5clJ8o8jzibRDZuAyjz0cbjLX4Hi6fvK6dmeLP6IspHDUno_k4VfKyqU_hbgVWMFhXHW6GQIuxdCAZOFKr764G1hthCa-XFe6CfWz9S/s320/IMG_1318.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Tree for decorating. Underneath is a recycling bin.<br />
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And finally our cubby area.</div>
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Bathroom waiting and changing area, and of course, bathroom reading material!<br />
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Bathroom cubbies for changing clothes.</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-69529022911010404192018-11-18T15:27:00.002-05:002018-11-18T15:27:57.200-05:00Fall Art for Toddlers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Two things I often encounter in homes and classrooms is a fear of messes and a need for adults to see a cute or pretty product. These two mistakes in parenting and teaching manifest most clearly in art and food prep. Today, let's tackle art.<br />
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Art is messy. Childhood is messy. Adults have to be able to allow this. Dr. Montessori knew that children need to have two main things in order to learn at maximum capacity: freedom and experience. When we take away either of these two things, it is difficult for true learning to occur. As adults, our job is to prepare the environment for successful exploration.<br />
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When setting up art we want to give them experience in many media (crayons, paint, etc) and many tools (brushes, sponges, nature, etc). Not all media and tools will be a hit with all children, but we cannot find those that our children like if we do not provide the experiences.<br />
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For my classroom, I use a very loose theme approach. I use colors and provocations that match what the children are seeing around them. So, in the fall I use oranges, yellows, browns, and reds primarily. These change approximately monthly, depending on student interest. I also use fall to explore the color orange, I generally have a work out that has red and yellow and the children can mix the colors to create orange. Sometimes it is a dough work and sometimes it is a paint work. This is the color mixing work I currently have by my easel. They use the paintbrush at the easel to stir and then then can use the paint at the easel. I have a pumpkin beside the easel as a possible still life inspiration.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvWCYV8fx4Od-ucItOgL3QGDaeZH8602qDTSzRT735V2ohgQSTEBnpTjKsColFz9C1mimOyXlhwVI_w4nQMeXkoiIr77MKdOGOX27q7m68d4g1vnC49AhkZP8ZCmIzhZpbukDrQnnD1PP/s1600/44126056_2137613656491093_7371513959955824640_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvWCYV8fx4Od-ucItOgL3QGDaeZH8602qDTSzRT735V2ohgQSTEBnpTjKsColFz9C1mimOyXlhwVI_w4nQMeXkoiIr77MKdOGOX27q7m68d4g1vnC49AhkZP8ZCmIzhZpbukDrQnnD1PP/s320/44126056_2137613656491093_7371513959955824640_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Because Montessori is mixed age, I also make sure that the work can be explored at many different levels. So my youngest could fingerpaint, while the oldest could potentially use a still life provocation. Applying this criteria to the leaf work pictured above, the children could use the leaves to paint with, paint the leaves to create a print, put the leaves on paper and use the brush to paint the edges (shadow paint), or however else they may want to explore the material.<br />
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<b>Apple Stamping</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGaznNmcVzS7sjfqiVlbyxr_lVfeAub0fSyjr1NPUB8QOsAg3g4iXpDKOWz9yBgL0t6iORJM4Miz2TQctOZzlYCgeI7fIytcah-A15CBbsNbzCtOdIY5hoFDmKl-r6wS3kmAxCxFT42sr/s1600/IMG_1093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="899" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGaznNmcVzS7sjfqiVlbyxr_lVfeAub0fSyjr1NPUB8QOsAg3g4iXpDKOWz9yBgL0t6iORJM4Miz2TQctOZzlYCgeI7fIytcah-A15CBbsNbzCtOdIY5hoFDmKl-r6wS3kmAxCxFT42sr/s320/IMG_1093.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You can use a stamp pad or paint with this work. The apple can be also cut longways to see if the print turns out the same or differently. The apple can also be left whole and they can roll it on paper in the tray and leave "apple tracks". Older children tend to stamp with the apples to see the apple shape on the paper. Younger children like to use the apple as a tool to apply the paint, they rub the apple all over the paper.<br />
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<b>Dough</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRm0Y3xTD8r6kCrMfth3cb6FahS2GAq-vH2kbOiV-vNE0PM_0l2_EfHXADQk9F3SCmZjyiOOXWo68l1m04mjHTjngdYWCGCz7tiWrI_UXj7jkm93NwpcpEh2-z_MsPDQMVibakYWczEk8/s1600/IMG_1094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRm0Y3xTD8r6kCrMfth3cb6FahS2GAq-vH2kbOiV-vNE0PM_0l2_EfHXADQk9F3SCmZjyiOOXWo68l1m04mjHTjngdYWCGCz7tiWrI_UXj7jkm93NwpcpEh2-z_MsPDQMVibakYWczEk8/s320/IMG_1094.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of the differences between art in a Montessori environment and art in a conventional preschool is that we place special emphasis on the mechanics of art. This is not done through instruction; however, it is done through the prepared environment. When we prepare the work, we do so in a way that they are able to hone in on a specific skill. So rather than a tub of dough cutting tools, we narrow this down. This work has 3 tools only: dough scissors, a rolling pin, and a leaf cutter. I put the dough into rolls for the benefit of my youngest children. The dough scissors are the best way that I have found to introduce scissor use. They learn the mechanics of the scissors and the scissors only cut the dough, so it is very safe. The dough is stiff on its own, so the problem that crops up when cutting paper (the limp paper that is difficult to control while cutting), is eliminated. Older children can work the dough, roll it flat, and use the leaf cutter.</div>
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<b>Leaf Rubbings</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzblQV3U4_qSwiIU3z2vIttwznSPvhgYoMFsaw_il3jfCSuvQhyphenhyphenQw3bKbKYh8U0Vn9IFdXqEsF5Sp-91_XbgAJhaL-Eyp3Fp9V-uBnIyRtCiJ82xRQjmzgu1VpuFKAsXfbrslrweQ0nfrE/s1600/IMG_1096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="812" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzblQV3U4_qSwiIU3z2vIttwznSPvhgYoMFsaw_il3jfCSuvQhyphenhyphenQw3bKbKYh8U0Vn9IFdXqEsF5Sp-91_XbgAJhaL-Eyp3Fp9V-uBnIyRtCiJ82xRQjmzgu1VpuFKAsXfbrslrweQ0nfrE/s320/IMG_1096.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In this work the children can use the crayons (I prefer triangle crayons because they encourage a better grip) to see the veins of the leaves. The leaf is under the paper and the child rubs with either the point or the side. The effect is better with the side, but that is difficult for the younger students as their grip strength is not quite there, yet. Alternatively, they can trace around the leaves, color the edges to create a shadow shape, or use the leaves as still life and draw the leaves.</div>
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<b>Cork Stamps</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJB0vloJ68ErrEaGwYNi0MrdKKwdx2Gl8Uf9CP6M2JT9vsubTyxZz8Y20jpzWNu85T51ZcN8_gsAm-yzQewgsPfI183mqzXk4-DvKCDNMz1kZhGJdZsDgtqfg9aqzK_RVy905ldyQiorK/s1600/1F4527A3-D435-49E0-9E92-E24D8DD845F4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJB0vloJ68ErrEaGwYNi0MrdKKwdx2Gl8Uf9CP6M2JT9vsubTyxZz8Y20jpzWNu85T51ZcN8_gsAm-yzQewgsPfI183mqzXk4-DvKCDNMz1kZhGJdZsDgtqfg9aqzK_RVy905ldyQiorK/s320/1F4527A3-D435-49E0-9E92-E24D8DD845F4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have a fabulous set of leaf stamps (from Kid Made Modern). They are about a child's full hand size, so they seem to really like them. You could also set this up with paint and a stiff paintbrush, so they would paint the paint onto the stamp and then stamp on the paper. I always try to make sure that I give the language of "maple" and "oak" when they are using these.</div>
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<b>Preparing the Environment for Cleanup</b></div>
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This is a key part of the art lessons. The children should be able to mostly clean up after themselves, and we need to make it so that the cleanup is not overwhelming for them, and us! One key component of this is the amount of material provided in a work. Enough paint to do the work, but not so much that a spill would be a disaster. I never leave out all crayons, oil pastels, etc. I just put out a few colors to choose from. We also have a cleanup space in the classroom, so that the children can clean up their own brushes. We do not have a source of running water, so we have a bin with a pitcher. The brushes go in the bin, the child gets a pitcher of water from our water cooler, pours in in the bin, then uses their hands to get the paint out of the brushes. Then the brush is wiped dry with dedicated brush towels (these do become stained, so we have specific washcloths for just this purpose). Then return the brush to the work. Dump the bin water into the waste water bucket, which I empty after class. This does not 100% clean the brushes, so I do need to clean them at the sink with running water after class. But it does make them usable for another student. An apron or the option of removing clothes (honestly what my students prefer) allows for clothes to stay clean and dry.</div>
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Don't be afraid of art! In addition to the obvious creativity that comes from art, it also builds hand strength for writing. And, who knows, you could be the inspiration for the next great artist or a life long hobby and love of the arts!</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-4745536399236785522018-11-16T13:25:00.000-05:002018-11-16T13:25:28.899-05:00My Own Childhood Handiwork<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5MCwFYn_LWat5BeSYm24-UWOSa_aG9pkaNva06F6d5z0Xg3a0fpTIFpEYJUtXigecO0f8dzzug8zuvuK1eNDyP441NUyghfzactLBvqb_88qOfWLnfYgzZHw4ruww5WwW36XQHgQ6ff7/s1600/IMG_1050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV5MCwFYn_LWat5BeSYm24-UWOSa_aG9pkaNva06F6d5z0Xg3a0fpTIFpEYJUtXigecO0f8dzzug8zuvuK1eNDyP441NUyghfzactLBvqb_88qOfWLnfYgzZHw4ruww5WwW36XQHgQ6ff7/s320/IMG_1050.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Handwork is one of many important life skills, what we call Practical Life exercises, that will benefit the child as they grow up. We start as an infant with a threading work, rings on a vertical dowel, and progressively grow the child's sewing ability. In addition to the obvious usefulness of the skill, it strengthens the fingers for writing and other fine motor work and as well as develops concentration, coordination, order, and independence.<br />
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A main part of my first Montessori training (3-6) was about examining my own childhood and education as a child. To breakdown our own barriers to optimal education, and then build us into the greatest guides we can be. Through this self-examination I found that much of the way I was raised at home (not my formal education) was very Montessori. I wonder if this was due to my parents specifically, our socioeconomic status (bouncing between poor and very lower middle class), the time I was growing up, or the place I grew up (small city edge of Appalachia). Probably a combination of all of these things. What this meant in practice was that I had what we would now call a "free range" childhood AND I had chores and learned how to take care of my environment very early. Sewing was normalcy in my world. My grandmother sewed many of my clothes as a child, I made Barbie clothes with her. It is interesting to me that this is now an extraordinary thing.<br />
