This book is a paperback booklet originally created to fill a need in the author’s school. She found that parents were interested in knowing more about their child’s classroom experience. Her idea was to share information about the basic principles of a Montessori classroom and the activities within the 3–6-year-old (Early Childhood) classroom.
Ms. Lundberg briefly describes each curriculum area and then some of the key lessons in those areas. She has included photos of the materials along with their descriptions. She has also added a short biography of Dr. Montessori and some ideas for the home.
This is a great little tool to get parents started in their knowledge and understanding of Montessori at the Early Childhood level. You can purchase this booklet at amazon.com.
This is a wonderfully fun, imaginative story of getting cleaned up! The illustrations are very colorful and fanciful! They make cleaning up a joyful adventure rather than drudgery. Pat Prisk shows (down in the corner of each page) the steps to washing hands. She then reinforces the process by putting each of the steps to handwashing on one page at the end of the book. She also includes ideas for parents, caregivers, and other adults involved in caring for children. I think youngsters 2 to 7 years old will love this book.
Our friend and author Andrew Newman has added another bedtime book to the collection, including Snuggle Breathing. This is a lovely story for just before going to sleep about the power of hugs to help ourselves and others stay disentangled from negative thoughts. It also reminds us that hugs have a ripple effect in our families and throughout the world.
This whole series by Andrew is filled with books that help children fill their minds with positive, warm emotions when they are getting ready for a peaceful night’s sleep. They are available from www. consciousstories.com.
First, what are executive functioning skills anyway? Next, how important are executive functioning skills for outcomes in life? Finally, how can families help? Join us and learn about nurturing this crucial realm of brain development in the early years.
Karen Robbins has written two sturdy books for two- to four-year-old’s about animals: Think Farm Animals and Think Zoo Animals. The pages can be easily turned, and the flaps easily opened by young hands. The illustrations are colorful, visually pleasing, and realistic.
Each book is set up similarly with a hint and a question on the left page and an opening that allows the child to see part of the animal on the right page.
For example: In the Farm Animals book on the left page, it reads, “I have a swishy tail and say ‘Moo!’ What can I be?” And on the right page, an opening shows a white and black tail with the word “Think” written below. I love that!
Remember children at this young age are still developing impulse control. The adult can help them with that in a fun way by saying something like, “Hmmmm. I’m ‘thinking’ about animals on a farm. Do we know a song about that? ‘With a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there.’ What could it be?” All the while holding the flap closed as the adult and child “think” together. You could even say to the child, “Let’s keep the flap closed so that we can ‘think’ for a minute.”
Lovely books for young children. I wish there were more!
I was pleasantly surprised when I opened this book for young children. I was expecting a book that has too much to sort out on a page, is visually distracting for young children, and could easily be torn or damaged by accident.
The author of Think Circles! isolates each illustration on the pages to answer the hint. For example: On page 1, the hint is “Bouncing Circle” and the question is “What can it be?” On the opposite page, there is a hidden object with just one opening to view part of the pictured answer with the word, “Think.” Adults get to have fun with this, too, as they read the words to the child and maybe, if needed, add another hint to play along with “thinking” about what the hidden object might be. I love that she invites the child to “think.”
Ms. Robbins also adds in another level of difficulty by adding objects to each page. So, on page 1, there is just one hidden object. On page 2 there are two hidden objects. On page 3 there are three objects, and so on to 10. On each page, there are the corresponding openings, so that children can count the openings and then count the objects when they open the flap to see the answer.
As a teacher, I would present one concept at a time. I would either introduce the book as a problem-solving lesson or as a counting lesson but not both at the same time. Both concepts are higher-level thinking. Either could be presented first. I would probably introduce the “thinking” concept first just because I like it.
The pages are quite sturdy, so that young children can use these books without accidentally damaging the books, assuming the adult has given the child a lesson on carefully turning/opening pages in a book. That’s important since we want children to be successful as they use books and other activities. The illustrations are colorful, attractive, and quite realistic.
There are two other books in this series – Think Triangles! and Think Squares! These books would be enjoyed by children 3-6 years old.
This is a little board book for your infant or toddler. There is one quite realistic, colorful picture and one word on each page. Pages that are opposite each other in the book are opposite sizes. As you read this book together, your child will increase their vocabulary as you identify the picture images and begin to get some sense that there is a difference in the sizes of things. This is a difficult concept for a little one to really understand from a two-dimensional picture. However, you can put together an activity using objects that show the same concept in a three-dimensional way. For example: a big ball and a small ball; a big spoon and a small spoon; a big stuffed animal and a small stuffed animal; etc. Have fun reading this with your child!
Parents will find this book to be a quick and easy reference for everyday living practices with their child. Gavin McCormack has boiled down one-hundred ideas that are in alignment with Montessori philosophy for parents. The ideas are mainly for elementary-age children, and some are for children in the early childhood stage. Then some ideas can be used with children from early childhood through the elementary years and beyond. A few examples are: “Give your child the responsibility to take care of their things.” “Spend one night per week walking and talking. Look at the moon and discuss big-picture ideas.” “Do not replace things that get broken. Learn the value of money and repair things together.”
On each page, the author writes the main idea and then explains the value of practicing it with your child, the family, or the larger community outside your family. Each idea has a two-page spread with an illustration on one page and the idea and value on the other. The illustrations are in color and in a style similar to what a child might draw.
Parents may appreciate the brevity of the content in this book, as life can get so full and time is precious. It can be found on most online booksellers.
I just discovered that DK Publishers has a reading series. As always, this book is beautifully illustrated with photos of real honeybees, flowers, honeycombs, and all the other things that are part of a honey bee’s life. Amazing Bees is a Level 2 reader. The print is nice and big with just the right amount of information for an emerging reader. I am in love with this book and am now ordering a couple of books from each of the levels to see how they progress. I trust that I will be just as pleased with other books in this reading series. This is a great addition to a home or school library. You can purchase books in this series from amazon.com and probably other booksellers as well.
Ivan’s parents split up and are living in separate houses. Ivan didn’t like that he had to go here and there. He didn’t think he could be happy and himself with his parents apart. It took a little time and some adjustment for Ivan to realize that love and happiness could be shared; that love and happiness could be both here and there. It’s important for children to know that families can change and be structured in different ways. Time helps. Love helps. And some things will be held in common here and there.
