A Decalogue By Maria Montessori

1. Never touch the child unless invited by him (in some form or the other).
2. Never speak ill of the child in his presence or absence.
3. Concentrate on strengthening and helping the development of what is good in the child so that its presence may leave less and less space for evil.
4. Be active in preparing the environment. Take meticulous and constant care of it. Help the child establish constructive relations with it. Show the proper place where the means of development are kept and demonstrate their proper use.
5. Be ever ready to answer the call of the child who stands in need of you and always listen and respond to the child who appeals to you.
6. Respect the child who makes a mistake and can then or later correct himself, but stop firmly and immediately any misuse of the environment and any action which endangers the child, his development or others.
7. Respect the child who takes rest or watches others working or ponders over what he himself has done or will do. Neither call him, nor force him to other forms of activity.
8. Help those who are in search of activity and cannot find it.
9. Be untiring in repeating presentations to the child who refused them earlier, in helping the child acquire what is not yet his own and overcome imperfections. Do this by animating the environment with care, with restraint and silence, with mild words and loving presence. Make your ready presence felt to the child who searches and hide from the child who has found.
10. Always treat the child with the best of good manners and offer him the best you have in yourself and at your disposal.

Information and Organizations

Association Montessori Internationale         http://www.montessori-ami.org/

American Montessori Association                  http://www.amshq.org/index.html

Montessori school in Tulsa Oklahoma   http://undercroft.org

Blogs; for Inspiration and Ideas

Pre School Mother using Montessori                   http://mommyme-thewonderyears.blogspot.com/

Mother and Montessori Teacher                          http://mymontessorijourney.typepad.com/my_montessori_journey/

Crafty Mother using Montessori                                      http://montessoribyhand.blogspot.com/

Homeschooling Mother of school age children         http://www.athomewithmontessori.blogspot.com/

Mother and Montessori Teacher                               http://spiralmontessorimama.blogspot.com/

Materials for Free and for Sale

Many free materials                                    http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/

Wonderful weekly newsletters             http://www.mymontessorihouse.com/

My favorite place for kitchen and cleaning materials                                           http://www.forsmallhands.com/store/

Wonderful, unique items                                             http://www.michaelolaf.net/

Discounted prices and TONS of choices                                             http://montessori-n-such.com/default.aspx

High quality materials                                             http://www.adenamontessori.us/US.php

Furniture                                                       http://www.lordequip.com/

Books

The Absorbent Mind, by Maria Montessori

Teaching Montessori in the Home; Preschool years, by Elizabeth G Heinstock

Montessori from the Start; Birth to Age 3, by Paula Polk Lillard and Lyn Lillard Jessen

Videos

Here is a wonderful example of why toys that are simple and interactive can develop a child’s concentration even as early as a few months old.

1 minute into this video there is some wonderful footage of happy babies playing with Montessori materials!

Our children are capable of deep concentration from the moment they are born.  It is the adults job to protect this spontaneous concentration when ever possible.

2 year old deep in concentration, notice his content smile after, and his breath of success!

Many Montessori materials can be made with found objects. I love the order, visualization and involvement of the hands. It’s for these 3 reasons that children love Montessori activities.

A heartwarming and real life glimpse into one moment in time in a montessori infant house. A perfect example of children doing for the sake of doing, not the result!

MONTESSORI INSPIRED BEDROOMS

Child sized table

Montessori Preschool

Montessori materials are not based in make believe but rather highlight and explore the wonders of nature.

Here is a game that the child can play alone, the child reaches into the bag and matches the shapes, using only his sense of touch.

By helping the child explore deeply and refine their 5 senses, they are better equipped to explore their world.

Materials highlight one difference, notice how this material has different sizes, however the are the same shape and color.

Montessori recommended that we “never give more to the eye and the ear than we give to the hand”, she also states that “the hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence” , for these reasons, there are always manipulatable objects to go with concepts such as words and numbers.

Montessori materials and activities teach skills that help the child achieve independence.