The winner of the Big Bilder set is:

Karen said at March 5th, 2012 at 5:53 am

Looks like tons of fun! My kids love building with boxes, blankets, and furniture to create forts. This will allow even more fun! Smaller scale, they’re into Legos. My favorite was tinker toys.

Congratulations, Karen! We’ll be contacting you to get your shipping information. Enjoy the building set!

Recently I discovered a large scale building set that surpasses anything my children have used up until now. It’s called Bildopolis and it’s made of pieces of sturdy recycled cardboard with Velcro dots for connecting the pieces together.

Using squares, rectangles, and triangles, children can create an endless amount of structures. While they are playing with Bildopolis, they are strengthening their critical thinking skills, spatial awareness, and ability to create in three dimensions.

I love what John Smith, the creator of Bildopolis, has to say about the benefits of free play:

“We want kids to learn without being ‘taught’. We think that every day is an education for kids and things that they learn through play are the strongest and most memorable lessons.”

John was kind enough to send our family a Big Bilder set so that we could try it out for this review.

My kids eagerly opened the box and began building. Immediately they were able to see the potential – you can literally build 1000s of different structures. My kids aimed to build one of the structures shown on the box, with, in their words, “a few modifications, mom.”

After they were done, I asked each of my children to tell me what they thought of Bildopolis. Here’s what each child had to say:

My son, 11: I found it really easy to build a tall tower. I liked that the pieces were easy to change around. It works best if two people build together. I did notice that the “door” in one of the squares is too small for me, so only smaller kids could use it as a door.

My daughter, 8: It’s really fun and you can make a lot of different ideas. The set comes with a lot of great parts. I made my own house, and I was surprised at how light it was – my mom picked it up with one finger! I can’t believe how much you can make, just with cardboard!

Here’s some great news: Bildopolis is providing one FREE Big Bilder set to one of you!

PLEASE NOTE: The prize ships to the US only. International readers, if you have a relative or friend that lives in the US who could accept the package for you, please feel free to enter!

The details:

• PRIZE: A Big Bilder set from Bildopolis (an $80 value)
• TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post (not on Facebook); ONE comment per person
• BONUS QUESTION FOR COMMENT: What is your favorite construction toy?
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Sunday, March 11th (my birthday!) at midnight CST
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
• PRIZE SHIPS: US only

Winner will be chosen by random.org and posted Monday morning, March 12th.

Please note: As the website states, Bildopolis is for ages 6+, and while structures built with Bildopolis are sturdy, they should not be climbed on, only played in.

His newest venture, June Books, with Bobby and June George of Montessorium, aims to provide children with quality stories that also serve as an introduction to Montessori for parents.

Their first book, 4,962,571, is the story of a boy suddenly captivated by the idea of counting to a very large number. In their second book, That 17th Hat, children try on hats from many different countries after going into a hat store during a rainstorm.

In both books, attention is paid to details that make the Montessori connection clear: for example, 4,962,571 uses the Montessori color hierarchy for the decimal system, and That 17th Hat explores cultures around the world and features children learning from each other in a mixed-age group setting.

June Books is currently working on their third book, N is for North Korea, scheduled to debut this summer. You can purchase books at the June Books website and volume discount pricing is available for schools and other Montessori organizations.

Recently I was able to ask Trevor some questions about June Books. I was delighted to learn more about the story behind the stories.

Lori: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me! I’m curious, how did you come up with the idea of writing Montessori-inspired children’s books?

Trevor: Great to talk with you, too! My June Books partner, Bobby George, approached me with the idea of writing a children’s book. He talked me into it. In reading books to my children, I had come across some lousy ones. I figured I could write one at least as good as one of those! How hard could it be?

Following on the success of Montessori Madness! for adults, I was intrigued by the idea of reaching families in a slightly different way, but still with the goal of enticing them in to visit a Montessori classroom. Montessori education is such a powerful, transformative method of education, not only for the child, but for the family, that I wanted to make my efforts count not just in telling stories and selling books, but in raising Montessori awareness.

