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!

To refresh your memory: I have a son who is 9 and a daughter who is 5 ¾ (she’ll be 6 in December). We decided to homeschool for practical reasons, including the less-than-stellar public schools in our area, the price of Montessori or private education, and the fact that I’m a Montessori teacher.

As time has gone on, my reasons have changed to more philosophical ones, including the stifling nature of traditional education and the freedom that homeschooling gives children to pursue their own interests at their own pace.

Since we put our house up for sale last spring, and were hoping to move by the fall, I continued working with them every day during the summer (with breaks for summer day camp and vacations). We did not work for as long each day as we do during the school year but enough that they didn’t experience the “summer slide”. I am glad we did this since they missed about 2 weeks of work during our move. I like that homeschooling is flexible in these sorts of situations.

Until we finish construction in our basement (most of which will be a large classroom/playroom), we are working in a corner of our new family room. Much of our materials are still packed, but each day we still manage to work for several hours. We also still take at least one field trip a week.

My son is a voracious reader and has been enjoying the If You… series books quite a bit. He reads at least one a week and gives me an oral book report afterwards. He also has begun the Classical Physics posters and experiments, the Geography Charts and experiments and the Botany Charts.

In math he is transitioning from 4-digit dynamic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with the concrete materials (bead frame, stamp game) to doing them on paper. He has also been doing the Advanced Math materials.

My daughter is currently working her way through the Pink Series work. We have started Pink Series spelling tests, which she has done quite well on, and do a lot of work with the movable alphabet (spelling words and writing short stories). We read together every day (me to her and her to me) and she has worked her way through several different sets of beginning readers (I like to use a few so that there’s some variety and lots of words are covered).

We haven’t done much math lately, as our math materials are packed in a box in our garage, but before we moved she was working her way through both the multiplication tables (with the multiplication bead board) and the addition tables (with the addition strip board). We have also done greater than/less than, ordinal numbers, place value, and time and money work.

My daughter enjoys watching my son perform Geography experiments (after he sets them up) and I like the fact that she gets to see them now and will be doing them herself in a few years. That kind of repetition/younger-learning-from-older is a hallmark of both Montessori and homeschooling.

Once our basement classroom is set up, I am eager to resume our continent and map studies as well as beginning Botany and Zoology for her and advanced Botany and Zoology for him. My son has also started working his way through the Fundamental Needs Cards Sets and is enjoying them immensely.

After years of swimming lessons for both children, their interests have parted ways and she is taking ballet while he focuses on tennis. They had both been taking piano lessons before we moved and since I haven’t found a teacher in our area yet, I have been working with both of them to continue piano (don’t worry, I do play myself!) It’s been working surprisingly well so far so we may continue this path for now. We include piano practice as part of our worktime so that they do it every day.

One thing I have learned during this experience is that it is possible to keep working even during life upheavals. Actually, I can firmly say that continuing our steady work schedule was really great for the kids during the stress of the move. It gave them a routine they could count on. And our work did not need to be elaborate during the first week or two in our new house – a little reading and piano every day made it feel like “school”.

I am interested to know about what kinds of things other homeschoolers are up to right now, and also if you have any experience with homeschooling during a transition (baby, job loss, move) that could be of help to others in a similar situation. Share away!

I jumped at the chance, and even though I’ve written much about Montessori and homeschooling already, this time I approached it in a new way.

I decided to examine the blossoming Montessori/homeschooling movement and analyze whether or not it’s a trend or something more permanent.

While researching this article, I learned a lot and really enjoyed talking to some Montessori homeschooling parents to find out why they chose Montessori and how they use it in their home.

Without further ado: Montessori and Homeschooling – Here to Stay?

What began as a child welfare dispute over an allegation that two children’s education was being neglected by their parents has now turned into a battle over all homeschooling. The appeals court’s decision was based on a California law which has not been ruled on since the 1950’s and, unless the law can be changed, it has the power to ban homeschooling in the state.

