Montessori Songs

Five Fat Peas
A counting fingerplay especially useful in the spring and summer

Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed
(children hold hand in a fist)
One grew, two grew, so did all the rest
(put thumb and fingers up one by one)
They grew and grew
(raise hand in the air very slowly)
And did not stop,
Until one day
The pod went POP!
(children clap hands together)


Five Cookies
Action poem
Five little cookies in the bakery shop
Shinning bright with the sugar on top
Along comes (child's name) with a nickel to pay
He/she buys a cookie and takes it away
(continue with four, three, two and one)

Important events in Dr. Maria Montessori's life

• 1870 Born
• 1896 Became Doctor of Medicine
• 1896 Represented the Women of Italy at a Conference at Berlin
• 1896-1906 Held a chair in Hygiene at a Women's' College in Rome
• 1898 Gave birth to Mario Montessori Sr. and sent him to a family in the countryside of Italy
• 1899 Addressed a Pedagogical Conference in Turin - stressed on the benefits of Education to defective children
• 1900 Represented at the Feminist Conference in London - attacked the exploitation of children in the mines of Sicily
• 1901 Enrollment in the University of Rome as a student of Psychology and Philosophy
• 1904 - 08 Professor of Anthropology in the University of Rome. Her first major publication -"Pedagogical Anthropology"
• 1909 Publication of "The Method of Scientific Pedagogy as applied to infant education in the Children's Houses"
• 1913 Conducted the First International Training Course
• 1914 She visited the United States of America. She was a guest of Thomas Alva Edison. The formation of American Montessori Society under the President ship of Mr. Alexander Graham Bell
• 1918 The Education Society of London sent Mrs. Hutchinson to take a course under Dr. Montessori. The course was considered a "Rhapsody" by the Department of Education
• 1919 The first official visit to London. She was given a royal reception
• 1922 Dr. Montessori appointed the Inspector of schools by the Italian Government
• 1925 International Montessori Congress at Helsinki
• 1929 Founded the Association Montessori International in Amsterdam
• 1932 International Montessori Congress in Europe
• 1939-1947 Dr. Montessori makes India her home. She with the help of her son conducts 16 batches of the Indian Montessori Training Courses, thus laying a strong foundation for the Montessori Movement in India
• 1947 Reestablishment of the Opera Montessori in Rome, Italy
• 1948 Dr. Montessori visits India again
• 1949 Appoints Albert Max Joosten as her personal representative to conduct the Indian Montessori Training Courses. Conducts the First International training Course in Pakistan. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
• 1951 Conducts the International Montessori Course in London. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the second time
• 1952 Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the third time. All three occasions the Nobel Prize eludes her. Dr. Montessori passes away. Interred at Noordwijk-aan-Zee in Holland

Practical Example - Wrist turning - Dry pouring

Material:
Two containers-cups .one cup half filled with beans, tray,

Work surface:
Table

Presentation:
1. Invite child
2. Select the work and go to the table.
3. Place in front of you.
4. Make the child sit on your subdominant side
5. With your dominant hand take the cup that has beans
6. Hold the cup at the top with your dominant hand and the bottom with the subdominant hand
7. Pour the beans into the empty cup slowly, until the first one is empty.
8. Return the beans back to the original container.
9. You can look inside the cup and say “empty”
10. Check for spilled beans
11. Return work to the shelf
12. Invite child

Extensions and variations:

Use wide mouthed funnel
Use different small handheld objects
Finer material to pour
Containers with handles
Container with spouts
From one container to different containers

Points of interest:

Pour in steady stream
Sound of beans being poured
Empty container
Pick up spilled beans
Emptying the container

Control of error:

Beans left in the container
Spilled beans in the tray/floor
Too much noise

Language:
Beans, empty, pour, cups, tray,
Age:
2 ½ and up

Aims:
OCCI, pouring materials, preparation for reading and writing

Practical Life Example - Sorting - Rough and Smooth ( Shells)

Materials:
Wooden box, rough and smooth shells, rough and smooth label cards, tray.