Lori: More specifically, where did you get the ideas for the three books you’ve written so far – 4,962,571, That 17th Hat, and N is for North Korea (due out this summer)?

Trevor: That is easy: from witnessing the serious work that children undertake in constructing themselves. I am awed by this. I wanted to write children’s books that honored the hard work, boldness, daring, adventurousness, and dedication that children apply to this most important of tasks.

Lori: What are you hoping to accomplish with your books?

Trevor: I hope our stories raise Montessori awareness and Montessori enrollment.

Lori: What kind of feedback have you received from parents and teachers?

Trevor: We have received great feedback and enthusiasm. This is the first set of children’s books designed specifically to spread Montessori awareness. Teachers and administrators are delighted to have more and varied resources for reaching prospective parents.

Now, we’re still waiting for feedback from the New York Times, CNN, NPR, the various book awards, and the President of the United States. But sometimes you need to be patient.

Lori: Hopefully mainstream media will give you some attention soon! What’s the hardest part of writing a book for children? What’s the best part?

Trevor: The writing is easy. It’s the sitting down to write that’s tough. Once the decision is made to do it, you just have to keep working on a piece of the puzzle every day, and eventually you’re cutting open the box from the printing company, lifting the flaps, and reaching down inside to pull out and hold in your hands the first copy of a book you’ve been thinking about and talking about and moving around, twisting, editing on your computer screen for a year. Oh, and that’s the best part, too.

Lori: Thank you so much for your time, Trevor! I really appreciate it.

Trevor: Thank you!

Trevor was kind enough to send me a copy of That 17th Hat for review. I promptly turned it over to the children’s book experts in my house (my kids) and asked them what they thought.

My daughter, 8: I think that it can really help kids because it tells kids about other places, and it’s a fun and cute story.

My son, 11: I think that it is a great book for younger children. The book has an interesting storyline. Even me, being someone who reads a lot, learned some new words while reading this book!

Personally, I appreciate the beautiful illustrations (so important for a story like this) and the respectful treatment of other cultures. Some of you out there have friends or relatives who don’t know anything about Montessori. Because of the format (a bright, engaging children’s book) as opposed to a scholarly journal, this kind of book would be a great way to introduce them to Montessori.

New Materials

We have some great new items, including (my favorite), Holidays Around the World. This gorgeous work has 24 (24!) holidays from all over the world. I loved researching this because I learned a lot myself!

Two other new items are Plant Life Cycle Sorting and States of Matter Sorting. The pictures are beautiful and there’s a lot of great information in each set:

Freebie!

Our freebie for this month is a set of two cute story cards that kids can use as “story starters” to get them off and running when doing creative writing. Here’s the December free download!

Updates

We have two updates this month: Parts of a Car – UK and Parts of a Root.

For Parts of a Car – UK, we kept the same drawings, definitions, etc. as our original “Car” set but substituted “bonnet” for “hood” and “boot” for “trunk”. For Parts of a Root, we have an updated, much nicer drawing.

If you’ve ever bought those items from us (as a PDF that was emailed to you, or on a CD-ROM Collection), just email us at montessoriforeveryone@gmail.com to ask for either/both of the updates.

From this point on, anyone who buys “Parts of a Car” can tell us if they’d like the UK version, and anyone who buys the “Root” will get the updated version.

Just a note about Facebook: Facebook only shows our updates (the links, quotes, and comments we share) to people who interact with us on Facebook. So if you like our status updates, be sure to click “Like” or leave a comment so that Facebook keeps showing them to you!

Happy Holidays!

rebecca said at December 12th, 2011 at 8:47 am

Rebecca

Congratulations, Rebecca! We’ll get in touch with you to get your contact information so that we can ship the loom to you!

I really loved all the “practical life” comments on this post! What great ideas! If you’re looking for some new practical life ideas, just read through the comments and I’m sure you’ll come up with many!

Recently I received a Peg Loom with Wool Yarn (item #V54) from Montessori Services (also known as For Small Hands) for review. My 7-year-old daughter loves crafts, so we eagerly opened it up and started weaving!