You will find good coverage of the issue in this San Francisco Chronicle article, and I have no doubt that eyebrows are being raised everywhere over the following statement, made by the ruling judge, Justice H. Walter Croskey:

“A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare.”

To those who regard themselves as free people in a free country, sentiments like the above have an unpleasant and invasive sound. The Chronicle article received an astonishing 1,396 comments from the public at last count, and rather than suggest you read them all, I’ve selected a handful that span a wide range of reactions:

From Gleeful and Insulting…

“What these podunk schools and home-teachers are doing to their kids amounts to
child abuse. So I am ECSTATIC over this ruling. Excellent. And way overdue. I know some kids who are being CHEATED by their parents, and it bugs me. They finally have to comply with a law. I am extremely pleased.”

“It’s a slippery slope to let parents, even with the best of intentions, make such
long-ranging decisions that are ultimately not beneficial to the child.”

To Frightened, Suspicious and Outraged…

“So if I’m a poor person in Compton who can’t afford private school, I can’t home school my kid. Instead, I must send him to the violence-plagued, gang-infested local school or be thrown in prison. So much for individual liberty and freedom.”

“Children must be indoctrinated in government run schools which is why anyone should’ve seen this coming. Homeschooling is a direct threat to the propaganda factory which is the public school system. They’re fascists and they’re coming for your kids.”

“The “State” is one step closer to obliterating freedom in California. How dare these
intellectual snobs presume that parents can’t raise their kids without the intervention of the state! This country was based on personal freedom, and the assumption that you were innocent until proven guilty. California has flipped both of those principles, and we are one step closer to totalitarianism.”

To Exasperated…

“My wife, a Mensa member, and I have a combined 4 college degrees, ranging from English to Engineering, and yet according to California we are less qualified to teach our children than some mediocre public school teacher because we don’t have a certification? Arnold Toynbee said, ‘Civilizations die from suicide, not murder’, and he was so right.”

To Hands-On and Action-Oriented…

“My grandson is home schooled, his test scores have gone from average to the highest level the federal government gives for his grade. All of this has been done WITHOUT a teaching certificate, and was a decision we were forced into because our local school system refused to curb the violence on our playgrounds. After the 5th week of my grandson coming home with marks on his body from the same student, we said enough is enough. It was the best decision we could have made.”

“While it is interesting to read the different points of view, the fact is that it is the law. If you want to home school your child, get a credential, or hire a credentialed tutor. If you don’t like the law, work to change it.”

“Ok, all you public school advocates, here is your reading assignment for the weekend: John Taylor Gatto – Dumbing Us Down. It’s a short paperback, will cost you only $12, and unless you’re a Teachers Union official it should open your eyes just a wee bit so you can see the evil forces behind compulsory school education.”

California’s Public Schools are Ranked Among the Lowest in the Nation

In the 2005-2006 period, California was given a Smartest Schools rank of 46th. Despite being one of the wealthiest states, both funding and test scores are lower than those of nearly all other states in the nation. For a California judge to rule that a smart and caring parent isn’t going to be able to offer their child more than the public school system strikes me as either an act of ignorance or one of madness.

This case revolving around potential neglect of two children should never have been broadened to pass judgment on the quality of all homeschooling efforts. The old law that has made this possible clearly needs to be changed. I know that many homeschoolers in California are working diligently to change the law, and Governor schwarzenegger has pledged his support for overturning the ruling. However, while this law remains in place, it is easy to discern that there are two motives for keeping it intact. The first has some merit, but the second represents a serious disservice to children.

1) Some parents do keep their children out of school out of intentional neglect. In dysfunctional homes, a child may suffer greatly if the parent is able to hide behind a pretense of homeschooling. Adults and educators who fear that children may become the victims of abuse and deprivation if the system does not enforce mandatory public or private school attendance for all Californian children do have their hearts in the right place. Unfortunately, there are many parents in our society who are not mentally or emotionally equipped to care for their children in even the most basic ways, let alone being able to provide for their intellectual needs.

