One thing that has been a lifesaver to me is expandable accordion files. These are available at any office supplies store in the filing section, and comfortably hold 8 1/2 x 11 in. size paper or cardstock.

I have three; the first is for Math, Language, and Science:

Inside, I’ve labeled the tabs for various materials; these are great for worksheets, memorabilia (like brochures and postcards from historic places), and any size chart or other material that fits:

Another one is for Geography, History, and Cultural:

This one is perfect for continent maps and research guides:

I was delighted to find a “half-size” expandable file at Staples:

This one holds the experiments and explanations for the Geography Impressionistic Charts, Botany Impressionistic Charts, and Forces Set 1 (all of which are printed two-to-a-page on 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock, so after cutting the page in half they fit in this perfectly):

Getting back to the regular-sized accordion files for a minute – I use one to hold uncut 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of laminated materials (that’s the size my laminator uses). That way if I have a spare 15 minutes (it does happen!) I can pull out just one work and cut it apart quickly (here you can see the tops of the South America Pictures, which I need to cut apart):

Some of the materials I make, like Types of Snow, come with a full-page chart related to the topic. I don’t have room on the shelf for all these, so I keep them in the expandable files and only pull the chart out if one of my children is doing the work. Here’s the Snow chart:

And here’s how I store Types of Snow on the shelf; the little blue sticker reminds me that there’s a chart to go with it (the blue container is an Akro bin, which I’ve blogged about here):

Now it’s time to share a little secret with you (shh!). Many of the items I make come with full-page control charts, especially the nomenclature cards from botany and zoology. They look like this one from Types of Trees, and are very lovely:

However, I personally prefer to keep all the parts of a material together whenever I can, and the full-page charts don’t fit in small containers. So, I cut the control charts apart (I know!), punch holes in the corners of the cards, put a ring in them, and keep them with the nomenclature cards. Here’s Types of Trees, with the control chart cut apart (it’s got a little ring in the left-hand corner holding it together):

I know that wouldn’t work for everyone, but it does for me! I also make ringed booklets of control cards, too, if there’s no control chart to cut apart.

For displaying things on a shelf that can’t be cut apart, I use stands found in craft stores; here’s an example of a research guide on a stand:

And here’s the stand by itself; they come in different sizes and there are wooden ones as well:

For larger charts (Plant Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Six Kingdom, and Fundamental Needs), I like the large envelopes you can buy at office supply stores for legal size paper (9 x 14 in.). Here’s my Plant Kingdom Chart Set:

And the charts; I’ve added Velcro to the blank charts (and the corresponding pieces), and the Plant Nomenclature Cards are in the smaller green envelope:

I’ve mentioned before that my favorite way of storing nomenclature cards and other card material is to label them in individual baggies, then put them in plastic shoeboxes. (This is just for me in my storage closet; on the shelf I use containers to display each card set separately):

One last favorite combo: brochure holders and library pockets. I’ve mentioned these before (see the post here), but they’re so helpful I’m going to mention them again. I buy library pockets online or at teacher stores, print labels for them, and store math equations and geometry card sets in them. I love them and they save so much room!

Well, I think that’s enough for now! I’ve posted all these pictures on Facebook in a photo album (there were some extra ones I didn’t put in the blog post). You can find those at my Montessori for Everyone Facebook page. Click “Photos” if you don’t see it right away.

If you have other great ideas for storing materials, please share!

When I was knee-deep in the Montessori training (you know, making materials day and night, talking non-stop about Montessori theory), I asked my husband this question: “What do you really think of the Montessori method? Is it a viable way to teach children?” I figured by then he had heard enough to form some kind of opinion. His response: “It really depends on the person doing it.”

He’s right; the beautiful materials, the prepared environment, and all the philosophies in the world are still dependent on someone being able to implement them correctly in day-to-day classroom life. I often hear Montessori teachers referred to as “Renaissance people”, that is, people who are interested in a wide variety of topics. It’s definitely true, and the kids are interested in so many different topics that you often have to study a wide variety of things just to survive their questions! That said, I think that most of us have areas in which we feel stronger or more confident than others.