Some of the loom features I really like are:

1) The loom is made of wood and the yarn provided is 100% wool
2) The directions are clear and easy to understand
3) The loom is easy to use

After weaving the included string on the loom to make the warp, we threaded the needle and started weaving. My daughter has done projects like this before (making potholders on plastic looms) so she had a good idea of how to do it.

It does take time to weave the yarn all the way across the loom. In about an hour, my daughter had woven yarn halfway across the loom. We did use double yarn in the needle as recommended for faster weaving.

Here are my daughter’s thoughts about the loom (as she weaves on it, see picture):

“I think that you should be careful when going over and under with the yarn because it’s easy to do it wrong. I think that kids ages 5-10 would probably really like it. It comes with lots of yarn in nice colors, and you can make many things with it.”

The instructions include suggestions for several projects, including wallhangings, purses, carpets, and pillows.

I think this craft is a great way to bring practical life activities into any home or classroom. As it says on the box:

“Boys and girls love to weave! Designed to help develop fine motor control, dexterity, concentration, and basic mathematical skills.”

Thank you to Montessori Services for letting us try this great item!

But it gets even better…

Montessori Services is providing one peg loom set as a giveaway right here on our blog!

PLEASE NOTE: The prize ships to the US/Canada only. International readers, if you have a relative or friend that lives in the US or Canada who could accept the package for you, please feel free to enter!

The details:

• PRIZE: A Peg Loom with Wool Yarn set from Montessori Services (a $24.95 value)
• TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post (not on Facebook); ONE comment per person
• BONUS QUESTION FOR COMMENT: What is your favorite practical life activity?
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Monday, December 12 at midnight CST
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
• PRIZE SHIPS: US/Canada only

Winner will be chosen by random.org and posted Tuesday morning, December 13th.

Good luck and happy weaving!

Picture of Peg Loom used by permission of Montessori Services.

She will be presenting a talk on the importance of the natural world to children at the AMS conference in San Francisco next March, focusing specifically on the adverse effects of screen time for children. I thought it would be good to talk to her about the topic of children and culture, and she was kind enough to answer my questions. Let’s jump right in!

Lori: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. Before we get into cultural influences, let’s talk about the first plane of development. What are the tasks and needs of the 0-3 child?

Donohue: Infants and toddlers are busy acquiring basic independent functions, i.e. becoming upright and learning to walk, learning to talk, learning to get dressed, learning to eat and mastering the toileting process.

As Dr. Montessori said, children of this age learn best through movement; their intelligence grows through movement, so this is why we see the non-stop, hands-on direct engagement with their environment. They are joyous explorers of everything. What they need is a consistent routine and caregivers who understand, model and facilitate the work at this age: self-mastery for basic skills.

They also need freedom to move about and fascinating three-dimensional items with which to engage. And most importantly, they need to be honored for the age and developmental stage they are at right now. Very young children cannot be reasoned with, they cannot wait, they cannot stop moving, they do not grasp abstract concepts and if the input is too fast and furious, they are easily overwhelmed.

Lori: It’s interesting to hear you list those qualities, because so often we think of those as negative but really it’s just a characteristic of that age group. What about 3-6?

Donohue: Children in 3-6 are taking all that input from the first three years and learning to organize it so that it makes sense and becomes personally useful. Still in the period of the absorbent mind, they are increasing their gross and fine motor development; their language becomes more sophisticated; they now engage memory and can wait. They are excited to make their bodies come under the command of their minds and they are working on figuring out what is real. They need hands-on experiences offered at their pace.

This is the time to offer reasonable reality, that is, reality at their development plane, which is different than for older children. This age child is working on making the connection between the three-dimensional world and how it is represented in language and pictures. Their language development is crossing the semi-abstract bridge into reading, writing and thinking.

For example, do animals talk? If the input coming at the child is predominantly talking animals, then there is confusion as to what animals really do. As an alternative, we offer reasonable reality, which is exposure to real animals at the appropriate level of encounter. And then we offer that semi-abstract bridge: accurate representations of that animal that connect back to the child’s real world encounter with that animal. This includes accurate pictures and the word labels for that accurate picture.