However, I see this unfortunate situation in the light of a lack of powerful child welfare programs rather than as an educational dilemma. Comparing a child from an abusive home to a loved child who is being homeschooled is an insult to the thousands of parents who have arranged their lives so that they can be their children’s primary educators. It is grossly unfair to tar all non-public-school families with the same
brush.

2) The less praiseworthy motivation for keeping children in public schools is monetary. Public school funding depends largely on keeping kids in those desks, so attendance becomes a crucial focus rather than the well-being of children. This is an offense against the worth of children, many of whom will be far better served in the care of their parents rather than in that of a system that equates minors with money earned.

What Does it Mean to be Free in America These Days?

Many parents homeschool their children for religious reasons. Is it right for the state to strong-arm the church in this way? Other parents view the epidemic of public school violence with horror and keep their children at home because they fear physical harm will come to them. Is it right for the state to take away parental rights to protect their own progeny? Still other parents disagree strongly with comments like those of Justice Croskey. Like Dr. Montessori, they believe that the purpose of education is to produce a happy, healthy child who loves learning. Not loyalty to the state. Not patriotism.

Maria Montessori was exiled by the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini because she refused to mold her children into Italian patriots and good soldiers. She discerned that doing so would be evil because it equated children with a commodity destined to be at the disposal of an unethical government. If the homeschool parents of the state of California believe that their basic rights are being violated by this ruling, the time to fight it is now. They will be in good company.

Did any of you feel alarm when you read about this case? If so, are you going to do anything about it? Please share!

I’m going to be very honest, and although some things I say might seem to be discouraging, I think having all the pros and cons will help people make more informed decisions. Throughout the post, I refer to different online resources, but I’ve kept all those links until the end. Here goes!

Where do I learn how to use the Montessori materials?

In order for children to use the materials correctly, adults need to use an album (also called “manual”) that has step-by-step instructions in it. Each time you show the child how to use a specific material, it is called a “presentation”. Presentations should be reviewed and practiced by the adult before working with the child. Even experienced Montessori teachers review their albums frequently before giving presentations.

Some websites have albums available online, offering step-by-step instructions for presentations. The drawbacks to online albums is that they are not always complete (they may give instructions for only a limited number of materials) and, you have to print each lesson out to have a hard copy. (Please see the end of this post for links to online albums).

Online albums can be a great resource, but I also recommend that any parent who is serious about homeschooling with Montessori purchase printed albums. I do not offer them myself; I would love to create my own albums but it’s an intense process that would probably take me several years of writing and research. Until then, there are high-quality, trustworthy albums available from several different sources. They can be pricey, but they are an extremely valuable resource. The best albums (like the ones I mention at the end of this post) include not only step-by-step instructions, but the theory behind the materials and lessons.

I also highly recommend that if at all possible, homeschooling parents take a Montessori certification class. These are available at training centers around the world, as well as online by reputable organizations. It can be quite a financial investment, but the knowledge gained is priceless. (See the end of this post for resources).

Do you offer instructions for your materials?

In the course of creating my materials, I have included very brief, basic instructions with most of them (the instructions are right in the material itself). However, these are not a substitute for the step-by-step, in-depth information that you would receive from an album.

Do your CD-ROM Collections include everything I need for a Montessori homeschool classroom?

My CD-ROMs do include almost all the printed materials you need for a Montessori classroom (of course, you have to print them!). No classroom – at home or at school – would have room for all of my materials if they were printed, laminated, cut, and put into containers. It would be hundreds and hundreds of printed pages (thousands and thousands of cards, once cut apart). Rather, materials can be printed as needed and then stored away when they are not in use.

However, there are many more materials needed for a Montessori classroom besides the printed ones – we refer to them as “wooden materials” since most of them are made from wood. I do not sell those. In a preschool (3-6) class, the ratio of wooden (or other hands-on) materials to printed should be about 80% / 20%. In an elementary classroom, that can be reversed. In elementary, the areas that truly need hands-on (wooden or bead) materials are math and geometry. Otherwise, printed materials can be used almost exclusively in every other area, sometimes with the addition of small objects or other hands-on materials to flesh out the work.

