WELCOME

Hello! Thank You For Visiting PINEGREENWOODS.

Please note that no copyright infringement and no commercial purpose intended.All credit goes to their respective owners. Thank You

Popular Posts

2015/02/19

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : The Arts



 Math and science are very important but 
not more so than the arts! When  information 
is processed in some active, musical or
 artistic way-graphs, posters, drawings, 
creating maps, songs, plays, and so forth,
 the knowledge becomes permanent instead 
of short term memory data for testing. And it
 strengthens the creative part of the brain. 
Processing means The Arts! 


Art is most successfully taught when it is
 combined with all other subjects. The work,
 whether it is the field of geography, biography,
 history, math, or language takes the form of 
project where the head and hand work 
together toward a creative, artistic expression.


In order to learn in this way the child needs 
the tools and uninterrupted time. The adult 
supplies art materials, exposure to good music,
  long blocks of time, and respect for the child's 
expression of emotions, thoughts, and ideas. 
Children create two and three- dimensional art, 
weaving, and a beautiful environment full of 
poetry, theater, song, the sounds of instruments.


Not only are famous artists and musicians 
studied, but ordinary people who brings arts
 into their everyday lives. A child might interview
 parents, teachers, grandparents, to see  what 
art forms they pursue as hobbies, what they 
did as children, and what are their dreams. 


When elementary-aged children reach 
adolescence they enter one of the most 
creative period of life, and will create 
based on those talents they have begun 
to develop in early years. For them, and 
for adults who have had this experience, 
living without the arts would seem like 
living in black and white instead in color.



This period of life, between the age 
of six and twelve, is the time to explore 
and to develop a facility in as many
 art and music forms as possible.
  

Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori

2015/02/18

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : Geometry, Math, Invention



 Geometry, math and invention are languages
 used to explore and manipulate, to theorize
 and create, real objects in a real world. These 
studies make much more sense and are 
more interesting when they are presented with 
manipulative materials, or related to real
problems and situations in a child's life. 

This is the small bead frame, and it is a bit more abstract than the stamp game. As students add/multiply and subtract, they must make exchanges when needed. Note the place value colors are still the same.

In the Montessori elementary class 
stories are told and experiments carried out
 to show children how humans used their
 imagination to solve problems and  come 
up with great inventions-the use of fire,
 measuring the earth, compasses, boats, 
and many others. They see how inventions, 
geometry and math came about as the
 result of progress, to meet specific needs.



We give manipulative materials in 
all areas of math and leave it to
each child to decide when he is ready 
to work without materials-in the abstract. 
Children of this age love to reach back
 into history with their imaginations and 
reconstruct these needs and solutions
and the creation of systems of learning. 



When children are given this solid, 
material foundation, and see the 
relationship of geometry and math to 
the real world, it makes it easier for them,
 in later years, to spend long periods of
 time working on paper. This is because
they know that these steps are just 
that-steps which will take them
to a new level of understanding in the
 exciting world of math and science. 
   
Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : Language




Language

 The most important preparation of the environment for
 successful development of spoken and written language
in the child is the language environment of the home. It is
never too early to speak clearly and precisely to the child.
In fact the language of the caregivers in the first six years
of life will literally form the spoken language of the child.



Reading  aloud to the child gives the
 message that reading is fun for everyone,
 and concepts and vocabulary words will
 be experienced which would never 
come up in spoken language.



Reading and writing should not be
taught to a child before age six or seven,
 but, given the sensorial experiences of  
appropriate materials child of normal
intelligence will quite naturally teach 
herself  to read and write sometimes 
as early as three or four years of age. 



The preparation for enjoying the exploration 
of language in life begins before birth as
 the child responds to the voices he hears 
even in the womb. For success in language 
a child needs confidence that what she has 
to say is important, a desire to relate to 
others, real experience on which language 
is based, and the physical abilities
 necessary in reading and writing. 



There are several things that we can 
do to help. We can listen and talk to the
 child from birth on, not in baby talk, but with 
 respect and with a rich vocabulary. We can 
provide a stimulating environment, rich in 
sensorial experiences and in language, 
providing a wealth of experience, 
because language is meaningless 
if it is not based on experience. 

Wallpaper children, fall, grass, leaves, friends

We can set an example and model
precise language in our everyday 
activities with  the child. If we 
share  good literature, in the form
 of rhymes, songs, poetry and 
stories we will greatly increase
 the child's love of language.
Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : Language of The Child's World



Language

The most important specific vocabulary words, and
the most useful to the child, are the names of the
everyday objects in her home environment-clothing,
kitchen objects, tools,toys, and so forth. 