Think about how many concepts there are to form. Children of this age need us to offer real world experiences at their level and then accurate representations of that real world. With all that to do, there’s not much time in the day for “entertainment”.

Lori: What about children in the second plane of development (6-12)? What are their tasks and needs?

Donohue: Children now have their foundation laid for self-efficacy and are ready and eager to engage in the larger world. They have moved out of the period of the absorbent mind and their intellectual capacity and thirst expands exponentially. They are physically strong and steady, so that they can focus on expanding social and intellectual engagement with others.

Imagination is now a tool for discovery. This child needs the larger picture of the human-made and natural world presented as a puzzle to be solved, e.g. how high, how old, how big, how long ago, etc. until all the questions they can think of are answered. The first plane of development, that grounding in reality, now is the basis for further exploration, elaboration, and imaginings.

The elementary child needs the world offered in fascinating stories of the big picture, then lots of time and opportunity to get into the myriad details that comprise the bigger picture. They need hands-on, three-dimensional tools to help create the bridge to abstraction and they need to solve problems, both intellectual and social as well as physical.

Lori: How can parents make the best choices for their children when it comes to entertainment (movies, TV, video games, music)?

Donohue: Based on what the child needs at each level of development, as stated earlier, here is what parents might ask themselves in making these decisions:

~ Why am I offering this entertainment to this age child?
~ How does it further meet his needs and honor his tasks?

Lori: Good questions! It can be very hard to know what is appropriate or not. Can you give a specific example of a movie or TV show that is marketed to kids but is extremely inappropriate for young children?

Donohue: Currently, there is the second coming of the Happy Feet franchise. It burst on the scene five years ago and made a gagillion dollars, scaring little children all across America. It’s back and who knows what horrors are in store for our children this time. I wrote a review of the original Happy Feet which you can find on my website. P. Donohue Shortridge. Click on the Articles & Essays page and then look under the “For Parents” section.

I recently sent out an email to a lot of parents and Montessorians about the Happy Feet Two movie because I am so concerned about young children being exposed to it.

My concerns with this movie relate to:

• Young children being exposed to the incredibly fast-paced clips
• The relentless sound track and the rapid-fire dialog
• The movie’s content

Modern animation is sped up even faster than in the past. It is designed to bypass the frontal lobes where critical thinking occurs and be directly absorbed into the mid-brain where our emotions reign. Animators admit learning lessons from advertisers. Young children do not have the mature cognitive ability to process what is coming at them at this frenzied, hyper pace; it’s called cognitive overload. Happy Feet Two will also be available in 3D, which only intensifies the overload.

And as to my content-concerns, parents and children will see the trailer for Happy Feet Two everywhere in the next few weeks as part of the sophisticated marketing campaign for this sequel. Cute penguins with anthropomorphic faces and Elijah Wood’s voice (Frodo, for goodness sake); who could resist? Marketers further lure parents by use of adult humor and big name stars.

For Happy Feet Two, they’ve ramped up the star power by adding Matt Damon and Brad Pitt to the cast. However, the trailers do not always show what is in the movie itself. This was true of the first movie. To investigate for yourself, I invite you to watch the trailer for Happy Feet; then go to my website and read my review of that movie. The trailer belies what is actually in the movie. The content in the original Happy Feet was not appropriate for young children.

Will the content in the sequel be as unsuitable for young children? The original grossed almost $400 million and both movies have same writer, director and production company, so what would be different? I’ve been carefully watching the various trailers for Happy Feet Two splashed all over the television and already noticed two concerning incidents: a large sea creature gobbles a small innocent one who is frantically trying to escape, and in another scene, a sexy adult female penguin says at one point, “I’m getting a stalking vibe.”

I suggest that if you are seriously thinking of taking your young child to see Happy Feet Two that you go see it yourself first and then decide.

Lori: I think that’s really eye-opening because of the contradiction between the marketing of the movie and the actual content. I think it happens a lot.

Donohue: Look, parents are trying to figure out something to do with their children. So they do with their children what they used to do on their own – go to the movies. But ask yourself, why are you doing this? Just because it is out there enticing you to come on in, is it a good idea that you do so?