Does Montessori really work for homeschoolers?

The answer to this, very honestly, is yes and no. Many Montessori materials and ideas can be implemented in the home. Of that there is no doubt. The end result, however, is not going to be Montessori in its exact sense. Parents should not have the goal of re-creating an entire Montessori classroom in their homes, and really, it’s not necessary to do so. Montessori classrooms are created for use by a certified teacher working with a large number of children. Since that is not the situation with most homeschools, it’s more beneficial to create a small Montessori work area with whatever materials the child is using right at that time. (See picture: my son works with a homemade “Intro to the Decimal System” tray in our homeschooling area).

Can homeschooling with Montessori be done on a budget?

You can certainly decide not to spend a lot of money, and instead make or borrow materials. Some people homeschool using Montessori principles (like following the child and encouraging independence) but refrain from using the materials because of their cost. Certainly, traditional homeschooling can be done inexpensively. I have heard many stories of families who buy used textbooks and visit the library frequently; they spend very little on actual homeschooling supplies. But I would say that true Montessori homeschooling differs from this approach.

However, I don’t recommend buying thousands of dollars of materials right at the beginning. Start small; buy a few things, make a few things, and always be on the lookout for sales, specials, and things you can buy at yard sales, garage sales, and resale shops. eBay is also a great source of less expensive (although often lower in quality) new and used Montessori materials.

Can I mix Montessori with other approaches?

Many people choose to add Montessori to the mix of traditional homeschooling, Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, or other educational method. This is certainly a valid choice. Each homeschooling parent will have to decide just how Montessori will work for them. Will they use Montessori only? Will they use traditional textbooks and workbooks, and bring some Montessori materials into that situation? Will they mix Montessori with other non-traditional methods of education? It will look different for every family, and that’s okay. It may also evolve as you grow and learn with your children.

What if I try Montessori and it doesn’t work for me?

Some people try doing Montessori in the home and find that they don’t work for their family. That’s fine. There is no doubt that the Montessori method is a valid one, but when you use only parts of it at home, you may find that they do not work out for you. Perhaps the cost is prohibitive, or the mix of ages you have in your home make using the materials difficult.

Please do not feel guilty or feel like a failure. What I do recommend – rather than giving up right away – is taking some time to evaluate what you’ve done so far and what changes can be made. Maybe you need to do a little more research on your own time, reading up on Montessori theory and practicing presentations. Maybe you need to limit the amount of time spent with Montessori materials each day, putting the materials away when you’re done. Maybe some of the materials can be saved until children are older or in a different learning stage. Keep observing and refining until you find a balance that works for your family.

What are some common missteps to avoid?

There are two that I think are very important. The first is to buy or make too many materials right away and then not have the space to store them or time to learn how to use them. In the Montessori Basics posts, I have lists of recommended materials for three of the age spans: toddler, primary (3-6), and elementary (6-9). (See links at the end). This should be the starting point for any Montessori homeschooler. Less is always more.

Second, I think that many homeschoolers present work before the child is ready for it, or in the wrong sequence. In a Montessori classroom, the child will progress naturally from one work to the next so that when they do more advanced work, they have a solid foundation. At home, there is the temptation to buy one material and show the child how to do it without the child having done all the other materials leading up to it. Naturally they are overwhelmed and unable to do the work. That leads to the feeling that Montessori “isn’t right for our family”.

Okay, how do I know what work to do and when?

This is another way that albums come in handy. Albums are arranged with the work in order of difficulty, so that one work follows another. Another way to know the sequence of work (and keep track of it) are through the Comprehensive Lists that I offer at my store. I recommend printing one for each child and using it both as a checklist (to keep track of what you’ve already done) and as a way to know the sequence of the materials.