Your child will be thrilled to know the names
and to be able to use them correctly. 

Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : Experience First



Language

 In any good language environment,
 in as many situations as possible the
 teacher makes sure that experience 
precedes vocabulary and 
pictures of objects.



She will introduce real vegetables 
before vegetable cards, real actions
 before verb cards, real music before
 compose picture and labels, real shells
 before shell cards, and so on. In this 
way the child learns that  language 
is connected to the real world.

Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : Reading and Writing



Language

Maria Montessori didn't expect young 
children to learn to read and write at first
 but she soon learned that this was the 
"sensitive period" in child's life for knowing 
the names of everything, including the sounds
 of letters, and for touching and feeling. So she
 offered them letters made of sandpapers to 
trace with their fingers while saying the sounds.


 The children later spontaneously
 "exploded" into writing. Writing came first, 
months before reading, just as naturally
 as speech. For those who were not ready 
physically to write with a pencil, but who
 were mentally ready, she prepared cutout
 movable letters for their work. This 
"movable alphabet"  is still used in 
Montessori schools today.

Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : Vocabulary Cards-Reading




Language

  When a child first begins to recognize 
the sounds of letters in groups-words-he is
 doing this silently in his head. Saying these 
words aloud complicates the process, 
especially if someone is listening. So a child
 is not asked to read aloud in the beginning.



To give him practice with this new,
 exciting single-word skill, the child is given
 groups of picture cards, pictures of objects for 
which he already knows the names. He reads
each label and matches it to the picture. Then 
if the names of the objects have been written
 on the back of the picture cards, the child
 can turn the pictures over to see if 
he has placed the labels correctly. 



Children love reading and checking 
their  own  work and will repeat over and
 over again till they get it exactly right. 
Hundreds of meaningful words can be 
added to the child's reading vocabulary
 in this way. Just as with giving spoken
 vocabulary, the most important words to 
give the child when beginning to read 
are labels of the common objects in the
 home. Then other objects of interest
such as shells, cats, toys,etc. 

Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : Exploring Language



Language

 Sometimes we adults find it hard to 
believe that children can love grammar,
 but they do. It is exciting for a child  to realize
 that words written on a slip of paper can tell 
her which object to choose, or that  some
 words can tell her to DO something, like
 "smile," "hop," or "sit." Children love to enact them
 for each other and guess what the word says. 



If we help our children with the physical preparation
of the body and hands, listen carefully to our 
children when they talk to us, set an example 
of loving to read, and approach giving our 
children language with same spirit of fun 
with which we play other games, we will be
doing the most important things to prepare for
 successful life of reading and writing.
Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : Art




Art

Art is a way of approaching life,
 of moving and speaking, of decorating
 a home and school, of selecting toys and books. 



It cannot be separated 
from every other element of life. 

Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : Art Materials




Art

Children benefit from having a variety
of art materials available to them at all
times and a space to work, uninterrupted,
when they are inspired.


It is important to provide the best
quality that we can afford-pencils, crayons,
felt pens, clay, paper, brushes-and to
teach the child how to care for them. 


Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori

2015/02/17

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : Art Activities



Art

 Individual art work connect with other
subjects is more common in Montessori
environments than group projects or 
models created by the teacher for 
children to imitate.  Just as any 
other activity in the 3-6 class, each 
art activity is kept complete 
and ready for use. 


The adult gives a lesson to one child, 
complete with cleaning up, so that
he can choose this work at any time.
This cycle of work and the cleaning up,
so that it is ready for a friend to use,
is psychologically very satisfying for a child.

Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori

MONTESSORI INSPIRED : Art Appreciation



Art

Reproductions of great masterpieces
 inspire an appreciation of beauty at 
any age. We hang them at the child's 
eye level. and provide art postcards to
 sort into groups, such as by artist.  


 Montessori 3-6 environments sometimes
 have a "museum" table, or shelf where 
beautiful objects can be brought into the
 environment for temporary exhibits. Since
 everything else in the room is available for 
handling, this gives practice in just looking, 
like in a real museum, and allows close
 exposure to beautiful objects that the child 
might not otherwise have. 


Whenever possible we give the best
of examples of art and the best art materials,
at the youngest, most impressionable age. 

Angels graphics
Pinegreenwoods Montessori