Summer book club: reading with your kindergartners

June 17, 2019 By Hill Point Montessori

Though your kindergartner’s Montessori elementary school may be on hiatus for the summer, that doesn’t mean they can’t continue to explore learning opportunities and the subjects they love. Using the Five Great Lessons as your guide, you can find many excellent and award-winning books to feed your child’s curiosity all summer.

The Story of the Universe

This lesson introduces a range of concepts that include astronomy, meteorology, chemistry, physics, geology, and geography, and for your summer book club, there are plenty of options for your child to go even deeper. The National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Weather by Karen de Seve can be a great for those kindergartners who ask questions like: How do rainbows form? What makes the wind blow? Water Land: Land and Water Forms Around the World by Christy Hale might suit your geography buff and includes tactile paper cutouts. Thank You, Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet by April Pulley Sayre uses Sayre’s award-winning photography roam and relish in our fascinating home planet.

The Timeline of Life

This lesson is all about biology, botany, animals, and habitats: all the stuff of a great children’s book. Do Not Lick This Book by Iden Ben-Barak starts with the tiniest of creatures by exploring the world of microbes, while Tree by Britta Teckentrup looks at the bigger ones in their natural habitat. It doesn’t hurt that these books bring both humor and tactile elements to their stories. Additionally, if your book club has a green thumb too, Anywhere Farm by Phyllis Root can be an excellent companion read as you grow your summer garden.

The Story of Language

This lesson explores the development and uses of language and offers infinite possibilities in children’s books options. A Busy Creature’s Day Eating by Mo Willems uses a playful story and funny illustrations to learn the alphabet and Baabwaa and Wooliam by David Elliot is a book about a love of reading – perhaps a good book to kick off the summer book club! No book club would be complete, however, without Shel Silverstein. His book Runny Babbit Returns: Another Billy Sook uses tongue-twisters and other word games to play with language in a way that is sure to entertain.

The Story of Numbers

If your kindergartner isn’t intrigued by this lesson yet, these books are sure to tickle their curiosity in a new way. One Big Pair of Underwear by Laura Gehl is a counting book that uses animals and, yes, underwear, to encourage giggling and counting. 3X4 by Ivan Brunetti uses a similar approach as the Montessori number rods to lay the foundation for multiplication. Meanwhile, Round by Joyce Sidman will have your kindergartner spotting this shape (and geometry) in all the world around them.

The Timeline of Civilization

This lesson focuses on history, culture, social studies, and discovery and invention, all of which are rich topics for your summer book club. The books Birthdays Around the World by Margriet Ruurs and Families by Shelley Rotner both take an engaging approach to exploring the similarities and differences across the world’s cultures, while Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos by Monica Brown introduces the artist, her story, and her work through her very cute animal friends. Additionally, as with any of the above book titles, these can be great additions to your Montessori pre-school library to get kids excited about what comes next in their learning.

In West Hills, California, Hill Point Montessori is a preparatory school for children ages 2-12. Our Lower Elementary Program consists of students aged 6 -9, who are independent thinkers that work together to further expand their knowledge. Schedule a tour of our Lower Elementary Program today.

Engaging summer activities for your preschooler

May 19, 2019 By Hill Point Montessori

Summer is here, and so are the many opportunities to enjoy the outside with your preschooler. This season also offers a multitude of fun and creative ways to extend learning into the outdoors by utilizing basic Montessori pre-school lessons. Two of the learning areas, in particular, practical life skills and sensorial learning, are easy to translate into engaging summer activities that both you and your preschooler can enjoy.