To know when your child is ready for a certain material, you can look at several different factors. First, what material has your child already completed successfully? What types of materials interest your child and hold their attention? In what areas do they need some more reinforcement? What kinds of activities do they seek out on their own? Careful observation will help you determine the right material to do next.

Helpful Links:

Online Albums (Manuals) & Sequence of Materials:

Shu-Chen Jenny Yen’s Online Albums
Montessori World Educational Institute
Comprehensive Lists of Materials and Concepts

Printed Albums (Manuals):

The Ultimate Post About Montessori Albums – an overview of available albums
Teacher Manuals from Montessori Research & Development
Manuals & Guides from the North American Montessori Center
Guides for the Montessori Classroom from New Child Montessori

Training Centers:

Montessori Training Centers List – from The International Montessori Index
Teacher Education Programs – affiliated with the American Montessori Society (AMS)
Teacher Education Programs – affiliated with The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) (click “Training” at the top of the page)

Online Training Programs (as of yet, online programs are not certified by AMS or AMI, but that may change in the near future; they are still a wonderful source of information):

North American Montessori Center – Global Distance Learning
United Montessori – Global Distance Learning
World Wide Montessori Online Training

Montessori Materials:

Montessori Basics 3: Ultimate Guide to Montessori Materials & Links

Tutoring Help

Tutor Hunt

Recommended Books:

Montessori Basics 2: A Guide to Montessori Books – a complete list of helpful Montessori books, including many for parents and/or homeschooling parents

Essentials for Each Age Group (I don’t have a list for 9-12, but if anyone has that info and wants to share, I’m happy to post it!):

Montessori Basics 5: Essentials of a 3-6 Classroom
Montessori Basics 6: Essentials of a 6-9 Classroom
Montessori Basics 7: Essentials of a Toddler Classroom

If you are considering homeschooling with Montessori, please take the time to thoroughly read all of the Montessori Basics posts and all of the Homeschooling posts. They contain a wealth of helpful information.

If you have any info, tips, or suggestions to share – or questions, too – please post them in the comments below (click “Your thoughts?”) so everyone can benefit. Thanks!

1. Your child is spending the majority of her time with the people she loves best in the world – her family.

2. Your child knows that learning is something that happens all the time; in the yard, in the living room, in the kitchen. He doesn’t view learning as something that is set apart from the rest of life.

3. Your child will never have to fear school fights, bullies, or the shame of public grading.

4. Your child has the best role model in the world to follow and learn from – you! She will grow up to care about the things that are most important to your family.

5. Your child is getting to set his own learning pace, able to take his time or make huge strides as he is ready. His curriculum is created just for him.

6. Your child is learning that the teachings of the parent are best, because they are given with love.

7. Because you are creating your child’s learning environment, you get to present the very best to her while keeping out influences you do not feel will help her grow up to be a happy, confident adult.

8. You are setting an example for everyone you meet, telling the world that parents can give of themselves fully to their children.

9. You are having the unforgettable experience of watching your child learn and grow each day, right before your eyes. No report card needed to keep you up to date!

10. As a homeschooling parent, you are helping the environment by saving on all that gas you’d be burning to and from school. What a good lesson to be teaching the grownups of the future.

Keep up the great work! For those of you who send your child to a Montessori school – you are special too! Check out this post: Ten Reasons to Be Glad You’ve Chosen Montessori for Your Child.

My son is now almost 7 and is ready for level 2 (or second grade) work. My daughter will be 4 in December, and has really matured in many areas. Last year was almost entirely Practical Life work for her, and now she is ready for new challenges. I am committed to putting out less work, but more quality work, than I did before. I think fewer choices is encouraging them to do more repetition, which is so necessary for mastery.

Way back in this post, I showed our homeschooling classroom which consisted basically of our entire living room. This past summer I rethought that idea, and ended up creating a classroom in our family room instead. We bought a new couch, and the living room is now a living room again.