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This cross-stitch sampler was one of my first major sewing projects. My mom was an avid cross-stitcher, so she taught me the basics and bought me the pattern and supplies. My dad was a woodworker. He made the frame, but he let me mount my finished sampler. Notice that it isn't framed exactly straight. After my Montessori training, I loved looking back at this and seeing how they guided me, but let me make "mistakes" in my work. How important!<br />
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Below is some resources for sewing and weaving. Enjoy!<br />
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<b>Infant Threading (Rings on a Vertical </b><b>Dowel)</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMRbUuls7A0jztO2MQLOmnNp4Iqx5IE9gkY5Qq8CrUWKDyZ1ABf88vZWq2PG1Yhba_1rHqPB1OUksPP2Asi3cjXTmff-l3YxDEXGsH81UCZe9mWqU6nQMD_vEIITm_JI1I5OqCl5rbcBs/s1600/IMG_1079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="793" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMRbUuls7A0jztO2MQLOmnNp4Iqx5IE9gkY5Qq8CrUWKDyZ1ABf88vZWq2PG1Yhba_1rHqPB1OUksPP2Asi3cjXTmff-l3YxDEXGsH81UCZe9mWqU6nQMD_vEIITm_JI1I5OqCl5rbcBs/s320/IMG_1079.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/610674225/natural-wooden-rings-on-a-vertical-dowel?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_c-toys_and_games-toys-learning_and_school&utm_custom1=2c3a1352-78fd-421b-83ed-efa4d87627e8&utm_content=go_304504475_22746218315_78727449275_aud-537409439012:pla-106551513395_c__610674225&gclid=CjwKCAiAz7TfBRAKEiwAz8fKOJTg-6Nmgm3X1KaByJspNI5USSntE15XpSfFbsL60tb_Znd-O_fFvBoCIvQQAvD_BwE">https://www.etsy.com/listing/610674225/natural-wooden-rings-on-a-vertical-dowel?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_c-toys_and_games-toys-learning_and_school&utm_custom1=2c3a1352-78fd-421b-83ed-efa4d87627e8&utm_content=go_304504475_22746218315_78727449275_aud-537409439012:pla-106551513395_c__610674225&gclid=CjwKCAiAz7TfBRAKEiwAz8fKOJTg-6Nmgm3X1KaByJspNI5USSntE15XpSfFbsL60tb_Znd-O_fFvBoCIvQQAvD_BwE</a><br />
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<b>Sewing in the Montessori Classroom</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvB6xWhliSTcLHp5gtw-gGDpcxuW_ip6lktm8mpa7fN0gDkfPlwBECua6kJ9O2vO3o5zIevpIDPO4pf9ycJx19bacxpPKl0ux6WG_IJjf-hjDnbuh0ldJh8UOnKBKv4H26KSBmLGT2lkT/s1600/IMG_1080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvB6xWhliSTcLHp5gtw-gGDpcxuW_ip6lktm8mpa7fN0gDkfPlwBECua6kJ9O2vO3o5zIevpIDPO4pf9ycJx19bacxpPKl0ux6WG_IJjf-hjDnbuh0ldJh8UOnKBKv4H26KSBmLGT2lkT/s1600/IMG_1080.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.montessoriservices.com/sewing-in-the-montessori-classroom?q=sewing%20in%20the%20&nsearch=prm_link">https://www.montessoriservices.com/sewing-in-the-montessori-classroom?q=sewing%20in%20the%20&nsearch=prm_link</a><br />
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<b>The Work of Wool: A Montessori Handwork Album</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZXe-hk_5NJWiOQVOLqHvOZ9-tUHqxqe_JVJ1lisaAK4njhaVfPZfbRPQbRl4BGwF12lSuOMWxkKirsRnMvFWwx5vuNYeJta7H5nYQJ8vSO2s6y0zrSWijqHhZQrrHRbRrXxxANa-Do1O/s1600/IMG_1081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="1125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZXe-hk_5NJWiOQVOLqHvOZ9-tUHqxqe_JVJ1lisaAK4njhaVfPZfbRPQbRl4BGwF12lSuOMWxkKirsRnMvFWwx5vuNYeJta7H5nYQJ8vSO2s6y0zrSWijqHhZQrrHRbRrXxxANa-Do1O/s320/IMG_1081.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.montessorihandwork.com/shop-1">https://www.montessorihandwork.com/shop-1</a><br />
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<b>Sewing and Weaving Activities</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAakiNne2pVUc12Lmcszy4_PAI2dR9bnr3PRH-qx6vGmxEATkBP4PT7g2tTjB5C8SG2oDUNcVVq5Wjp5lPeCFF_aPfrtlQgrwvz3aIlp32_NKj3HcBUxe64fQfUvS4TgOxR8WqixYnjDW/s1600/IMG_1082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="881" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAakiNne2pVUc12Lmcszy4_PAI2dR9bnr3PRH-qx6vGmxEATkBP4PT7g2tTjB5C8SG2oDUNcVVq5Wjp5lPeCFF_aPfrtlQgrwvz3aIlp32_NKj3HcBUxe64fQfUvS4TgOxR8WqixYnjDW/s320/IMG_1082.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.montessoriservices.com/practical-life/sewing-weaving">https://www.montessoriservices.com/practical-life/sewing-weaving</a><br />
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-75850083745315978872018-11-14T10:02:00.001-05:002018-11-14T10:02:47.045-05:00Veer's Classroom and How We Montessori At Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Veer, who is 4.5 years old, attends a local Montessori preschool everyday for half a day. I strongly believe that it is in a child's best interest to have a non-parent have a prominent caregiver role in a child's life. Children respond differently to non-parental adults, and they benefit from a broader base of experiences that other adults can provide. They benefit from having other adults around that have different expectations and rules. So, while I am trained in birth through Kindergarten, I do not believe it is in my child's best interest for me to be his primary teacher if there is another viable alternative. I also am a firm believer that Montessori only "works" in a fully implemented Montessori classroom. He must be in a mixed age classroom, it is vital to the philosophy.<br />
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We are privileged that we have an extra room in the house that we can use as a home classroom. His home classroom has specific rules for me:<br />
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1) I do not replicate work that he does at school. There are no Montessori materials in his home classroom. Yes, I am trained in them. Yes, I even own them (as I used to own a preschool). However, I do not want them to be presented differently than they are presented at school (different training programs use slightly different methods for presentation). I do not want Veer to not choose to work with materials because he is confused about how he should use them. I also do not want him to use the works at home and not use them at school when he has older peers to model work for him, and younger peers that he could be a model for. Time and time again I notice that when children are provided Montessori materials at home, they do not use them in the classroom. In their minds, the "academic" needs are met at home, so they use school to meet social and play needs only.<br />
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2) Classroom time is freely chosen. I do not require, or even ask him to go in there. I do not ask him to be in there a certain length of time. When he wants to, he goes in there to work.<br />
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3) The works I create in the classroom serve both him and I. I create works that I know are of specific interest to just him. This might not necessarily be useful for his teachers to do because they do not have other children with the same interests. This also gives me practice to create works that I can use when I go back into the classroom (which I fully intend to do once Veer is in school full-time). Yes, I am using my child as a guinea pig. Also, I super love creating works.<br />
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4) His classroom also gives me a chance to practice my observational skills. It is truly a skill that needs honed and improved. It is the key to teaching in a Montessori classroom. We just had a parent-teacher conference, and we are seeing the same things that he is ready for both at home and at school. This tells me that both of our observations are fairly accurate.<br />
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Veer loves his time in his classroom and loves to give his Dad presentations on his works in his classroom. Stay tuned for a post about Veer's coffee parties!</div>
Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-7300804846003577812018-11-13T21:04:00.000-05:002018-11-13T21:04:09.246-05:00My Child Doesn't Listen To Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Originally posted on my Moonlight blog February 1, 2018</div>
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Hi,</div>
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I’m newbie for Montessori method. I’ve been trying to calm and follow my child lead for a month (now she’s 11.5m). However, she doesn’t really listen to me. E/x: she put the slippers/shoes/papers (wipes) in her mouth. I tried to tell her that is not right and dirty, and showed her the teething toys or her favorite toys for her to do. But, she didn’t listen to me keeps doing the same way.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Besides that, throwing food makes me frustrated even she doesn’t have any bit<span class="text_exposed_show" style="box-sizing: inherit;">s whole day. I told her couple times that it’s not right for her to throw the food, if she doesn’t like it, she can leave on the table. Then, she did again, I warned her by calming voice 3-4 times that I will take the food away if she keeps doing that. Even I take the food away, she starts to cry because I take her food. I really don’t know what I should do in both situation?<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />She’s also energentic kid, always moves around. She’s very attached my husband and I, even we try to babysit her in distance, she’s crawling to us and want us just sit there. When i sit with her and challenge her the stacking rings/ put clothes to the closet/ rolling balls or feeling different balls. She doesn’t like it and starts to yell. I don’t want she depends on me much.</span></div>
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Please help <span class="_47e3 _5mfr" style="box-sizing: inherit;" title="frown emoticon"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fcb/1/16/1f641.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: top;" width="16" /><span aria-hidden="true" class="_7oe" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><img alt="🙁" class="emoji" draggable="false" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/11/svg/1f641.svg" style="background: none !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; box-sizing: inherit; display: inline !important; height: 1em !important; margin: 0px 0.07em !important; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; width: 1em !important;" /></span></span></div>
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Two things you said stuck out to me.</div>
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You mention “following the child”, but not quite in the same way we mean it in Montessori. It does not mean doing what the child wants, it means doing what is developmentally appropriate to the child.</div>
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And the second thing is that you are frustrated in trying to get your daughter to do things.</div>
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Your answer will come, and an ease in your stress, when you stop trying to get her to do things. Rather, set the boundaries and stick firmly to them.</div>