Most of us attempt to bring every curricular area into the classroom, regardless of our own personal preferences. That’s a great thing, but within that framework there’s room to focus on areas that we personally really enjoy. For instance, at my last school, one of the 6-9 teachers was a math major. The kids in her class did lots of great math stuff, even beyond the traditional math materials. For my part, as a history major, I brought my love of history into the classroom through lots of interesting books and activities.

It wasn’t that her class didn’t study history, because they did; and certainly my class did plenty of math. It’s just that we were able to bring a fullness to the curricular areas that we liked the best. (That’s one reason it’s nice to switch teachers, combine classes or have students work in other rooms from time to time; they get a different experience in each classroom).

Within the rather large context of “history” fell my very personal favorite, East Asian History. In college, I eschewed US and European History and took only East Asian History classes. I believe that the reasons behind this could be chiefly traced back to a trip that my family was fortunate to take when I was in 6th grade. As I’ve mentioned before, my dad is a pastor. When I was 12, he was invited to go to China and speak to college students. The person who organized this event said, “Go ahead and bring your family!” and so we all went to China for two weeks. Here is a picture of me (on the right) and my sisters in a Chinese garden (this has always been one of my mom’s favorite pictures):

Keep in mind that this was in 1984; the country was completely closed to outsiders. Our visit was very controlled; we saw exactly what the government wanted us to see. And much of our sight-seeing was of the most “touristy” kind – the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Ming Tombs. We also visited a school and a rug factory. The people were fascinated to see Americans; one of my sisters, Lynn, was especially interesting to them because she had blond hair. Wherever we went, we were surrounded by spectators.

This trip was eye-opening in so many ways. American Chinese food was nothing like real Chinese food. We were served snake, fish eyes, and all sorts of other unusual things. The freedoms we have in the US are breathtaking; indeed, when we first arrived in Beijing we had to wait in the airport for 8 hours because the government wanted to make sure that we were not there to sow dissidence. While waiting, I took several pictures of the airport. After a few minutes, some officials came over to me and confiscated my film. I was 12 years old!

Sometimes the cultural differences were bewildering. But I loved our trip. I loved the people and the culture; the sense of history that stretched for millennia. I loved the artwork and the architecture. Once I started teaching, I wanted to pass that appreciation on to the children in my classes. While we were in China, my family purchased lots of souvenirs, so these objects naturally became a part of my classroom. I enjoyed bringing in photo albums of my trip and talking to the kids about what I had learned. These personal experiences helped make China more real to them.

Kids get excited about learning when they can tell that you are excited too. Whatever unique experiences or interests you may have, find a way to bring them into your classroom and the results will be amazing.

I often get questions from both parents and teachers on how to arrange a classroom, and I’ve blogged about it quite a bit, but the posts are spread around so I’m going to bring them together in one giant post.

Q. What do I need in my classroom?

Essentials of a Toddler Classroom
Essentials of a 3-6 Classroom
Essentials of a 6-9 Classroom
I don’t have a list for 9-12 but if someone does, email me at montessoriforeveryone@gmail.com and I’ll add it to the blog

Q. How do I arrange the shelves?

The Underlying Organization of a Montessori Classroom

Q. How do I arrange the materials?

Organizing Your Montessori Materials
Tricks and Tips for the Montessori Classroom
Using Multi-Drawer Cabinets to Organize Materials

Q. Questions to Ask When Looking Over Your Classroom

A Little Bit of Thought Goes a Long Way

Q. How can I fit a Montessori classroom area into my home?

My Homeschool Classroom
Our Home Classroom Part 1: The Art Area

Q. How do I organize my Montessori stuff behind the scenes?

My Montessori Closet
Using Carts to Organize Materials

I know that many of you have pictures on your blogs of your classrooms (school or home or both). Please put links in the comments so everyone can see! The more ideas the better.

Here’s to lovely, organized classrooms!

One thing we were looking for was a basement that could be a combination classroom/playroom for the children. The house we chose not only had a spacious basement, but it was a walkout with sliding glass doors leading to our backyard and a large picture window (lots of natural light!)

In our last house, our learning area was in our family room, and it was a bit cramped; here’s a picture as a refresher:

At the time that picture was taken, my son was 7 and my daughter was 4, so much of her work was in our kitchen (pouring and other practical life activities). Since I couldn’t be in two places at the same time, it was hard to work with both of them or even be in a place where I could observe both at the same time.

