Teachers' Edition
We're Here To Help • January, 2006
Inside This IssueMontessori Representative Invited To Join Oxford Round Table Montessori Teachers Are The Keepers of The Keys Montessori
Behavioral Objectives Do Something That Cannot Be Undone Some Thoughts On Your Art Environment IMC Membership Benefits Expand To Include Video Conferencing And OnLine Professional Development Study Indicates That Many US College Students Lack Skills Tomorrow's Child: The Magazine For Montessori Families
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Your Art Area
Treasure Box Toys is another online company that carries
an extensive line of Waldorf inspired art materials, craft projects,
toys, games, puzzles and dolls. We want to thank them for allowing
us to share the photographs of some of my favorite art supplies
from their collection
Beeswax Crayons
Beeswax crayons provide the most brilliant and pure
color. They are nontoxic and smell wonderful. This block size is
perfect for small hands. They come from the Stockmar® Company in
Germany. Set of 12 colors: $15.99
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They
obviously need to be set up somewhere in your room where you can
be comfortable allowing the children to work with art materials,
which can spill and stain. Ideally each class would have an actual
art studio designed in to the environment, complete with sink and
tile floors. Most of us either choose an area of the room that does
have a tile floor from which spills can be easily cleaned up, or
we lay down a large plastic drop cloth. The art area will almost
always include an easel and an art table for drawing, craft work
and clay. You probably want to cover the table with a washable tablecloth.
A small shelf unit can be used to store art supplies, brushes, paper,
and so on. Many classrooms add a small clothes drying line or free
standing drying frame. Most children easily learn how to use clothespins
to hang up their finished paintings to dry. 
It
is important to provide the very best art materials (paints, brushes,
drawing pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) that we can afford and to
teach children how to use them correctly and how to take care of
them.
Still,
encourage them to share their finished work around the school. Purchase
some nice mattes and frames, and help your children to mount and
hang artwork low on the walls around the class. Properly matted
and framed, a child’s art takes on an entirely different look and
prominence.
ssori
and Waldorf schools around the world that parents can bring into
their homes, but they are rarely found at your local toy superstore.
Unless you are fortunate enough to have a terrific children’s store
near you that stocks truly wonderful art supplies for children,
you will need to go online to find the right sources. There are
many wonderful companies just here in the United States. Perhaps
the best known to many Montessori teachers is the Michael Olaf Company
(
This set of LYRA ® REMBRANDT AQUARELL color pencils offer 12 distinctive
shades for the artist who requires pencils of a very high standard.
The finest pigments in the colored leads (4mm diameter) can be dissolved
almost completely with water. LYRA ® REMBRANDT AQUARELL artist’s
colored pencils allow fascinating ways to create art form opaque
colors to almost transport shades. Blending allows lines and shaded
areas to be created easily with a brush dipped in water. The brilliance
and light fastness of color is of the highest possible standard.
This is nothing like regular store bought watercolors. Stockmar®
watercolors from Germany are ideal for transparent painting. They
are known for their brillant color tone, clarity, texture and consistent
quality. They are completely non-toxic.
Main lesson books are used by children in many Waldorf and Montessori
schools around the world to create and prefer their finest artwork
and “illuminated” stories. They are made of high quality drawing
paper. The paper accepts crayons, colored pencils and writing ink.
The pages are separated by onion skin paper to prevent drawings
from smudging written work. The covers are made of a heavy English
cardboard with a leather grain surface, giving an attractive finish.
All books are stapled with 3 staples. They are all-purpose books,
primarily used by elementary students. Older students will love
them as well.
Children (and many adults) love to work with beeswax as a modeling
media instead of clay because of its aromatic beeswax content. Imported
from Germany, Stockmar® modeling beeswax is an ideal modeling material.
It is clean, easy to use and absolutely hygienic. It doesn’t smudge,
crumble or bleed, and its color is pure and bright because of its
high transparency. It is ideal for forming small sculptures and
relief’s. By working with modeling wax, children train their fine
motor skills. 
For generations, parents and children have gathered flowers and
leaves and preserved them perfectly in a flower press like this
one. This lovely press is made of from sturdy birch plywood. with
a colorful print of flowers and leaves on the top. The press includes
6 cardboard press dividers, several paper protectors in between
the cardboard, 4 metal bolts and 4 red wooden beads that house the
metal nut that helps tighten the press. Ages 3 1/2 and up. Imported
from Germany.