Work Surface:
Rug

Presentation:
1. Invite child
2. Wash and dry your hands
3. Go to shelf and bring material
4. Open box and place on bottom of your subdominant side
5. With dominant hand take out shells from the box, one by one and place it on the right side of the box.
6. Take the rough label card, read out loud and keep it on the upper left side of the rug.
7. Take the smooth label card, read out loud and keep it to the right side of the rug
8. Take a shell and hold it in your sub dominant hand. With your dominant hand stroke and feel the texture of the shell
9. If rough say “rough” and put it under the label that says rough.
10. If smooth say “smooth” and put it under the label that says smooth
11. Repeat the same with the rest of the shells till all the shells are sorted by rough and smooth
12. Admire
13. Return shells one by one into the box.
14. Return the work to the shelf
15. Invite the child

Extensions/Variations:
1. Different objects-rocks, fabrics, wooden blocks
2. Sort rough and smooth with blind folded

Points of interest:
1. Different types of shells
2. Taking the shells out of the box
3. Holding it in the hands
4. Sorting

Control of error:
1. Tactile disharmony

Language:
Rough and smooth, shell

Age:
3 and up

Aims:
OCCI, tactile discrimination

Montessori Philosophy Rationale

“Education is a natural process carried out by the human individual and is acquired not by listening to words, but by experiences in the environment.” “Every child is unique in their own way” and “Every child grows in different paces”. Only in Montessori classroom the child get the freedom to choose what they want to do. The freedom of choice helps the children to develop an inward order through work before she chooses and carry out her own acts. In a Montessori classroom, a child is free to move about and explore the environment because with activity and movement comes learning. Movement, in fact, contributes not only to the physical, but also to the intellectual potential and spiritual development of the child. The child must have freedom achieved through order and self-discipline. The child in a Montessori environment can learn, discover and be creative. He has the freedom of choice and develops his individual interest. The child learns best in a prepared environment. Montessori classroom is calm, respectful and peaceful. This atmosphere meets the child's inner need for an atmosphere that supports concentration. The Montessori classroom is orderly and encourages the child to maintain an orderly environment. It is a place where the child can do things for him or herself. The children make their own choices of work throughout the work period, but within a carefully designed structure. This independence is necessary because it teaches decision-making skills and self-confidence.. However, the teacher is there, observing, making careful notes, and giving new lessons to children when they show signs of readiness. She follows the lead of the child and guides him towards the next level of work. A child who chooses work beyond his ability will be guided towards something that better suits his needs.To facilitate the prepared order of the environment, the teacher arranges the materials on the shelf following their sequence in the curriculum flowchart. The materials are displayed on low open shelves that are easily accessible to even the youngest children. Each has a specific place on the shelves, arranged from the upper left hand corner in sequence to the lower right. Materials are always arranged in sequence, from the most simple to the most complex, and from the most concrete to the most abstract.

The environment is created in proportion to the child and his or her needs. They decide for themselves which materials to work with. “The extern material is then offered, and left freely to the natural individual energies of the children. They choose the objects they prefer; and such preference is dictated by the internal needs of “physical growth.” Each child occupies himself with each object chose for as long as he wishes; and this desire corresponds to the needs of the intimate maturation of the spirit a process which demands persevering and prolonged exercise.” Child reinforces own learning by repetition of work and internal feelings of success. The child repeats activities until they are fully mastered. The Montessori class schedule is long and uninterrupted.

The practical life materials help the child to learn how to care for her/himself and his /her environment. These activities enable the child to become an independent and caring member of society. This builds the child’s self-confidence. The sensorial materials are designed to develop the child’s perceptual abilities and refine his/her observational skills. Montessori materials are multi –sensorial and self-correcting: they are designed to help the child learn how to learn. In a primary classroom, three and four-year-olds receive the benefit of two years of sensorial preparation for academic skills by working with the concrete Montessori learning materials. This concrete sensorial experience gradually allows the child to form a mental picture of concepts like "how big is a thousand, how many hundreds make up a thousand, and what is really going on when we borrow or carry numbers in mathematical operations. The values of the sensorial experiences that the younger children have had in Montessori are often under-estimated. Research is very clear that this is how the young child learns, by observing and manipulating his environment. The Montessori educational philosophy believes that the educational method, to be effective, must support and address the nature of the child. The nature of the child is not a theoretical construct, but based upon Montessori's detailed observation of the child.

The goal of the Montessori classroom whether it is a prepared environment for infants and toddlers, preschoolers, elementary or secondary students, is the development of skills necessary for a productive and fulfilling life. The best of the curriculum is useless if the child does not develop inner discipline, integrity, and respect for others and oneself. The young child who is armed with self-confidence and self-discipline is far more likely to achieve success and happiness. They will be prepared to meet any challenges that the “real world” may present.