Our new basement was unfinished when we moved in (which basically means cement walls and floor) so we’ve spent the past three months waiting and watching as construction crews put in walls, lights, outlets, carpeting, and all the other things that go into finishing a basement. They finished right before Christmas and we were thrilled with the result!

I’m going to be blogging about each area of our classroom, although I’m still working on it (arranging shelves, cutting out materials), but here’s a picture of our main work area to hold you until I can do more with it:

The sliding doors at the end are a storage closet for me, giving me plenty of room to store the materials we’re not using (something I never had before!) I’ll be blogging more about that too in the near future.

In the meantime, I wanted to talk about our art area. I’ve blogged about art areas before, specifically on setting up your primary art area and bringing art to the elementary classroom. In the past, I usually put out trays of art activities already put together (as shown in the two art posts).

This time, however, I decided to do things a little differently. Now that my children are older (9 and 6), I decided to simply put out lots of different art materials and let them create their own art projects.

When we designed our basement, we put in a tiled area, some cabinets, a counter top, and a sink. This seemed like a natural place to put our art supplies:

From time to time, I will still give them specific projects (for instance, we painted a Styrofoam set of planets last week to make a Solar System model) but mostly they are on their own. We do have at least one time period set aside each week for art, but they choose their own projects and complete them with minimal help from me.

I am using Jennifer Mackintosh’s unbelievably beautiful art area (scroll down a bit to see her Art Center) as an inspiration, but at this point I’ve only put out a few art supplies and some paper:

We have some additional supplies on a shelf nearby:

…including things like stamps and stamp pads, beads, craft paper, origami paper, and collage materials like craft sticks and pompoms.

So far, our art area has been a huge hit, especially with my daughter, who often goes down there first thing in the morning after waking up and has completed a few projects by the time I make my way downstairs!

I began to read Bill Gates’ annual letter, one that he wrote in January of 2009, and was immediately intrigued. In it, he talks about the successes (and some failures) that the Foundation has experienced since it began. He talks about what they would like to accomplish in the future and how they will reach those goals.

Since two of the main areas of focus for the Foundation are poverty and disease, they have funded many programs that are targeting those afflictions. They have scientists who are working to develop crops that can grow in regions of Africa that do not receive much (if any) rain. They have scientists who are working on vaccinations and treatments for diseases like HIV/AIDS and rotavirus.

The Gates Foundation is having an amazing impact on infant/child mortality and quality of life in 3rd world countries. But what intrigued me most about his letter is how he describes himself and the people who work for his foundation. Let me explain.

Gates begins his section on education (another area that is receiving significant funding from the Gates Foundation, especially in the US) by talking about his own education. Listen to what he says (emphasis mine):

“I was lucky enough to accumulate the wealth that is going into the foundation because I got a great education and was born in the United States, where innovation and risk-taking are rewarded.”

and a little later:

“The private high school I attended, Lakeside in Seattle, made a huge difference in my life. The teachers fueled my interests and encouraged me to read and learn as much as I could. Without those teachers I never would have gotten on the path of getting deeply engaged in math and software.”

In another section of his letter, on eradicating malaria, he talks about the various tools used to fight malaria, including better bed nets, better drugs, and better insecticides. Here’s the ground-breaking way they decide which tools to use where:

“We brought in an expert in mathematical modeling who is applying a technique called Monte Carlo Simulations. This modeling work, which will show where we can eliminate malaria and where we can just reduce the disease burden, is a wonderful use of advanced mathematics to save lives…”

Why did these quotes stand out to me? And what is their connection to Montessori? (Great questions, glad you asked!)

Here’s what I got out of Gates’ letter.

Children today are entering a world that is complex and scary. Fighting disease and poverty on a grand scale requires money, yes, but more than that. It takes creativity, logic, reasoning skills, and the courage to use resources on the poorest of the poor.

Where will we find leaders like that for the next generation? I believe that the Montessori Method – implemented in so many countries, homes, and schools around the world – is producing children who will be, as Gates himself is, innovative risk-takers.

Montessori children have teachers and parents who will, as Gates’ teachers did, encourage them to pursue their own interests and to read and learn as much as possible.