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So, in the case of putting inappropriate items in her mouth, stop asking her to stop. It is impossible for her to do so, it is a part of this stage of development. Instead, block her attempt to put the item in her mouth (or do not allow her to have the item at all). No words. If you can, switch out the item for one that is appropriate to put in her mouth.</div>
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Same with the food, do not ask her to stop throwing the food. When she throws it take it away and say “I can see you are done eating. Next time, you can just leave the table.” No chances, set the boundary and hold it.</div>
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For the depending on you, she needs to have activities that meets her needs and interests. Without observing her it is difficult to advise, but a general guideline is look at the things she does naturally, especially the “naughty” things. Those are her needs. So give her activities that meet those needs in a more productive manner. You will likely have to wean her off of your interaction. You can do this by getting her engaged in an activity and then when she is concentrating on it, quietly withdraw and begin your own work. As time goes on and she builds confidence she will begin to choose activities of interest on her own.</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-84647886122980204752018-11-12T17:40:00.002-05:002018-11-12T17:40:40.161-05:00Diwali Celebration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last Wednesday, November 7, was the Hindu holiday of Diwali. Our family celebrates this Festival of Lights every year by lighting all of the lights in the house (even in the closets!), having dinner, a puja (prayers and aarthi (offering lights to the gods)), we take the aarthi tray into each room and turn off the lights, then exchange gifts, and do sparklers outside.<br />
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Quick crash course on Diwali (keep in mind, different parts of India have different stories surrounding the celebration or that coincide with Diwali, this is the most common). The Indian epic poem, the Ramayama, is the story of Prince Rama rescuing his wife Sita from the Demon King Ravana. Diwali celebrates his homecoming after the rescue. The diyas (lights) are all lit to help them find their way home. It is celebrated on the darkest night between mid-October and mid-November. Diyas are lit and small pujas are offered for five days, but the main celebration is on the third day.<br />
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We prepared for Diwali this year in a bit of a weird way, so pardon me that my works are not set up precisely. We decided to take an impromptu camping trip before Diwali, as it was the last two days before the campground we like was keeping the water turned on. So we took the materials we needed to use to make the decorations along with us and made the decorations in the RV. Currently, my son Veer is 4.5 years old and my daughter Arya is 11.5 years old.<br />
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<b>Door Hanging</b><br />
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My idea was to take some brown packing paper that came in mail orders and they would draw flowers and such on it, mimicking the look of a traditional door hanging:</div>
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One of the keys of being a Montessorian, though, is being flexible and not pushing our ideas onto our children. Veer wanted to draw a huge scene that he said was his Diwali story. Three lava monsters that his made-up superheroes WaterMan and FireMan have to defeat. So this idea of mine went a different way than I thought, but he had a lot of fun with it!</div>
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<b>Flower Making</b></div>
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I had these precut flowers around and lots of glitter glue. I originally had thought to decorate the flowers and glue them to the door hanging, but because the door hanging went another way, I thought we could use the flowers to make a door hanging. Veer did not want a hole poked into all of the flowers he made, so we left a couple off.</div>
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<b>Diya Holders</b></div>
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Arya decided to get in on this one. We just molded clay around tea lights. </div>
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<b>Rangoli Patterns</b></div>
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Sand art designs range from small and simple to large and very complex. For Veer I had pre-printed simple designs. He did not "stay in the lines" for the work, but that is totally fine. I let him put the glue and sprinkle the sand where he wanted. He chose to use every color. For Arya, she chose to use pictures and imitate them.</div>
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<b>Finished Works</b></div>
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We snuck over to Dadi and Dada's house (that is the paternal grandparents) in the afternoon on the third day and decorated the doorstep. This invites the gods in.</div>
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<b>Celebration!</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">HAPPY DIWALI!</span></b></div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-68306240619352280122018-11-11T13:42:00.000-05:002018-11-11T13:45:34.381-05:00When to Discipline (The 4 Ds of Discipline)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Originally posted on my Moonlight blog, October 5, 2017.</div>
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The four Ds give a rough guide on when to step in and guide the child. When these four items are not in question, ask yourself why you may be having the urge to step in. Perhaps it is because you were always disciplined for those things. Perhaps it is to get an outcome that you desire. As caregivers, we always need to look to ourselves and understand why we are doing something.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Decorum: </span>These are things at the caregiver’s personal tolerance level. Much of these types of things say much more about the caregiver than the child and their behaviors. This would be things like noise level, “politeness”, manners, etc. Before enforcing discipline with these issues, really check within oneself to see if you can change your own tolerance level. After assessing yourself in these situations, if you still find that the behaviors are intolerable, these are infractions that are best handled not in the situation, but rather in modeling and lessons on how to properly comply. In Montessori we call these “Grace and Courtesy” lessons. As adults, we can tend to assume that children should instinctively already know how to do these things, so we forget that these are lessons that need explicitly taught. When children make decorum mistakes, and we decide that these are things that really are important, we need to teach a lesson showing them proper behavior. For example, if a child is being loud, we can play a game with the children in which they must whisper. This helps them develop the muscles for whispering (PCA and TP muscles) and gives an example of what quietness sounds like and why it may be important in certain situations. It may also be appropriate to tell the child how you honestly feel about something. Not in a punishing or belittling way, in a factual way, like “That loud talking is making it hard for me to hear others.”</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Disrespect: </span>The next level of infractions are things that many would categorize as disrespectful. Noncompliant behaviors, rudeness, and inappropriate behaviors would all be in this category. This is another time when immediate intervention is often not necessary, but rather modeling and lessons. These are times when we are role playing kindness, community, and helpfulness. Respect can also be built by community-building activities, such as caring for shared spaces together, breaking bread together, and seeing respect between the adults around them and between adults and children. In order to teach respect, it is very important for adults to treat children with the same respect as they treat adults. If you wouldn’t say/do something with/to an adult, then do not say/do it with a child. It may also be appropriate to address the incident at the time, “I see your cousin’s face and it looks sad. Let’s say that in a more kind way.” Then offer an alternative, appropriate, way for the child to get their message across.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Disruption: </span>This applies to behavior that not only bothers the caregiver, but is bothersome to some or most of the people around the child. It could be loudness or activity that is noticeably interrupting others or it could be literally interrupting others. In this case, caregivers do need to stop the behavior. However, it should be stopped in the least intrusive way possible. For example, if your child is jumping on the chair in a restaurant you could quietly say to the child, “You have a lot of energy right now. It is bothering other people that are trying to eat. Would you like to sit down and color with me, or go outside where you can jump for a bit?” Try to address the root cause of the behavior, rather than the behavior itself. In the previous example, need for movement is probably a root cause.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Danger: </span>The fourth level of misbehavior is danger. This could be when a child is dangerous to himself, others, or the environment around him or her. This also needs immediately stopped, and if possible, in the least embarrassing way to the child. For example, if your child is banging on a window this could be dangerous to the child, to others that could potentially step in broken glass, and to the environment (the window). In this case, block the child from hitting the glass and say “It is dangerous to beat the glass. Let’s go bang on the drum over here.” Often times in these situations, we need to address the child’s emotional state. Let the child know that all emotions are OK to feel, but it is not OK to hurt someone. “You look mad. You want your classmate to stop using that toy, so you hit her. It is OK to be mad, but I see that it hurt her and she is crying. You can ask her to stop using the toy.” Empathy is not something that comes naturally to children, but it is a learned skill. Helping them to notice that their words and actions effect others will help them build this skill.</div>
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Using the 4Ds can be a check on ourselves to make sure that our own actions and expectations are a match with child development.</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-65276984447761863072018-11-10T11:55:00.002-05:002018-11-10T11:55:32.227-05:00Types of Parenting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #6b6b6b; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 13px;">Originally posted on my Moonlight blog, October 6, 2017</span></div>