A recent piece of research suggests that many parents don’t really know what to do with their children, so they take them to restaurants, to Starbucks, to the movies, and put them in organized sports. Little children cannot handle all this very well. Of course they will cope, but is that what we really want for them?

Lori: Based on what you’ve said so far, I have to ask you: Is there anything positive to be found for kids in popular culture?

Donohue: I’m still looking for it.

Lori: How can parents make good choices about what their kids hear, see, and do?

Donohue: Again, if parents can understand what their child needs at this developmental moment, this can be the foundation for answering any question that comes up. OK, so I have a 13-month-old, who is working on walking every waking moment of his life, is this a good time to take a road trip with my child? I have a four-year-old, for example, is this the time to go to Disneyland?

We often remember our own childhoods older than our child is now. We don’t remember much of our years younger than six years old. So don’t rush it, keep it simple when they are younger, and keep it real when they get older. The key is to be sure to pay attention to where your child is right now.

Lori: How can we counteract things we want to keep our child from but they hear about anyway (from school, neighbors, family, etc)?

Donohue: Well, we can pretty much be in charge of what our children under three-years-old are exposed to because the parents pretty much have dominion over how that age-child spends his every waking moment. Or should have.

Children age 3-6? Again, this age child should pretty much be moving from home to Montessori school and back home again. Once in awhile, this 4-year-old will see and hear something disturbing. The antidote is lots of time in free-play nature. Make that negative experience become a smaller and smaller percentage of the child’s life by offering reasonable reality at his level. Then make a note to self to avoid/minimize that encounter in the future.

That would include things such as using the DVR so that your five year old won’t see that stupid commercial for the sarcastic comedy show that is advertised during the baseball game dad and child are watching together.

It could also include a talk with babysitter, grandparents and older siblings about what is and is not permissible for your young child to see. I would also avoid loud restaurants that blare the television and so forth. Back in early times, parents had to figure out how to keep the children safe from scary creatures that wanted to come in the cave; today, parents have the same protective job to do.

The difference is, and thus the challenge is that it was easy to tell the scary things back then; a bear is a threat to both adult and child, but today, that which seems “harmless” to adults is still scary and inappropriate to children, thus parents need a keen understanding of that which is inappropriate for children of different ages.

Lori: Any advice for divorced parents whose ex-spouse does not share their values?

Donohue: There is no good answer to this question. Divorce is a disaster for children, period. With that being said, offer what is appropriate at your house. One would hope that divorcing parents would be grown up enough to talk through these issues. When talking to the other parent, state what you are seeing, “When Nathan came home last week, he had nightmares two nights in a row and talked about the show he saw with you.” State facts and ask for cooperation. Keep your cool and don’t make it personal. And of course, never talk about the child in front of him.

Lori: We’ve talked a lot about negative things to keep our kids from – what should we be steering them towards, value-wise?

Donohue: For children under six, as much time as possible in free-range nature beyond the playground. Simple routines, lots of sleep, and no screen time.

For children over six, anything that engages their mind and body working together: this includes making things, chores, pick-up games freely chosen, pet care, gardening or other out-of doors activities. Some families value service to others; offer this at age-level appropriateness.

I would limit screen time to one hour a day and that includes everything added up: TV, DVDs, computers, smart phones, iPad, etc. And all of it supervised and chaperoned. Make a movie-watching experience on the weekend a big deal family affair. Think of it as a special event rather than the consistent background hum.

Lori: I think you have excellent suggestions and I really hope parents are listening to what you are saying. It’s easy to get defensive about the choices we make for our children but really, it’s not about us: it’s about them and what is important for their development. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me!

Donohue: Thank you, Lori!

For more information on the services that Donohue provides for Montessori homes and schools, and to read her essays about Montessori and parenting, please visit P. Donohue Shortridge.

Until now.

Recently I found out that several of my family members are dyslexic. Some are children, one is an adult. Seeing their struggles – at various stages of life – has triggered an interest in me to find out more about dyslexia.