As I was reading, I imagined my own children using their privileged upbringing as a springboard to helping those less fortunate. Perhaps they will fund charitable projects, do research in a lab, apply mathematical models to diseases, or practice medicine in a country filled with desperate need.

As I said in my article entitled Why Our World Needs Montessori,

“In today’s crowded world of power struggles and ego trips, the Montessori method serves as a guide to raising unselfish, self-regulated, caring human beings who are problem solvers and have the self confidence to lead successful lives by their own efforts, rather than at the expense of their fellow citizens.” These words were true three years ago and are even truer today.

Stand firm, Montessorians! The world needs Montessori.

A quick footnote: I don’t want to make it sound like the Gates Foundation is perfect; it has been criticized most notably for having investments that directly contradict the charitable work it performs. This article at the LA Times does a good job of reporting that story, although since it was written the Gates Foundation may have changed their policies about investing.

Also, you may note that Gates himself is not a Montessori child (although other technological innovators are). He did, however, attend a private prep school in Seattle, WA. According to the research of John Taylor Gatto, prep schools encourage leadership skills and creative thinking, in direct contrast to traditional public school education, which generally does not.

This week’s winner is Trish Wymore, who said:

“One of my resolutions for the new year ahead is to help create a continuity of care between home and school through parent education. SO many parents are anxious for their children to “get ahead” and I find they are giving them workbooks and such at home. I want to help parents see that the best education they can give their children involves quality time spent doing family things – not “school” things. Cooking, reading, and playing outside together are far more beneficial to the well being of the child (and her family!). I am sure this will be no small task! ”

Great comment, Trish! Thanks for entering our giveaway and enjoy the lovely weaving loom!

Happy New Year to everyone from me and my husband Bruce here at Montessori for Everyone. Remember, the 10% discount code “december” is only good until tonight at midnight!

Welcome to the last giveaway between Montessori for Everyone and Alison’s Montessori! I hope you’ve been enjoying the giveaways, especially all the great comments that have been left. If you haven’t already, take a look at the holiday tradition comments, the holiday lessons comments, and the multicultural ideas.

This week’s giveaway is our grandest! The winner of this giveaway receives a $50 gift certificate from Montessori for Everyone and this lovely weaving loom from Alison’s Montessori:

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment sharing some kind of resolution you’re making for the new year when it comes to education – something you’ll do differently in the classroom or try for the first time.

For example, my resolution is to stop myself each time I’m tempted to step in and help my children right away and instead, let them figure out the issue themselves – even if it is frustrating to them and takes them some time to work out. That is really hard for me!

The guidelines:

The giveaway will close on Wednesday, December 30th at midnight CST.

The prize ships to the US only – weaving loom will be mailed, gift certificate will be emailed. If you are outside the US but have friends or family here that could get the loom to you, feel free to enter.

One entry per email address is permitted. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday morning, December 31st.

Best of luck to everyone!

I’m delighted to announce this week’s winner:

Congratulations, Monica! Love the idea of having a huge map available at all times. Hope you enjoy the prizes!

This next Sunday will be the last giveaway from Alison’s Montessori – please check back because it’s going to be the best one of all!

Welcome to the third in a series of four giveaways from me and Alison’s Montessori!

This week, the prize is a $25 gift certificate from Montessori for Everyone and a wooden puzzle map of the world from Alison’s:

In light of the world map prize, to enter please share one thing you do to help children learn about other countries and customs.

For example, my children love coins from other countries so we ask friends and family to send us coins that they get when they travel. Then we look them up and find out where the coins are from, how much they are worth, and try to figure out any symbols or text that are on them. My daughter especially loves this activity.

The giveaway will close on Wednesday, December 23rd at midnight CST.

The prize ships to the US only – Puzzle Map will be mailed, gift certificate will be emailed. If you are outside the US but have friends or family here that could get the map to you, feel free to enter.

One entry per email address is permitted. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday, December 24th. (I’ve been announcing on Fridays but since that’s Christmas Day, we’ll do it a day early).

Best of luck to everyone!

The winner of our second giveaway is Julia S.:

Congratulations, Julia! Lovely thoughts for the holiday season. I hope you enjoy your movable alphabet and gift certificate!

Please come back on Sunday to learn about the next giveaway!