I don’t have as much room, shelf-wise, in the new arrangement, but all the materials are in one place and it’s easier for them to work in the same area. So far, they have been placing their rugs up against each other so that they face each other while working. I’m not quite finished with some materials, like nomenclature cards (I’ve made new ones this year), but we’ve had plenty to do. Take a look (click picture to enlarge):

I am very excited to do some presentations with both of them together. For instance, this Wednesday we hope to visit the Shedd Aquarium and so we’re doing Parts of a Fish together. We hit a little snag when one of our goldfish was found dead in the tank this morning, but those things happen, right?

Anyway, the plan is for my son to do Parts of a Fish elementary-style, with pictures, labels, and definitions, and my daughter to do it preschool-style, with pictures, labels, and control cards of picture with label. I like the idea of presenting the work to them together, to foster the “community” feeling, and then letting them each do it at their own level.

I got the idea for making continent boxes from the dear ladies at the 4Real Learning boards, and I have had a lot of fun putting them together. I was able to find boxes (the kind you store photos in) for all the colors of the continents – except yellow for Asia! I’ll keep my eye out for that one.

I spent an afternoon dividing up all my continent objects, pictures, and books to go in each box. We’re going to start with Africa – not for any other reason than that I love Africa and I think it will be exciting to study. I like the idea of studying 2-3 continents really thoroughly every year in elementary so that by the end of the 3-year cycle, we’ve studied them all. As usual, eBay has been a great place to buy postcards, money, books, and artifacts from the different continents.

My daughter loves math work like the bead stair and cards & counters. Yes, she did those things last year too, but now she is able to do them herself. Also her concentration, which would often wane by the time she reached “6″ or “7″, has increased greatly and now she flies up to “10″ with no problem. I really like seeing those tangible markers of growth in my kids. Sequence cards and sandpaper letters & numbers are also favorites.

We’re going to continue reading tons of books (because you can never have too many of those!) as well as going on lots of field trips. I really like preparing for a field trip by studying the subject matter beforehand; for instance, we also read a book about the oceans today and will do an ocean animal matching work before our aquarium trip. I feel like the kids get more out of it that way.

I’d love to hear about what all of you are doing, whether in the classroom or at home. Any new great ideas for materials or organization? Recommended books or CDs? Classroom management tips? Please share! Also, while many of you have already started school, some may not have, so please check out the helpful suggestions for starting the school year successfully if you haven’t already. Many of the ideas are applicable to the first month of school, so take a look!

More great questions:

Q. In what ways can we nurturing and socialization in our homes between older children and their younger siblings?

A. This question makes me think about this wonderful Montessori school in Warrenville, Illinois, called Carmel Montessori. (They don’t have a website that I can find, or I’d link to it).

The director at my last school was friends with the director at Carmel, and we did a school swap where all of their kids came to our school for a day, and all of our kids went to their school for a day. Carmel is a school/farm, with an Erdkinder (high school) program like Maria M. outlined but is so rarely seen.

Anyway, when they came to visit us, we were totally taken aback at the way the older kids took care of the younger ones. They held their hands, carried them, helped with shoes, wiped noses, etc. It was like a sibling relationship without the sibling rivalry. We were in awe, and felt like our own school hadn’t done a very good job of cultivating that kind of closeness.

Doing it at home is probably even harder, because of the sibling dynamic. I would suggest that the older one be given certain specific tasks to help the younger ones. It can be a presentation (a puzzle, or bead stringing – something simple), and/or ongoing tasks like helping with coats or shoes.

Isn’t there some kind of proverb that when you take care of someone, you begin to care for them? I don’t think the caring attitude will necessarily come first. Sometimes the actions precede the feelings. Children may have to be given instruction, at first, on how to work with their younger siblings, but after awhile I think it can become a habit.

Q. “How are we keep ourselves from getting in the way of the child’s work process? I know that a properly prepared environment is very important, but I was mostly thinking of the mistakes that some might make by imposing their will over that of the child.”