One of the first statistics I came across is that dyslexia affects many children (as many as 1 in 5), so if my research can be helpful, I want to share.

What Is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a recent word but not a new concept. For centuries, people have described children who are bright and developmentally normal in every way but can’t learn to read. An older term for dyslexia was “word blindness” which is a pretty good way to sum it up.

A more modern way of describing dyslexia is “lack of phonemic awareness”, which basically means that the dyslexic child is unable to effectively connect letters (symbols) with their sounds.

Dyslexia as a whole is actually a complex set of issues that can include:

~ Difficulty recognizing letters and their sounds
~ Difficulty holding a pencil and forming letters (dysgraphia)
~ Difficulty with reading comprehension, i.e. determining the meaning of a sentence
~ Difficulty with spelling
~ Vision or eye tracking issues
~ Irlen Syndrome – sensitivity to black text on a white background

The World Federation of Neurology defines dyslexia as “a disorder manifested by difficulty in learning to read despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence and sociocultural opportunity.” In other words, if a child has every opportunity to learn to read, and is smart enough to learn to read, and can’t, they are probably dyslexic.

Here is a helpful checklist of dyslexia symptoms:

~ Can read a word on one page, but not on the next page
~ Knows phonics, but can’t—or won’t—sound out an unknown word
~ Slow, inaccurate reading of words in isolation (when there is no story line or pictures)
~ When reading aloud, reads in a slow, choppy cadence and often ignores punctuation
~ Becomes visibly tired after reading for only a short time
~ Reading comprehension is low due to spending so much energy trying to figure out words
~ Listening comprehension is usually significantly higher than reading comprehension.
~ Directionality confusion shows up when reading and when writing (confusing b,d,p,q)
~ Misreads, omits, or adds small function words such as an, a, from, the, to, were, are, of
~ Omits or changes suffixes, saying need for needed, talks for talking, or late for lately
~ Substitutes similar-looking words, even if it changes the meaning of the sentence, such as sunrise for surprise or house for horse
~ When reading a story or a sentence, substitutes a word that means the same thing but doesn’t look at all similar, such as trip for journey, fast for speed, or cry for weep

In spite of these and other challenges, dyslexics are known as a creative group of people who often excel in science and the arts.

The Neurological Component

Studies have shown that the human brain is not actually wired to read. The brain is wired to learn to speak and understand spoken language. When we learn to read, we hijack those language areas and use them for reading. This is why speaking comes so naturally, without instruction, whereas reading is much more difficult.

There are two areas of the brain used for reading: the first, for sounding out words and the second, for recognizing words as a whole entity, on sight. The dyslexic child never switches to the second area of the brain – they use the “sounding out” area throughout their lives, even to recognize sight words. This means that the process of recognizing words on sight is always difficult, as they are using the wrong area of the brain to do it.

Can this be corrected? There is research to show that with early intervention and specific instruction, the dyslexic child’s brain can be re-wired to process written language correctly. (See bottom of the post for resources).

Famous Dyslexics

There are many famous scientists, composers, and artists who were dyslexic.

A short list of famous dyslexics includes: Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Pablo Picasso, Beethoven, and Albert Einstein. That’s pretty good company.

These people weren’t brilliant in spite of being dyslexic; they were brilliant because they were dyslexic.

How could Leonardo da Vinci draw sketches for a submarine centuries before it was possible to build one? How was Albert Einstein able to develop his theory of relativity based on a vivid dream, while today’s scientists still struggle to understand it? How was Beethoven able to compose sublime melodies after becoming almost completely deaf?

Dyslexia enabled these men to think primarily in pictures, not words; to make lightning fast connections between seemingly unrelated ideas; and to think outside the box – really, for dyslexics, there is no box.

Many very successful people in today’s world have dyslexia, including Tom Cruise, Jay Leno, the actor Henry Winkler, and the playwright Wendy Wasserstein. If you read interviews with them, they will all report that they became successful because of their dyslexia – it motivated them to work harder than other people because they were told so many times that they would never amount to anything. They worked to prove their detractors wrong.

