**Montessori Primary Teacher Manual Bundle Giveaway **
I am so very pleased to have been given the opportunity to both use and review these incredible resources from Montessori Print Shop AND to share them with one lucky family at the end of this week. The name is a bit misleading because the scope and sequence actually covers the skills normally presented in most traditional school programs through middle elementary grades. I would suggest taking placement tests for Saxon Math for instance to determine correct grade level placement after completion of these manuals. You may be surprised at how much ground has been covered! On with the review….
Several years ago I wrote about our Montessori journey and what I felt was most critical to the success of the method. Despite the explosion of materials in recent years, I shared that we were not seeing a dramatic increase in peace and order in individuals and homes, termed "normalization" in Montessori circles, a primary goal of Montessori education. Montessori-at-home is now often characterized by hands-on projects which multiply to fill prime tabletop and shelf real estate at an alarming rate. This was not always so.
My thoughts are the same today. Few people really dissect down to the heart of any given method – Montessori or otherwise. Hence, there are blocks and trays cluttering schoolrooms and adding more stress to teacher/moms who have no idea what the big picture is nor where all that stuff fits in, literally or figuratively. There are resources offered that carry a particular label which don't actually reflect the method they are linked with. That doesn't bring us closer to a Montessori environment. In fact one would be far closer to realizing the promise of Montessori with a very small number of materials and a good grasp of the overall goals.
So when I read this:
"They (children) are in the constant process of trying to understand what the environment is all about and how they fit into it. Without order the children will not be able to develop a sense of their relationship with the environment."
I nodded vigorously. Yes! Further, I would argue that Mom needs to be able to make sense of the method and its relationship with the environment. I can heartily recommend these primary manuals to help make that happen.
The manuals first present that big picture overview of the both the skills to be mastered as well as a review of those learned in other areas and how they correspond to and complement new learning. Then they move from that broad view to sequential presentations, broken into steps with clear instructions and material lists. Once you have a firm idea of the goal you can determine if a given material will enhance the learning or clutter it up. Montessori Print Shop materials, which correspond to each lesson, are conveniently linked. Therefore, after familiarizing yourself, you can immediately prepare your lesson in its entirety with very little expense.
The manuals defy some preconceptions about both the Montessori method and the children themselves. They present some inspiring ways to look at things. For instance, in the math manual she says:
Children have "an inborn attraction for math due to their innate sensitivities to time, order, and sequence."
How contrary to many of our own prejudices about math! As with the language manual, she explains how the Practical Life and Sensorial activities will have already begun to lay the foundation for future understanding. Instead of viewing the bean pouring and weighted bottles as isolated activities, you begin to see how beautifully the materials work together across the curriculum to build the child's understanding.
She discusses the indispensible role of the teacher and inspires us to “use elegant vocabulary” and “good body language” and sincere eye contact. She stresses that the success of the materials rests upon the ongoing conversations you have with your children. Instead of reducing the method to the acquisition of purely empirical knowledge, the author encourages us to enrich our environment with music, literature, fine art, and warm interaction.
Montessori education was not intended to be cold and mechanical, as it is often caricaturized, but rather to holistically develop mind, body, and spirit. All those activities are a means to that end, not an end in themselves. They are also not promised to be effective in the absence of a sweet disposition and participation in religious and cultural ritual. It is all about integrating the separate parts of life and learning into a cohesive whole. With that in mind, I wrote all those years ago to first get understanding. (Prov 4:7) Develop peace and order in your environment and yourself. Then share the wonder of God’s orderly creation with the little people you love. I truly feel this a wonderful resource to aid in that effort and encourage you to spend some uninterrupted time mulling over those introductory sections before diving into the lessons. They are concise but weighty words.
If would like to be included in this drawing for the bundle of Practical Life, Language, and Math Manuals, please leave a comment and enter a good email address. Winner will be announced on Saturday.
post script: Disregard the email sent out earlier. The widget is fidgety and there is no time to fidget this week <g> We have a wonderful random winner selector in house. (She can be seen doing the jacket flip above lol)
If you have left a comment you are good. We've gotcha. : )
Starry Sky Journal 
Wow! What an awesome bundle! Thanks for the giveaway!
Looking forward to using Montessori methods with my little one when he is old enough as my mamma did with me. Would love to have some resources to help.
Hi Kim, I’ve never really tried the Montessori method in our homeschool. Always felt it would cost too much and take up too much space. I would love to try these books, though. My email address is marysmymom@msn.com. Thanks! Becky
looks great! Please enter me. 🙂 I’ve enjoyed your blog over the years and would love to try these, as I’ve tried to understand and somewhat implement montessori’s ideas over the years, but to no avail, as sometimes it just seemed like so much “stuff” and I don’t handle too much stuff well…
Hi Kim,
I would like to be entered in the drawing.
Thanks, Happy Easter!
I was excited to read your review and would love to try this Montessori bundle. I am not really familiar with Montessori but it seems to be what we do at home everyday. Please enter me into the contest!
Thank you
Mary-Lynn Snyder
This sounds great. I am finding that 2 of my children, the 5 and 3 year old boys, really enjoy tactile learning. My big problem is that I am having trouble discerning which things would be best.
Thanks for the chance to win!
Oh how I would love to have these manuals! Thanks for the giveaway.
Wow Kim! Thanks so much for running this. I have a friend who will be bringing home two little girls from China in May. I bet she would love to use this. I will give it to her if I win.
Thank you for the offer! Love your blog.
eager and excited to start homeschooling this year…the Montessori bundle sounds wonderful! Thank you for your blog full of inspiration!