A. This is one of the hardest components of being a Montessori teacher. Resisting the urge to step in and help, adjust, instruct, etc. when a child simply needs to be left alone.

One time-tested trick is to sit your hands – or put them behind you – so that you don’t interfere or intervene when they are struggling to work. I try to talk less when they are really concentrating, not more, which is SO hard for me.

I try to move out of their way, both literally and figuratively. I put myself in their shoes and picture a giant person reaching in to do something that they know they could do if they had more time. I am constantly working at it and thinking about it.

Q. “I want my children to learn to teach each other. How can I best go about it? I want to show them that teaching and learning are lifelong things!”

A. Let the older kids prepare a simple practical life activity for the younger ones. Let them practice the presentation first with each other. Keep modeling the idea that we are all learning new things all the time. My favorite things to say to my son are, “I don’t know, let’s look it up!” and “Wow, I didn’t know that!” They will become life-long learners when they see you read, talk about things you learn, and get excited about new things,

When we are out and about – like last week we went to the Adler Planetarium – I am just as likely to say “Cool!” when we see something neat. I will try all the activities that are set up for kids. It’s like we’re learning together, not me taking them out so that they can learn while I watch and supervise.

Q. “Could you explain a bit about the idea of the “absorbent mind” and how that changes as the child ages? How should our teaching methodologies change to reflect the intellectual changes in the child?”

A. The Montessori method is set up to take into account the changes in the child’s mind. If we follow the natural arc of materials and presentations, much of the work is done for us.

Technically, the “absorbent mind” only refers to the first six years. As recent technological advances have shown us, the mind is often curiously closed to certain things (speech, sight) if the opportunity to develop it wasn’t there in the younger years.

Think of it this way: in 0-6, the mind is taking in enormous quantities of information, mostly as sensorial experiences. Petting a cat, looking at a leaf, smelling spaghetti. The child doesn’t need our input, they need us to provide a framework for the millions of sights, sounds, and other impressions they are taking in.

The 0-6 materials provide that framework, giving a child context for hot/cold, heavy/light, etc., as well as giving them the vocabulary to label all the things they see around them (3-part nomenclature cards).

The 6-12 child is in a new stage of development. No longer are the senses being flooded with new info. They’ve petted many cats and seen thousands of leaves. Now they are ready to partake in the knowledge that humans have cultivated and catalogued through the centuries: names of countries and continents, and facts about each one; specific information about stars and planets, about weather, about language. Now, it is not so much about naming, it is about explaining.

That is why the 6-12 version of nomenclature cards replaces the control card with the “definition” card. It’s not enough anymore to name; things must be explained.

Basically, if you follow the sequence of the materials, always observing and looking for the readiness of the child, the stages will fall in place on their own.

Here’s a sampling of today’s questions:

Q. I am wondering about what time frame it takes for the children to learn how to use their work spaces (mats and trays). By “use” I mean how long should it be before they are taking care of the materials, cleaning up, putting things back, etc before moving on to a new activity? In my house my kids (2 and 4 years old) often drift away from their work.

If I am more consistent in this area, will I see change in a week or month, or longer?

A. That’s a great question. In my mind we expect way too much of kids too soon. Keep in mind that completing the work cycle (which is exactly what you described) is part of what they are learning when they actually do work.

In other words, just as they will need tons of repetition to learn colors, numbers, letters, etc., they will need tons of repetition to learn how to put out a rug, choose a work, complete it, and put it away correctly.

To give you a frame of reference, one of my trainers said that a child should be able to complete the work cycle by 1st grade (age 6, roughly). So at 2 years, or 4? It’s too much to expect. That said, you can give gentle reminders (”Did you forget to put something away?” “Do you need help to finish your work, or can you do it yourself?”) You can model the correct way to roll and unroll a rug, everyday if need be, until those ideas take hold.

Q. What would you say are the main differences between how Montessori education is approached in the home, versus in a school setting?