Practical life skills

The purpose of this Montessori learning area is to gain confidence and mastery in completing simple tasks that improve the environment they are in while working on small motor skills, creativity, problem-solving, and focus. A natural extension of this in the outdoors is creating and tending a garden. Whether you have access to a spacious yard, a community plot, or a sunny window sill, gardening is an activity that can last all summer long. Your preschooler can help you choose which plants to grow, sort seeds by size, draw a map of your plant locations, and get their hands dirty making the perfect soil mixture. Your preschooler can also be in charge of the watering schedule, either helping you to water or filling their own watering can and tending to the plants on their own. Once you have a thriving garden bearing the fruits of your labor, you can introduce another activity: preparing tasty summertime recipes. Preschoolers can arrange the toppings of a garden veggie pizza, or pick, wash, and destem berries to be served with shortcake. It can be an engaging problem-solving activity to think of the vegetables, fruits, and herbs that are ripe in your garden and then think of the favorite foods they can make with them, or you can create a whole new recipe together.

Sensorial skills

In Montessori schools, it is paramount to learn through all five senses, and there is no better place to do this than in the outdoors. Water activities are a great way to cool down and experiment with the unique sensorial qualities of water. Water tables, kiddie pools, or even a couple of buckets are natural tools for unstructured sensorial play: dunking and floating objects, practicing pouring water from one container to the another, and generally splashing around. Another simple activity you can do with your preschooler is a sensorial scavenger hunt. Your scavenger hunt list can include items such as “something that is green,” “something that is fuzzy,” “something that smells pretty,” “something that tastes sweet,” and so on. The scavenger hunt is endlessly adaptable to whatever outdoor environment you have access to, and you and your preschooler can take turns creating the scavenger hunt list. Additionally, these activities can also grow with your preschooler and become more challenging by incorporating Montessori elementary school’s five great lessons, such as elements of the timeline of life or the story of the universe.

How to decide which Montessori school is right for you

April 17, 2019 By Hill Point Montessori

There are thousands of Montessori schools across the globe and the Montessori method has only gained in popularity over the years since it was first practiced in the early 1900s. With so many children and their parents benefiting from a Montessori education, you may be considering if a Montessori preschool or elementary school is right for your family. It is a valuable consideration, and one that doesn’t need to be complicated or overwhelming. There a few simple steps you can take to find a Montessori school that fits your expectations and needs.

Learn about the Montessori method

One of the first and most important steps in your search is to familiarize yourself with the various aspects of the Montessori method. This method of education is guided by a specific philosophy that has multiple unique but intuitive tenets and there is a great deal of literature on the subject including Dr. Maria Montessori’s own publications. The Montessori method includes some key features such as the prepared environment of the classroom, the overarching structure of the school day, special learning tools like the Montessori bells and the pink tower, and the role of the Montessori teacher, which does differ from that of teachers in more traditional classrooms.

Observe a classroom

Now that you know what it means for a school to claim the designation “Montessori,” you can ask the schools in which you could potentially enroll your child if you may have an opportunity to observe a classroom. Feel free so spend more than a cursory five minutes while on a tour, instead really sit back and watch. This is a chance to see if the classroom is prepared according to the Montessori method, if the teacher demonstrates knowledge of the underlying Montessori philosophy through their classroom guidance, and how the students interact with each other, the classroom environment, and their teacher.

Honor what you know works for your family

The last step, and the one that can offer the most beneficial insights in your decision making, is to recognize and honor what works for your family and to check the Montessori elementary schools against that criteria. You are the expert in your child’s educational needs and will know best if the school offers the right degree of structure, if the teachers have a compatible teaching style, or if their approach to the Montessori curriculum will spark a love of learning in your child. It is important to also respect your family’s logistical requirements, such as commuting and transportation needs, compatibility of the school schedule with family schedules, and tuition costs and available scholarship options. In the end, go with your instinct, as it is the most honest, authentic guide.

Montessori Philosophy: Teaching the Whole Child

March 24, 2019 By Hill Point Montessori

For Montessori elementary school teachers, they are not just a guide in the academic development of their students, their aim is to teach the whole child. This approach springs from the Montessori philosophy and method of education, which was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 20th century. Dr. Montessori created her approach through years of teaching and research, and it is further demonstrated in its century of successful practice in schools across the world and across diverse cultures. The Montessori philosophy holds that children are naturally curious and eager to learn, and can engage in self-directing learning given a supportive and intentionally prepared learning environment. Further, it champions respect for the child as a whole individual and support for their physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development.