Pongal : Harvest Festival of South India

I began discussing "Pongal" with my Montessori students as part of other culture. Having come from the same culture, it was easy for me to present it in detail.

Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festival of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu.

Pongal falls in the mid-January every year and marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan - sun's journey northwards. Pongal festival lasts for four days. Celebrations include drawing of Kolam, swinging & cooking of delicious Pongal.

Meaning & Significance

People celebrating Pongal should be aware of the meaning & significance of the important rituals associated with this harvest festival. Pongal or Thai Pongal is also called Makara Sankaranthi, since it is celebrated on the first day of Thai when the Sun enters the Makara Rasi (Capricornus). This signals the end of winter and the onset of spring throughout the northern hemisphere. For the next six months, the days are longer and warmer. The period is referred to as Uttarayan Punyakalam and is considered auspicious. Legend has it that the Devas wake up after a six-month long slumber during this period. And so it is believed that those pass away during Uttarayana attain salvation. In fact, Bheeshma is believed to have waited for the dawn of Uttarayana before he gave up his life. Pongal is a four-day affair.

The first day, Bhogi, is celebrated on the last day of the month of Margazhi. On this day, people decorate their homes. New vessels are bought and old and unwanted things burnt. Scholars have often compared Bhogi to the Indra Vizha celebrated by the Chola kings at Kaveripattinam, also known as Poompuhar. Indra Vizha was celebrated in honour of Lord Indra, also called Bhogi, the God of thunder and rain.

The second day is Perum Pongal, the most important. It is also called Surya Pongal because people worship Surya, the Sun God and his consorts, Chaya and Samgnya. Women decorate the central courtyard of their homes with beautiful kolams, done with rice flour and bordered with red clay. The Pongal dish is cooked exactly at the moment when the new month is born. There are several legends associated with Perum Pongal. A sage named Hema prayed to Lord Vishnu on the banks of the Pottramarai tank in Kumbakonam. On Perum Pongal day, the lord is believed to have taken the form of Sarangapani and blessed the sage. Yet another legend has it that Lord Shiva performed a miracle where a stone image of an elephant ate a piece of sugarcane.

The third day is Mattu Pongal, celebrated to glorify cattle that help farmers in a myriad ways. On this day, the cows are bathed and decorated with vermilion and garlands and fed. In certain villages in southern Tamil Nadu, a bullfight called manji-virattu is held in the evening. Bags of coins are tied to the sharpened horns of ferocious bulls that are let loose in an open ground. The young men of the village vie with each other to subdue the bull and grab the bags tied to the horns. In fact, in ancient Tamil literature, men had to subdue the bull in order to win the hand of a fair maiden and even Lord Krishna is believed to have defeated seven bulls before marrying Nappinnai. Unlike in the Spanish bullfights, in manji-virattu, the bull is never killed. Mattu Pongal has little significance to city folks. In most urban homes, the day is celebrated as Kannu Pongal. Special prayers are offered by women for the well-being of their brothers. The Tamils also remember the poet Tiruvalluvar, who was born on this.

The last day is Kaanum Pongal. It is that part of the festival when families used to gather on the riverbanks and have a sumptuous meal (kootanchoru). It is also time for some traditional dances such as kummi and kolattam. In recent years, that day is celebrated as Uzhavar Tirunal in honor of farmers.

Following are some of the international harvest festivals

• Chu'sok
• Tori no Ichi
• Ulavar Thirunaal
• Thanksgiving
• August Moon Festival
• Tet Trung Thu
• Succoth
• Kwanzaa
• Yam Festival

Montessori Outdoor Play

Let us always remember that inner discipline is something to come and not something always present. - Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

Outdoor playtime in your Montessori preschool does not have to be completely unstructured. In fact, studies have shown that unstructured or lightly-supervised playtime can actually lead to aggressive play and behavior problems. Playing organized games and activities teaches cooperation, sharing, following the rules, helpfulness, social skills, and control of emotions. Additionally, organized play makes sure that all students are actively participating in some physical activity.

Here are some suggestions for activities during your Montessori outdoor play time:

1. Outdoor Car Wash

Materials: Car, Wash kit,water

Description: Set up an area outside where the children can wash the playground “cars”.

Children can have three stations: soap and sponges; clean water and sponges; and drying cloths.

2. Outside Basketball hoops

Materials: Basketball hoop,basketball

Description: Set up an area outside where the children can play basketball

3. Outside Water Table

Materials: Water Table,squirt bottles

Description: Set up a water table so that children can play water squirt