Cutting Montessori Corners
Ok, do any of you look at the sheer amount of work that some of the traditional Montessori presentations require and balk a little bit? I know that I do! Especially when it comes to language materials. There are about a million three part cards, grammar farm labels, grammar boxes, object boxes, sound bins, and the list goes on! Not only do I not have time for all of that cutting, laminating, and printing, I also don’t have that much space. On top of that, sometimes we never even use the materials! So I have learned over the past few years of Montessori homeschooling how to cut corners. Bunny hated most of the work to be done with three part cards, and I really could not keep up with making a million boxes for just about everything! Soooo….enter simplicity! I have gotten rid of grammar boxes and Bunny and I do the work together on the chalk board and practice it with the grammar boards. Simpler! I don’t make eye spy boxes for practicing sounds, we do it where ever we are! Beginning sounds, ending sounds, middle sounds, rhyming….it turns out that this a perfect car game! See simple! Another thing that I have done, is use those pink series cards for more then just learning to write. I used them for rhyming games, beginning sounds, and lots of other little things for Pup. Why keep making a hundred boxes for one kids, when the lessons can be done with some simple stuff. I know that it really isn’t traditional, but I think that it works for us. Sometimes I think that we over complicate the Montessori Method with stuff. When I really think about what Montessori was able to do with poor kids in poor parts of the world, I wondered how we ended up with a method that requires so much stuff for each and every step. After all the goal is to teach using small steps and hands on materials an lots of free time to practice, So, I am going to cut a few corners to keep things easier here. After all, simpler means easier for me, and easier for me means that I am not so stressed, and when I am less stressed I can be a better mommy and wife! So what’s not to love about that? So do you cut corners? Be honest! What do you change?
I am linking up over at Montessori Monday, so be sure to stop over there for lots more Montessori fun!
September 17, 2013 @ 4:40 pm
Great post, Stephanie! You are right on – We dramatically streamlined our approach to language in our Montessori schools over the years, down to the three step sequence shown in the Montessori At Home! eBook: Phonics – Sight Words – Reading. Once a child is reading, there is plenty of time to teach what the parts of speech are. They absorb most of this just by reading excellent books! With language, Montessori used her approach of breaking a subject into parts and teaching them sequentially, resulting in full understanding. This works fabulously for math and science, but research into reading has shown that reading is in our genes, and too much emphasis on phonics and language analysis can actually slow a child down when they are first learning to read. You put it all very nicely in your post, thanks!
September 18, 2013 @ 12:08 pm
Hi John, I agree totally! When Bunny was learning to read I felt like she was discouraged by the sheer amount of things I kept offering her. We learned the sounds, No problem. We learned some sight words, no problem. But when got to trying to work grammar and word study and all of that into our lessons, it was too much! So I backed off last year with the requirement of reading and writing everyday. Just something. That worked! This year she is reading pretty well and LOVING grammar. I think that reading and writing can work together well, but everything else it a lot to learn all at once! Thanks for popping by! Your thoughts are always awesome!
September 17, 2013 @ 5:46 pm
I LOVE this and couldn’t agree more. I feel the pressure to create more and it’s so great to read this advice from someone who is much further ahead in their Montessori homeschooling journey. Thank you 🙂
September 18, 2013 @ 12:11 pm
You are welcome Rachel! I am glad that my admitting my “un”Montessori ways are helpful! 🙂 I just feel like it makes sense to have a lot of stuff for a classroom, but for one or two kids at home it is just overkill sometimes! Not to mention it is a TON of work for us mommies! Good Luck in your Montessori Homeschool!
September 18, 2013 @ 12:05 am
I understand! I think that more often than not, I try to find the ‘meatiest’ lessons/materials to spend my time or money on, so that I don’t invest in something (financially or otherwise) that will end up being an irritant if the children aren’t interested in it. Like 3 part cards, which they don’t seem to like yet – maybe they associate them too much with flashcards, which they aren’t too much of a fan of…. 🙂 Glad to see someone else who likes to cut corners!