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By far, the most common questions I get from parents are on discipline. When to step in, when to let it go, how to get them to do what we want. Families often err too much on one side or the other, discipline becomes punitive when they aren’t meeting parental expectation or the child is ungrounded because s/he thinks they have no boundaries. So, where is that line? There are three types of parenting styles that psychologists have defined:</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Authoritarian: </span>Characterized by high demands and low responsiveness. Parents with anauthoritarian style have very high expectations of their children, yet provide very little in the way of feedback and nurturance. Mistakes tend to be punished harshly. When feedback does occur, it is often negative. (Definition from: https://www.verywell.com/what-is-authoritarian-parenting-2794955). Research into how authoritative parenting fails is abundant, a very good summary is here: http://www.parentingscience.com/authoritarian-parenting.html.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Permissive: </span>Characterized by low demands with high responsiveness. Permissive parents tend to be very loving, yet provide few guidelines and rules. These parents do not expect mature behavior from their children and often seem more like a friend than a parental figure. (Definition from: https://www.verywell.com/what-is-permissive-parenting-2794957). Research shows how this type of parenting also fails children can be found here: http://www.parentingscience.com/permissive-parenting.html. Not as bad as authoritative style parenting, but still not likely what we want for our children.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Authoritative: </span>Characterized by reasonable demands and high responsiveness. While these parents might have high expectations for their children, they also give their kids the resources and support they need to succeed. Parents who exhibit this style listen to their kids and provide love and warmth in addition to limits and fair discipline. (Definition from: https://www.verywell.com/what-is-authoritative-parenting-2794956). This is the sweet spot. Research shows that by far this is the most effective style of parenting, and here is a good overview: http://www.parentingscience.com/authoritative-parenting-style.html.</div>
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So, now that we know what the best type of parent to be is, how do we achieve that? How do we set reasonable limits and expectations, and enforce those? Check out my post on the “4 Ds” of discipline: http://www.themoonlightblog.com/2017/10/05/when-to-discipline-the-4-ds-of-discipline/</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-62040801129448557372018-11-09T10:39:00.000-05:002018-11-09T10:39:03.796-05:00Response To MOTHER.LY Article on 5 “Montessori Phrases To Teach Self-Control"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Originally posted on my Moonlight blog, August 27, 2018</div>
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I was saddened to recently read an article on a popular parenting blog that states phrases that the author ascribes to Montessori, and I have seen them used in classrooms when the teacher does not trust the method or the children, but these are not phrases that you would hear in a fully implemented Montessori environment. The title is about helping children learn self-control, but the article is really about the adult controlling the child. This is exactly the OPPOSITE of how Montessori teaches us to discipline.</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: inherit;">“In our system we obviously have a different concept of discipline. The discipline that we are looking for is active. We do not believe that one is disciplined only when he is artificially made as silent as a mute and as motionless as a paralytic. Such a one is not disciplined but annihilated.”</em> Maria Montessori, <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">The Discovery of the Child</em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: inherit;">“And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words, but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment. The teacher’s task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child.”</em> Maria Montessori, <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">The Absorbent Mind</em></div>
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It isn’t that rules should never be in place in a classroom/at home, it is that the environment should dictate these rules rather than the adult forcing them to be followed. I will go through the “rules” mentioned in the article.</div>
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<li style="box-sizing: inherit;">“You haven’t had a lesson on that yet.”</li>
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Somehow, this saying has seeped into many Montessori classrooms, although Dr. Montessori not only never said/wrote this, she actively cheered when students used the work themselves. In fact, MANY Montessori materials are self-correcting and designed precisely to be figured out by the child without a lesson. It is part of what draws the child to the material, the desire to figure something out. And even if a child chooses a work that is above their level, unless the material is being abused, the teacher should observe the child work with the material. This will give a clue to the teacher about what the needs of the child are and how the teacher can help the child meet those needs. Telling the child that they cannot use a work on the shelf is tantamount to placing a hot fudge sundae in front of a starving person and telling them that they cannot eat it. A Montessori teacher purposefully prepares the classroom to be extremely inviting, each material carefully chosen to entice the child and meet their needs. They have a deep and abiding need to choose that material from the shelf. I find that the adult control in this statement is based on a fear the teacher has about not being in control of their environment, or the educational outcomes for the child. This fear prevents them from fully trusting in the child, as Dr. Montessori called us to do.</div>
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2. “Thank you for waiting.”</div>
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Of all of these “rules”, this is the only one that I use. I do concur with the author on this point.</div>
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3. “We sit while we eat and drink.”</div>
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There is certainly nothing wrong with this rule if it is what works for your family. I have this rule in my classroom, though not in my home. However, my issue is with the enforcement of this rule. The children sit while eating because the table is set by them and is beautiful. They WANT to sit there and eat. They learn the boundary because when they get up from the table another child is there to sit in the seat for their turn at the snack table. It is also modeled for the child by older children and adults when they receive a lesson on snack or meals. When these are classroom norms, they do not need the external force of the teacher to be applied, rather they are followed by the children because it is how the community works together.</div>
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4. “What could you do to challenge yourself today?”</div>
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Children are self-constructing. It is not for the adult to approve of what is or is not challenging work. Any work that the child chooses from the perfectly curated shelves that is a Montessori classroom or home is perfectly acceptable and is what that child needs at that time. This is another case of the adult not trusting the child, as Dr. Montessori calls us to.</div>
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5. “We walk in the classroom.”</div>
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Again, the rule itself is not bad, but rather the implementation of the rule is problematic. The children walk in the classroom because it is modeled, the arrangement eliminates the ability to run, and they have plenty of opportunities to meet their need for running outside. If running should occur, I would calmly walk over to the running child and ask them a question or give them a task to “help” me that stops the running. I would not mention the running at all. Then I would try to get that child outside as soon as I could to facilitate the need for running (or direct them to a running area in the classroom if that is part of the environment). Later, I would reexamine the environment to assess why the running occurred and how it could be prevented in the future. Also, a grace and courtesy lesson or work on how to walk in the classroom the next day would probably be in order.</div>
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My general guideline is: If I wouldn’t say it to an adult, I don’t say it to a child. It would be condescending to say, “We eat and drink at the table” or “We walk in the room.” to an adult. Similarly, I would not use those phrases with children. My Montessori trainers would not allow us to turn in lessons if the control of the lesson was to be done by teacher, and that includes grace and courtesy (what we call our classroom rules). The adult should not be in a position of control, but rather be working in harmony with the child.</div>
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Perhaps the author thinks that the intricacies of our teaching would be too difficult to contain in a blog post, so she wanted to give some easy go-tos for parents. But doing things that are not Montessori and calling them such does not help our cause. I would prefer the article not be written at all. There is a plethora of adult-controlled parenting advice, should parents want to see that. This article is not needed.</div>
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For reference here is original blog post:</div>
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https://www.mother.ly/child/5-phrases-montessori-teachers-use-to-teach-self-control</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-69302592309985078762018-11-08T11:10:00.001-05:002018-11-09T12:52:47.085-05:00Pardon the Interruption<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello Followers!<br />
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I left this blog a while back to try another endeavor; however, I found that this vehicle was serving my readers better. So I'm back! And, I am back with a second Montessori training in infant and toddler education. Please feel free to send me topics that you wish for me to address, and I hope to be creating content on most days for you. I will post the posts I made from a second blog here, so that you will not miss any of the content I have created over the past few years. Also, feel free to follow me on FaceBook at The Montessori Advisor, on twitter <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="username u-dir" dir="ltr" style="background: rgb(230, 236, 240); direction: ltr !important; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none !important; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/MontessoriAdvi1" style="background: rgb(230, 236, 240); font-weight: 700; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none !important;">@<span class="u-linkComplex-target" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration-line: underline !important;">MontessoriAdvi1</span></a></span>,</span> and on IG @montessoriadvisor. Looking forward to serving you better!</div>