I’ve been reading Montessori for the last year and your post puts to rest all of the worries I have had about it (just more stuff that doesn’t mean anything). The bundle sounds great!
What a great giveaway! Love your blog, but I have to work hard not to be jealous :)!
I am very interested in the Montessori method and materials. This is a terrific giveaway – thank you to all sponsors. I would like to be included in this drawing.
The manuals will help myself and the children gain a more profound understanding of order and how critical yet natural to child development.
Thank you so much for the opportunity!
Love the blog! I’d love to take part in the giveaway!
I’m not sure what I’m more excited about … the draw itself, or the renewed inspiration I got from reading your review — thank-you!
I’m working hard to develop a Montessori home that creates order and continual opportunity for learning, without turning ‘home’ into ‘school’. I appreciate the challenge of stimulating my creativity while home on mat leave with a new baby as well! I just recently came across your blog; I’m adding it to my list of those I follow regularly!! Thanks again for this opportunity, and for sharing your thoughts with us!
Great review and generous offer.
This would be awesome to have!
I have, for many years, been interested in both Montessori and Steiner based education. I would go so far as to say that I am interested in any paradigm, whether it be alternative or holistic, that places the child first, and I admire and respect any person who shifts mountains in their adult world in order to reconnect with both the child within themselves as well as the children that bless our lives. However, if Montessori were alive today, I suspect, that she would be amazed and perhaps perturbed at the fact that her drive towards understanding the soul and very nature of children (in many regards, motivated by her own personal loss) has amounted to the grasping of her insights, facilitated not only for economic gain, but has also resulted in the privatization of her pedagogy. This essentially defeats the very core of her philosophy, who she was and what she stood for. If it were up to me, I would be inclined to share Montessori knowledge with all who love it:)
I would love to win this bundle! I currently am working with 8 children at the primary level and this woud be a great resource for me.
Great post! I completely agree with the fact that implementing Montessori without understanding it is stressful. I’d love to win this pack for my youngest daughter. Thank you!
I definitely would love to be a part of this giveaway. I also want to say how much I appreciated this post. Your thoughts are precisely the reason I am getting my Montessori certification beginning this summer (at a Montessori Institute in the Pacific Northwest). We’re hoping to homeschool our boys but at the very least integrate the philosophy into our home more effectively. So, thank you. Your blog is lovely. The images are gorgeous. Warmly, Marnie
Thanks for the giveaway! I’ve started seriously afterschooling using the Montessori method for 4 of my youngest (8,6,5,4) and so this would be a great help!
BTW- you might want to check out rafflecopter.com- it’s a free widget that makes it really easy to run giveaways :).
Hi,
my girl turned 5 recently and I already start panicking about our next step. We are using Montessori in a mix with Waldorf and CM, and I find Montessori far the best method for the Math. Thank you for such a great opportunity, much appreciated!
alexandramils(at)yahoo.ca
Wow your words really hit home to me. I’m drawn to Montessori for my son and think it is a good fit for his personality but not sure where to start. I myself get very overwhelmed easily so I find I just spin in circles and really could use a manual like this!
Wonderful giveaway, would love to be lucky enough to win!
This would be so perfect! I’ve always been attracted to Montessori, but unfortunately you described me above! 😦 Fumbling through, accumulating material, but without the full picture.
I want to enter the comtest. I could usensome good manuals.
I love finding your blog!! We have been using the Montessori method “meshed” together with an eclectic feel for the last year and half. Our family would love to win this to help understand more of what we could be and learn! kevinkaylaarrowood123at yahoo dot com
I would love to win this! We are just at the beginning of our home schooling journey and I”d love to have some guidance. kc(dot)pagano(at)gmail (dot)com
Very interested in this giveaway!
Hi. I would love to win those manuals. I have a 2 1/2 yr old and these would come in useful. My ambition is to open my own Montessori School,one day, the manuals would be put to good use!
I would LOVE to win this!!!
I would love to win this. I really want to do Montessori, but am finding it to be a little overwhelming to figure out where to start.
What a great giveaway. Thanks for sharing your journey with us!
Thanks for your thoughtful review! Montessori Print Shop Materials are so affordable.
Well said! I wonder about it too sometimes, whether my eagerness in making materials for different activities leaves too much of a clutter for my daughter to be overwhelmed. Thank You for the chance!
I would love it and struggle to keep the primary purpose of order and not so much “stuff”. Thanks!
I think these manuals would really help me to understand how to present the montessori method without being so overwhelmed with how to present it. I have always struggled with trying to create the “perfect environment” and putting so much pressure on myself. Thankyou for the opportunity
Lovely review…our journey the past five years and still going…
Even though I am an “experienced” Montessorian it is so nice to be reminded why. You have inspired me to dig out Maria’s writing and remind myself why I fell in love with her approach. Thanks for the opportunity with this giveaway!
I would like to be entered in the Giveaway please! ❤
akalolcat @hotmail.com
What a sweet blog entry! I too have noticed the proliferation of Montessori-style activities out there…thanks for reminding us about the foundations of Montessori learning.
Great post!!!! and an excellent giveaway. My email is msidor79 (at) yahoo (dot) com
This a fantastic bundle! This will be appreciated by the person who wins it!
My little Montessori school really needs these albums. We hope to be able to add more homemade materials and these books would help very much!
Thank you! My journey started in 2008 and I am amazed and so thankful for the new resources available! including your blog.
Love it.
Your blog looks great!
Best,