When we alter the school methods and materials to suit our home setting, what aspects are important to leave largely intact, and which can be relaxed or altered without defeating the whole system?”

A. There are actually many differences. Sometimes I feel like there are two versions of Montessori; the school version and the homeschool version. Both are great, but they are different.

First of all, many times the parent doesn’t have the Montessori training. It’s important that in that case, they read Maria’s books, purchase albums, read blogs, etc. which it seems like all of you do. There are online courses to be certified in Montessori and I highly recommend that if it’s at all possible.

Definitely, one of the biggest differences is socialization. I don’t mean it in the sense of a traditional classroom (20 kids, all the same age, working side by side at desks). But in Montessori, the social interaction of the combined ages has a definite purpose: older kids are supposed to teach the younger, and I would go as far as to say “nurture” the younger ones. That can happen at home to a certain extent. But there may not be enough kids, or the right ages, to really make it work.

What should we keep from traditional Montessori when we homeschool? The idea of respect for the child’s choices, the idea of a beautifully prepared, organized environment with attractive, didactic (self-teaching) materials.

What can we leave behind? Not much, if we want to truly call it Montessori. There are group presentations that will naturally be tailored to one child at a time; there are certain activities we can’t do with only a few kids. Hopefully we are keeping most of the theory, though.

Q. I pull things off the shelf when things are misused, or a level of boredom is achieved. Do you have any other suggestions for rotation – how much do you leave out for your children at once?

A. There are several theories about that. There’s one school of Montessori theory that says everything a child needs for the year should be out from the beginning; not only because all the work should always be accessible, but it keeps the classroom stable in the sense that the same work is always on the same shelves in the same place.

In practice, however, not only is there often not room for everything (especially at home), but as you said, kids become habituated to certain materials and stop using them.

I rotate a lot more for elementary than 3-6. To me, the pink tower, red rods, cylinder blocks, etc. should always be available if at all possible. They can be used in different ways for different ages/stages, and if the child is in the right stage but the material isn’t there, a teachable moment/sensitive period is lost.

But in elementary, the child is now in a different stage of learning. If they’ve mastered Roman Numerals Set 1, you can put out Set 2 in its place and they’re probably not going to need Set 1 again. It’s a different developmental plane. So I rotate out a lot of stuff for that age.

I have a closet in my front hallway that’s filled with shelves and bins – I keep everything there and grab it when I need it. I try to leave out as much as I can at one time – as I said, you’ll never know when you might need it.

The author, Laura Brodie, shares the many reasons that she took into account when making her decision. They include the increasing boredom and anxiety felt by her daughter. The turning point for her was when she found her daughter hiding in the closet one day – to avoid having to do her homework. Here’s what Ms. Brodie said after she found her daughter in the closet:

I sympathized with her aversion. Today’s public schools seem to have responded to the endless cry for achievement! by adding more worksheets to the homework pile. Math worksheets, grammar worksheets, bland spelling exercises. I wouldn’t mind so much if the work seemed more valuable–if Julia was asked to perform a fun science experiment, or to walk outside and compose a poem about the sounds in her yard. What rankles is the monotony of colorless paper, the columns of equations and fill-in-the-blank history.

As it turned out, Julia’s homework was minimal that afternoon. Once she climbed out of the closet and sat down in front of her books, the whole ordeal took barely ten minutes. She had spent an hour hiding to avoid ten minutes of schoolwork, and the thought of that warped equation broke my heart. It confirmed what I had been thinking for the past year–that my daughter needed a break, an escape, some air. Julia needed something to quell her growing misery.

I don’t think I could come up with a better indictment of traditional schooling if I tried!

I have to admit that for myself, I’ve often seen homeschooling as something we can move in and out of (indeed, already have) based on the needs of our children and our own circumstances. For now, my kids want to stay home; if that changes, we might change our plan to include attending a Montessori school.

For those of you who’ve thought about homeschooling but feel overwhelmed by such a large commitment, you might want to consider trying it for one year, and making any further decisions after that year is over.