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Tammy</div>
Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-7277501698413455252018-11-08T10:34:00.003-05:002018-11-09T12:02:37.326-05:00The Promise and the Hope<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I saw this tweet today and it resonated with me so much in relation to both Montessori education as a system and raising a Montessori child in your home. This Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr quote was from "Eulogy for the Martyred Children" in 1963. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sadly, in 1932 Dr. Montessori made a very similar speech at the International Office of Education in Geneva. She was, at the time, still living in Italy and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to work there. By 1934 she would be shut out of her homeland. Dr. Montessori knew in her bones that the way to avoid the horrors of what she was living through in WWII it was vitally important to change the way we educate child and value the child. She knew that adults were powerless to stop wars. In the preface to the book documenting the speech she said, "Education today is still confined by the limits of a social order that is now in the past. Education today not only is contrary to the dictates of science; it also runs counter to the social needs of our time." (Education and Peace, page xii, Clio Edition). She goes on to say, "The individual has grown to adulthood after being repressed, isolated, and led to pursue only his own personal interests throughout childhood and adolescence, under the blind domination of adults who are only too inclined to neglect the values of life and set him only the petty and selfish goal of getting a good job for himself within the social order." (ibid, pg xiii).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">How is it in 33 years, two champions of peace are saying the exact same thing? And now, 55 years after Dr. King's speech, peacemakers are STILL saying the same thing? Because we are not heeding the advice of these peacemakers. Most citizens are in the mindset that politics and government are going to be the saviors and prevent wars. However, all of human history clearly shows that this is not the case. Dr. Montessori saw two reasons for this, two flawed definitions in our human understanding. We need to redefine peace and education.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Peace</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We tend to think of peace as an absence of war, but what is really occurring between wars is "the forcible submission of the conquered to domination once the invader has consolidated his victory" (Ibid, pg 6). She asks how this can truly be peace, when one group has taken everything another group holds dear? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">True peace, she writes, is "the triumph of justice and love among men, to the building of a better world where harmony reigns." (ibid, pg 8). In other words, we need to be at the point where no one person wants to dominate over another, rather they just want to live alongside one another.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Education</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">What Dr. Montessori is talking about when referring to education is not "schooling" as we know it. It is not math, language arts, and other academic subjects. It is not memorizing facts. Instead, she is talking about something far more fundamental. Really, she is talking about the way we allow children to exist. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Education must concern itself with the development of individuality and allow the individual child to remain independent not only in the earliest years of childhood but through all stages of his development. Two things are necessary: the development of individuality and the participation of the individual in a truly social life. This development and this participation in social activities will take different forms in the various periods of childhood. But one principle will remain unchanged during all these stages: the child must be furnished at all times with the means necessary for him to act and gain experience. (Ibid, pg 56, this taken from a 1937 speech at the Sixth International Montessori Congress).</span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Schooling does the exact opposite of what she describes an education should be. It takes the individuality away from the child, in favor of a common set academic goals, and schools take children out of social life. Children are not permitted to speak to each other throughout most of the school day!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Difference of Montessori Education</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">In a fully implemented Montessori school, children are working in community constantly. Whether they are cooking, gardening, running a microeconomy together, or studying a work of literature in community. The adult acts as a mentor and a guide, but not as the child's ruler. The individuality of the child takes an important place in the community. THIS is the fundamental way in which a Montessori school sets a child up for living peacefully in the world. When a person has their needs as an individual met, and they know how to successfully work in community, then the things that have historically caused problems in the world do not emerge. Imagine if all humans were similarly content in their lives? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">As Dr. Montessori once said, <b>"</b><b><span style="background-color: white;">Establishing lasting </span><span style="background-color: white;">peace</span><span style="background-color: white;"> is the work of </span><span style="background-color: white;">education</span><span style="background-color: white;">; all politics can do is keep us out of war.”</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">(Ibid, pg 24, this taken from a 1936 address before the European Congress for Peace).</span></span></div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-19049535644581186602014-09-04T12:03:00.000-04:002014-09-04T12:03:50.137-04:00Characters for the Preschoolers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Many people ask why we have a strict no character policy at school, or why I don't allow my own children to have items with characters on them. The reason is found in child development.</div>
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Dr. Montessori found four planes of development:</div>
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The <b>first plane</b> is the Absorbent Mind, which occurs from birth through age 6. This is when children are taking in everything through their senses and integrating that into their knowledge-base.</div>
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The <b>second plane</b> is the Reasoning Mind, and this occurs ages 6 through 12. Children are able to start sorting through concepts and ideas using logic, they begin seeking out knowledge.</div>
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The <b>third plane </b>is the Social Mind, and this occurs ages 12 through 18. Children are developing moral and social values and working on creating the adult they will be.</div>
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The <b>fourth plane </b>is the Spiritual Mind, and this occurs ages 18-24. Young adults are making conscious choices about morality and spirituality, finding their place in the world.</div>
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Because the preschool aged child is not yet a reasoning child, their environment should be reality based. This lays the foundation for the second plane of development.</div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1409841451587_2758">Our jobs as educators are almost as much about educating the parents as it is the child. With so much marketing and commercialization around, people just think it is "normal" to do characters. And I think people think, "Well, I had characters and I turned out just fine."</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1409841451587_2763">What people forget is the we played Barbies, GI Joe, Transformers, etc when we were in the SECOND plane of development, not the first (I'm sure most people actually have very few memories of the first plane).</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1409841451587_2765">Characters in the first plane are not developmentally appropriate, as children cannot decipher fantasy from reality. In fact, my 7 year old sometimes still has trouble with it. I know anecdotally that I see a huge difference in the work a child does in the classroom and behaviorally between children that do characters at home and those that do not.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1409841451587_2768">Hopefully policies at school can translate into how people are parenting at home, or least have people stop to think about it, and make a conscious decision, rather than just mindlessly doing what the marketers want us to.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1409841451587_2771">The hardest part is often times our families have difficulty even finding non character items. Thank goodness for the new Skip Hop backpack/lunchbox line! And bonus, they are small enough that preschoolers can carry with ease.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">If you want to join the fight against marketing to children, please visit Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood at </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, Slate Pro, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/">http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/</a></span></span></div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-2293774385077957462014-05-12T14:49:00.000-04:002014-05-12T14:51:18.146-04:00Differing Parenting Styles, Why Some Work Better<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So, in putting this post together in my head, Maren Schmidt over at Kids Talk Blog (http://marenschmidt.com/Kids_Talk.html) just happened to post part of what I was going to write, about the three different levels to the brain (amygdala, limbic system, and the prefrontal cortex). She did a great job explaining in, so I have copied her post and put it here for you to read. A shortcut: the amygdala asks the question "Am I safe?", the limbic system asks "Am I loved", and the prefrontal cortex asks "Am I learning?". You cannot get to the higher levels of operation (limbic system, then prefrontal cortex) unless the lower levels (amygdala and limbic system) needs are being met. What I want to expand on is where parenting styles play into these three levels of the brain.</div>
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There are three basic parenting styles permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative. From Psychology Today (http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/parenting-style.htm):</div>
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The Four Parenting Styles</h3>
<ol style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 1.5em 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: inherit; z-index: 0;">
