One Tree Montessori Schools

If you have Threads, have a look at this post:

https://www.threads.com//post/DZJKFnUCHk0?xmt=AQG04xd0X5ItCn2kPBc6cVKyd-nmRQadKk_rkLrLXd4wUHusjwnBivIagVyCS_0sIhRMyzJE&slof=1

I screenshotted the original post below - the comments are worth reading. The issue of not being able to engage with written text is one I see online and hear about often.

AI and smart phones might seem harmless and useful, but if you don’t teach your kids how to use them critically, and don’t model a love for reading, school alone won’t be able to make up for that kind of deficit.

Why is Montessori always boasting about "hands-on learning"?

There is a saying: "What the hand does, the mind remembers." You'll know this yourself - you learn much better when you get to actually do things, try out, fail, do again.
In Montessori, learning content is materialised - made concrete and touchable - from early childhood right through to senior primary.

This photo shows the Long Bead Chain of 9 - a piece of equipment that our students use
🐣 in pre-primary to build patterns, squares and cubes, and count past 100;
🐥 in junior primary to learn skip-counting, the 9 times tables, and to explore multiples, squares, cubes and powers;
🐓 in senior primary to learn to write and calculate with powers, squares, and cubes.

No more need to "figure something out", or "just do it". We can visualise it, touch it, build and understand it in a whole new way.

You do not have to entertain your kids 24/7!

They're allowed to be bored. They're allowed to struggle and be bad at things. So, save yourself some time and stress - and set your kids up to be capable adults.

1️⃣ Require them to do age-appropriate chores. Use a "first, then" approach - first we do the chore, and once the chore is done, we do the next thing. Put more emphasis on doing the chore then getting it right - don't do it for them, don't make them do it over but rather coach them through it again next time. Keep this up for a few weeks and you'll have happy little helpers!

2️⃣ A little windowsill garden is a great project, teaching responsibility, patience and planning. There are many how-to videos online, and you'll get fresh herbs or even some small veg or fruit out of it (it's much easier for toddlers to try veg they've grown themselves).

3️⃣ Make a concerted effort to turn off the TV, and ban any child under 10 from using smart phones, tablets or gaming consoles. Help them organise offline playdates with their friends, take turns with other parents to supervise them outside and give them open-ended materials (for crafts, puzzles, building blocks) or books. Remember that this is also a skill that might have to be relearned, so put some time aside to teach your kids how to play the old way.

Follow us for more tips and insights!

A few weeks ago, we held our internal science fair. It was a learning curve for students and teachers alike, and we saw some fascinating research. We're excited for the ones that signed up to participate in the Circuit Science Fair in June!

Some scenes from our “Experience Montessori” Event last night.
Parents were invited to come and discover the classroom for themselves.

“It really helped me understand what my child does at home - wanting to be involved, asking to cook with me,” said one mum.

A timeline of Namibia, showing some events across the years.
The children lay them out in order, or match them against a roll of paper with the years on. The control book provides extra information, and the child can then copy events, years and/or pictures into their book, for their research, or make their own timeline to take home.

The child is already becoming who they are meant to be.

How does that change the role of the teacher?