September 18, 2013 @ 12:31 pm
Amy, 3-part cards and I have a love hate relationship! They are a great way to teach a lot and frankly my kids NEVER use them. They learn more from a book then they do the cards. However, they don’t get that same isolation as they do from the cards. I haven’t figured out what is best there yet! But I agree that you just cant do everything with your child! I never made it through all the science albums for Bunny at the primary level. I finally had to let go of that and realize that she will learn more later! The Montessori albums cover an entire elementary science education! I finally saw that we can hit these things down the road and I didn’t ruin her for life! 😉 There is a lot, but if you have a room full of 30 minds all learning their own path, then you need lots of stuff! In fact you need to have cards for everything since you never know what they are going to want to dig into. As a homeschooler I have found that when something of interest come up, we can make things then or just go to the library! Another thing that I am learning is how to deal with the math work. Bunny has a good mind for math and she abstracts it really well. So I let go of making her “do” the work with materials. She was resenting it and hating me. So we cut a ton of math corners and she is doing just fine! I figure that as her teacher, if something comes up later that we missed, then we will go back! Glad to know I am not the only one! 🙂 Thanks for popping by!
September 20, 2013 @ 6:13 pm
After reading your comment, and Deb’s comment below – I can’t tell you how encouraged I am by them! We will probably NEVER have all the materials that are available, and if I can’t make it on my own, it’s easily going to fall in to the ‘never going to have it’ category. I completely see that when you have a classroom full you need LOTS of things to keep everyone busy, but I do tend to get discouraged sometimes when I think about everything we don’t have and all the things I’d like to have. Add to that the fact that there are many things I wish I’d had to introduce concepts – particularly in Math – but that my children are past now, and it’s nice to know that they really will be okay if they already abstract half of what they see, and for the sake of them enjoying their work, it’s okay if they don’t spend a great deal of time with something once they understand it completely. I am trying my best to teach myself HOW to use the materials and when it’s best to try to encourage their use and when we can clearly not push them and move on. I have two abstract thinkers already, given that they never had anything else, so they tend to want to use the materials very little and I am glad to know that it’s okay for them to be that way!
September 21, 2013 @ 12:29 am
Ohhh….I feel the same way you do! Bunny really is NOT interested in her math materials and I skipped so much. Like you we don’t have it all and there are some thing that I really wonder if I should have them. The hierarchal material is one of those things. But she seems happy and able to do the work abstractly and isn’t that the goal? It is hard to learn to let go of materials isn’t it? Funny it doesn’t seem to bother the kids! 😉 I know that you are doing a great job! Happy Schooling!
September 19, 2013 @ 1:56 am
I’m so glad you link up with Montessori Monday, Stephanie! Your post has wonderful ideas and encouragement for Montessori homeschoolers who are overwhelmed by trying to do it all. I definitely cut lots of corners as a Montessori homeschooler. After graduating from homeschool high school, my kids did great with their bachelor’s degrees and careers … and still have a love of learning. So the corners I cut didn’t matter at all.
September 19, 2013 @ 12:33 pm
Thanks Deb! I am so glad to know that cutting corners is really going to be ok! Sometimes I wonder. It seems like this post was really something that people needed to hear and it is great to have a mom who is “finished” sharing that it will all turn out! 🙂 Thanks for popping by!
September 19, 2013 @ 1:58 am
What a great post! I LOVE the idea behind the Montessori method…but, as you said, sometimes it is too much to follow. Like just implementing a Montessori space at home is so much with all the things that kids are use to actually. I just “cheat” and try to implement the best I can into our life, routine or interest. My daughter just started a regular kindergarten classroom after 1 year at a Montessori school (way tooooo expensive!), however, we keep thinking about the Montessori method as a life-style at home and our daily learning life.
September 19, 2013 @ 12:36 pm
You know what, I really think that it is the same thing! Having learning available when the mood strikes and making your home a place where she can help herself is all you really need! I realized that I didn’t need so many trays for practical life work because we are home! Trays recreate real work for a child in a classroom situation. If you want to fold, here is the laundry! If you want to sweep, here is a dirty floor! 😉 They have just as much fun, plus they get to feel like they aren’t just playing, but really contributing to the house! They love that too! Good Luck, sounds like you are doing great! happy schooling!