<li style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;"><a href="http://psychology.about.com/od/childcare/f/authoritarian-parenting.htm" style="color: #3366cc; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Authoritarian Parenting</a></strong><br />In this style of parenting, children are expected to follow the strict rules established by the parents. Failure to follow such rules usually results in punishment. Authoritarian parents fail to explain the reasoning behind these rules. If asked to explain, the parent might simply reply, "Because I said so." These parents have high demands, but are not responsive to their children. According to psychologist Diana Baumrind, who during the early 1960s, conducted a study on more than 100 preschool-age children (Baumrind, 1967), these parents "are obedience- and status-oriented, and expect their orders to be obeyed without explanation" (1991).</li>
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<li style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;"><a href="http://psychology.about.com/od/childcare/f/authoritative-parenting.htm" style="color: #3366cc; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Authoritative Parenting</a></strong><br />Like authoritarian parents, those with an authoritative parenting style establish rules and guidelines that their children are expected to follow. However, this parenting style is much more democratic. Authoritative parents are responsive to their children and willing to listen to questions. When children fail to meet the expectations, these parents are more nurturing and forgiving rather than punishing. Baumrind suggests that these parents "monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, and self-regulated as well as cooperative" (1991).</li>
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<li style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;"><strong style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;"><a href="http://psychology.about.com/od/childcare/f/permissive-parenting.htm" style="color: #3366cc; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Permissive Parenting</a></strong><br />Permissive parents, sometimes referred to as indulgent parents, have very few demands to make of their children. These parents rarely discipline their children because they have relatively low expectations of maturity and self-control. According to Baumrind, permissive parents "are more responsive than they are demanding. They are nontraditional and lenient, do not require mature behavior, allow considerable self-regulation, and avoid confrontation" (1991). Permissive parents are generally nurturing and communicative with their children, often taking on the status of a friend more than that of a parent.</li>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><b>So, what does parenting style have to do with levels of brain development?</b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Well, it turns out that that the children of permissive parents are generally operating at the amygdala level of the brain. They are not sure of their safety and well-being, so they cannot move to higher levels of operation. Children of permissive parents often rank low self-regulation, have problems with authority and perform poorly in school. They also rank low in happiness, ironic when this parenting style often results from a parent's desire to keep the child always "happy". Dr. Montessori called this type of parenting "abandonment."</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Children of authoritarian parents parents operate at the limbic system of the brain. While they know they are safe, they are not sure that they are loved. These children also rank low in happiness, as well as self-esteem and social competence. In Montessori this is the second level of obedience, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">“The second level is when the child can always obey, or rather, when there are no longer any obstacles deriving from his lack of control. His powers are now consolidated and can be directed not only by his own will, but by the will of another.” (Montessori, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The Absorbent Mind</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>, 1964). </i>This level is when a child operates based on another person's will.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Children of authoritative parents operate as the prefrontal cortex level. They are happy, capable, and successful. It turns out that children NEED firm boundaries to function at their best level. Otherwise, they just aren't sure if they are safe. On the other hand, they need those boundaries enforced in a respectful manner. Dr. Montessori called this the third level of obedience: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">when the child <i>“responds promptly and with enthusiasm and as he perfects himself in the exercise, he finds happiness in being able to obey.” (Montessori, </i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The Discovery of the Child</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>, 1967). </i>The child responds this way because of the love, trust, and respect s/he has for the adult. They obey to make themselves happy, not to please the adult.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">What type of parenting style do you have? If not authoritative, what changes can you make to make your style more authoritative?</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.kidstalknews.com/2014/05/my-amygdala-made-me-do-it.html" style="color: #046380;" target="_blank">My Amygdala Made Me Do It!</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #046380;">May 3, 2014 at 5:00 AM</a></div>
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Learning to control impulses is an important task for our children, and all of us, to learn. Until our children learn to control urges to hit, kick, punch, pinch, bite, spit, name call and more, we’ll see all those behaviors emerge when life becomes overwhelming.</div>
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How is self-control established? Let’s look at the young child’s brain. Our brains are perhaps best viewed as three brains in one.</div>
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<strong>Our reptilian brain (cerebellum)</strong> takes in all sensory information and handles issue of basic survival, instincts and nonverbal communication, as well as autonomous body functions. If the reptilian brain senses a threat to our safety, instinct for fight or flight takes over our thinking.</div>
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The next brain is the<strong> old-mammalian or limbic system</strong>, referred to also as our emotional brain. If the reptilian brain senses a threat, the limbic system is flooded with cortisol, a stress hormone, and the ability to tap into the thinking part of our brains, t<strong>he neo-cortex (or new mammalian brain)</strong>, is short circuited. The amygdala, the part of the limbic system that regulates emotional and allows us to reach into our memory and previous learning, shuts down. </div>
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When the reptilian brain senses that life is safe and calm, the limbic system is flooded with a different kind of neurotransmitter, GABA (gamma-aminobutrylic acid) which allows the limbic system to connect with the neo-cortex, allowing the connection to the prefrontal lobes, the place where the executive functions of planning, decision making and understanding consequences happen. </div>
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In order to learn effectively and control our impulses, the reptilian, the old-mammalian, the new mammalian and the prefrontal cortex need to be in a state of calm.</div>
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For a two-year-old the reptilian and old mammalian brain are the most active, with the new mammalian brain getting more function as language and experience develops.</div>
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The three-year-old with good language skills begins to be able to tap into the prefrontal cortex and to begin thinking ahead and planning.</div>
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The two-year-old is happily playing with some blocks when three-year-old big sister comes and knocks them down. Since the neo-cortex is not highly active in the two-year-old, the emotional and reptilian brain reacts instinctually. A hit. A push. A scream. The two-year-old body is awash with stress hormones that shut off the possibility of logical thought, or learning from the situation.</div>
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It is the adult who must act as the neo-cortex and the prefrontal cortex for the child by removing the child from the situation in a calm way until the stress hormones can calm and the reptilian brain senses safety again.</div>
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As language become stronger in the older child we can use language to help calm the different brain functions and help develop the prefrontal cortex. After the children involved in an incident have calmed down we can discuss what happened.</div>
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To gather details we can ask what happened. We can name the feelings. We can offer alternatives. We can offer a dress rehearsal with role-playing. </div>
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Let’s take our block-building incident. After allowing some time to calm down, we ask what happened. For the two-year-old we ask yes /no questions that can be answered nonverbally with a nod or shake of the head.</div>
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<strong>Tell the story.</strong> As we gather details we tell the story. “Sam was playing with the blocks and had built a tower. Brett came over and knocked down the tower. Sam got hit in the head with a block. That hurt. Sam bit Brett. That hurt. Brett hit Sam. That hurt. I took Sam to sit with me in the rocking chair.”</div>
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<strong>Give the feelings a name. </strong> To help connect the emotional brain with the neo-cortex, name the emotions. “I feel sad that Sam and Brett got hurt. Sam, you look sad. Brett, you look sad.”</div>
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<strong>Come up with alternatives.</strong> “What could we do differently? We need to be kind to each other and not bother other people’s things or activities. If Brett wanted to knock down a tower, he should build his own. If Brett bothers your things or activity, instead of biting or hitting you could say, stop. Can you say, stop, please? Doing your own activity is a better choice than bothering others. Saying stop is a better choice than hurting someone.”</div>
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<strong>Practice.</strong> “Let’s practice. I’m building a tower and Brett wants to knock it down. Brett what could you do instead? Sam, what could I say to Brett? Yes. Stop, please. Using our words is a better choice that hurting each other.”</div>
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Until our children’s brains and bodies calm, the amygdala makes them do it. Until calm arrives, be your child’s prefrontal cortex.</div>
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Additional Resources:</div>
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Conscious Discipline: https://consciousdiscipline.com/</div>