It is very helpful to talk to a child with dyslexia about famous, successful dyslexics. It helps them to feel that they are not alone, and that they can still achieve great things in spite of the challenge of dyslexia.

The Gender and Age Myth

Many people believe that only boys (or men) are dyslexic, but that is proving to not be the case. In centuries past, many women were never taught to read, so dyslexia never arose as a problem.

In today’s world, girls are often well-behaved in class, and as long as they do not call attention to themselves, it’s easier for them to slip by undiagnosed. Both boys and girls with dyslexia are good at coming up with coping mechanisms to get around their reading difficulties. Teachers and parents have to be vigilant in observing both boys and girls for signs of dyslexia.

Another myth is that dyslexia cannot be diagnosed until 2nd or 3rd grade, since frequently, it is not diagnosed until those grades.

However, ultra-observant teachers and parents can find signs of it sooner, as young as age 5, which include:

~ The inability to rhyme words or to hear rhyming sounds
~ A mild delay in learning to talk
~ Pauses when talking, such as “um” (more frequent than normal)
~ Difficulty breaking words into syllables
~ Family history of dyslexia

Early Intervention

Commonly, children with dyslexia do not receive intervention quickly enough. Because the inability to read is frustrating, resulting in a reluctance to read, teachers and parents may conclude that the child just “isn’t interested in reading”, “isn’t mature enough”, “isn’t focused enough”, etc. These excuses result in a “wait and see” approach which is devastating for the struggling child.

In order to make the dyslexia diagnosis as early as possible, it’s important for educators to know that lack of interest and lack of focus are generally symptoms of reading problems, not causes of reading problems.

As soon as dyslexia is suspected, intervention is necessary. The sooner intervention begins, the better. It’s better to take action and find out it’s not necessary than to take no action at all. The dyslexic child can sense that they are struggling and they need an advocate, someone to stand with them and help them through the tricky maze of sounds and letters.

Dyslexic children do not benefit from a “wait and see” approach. Time is of the essence. Dyslexia does not go away or get better with age. The younger children are when intervention begins, the greater the chance of success due to the pliability of the brain. When intervention is delayed, the child’s brain becomes less pliable and reading success becomes more difficult.

The dyslexic child knows there is a problem. There is no way to hide it from them or pretend it doesn’t exist. Usually, when they are told that they are dyslexic, they feel a huge sense of relief that their problem has a name. Their reluctance to read turns into a willingness to work once they know that there is help to be found.

What Can Be Done?

There are many resources available for children with dyslexia. In the public school system, parents or teachers can request testing to verify the dyslexia diagnosis, at which point the child will receive special services. Many private schools have reading specialists who provide additional tutoring (beyond regular classroom work) for dyslexic children.

Parents can and should educate themselves, even if their child is receiving specific help in school. There are numerous books, websites, training programs, and clinics where helpful information and programs can be found.

Here are ones that I’ve found helpful:

The Gift of Dyslexia by Ron Davis – This book is interesting but should not be seen as a scientifically-based look at dyslexia. It is mostly the first-person account of a man with dyslexia as well as many other stories and anecdotes about dyslexia.

Ron Davis also runs The Davis Dyslexia Centers found across the US, which offer programs to help children with dyslexia. His book contains many of the exercises used at the centers, in case you’d like to try them at home or in the classroom.

Checklist of 37 Symptoms of Dyslexia – taken from the Davis method

Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally E. Shaywitz – This book is mostly scientifically-based, taking a look at dyslexia from a neurological perspective. The science section is quite helpful, but the practical suggestions for working with a dyslexic child fall short.

This article with Sally Shaywitz provides a good overview of her approach and might help you decide whether or not to read her book: A Conversation with Sally Shaywitz, Author of Overcoming Dyslexia

Neither of the above-mentioned books are a perfect look at dyslexia, but both have their strengths so I do recommend reading both if you can. They can easily be ordered online (just Google their titles for sources) or at your local library.

Orton-Gillingham Reading Method – This multi-sensory approach offers training for teachers and parents in using their method. Training workshops are available around the US. Is often used by reading specialists in both public and private schools.