Physical

The prepared environment of the Montessori classroom is a space designed for children to move, be comfortable, have access to what they need no matter their physical strengths or challenges. The room is arranged so learning tools and classroom amenities are within reach and children are encouraged to sit, stand, spread out on the floor, or generally adopt whatever posture feels good for their bodies. This fosters bodily attunement while the curriculum engages them in physical activity and helps to develop coordination.

Social

The social development of children in Montessori education is one of its most significant benefits. Teachers demonstrate kindness and respect and practice conflict resolution while children learn how to collaborate on their many group projects. The mixed-age groups of the primary, lower, and upper elementary programs fosters leadership and mentorship skills and builds dynamic relationships across a diverse classroom. Additionally, the focus on care for the environment – the classroom environment and the broader definition of the word – translates to an attitude of stewardship of communal spaces, both small and large.

Emotional

Children in a Montessori Pre-school gain confidence and a sense of independence as they are encouraged to meet their own needs, as they gain competence in skills, and as they take charge of their own education and satisfy their curiosity. They also naturally develop self-esteem as each school day they are valued and treated as a unique individual, as well as greater emotional intelligence as they are immersed in the dynamic social relationships of the classroom.

Cognitive

The Montessori curriculum introduces children to a broad spectrum of educational topics: from astronomy and botany to writing and zoology. This educational range and the emphasis on self-directed learning encourages children to be active seekers of knowledge who practice self-correction and self-assessment as a means of gauging progress.The Montessori method of education seeks not only to teach, but to help children become engaged, responsible, respectful adults who think of themselves as lifelong learners.

Hill Point Montessori in West Hills, California offers 3 programs – Primary for Ages 3-6; Lower Elementary for Ages 6-9; and Upper Elementary for Ages 9-12. Montessori education groups students according to their abilities, unlike traditional education where students are grouped by age. This allows students to work together and collaborate throughout their learning journey as they guide each other. Schedule a tour of our preparatory school to learn more about the programs offered.

Character Development in Montessori Education

February 20, 2019 By Hill Point Montessori Leave a Comment

One of the many benefits of Montessori education is the character development that naturally occurs as a function of its unique approach to learning and education. Maria Montessori felt that children possess the inherent capacity for respect, independence, and a love of learning, and the practice of the Montessori Method lends itself to the cultivation of children’s innate positive characteristics.

Respect

One of the cornerstone principles of the Montessori Method is respect for the child. This is demonstrated in the classroom when children are met at their unique and individual developmental stage and are treated as experts in their learning process. Instead of being seen as incomplete and in need of governance, children are seen as whole and capable humans with an immense capacity for growth. Montessori teachers demonstrate the kindness they want to cultivate in their students by helping them do and learn for themselves. By giving ownership of their education to the students, the teachers empower them to make choices that are beneficial to themselves, their peers, and the classroom environment. Children observe and practice integrity, responsibility, and empathy – the fundamentals of respect.

Independence

The Montessori classroom is prepared in a way that encourages children to develop autonomy. The amenities of the classroom, such as sinks, bathrooms, cleaning supplies, and items for food preparation are all made accessible so children can meet their own needs. The room is kept uncluttered and organized so children gain confidence in their ability to explore and navigate it without assistance. The curriculum, from primary to upper elementary Montessori programs, allows children to direct their learning and dive deeper into their interests as they gain greater and greater competence in language, mathematics, practice life skills, and other subjects. Their growing abilities and eventual mastery fosters self-esteem and shows the benefits of self-discipline.

Love of Learning

Maria Montessori believed children can educate themselves if provided with supportive teachers and a prepared environment. She thought children have an innate curiosity and learned best through unimpeded, direct interaction with the world around them. Montessori education leverages these characteristics to empower children to learn what they love, and come to love learning. For anyone, it is a gratifying experience to wonder, ask a question, and seek out and find the answer. No child is too young to enjoy that experience and to start a lifelong practice of leaning into curiosity, a practice that can begin in the Montessori classroom.

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