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Jill Vetstein's Nurturing Parents and Teachers: http://www.nurturingparentsandteachers.com/</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-80720488851658413532014-03-04T12:27:00.000-05:002014-03-04T12:27:40.459-05:00Trust in the Child<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_196_1393860999545_156">Here is the fundamental question in education, one that Dr. Maria Montessori was completely sure about, but
that most people struggle with. When it comes down to it, do you have 100% trust the child? Do you think that the child has everything within itself for maximum growth?</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_196_1393860999545_156">According
to Montessori and the "triangle", if you have a properly prepared
environment, a properly trained adult, and the child, s/he will learn
what they need, when they need without any direct instruction or
prodding from the adult. Now, this might not be according to the
government, or even society, mandated list of when and how things need
to be learned. However, it IS within the realm of what THAT child at
THAT time needs to learn. </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_196_1393860999545_156"><br id="yui_3_7_2_196_1393860999545_202" /></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_196_1393860999545_156">Of course, if you take away any of the two things the adult has control over (the environment and trained adult), you wouldn't necessarily see these results. </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_196_1393860999545_156">This is why I feel like, if we were to put Dr. Montessori in a political party
in today's America she would be a Libertarian. So, that each individual
needs what each individual needs when they need it, without a top down
government agenda that needs to be fulfilled by the child. Also, Ayn
Rand stated that the only education method/philosophy she could endorse was Montessori (if you haven't read her manifesto on education "The Comp</span>rachicos," I highly recommend it. She discusses Montessori at length.)</div>
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I hear the arguments that people give about getting students to comply to an outside "authority"
so that they know how to. The other side of that coin is why should they? Why are we
presuming that this authority knows more about where the child should be
going than the child him/herself knows? Why aren't we wanting to have
that student that is forging the new world outside of the chains of
authority? I think when Dr. Montessori spoke of learning societal norms
and whatnot, she meant it more in terms of grace and courtesy, rather
than academic norms and authority (with the exception of religion, for
her). Do we not trust the child to reach their potential on their own?
If not, aren't we actually thwarting that potential by enforcing what WE
think they should know upon them at a time they aren't interested in it,
when they could be going down the path that they truly should have been on if we hadn't gotten in their way? Why are we setting them up to be in a position where they have to comply
to authority, rather than setting them up to BECOME the authority (of
themselves)? If the child NEEDS to, say s/he decides to be a doctor and
must go to medical school, they will comply to that authority to get to
THEIR goal. But that is a means to their end, not being forced upon them
by the adult "who knows better". They don't need to be trained in that.</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-29764046365911546902014-02-14T13:03:00.000-05:002014-02-14T13:07:49.922-05:00The Crying Game?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Crying is something that all humans, and many other mammals do naturally. It is something that for babies is a way to communicate needs, for older children and adults crying is a way to communicate big emotions. Sadness, anger, frustration, anxiety, happiness, and almost every other other big emotion will result in crying.<br />
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For adults, we are sometimes either uncomfortable with a child's crying or feel like crying is an indicator of something that needs to be fixed. In both cases, adults will try to stop a child's crying or even worse, make the child feel bad for crying. Both of these actions, though, do not help a child. So, what does help a child when he or she is crying?<br />
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1) Validate the child and their feelings. Use language like "I see that you are crying. If I can help you to feel better with a hug or something else, please let me know what I can do." If you think you know more specifically what is causing the crying, you can address that more specifically. "I see that you are upset because you wanted to run inside. I understand that can be frustrating when you don't get what you would like. But I can't let you run inside because that would not be safe."<br />
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2) After you have validated the child's feelings, give the child choices. Ask if the child might like to go to a very comfortable space to have crying time, or the child can cry beside you if that is preferred.<br />
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Things NOT to do with a crying child:<br />
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1) Tell them they are OK, or it is OK, or they are going to be OK. In their head, no matter how small you think the problem is, they are not OK and to tell them otherwise is condescending.<br />
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2) Shush them or tell them to stop crying. It is OK; however, to ask them to be quieter if they are disturbing others, or take them to a place where they are less of a distraction and to tell them why you are doing it.<br />
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3) Solve their problem for them. Children need the ability to be able to work through these big emotions in their own time and space. They also need coping mechanisms that are not adult dependent, so that they can learn how to do this in the future (an important executive function that needs development).<br />
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4) Allow the crying to sidetrack what truly needs to happen. For instance, if the child is crying because you needed to leave the house at a certain time to arrive somewhere, then you still MUST leave at that time, whether or not the child is crying. You can use words like, "I see that you are upset because we are leaving in a rush. Next time we will work on giving you more time to get ready, but for today we must leave now to arrive on time. Either you can walk to the car, or I will carry you." Then follow through, if the child isn't moving towards the car on their own, you must take them to the car.<br />
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5) Lose your temper or become frustrated with them. They need to feel safe in that you can handle their emotions, if not, who can they depend on? Stay very calm and matter-of-fact when dealing with the child.<br />
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After the child has stopped crying:<br />
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1) Ask the child what solutions they have to fix that problem in the future, what would better meet their needs/desires? If it is possible, work that into your life. If it is not possible, let them know that you appreciate their suggestion but it won't work because of X, Y, Z. Together brainstorm other possibilities and reach a compromise.<br />
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2) Evaluate your own responsibility for the situation. Did you let the child become overtired/overstimulated/hungry? Where you inconsiderate of the child's feelings/needs? If so, acknowledge that to the child and APOLOGIZE. This is how the child will learn to do the same, and it lets the child know that adults aren't perfect and everyone makes mistakes. Then, work on yourself to try and not repeat the situation again. Maybe that means giving time warnings before a transition ("We are going to need to leave in 10 minutes, please wrap up what you are doing."), earlier nap/bed times, or having a healthy snack available in the car on busy days.Maybe it means making days less busy if possible, or having some down time between errands.<br />
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Our goal needs to shift from not letting a child become upset ever, to guidance in teaching a child how to get through an upset. Building these executive functions are proving to be some of the most valuable tools we can give children.</div>
Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-2363956111564772892014-01-10T11:56:00.000-05:002014-01-10T11:56:42.835-05:00Getting Your Child to Eat Healthy Foods<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2719">I hear from parents so often that they cannot get their children to eat anything healthy. "He won't eat anything but chicken nuggets and french fries." "She only eats buttered noodles." The problem in these scenarios is not the child, why do they have these unhealthy choices to begin with? This is more about a family's lifestyle change, than it is about getting your child to eat their vegetables. To start, families must model healthy eating habits for their child. When your child is only surrounded by healthy choices, they WILL start making them for themselves. Ideally, it is best to start this from birth, actually prenatally, but the sooner this change can be made, the better for the entire family.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2719">As in all things, your child is more likely to follow if s/he is an active participant instead of it being forced upon her/him. You can open the conversation with a family meeting about how worried you are about your families' nutrition. This should not be about weight, or getting "fat." While coming to a healthy weight is a side benefit to a healthy lifestyle change, it should not be the goal, and not be why children are taught that eating healthy food is important. At the meeting, try offering that s/he can plan your menu and then help shop for it and help prepare it. Give her/him a guide like:</span><br />
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2718" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2717" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2710" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2716" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"> </span>Breakfast: </span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2715" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab"> Protein:</span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2714" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab"> Fruit:</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2721" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<br /><span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2722" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> Lunch:</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab"> Protein:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2723" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab"> Grain:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab"> Fruit:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab">