Bright Solutions for Dyslexia – World-renowned dyslexia expert Susan Barton has her own version of the Orton Gillingham Method (the Barton Reading System) and her website is full of information, including videos, about dyslexia

Easyread – This online program consists of over 200 lessons for the child to complete over a year or so. Using their unique “trainer text” (pictures that represent sounds, shown with the accompanying letters), children with reading issues are able to sound out words right away and see a dramatic improvement after 3-4 months. You can also visit their Facebook page: Easyread Facebook.

Dyslexia – Not Just About Reading and Writing – a helpful look at other symptoms and characteristics of dyslexia

Any other helpful experiences or resources to share?

Searching for Montessori

First I would recommend doing a Google search for “montessori school ________” with the blank being the city, town, state, or province that you live in. When schools list their addresses at their websites, which most do, Google can return good results that show you the websites for any schools in your area.

Many Montessori schools have Google “Place Pages”, which are pages that are separate from the school’s actual website, but have helpful information like the location and hours of operation.

Place Pages often have reviews left by other people (along with star ratings), so you can read those for the school you’re interested in. Online reviews can be helpful if taken in context with other information, so take the reviews with a grain of salt. You can also ask people in your neighborhood or community if they have any experience with the school in question or if they can provide any helpful info.

AMS and AMI

You can also search at the American Montessori Society (AMS) website, by state or country, to find schools that are affiliated with AMS: AMS: Find a School. Keep in mind that “affiliation” simply means that the school has joined AMS by paying the yearly fee. This designation is not an assurance of school quality. However, if a school is accredited by AMS, then the school has undergone a long process of evaluation and should be a high-quality school.

The AMS website typically tells you the location, hours of operation, and some info about the school, like the ages it serves and programs it offers. They also have the school’s phone number and email address so that you can contact them with questions.

You can do the same kind of search at the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) website, for schools that are approved by AMI. Currently only schools in the US can obtain a “Certificate of Recognition”; you can search for them here: AMI/USA School Locator.

Montessori School Finder App

There is also a Montessori app for smartphones (like iPhones) that you can download that will enable you to search for Montessori schools. You can find it here: Welcome to Montessori App. I haven’t used it, so I can’t speak to its helpfulness, but if any of you have, please share your thoughts!

What to Look For

Finding a school is only a first step. The next step is to make sure the school is high quality and is truly practicing the Montessori method. There is only one way to determine that: by observing the school yourself. All good Montessori schools have an “open door” policy so that prospective parents can come to the school, meet the administrators and staff, and observe a classroom.

If you’re not sure what to look for, here’s a helpful post: Top Ten Things to Look for in a Montessori School.

As much as I’d like to be able, I cannot give any suggestions or recommendations as to the quality of Montessori schools around the US or the rest of the world. So this is something you’ll have to investigate for yourself. Luckily the internet provides lots of resources for finding and evaluating Montessori schools.

If you’d like to extend your Japan studies to include art, we’ve also got a new set of Famous Artists cards: Famous Artists – Hokusai. Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese artist who lived from the late 1700s to the early 1800s. His work with woodblock printing, most notably his series on Mt. Fuji, makes him the most well-known and influential Japanese artist of all time.

To make things easier for everyone, we are selling these two items on Japan in a set called Ancient Japan Set at a 10% savings. We hope you enjoy these materials – we had a great time making them!

Students who want to further study Japan and Japanese culture can make use of abundant internet resources.

Helpful websites include:

Kids Web Japan – games, pictures, news articles, and maps presented in a fun and engaging style

Activity Village – Fun for Kids – includes printables and craft ideas for studying Japan

Montessori Muddle – Plate Tectonics and the Earthquake in Japan – an easy-to-understand explanation of the March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami, with pictures, charts, and graphs. Please watch the videos yourself first before showing them to children to make sure they are suitable

Alison’s Montessori has some beautiful materials about Japan, including a Japanese House Block Set complete with samurai guards, a Sake Pouring Exercise, and a book called Travel Through: Japan that features and photos about Japanese history and modern-day Japan

Any other great ways to study Japan in the Montessori classroom?