Whitsunday Montessori

08/01/2022

Did you know that Whitsunday Montessori has online classes? If your child can't attend sessions at the centre, or if your child cannot go to school (e.g. because of Covid), here is an option that may be worth considering!

www.whitsundaymontessori.com.au

At Whitsunday Montessori we deliver tailored teaching plans to suite each child's needs using the Montessori teaching method, supported by state and national curricula.

01/01/2022

Spelling becomes easy when we use the Movable Alphabet! Children find this activity very exciting, as they suddenly find that they can write! The effort involved in physically using a pencil (hard for some children) is taken away, and the child can focus just upon the process of combining sounds to make words. Here CVC (ie consonant, vowel, consonant) words have been used. Prior to this activity, objects would be used rather than pictures.

18/06/2021

Most adults talk about their memories of algebra as 'confusing' and 'stressful'. Yet in the Montessori classroom it's not that way.

Here is the Binomial Cube. It is introduced to children as young as 2.5 years of age! Initially, used as a puzzle, the child becomes familiar with how it goes together by matching colours (e.g. red touches red, black touches black and blue touches blue). First the bottom layer is made, then the top layer. It's simple

Later, as the child is ready to be introduced to algebra (this is about year 7 in mainstream classrooms, but can be much earlier in the Montessori environment), the equation is introduced i.e. (a + b) cubed, or to the power of 3.

Can you work out what the pictures are showing?
Clue: The red cube is 'a cubed', and the blue cube is 'b cubed'.

27/05/2021

www.whitsundaymontessori.com.au

26/05/2021

This is an extension of the Number Rods (i.e. learning the numbers to ten). At Whitsunday Montessori we support each child's transition to school, from where they are currently at in their learning, to where you would like them to be. Explore what we have to offer your preschool child by visiting our website www.whitsundaymontessori.com.au or phone us direct on (07) 4948 1196 today!

11/05/2021

I come with a container of objects.
I am used with young children.
I am used for learning about the sounds letters make in words.
What am I?

05/05/2021

Whitsunday Montessori runs classes for pre-school children. Here are a few examples of the Montessori materials your child might enjoy ...

Number Rods - Looking at the numbers to ten
The Seguin Boards - Representing 'teen' numbers
The Large Movable Alphabet - Spelling CVC words (i.e. consonant, vowel, consonant)
The Spindle Box - Introducing 'zero' to counting (0-9)
The Sandpaper Letters - Learning the letter sounds
The I Spy Game - Hearing initial sounds in words

Can you work out how each of these Montessori materials is used?

29/04/2021

Here's a photo of a snipping activity in a Montessori classroom. In a Montessori classroom, snipping is introduced progressively, so that it is easy at first (not really because holding scissors in itself is quite hard for a little child), and becomes progressively more difficult. Have a close look at this example. How do you show a little child how to cut a zig-zag? I show one of 2 ways, depending on the child (e.g. Snip to the middle from one side, then turn the paper and snip from the other side. Or snip to the middle and turn the paper, whilst holding the scissors still in the centre of the paper). Both techniques are quite complex for a little child. How do you teach a child to use scissors?

07/04/2021

Who am I?
I dedicated most of my life to studying children.
I talked about the method I developed all over the world, throughout my lifetime.
I wrote a philosophy about human development and designed many materials for children to use to help them learn.
I thought about education differently, with the child as the focus.
My ideas have continued well beyond my death, and are very relevant today even after more than 100 years.

24/03/2021

"An ordinary teacher cannot be transformed into a Montessori teacher, but must be created anew, having rid herself of pedagogical prejudices" (Dr. Maria Montessori, 'Education for a New World', Clio Press Ltd, 67)

Example: How many mainstream classrooms are run so that the child can move from table to floor to work without the need to ask the teacher? How comfortable does this make the work environment for the developing child? Montessori classrooms don't have a table for each child. The classroom environment is fluid and changeable (by the child!).

23/03/2021

Beware of the person that says he/she runs a Montessori classroom, or Montessori a inspired room, but who really has no idea! The Montessori approach is complex and requires intense, and often very expensive, training. Make sure your teachers are trained, as it is the cornerstone of a good Montessori classroom.

A trained Montessori teacher is well versed not only in Montessori theory and philosophy, but also in the accurate and appropriate use of Montessori materials. The Montessori teacher observes children and introduces them to challenging and developmentally appropriate lessons and materials based on observations of each child’s interests, abilities and development.

Anyone can say they are Montessori inspired, but only trained Montessori teachers truely teach the Montessori way. Montessori teachers are encouraged to let go of pre-conceived mainstream teaching ideas, and to become a very different type of teacher. They approach the task of teaching in quite another way, and use observation in an integral way. Without this training, background knowledge and understanding, a teacher is not really a Montessori teacher.

18/03/2021

Writing in a Montessori classroom ... The Montessori approach teaches letter sounds first. Once the child knows a number of letter sounds, writing with the Large Movable Alphabet is easy! Note how the objects are used to create interest and so that writing words is concrete (not abstract).