Vegetable:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<br /><span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2724" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> Afterschool Snack:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2726" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"></span><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab">
</span></span>Fruit:</span><span class="yiv936001280tab"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2725" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab">
Nut/Seed:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<br /><span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> Dinner:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab"> Protein:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2727" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab"> Grain:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab"> Starch Vegetable:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"> <span class="yiv936001280tab"> Green
Vegetable:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2728" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<br /><span><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"><span class="yiv936001280tab"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">Let
him/her fill
it in with what s/he'll eat, and after s/he has been successfully at it for about a
month or so you can start encouraging her/him to try new even healthier foods. At first, allow your child to choose whatever food properly fits that category, and while at the store get the most healthy version of that food. So, while Macaroni and Cheese isn't the best choice for the rest of your life, but while tastebuds are adjusting you can choose whole wheat mac and cheese (like http://www.iherb.com/Back-to-Nature-Harvest-Wheat-Cheese-Dinner-6-0-oz-170-g/31795?gclid=CMmc_Mv_87sCFSLxOgodUnsAQw&gclsrc=aw.ds). Similarly, hot dogs aren't the healthiest choice, but you can choose fat-free all white meat turkey franks while weaning off of unhealthy, processed foods.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">Main guidelines for the start:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">Any grain chosen should have a minimum of 5 grams dietary fiber. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">Any dairy should be fat free (as cancer causing toxins accumulate in the fat of dairy).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">Any meat chosen should be the leanest cuts possible, and should be organic and grass-fed. Try to keep meats to a minimum of two servings per week, as most carcinogens are found in animal products.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">No refined sugars/high fructose corn sugar. Date sugar and agave are great to sweeten foods and low on the glycemic index.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">No oils, butters, margarines, etc. Fat should come from nuts, seeds, avacados, olives, and other natural unprocessed sources (oils are highly processed and removes the healthiest parts of the plants they are sourced from!).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">Add very little salt to foods, and buy no salt added foods when possible.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2750" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: garamond, new york, times, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">When
you talk about why a food choice isn't acceptable (say s/he picks a
cookie for a grain) instead of saying anything about weight, say "That
doesn't give your body the nutrition it needs go be healthy, and it will
give your teeth cavities. When your body doesn't get proper nutrition
it can become sick. Mommy/Daddy loves you and as a parent it is my job to help
you make good choices for your body. I know sometimes that is
frustrating and difficult for you to understand when you really want
something." Maybe even get some books on those topics for her/him to read.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">And keep in mind, it is physically impossible for a child to starve themselves (except in rare cases where food aversions exist, and those should be treated at a feeding clinic that specializes in food disorders). If they refuse the healthy foods you offer give other healthy choices, but do not introduce any of the unhealthy choices just so they will eat something. Empty calories do nothing for the body but hurt it. You do your child no good by giving her/him food that does not benefit the body.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">A must-read for parents is Dr. Joel Furhman's "Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right" (http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/ChildBookReviews.aspx). It is an eye opening book about how the root of nearly every problem a child has is the food the child eats. It contains recipes and stories of how parents even avoid doctor recommended surgeries (like ear tubes) by changing nutrition, which most current medical practices do not even bring up the subject of nutrition!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2749"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2748"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2747"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2746"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2745"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2744"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2743"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2742"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2741"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2740"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2739"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2738"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2737"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2736"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2735"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2734"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2733"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2732"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2731"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2730"><span class="yiv936001280tab" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1389370059133_2729">Good luck!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5021671844224719060.post-13827741218271026592013-11-01T16:24:00.001-04:002013-11-01T16:24:53.015-04:00Freedom with Limits...Essential in Montessori AND Parenting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span id="yiv1697707691yui_3_7_2_39_1382566564732_73">One of the key parts of Montessori is that is freedom with limits (responsibilities, boundaries). This is a Montessori quote I came across:</span></div>
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<span id="yiv1697707691yui_3_7_2_39_1382566564732_81">"Do not apply the rule of non-interference when the children are still the prey of all their different naughtinesses. Don't let them climb on the windows, the furniture, etc. You must interfere at this stage. At this stage the teacher (parent) must be a policeman. The policeman has to defend the honest citizens against the disturbers." (The Absorbent Mind)</span></div>
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<span id="yiv1697707691yui_3_7_2_39_1382566564732_92">Children must never be permitted to misuse materials, be physical with each other, or be disrespectful. Broken objects due to misuse is unacceptable.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv1697707691yui_3_7_2_39_1382566564732_103">Boundaries are important, not only to teach responsibility and respect. While that is important, it is also crucial for showing them that someone cares enough to care about their safety and the safety of others around them. It is the #1 way children process love.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383324650886_17473">Children should be using materials properly or in a manner that will not break the materials or hurt anyone. Sometimes this takes a judgement call. For instance, while in our grassy field at my school the students began making mudpies with the materials set out for water painting the fence. While this was not the intended use of that material, it did not hurt the materials and they were diligently using them. I allowed that to continue, with the caveat that the dishes must be cleaned and put away properly at the end of their use. However, if they would like to dig with the rainbow streamers (used in dancing), this would most certainly break the plastic. This I would not permit.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383324650886_17474">Some things, that could be dangerous if misused I would never allow creative use. For example, gardening tools can only be used for their intended use AND used in a very precise manner (never raised above the head, for instance).</span></div>
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Breaking any item on purpose, even if it was already broken and on the way to the trash can can never permitted.</div>
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From Smithsonian magazine (September 2002 issue, article "Madam Montessori"):</div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1383324650886_17484">"The Casa dei Bambini, or Children’s House, opened January 6, 1907. At first, Montessori just observed. She noticed that the children came to prefer her teaching materials to toys and would spend hours putting wooden cylinders into holes or arranging cubes to build a tower. As they worked, they became calmer and happier. As the months passed, Montessori modified materials and added new activities, including gardening, gymnastics, making and serving lunch, and caring for pets and plants. Children who misbehaved were given nothing to do."<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span>Let me repeat: children who misbehaved were given nothing to do. Getting to work in the classroom/at home and outside with the materials you provide them is a privilege. If they cannot handle doing so with manners, and they know how to, then they do not get to use them. If they do not know how to use the materials, then they need to be given a demonstration on how to use the materials.</span></div>
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I know it is becoming very popular in our culture to never tell a child no, to never hear them cry or allow disappointment. What does this teach them about life? Rules are important in every walk of life, no matter what position you hold. It does children a disservice to not prepare them for how to cope with this, and research shows that if children do not learn how to cope with this as a child (ages birth through age 6) they have far more difficulty learning this later. The brain connections change by this point and much of their wiring is set. Executive functions (coping with disappointment is one of these) are established primarily before age 6.</div>
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As educators and parents we are searching for that perfect balance between freedom and limits, between authoritarian and permissive (this middle ground is called authoritative). Research shows that children of authoritative parents/education become the most successful adults and exhibit the most happiness in life. And isn't that what we all want for our children?</div>
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Tammy Chabriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523621090513675578noreply@blogger.com0