All About Montessori

[smurf]

Erm, some of the not bad workgroup has less than $500 budget, eg, totsville, SG Montessori. They are good, but you can tell that they didn't change their teaching apparatus for quite some time.


But all these aren't important. Most important is the teachers and the method they use, I guess.

[Kabby]

[quote]Enrichment setting probably...? Cos of the shorter session durations?

Not childcare kind, right? Childcare set up can do 3 to 4 hours
kinda PG / WG sessions.[/quote][/quote]

ya enrichment kind.
i think it's 2 hrs for weekday sessions, and 2.5hrs for sat one.
not 3-4hrs.

[buds]

smurf:

Erm, some of the not bad workgroup has less than $500 budget, eg, totsville, SG Montessori. They are good, but you can tell that they didn't change their teaching apparatus for quite some time.


But all these aren't important. Most important is the teachers and the method they use, I guess.

Since you've already shortlisted the good ones why haven't you gone for it?
Not a trial lesson even? When you say they didn't change teaching apparatus
for a long time, i am not sure if you meant the Montessori apparatus like the pink
tower, knobbed cylinders (etc) or if you meant the practical life activities..:?

[buds]

kabalevsky:

ya enrichment kind. i think it's 2 hrs for weekday sessions, and 2.5hrs for sat one. not 3-4hrs.

And these are drop off programmes or parent and child programmes?

Parent & child sessions are usually either an hour which is too short in
my opinion or 1.5 hours which is fine for starters provided that is the
group taken in is small, bearing in mind that for each child enrolled
ya gotta count two (with parent) and a big group can be rather
claustrophobic for a small classroom.

[smurf]

The reason why I didn't go for it is because of the price tag lah...no point going for the trial if I'm not going to sign up mah... :lol:


Erm, actually I mean some of the materials...quite worn out, but didn't change... :oops:

[jul04]

buds:

jul04:

Cheerful Students


The children I see at Montessori For Children aren't cheerful either. They look.. well, intense. They're concentrating on their work & they're all quite well-behaved. Not running ard, no shouting/screaming, no fighting. Is this \"normal\"? :?

Do you prefer them shouting or running around kinda cheerful? :evil:

Er.. I dunno.. Maybe coz I'm so used to seeing 'rowdy' kids that I'm just not used to them being so quiet :shock: It's strange, you know?
[quote]Intense uh? D'ya mean that if they had at least smiled while at work
then they'd be seen as cheerful students? :lol: That my fren is the power
of concentration. The power of children at work. In relevance to primary
school life thereafter... the children can be oblivious to distractions of
say... errmm.. :idea: ... adults chatter in the background... or tv... or
generally noise lar.. they can block out distractions and concentrate on
work at hand. Consider good anot? [/quote]Wow, if my boy can concentrate like that, I'll be very very very happy. Coz right now, he's distracted by everything! :frustrated: And I can't concentrate very well myself either. So hopefully, my boy will be better than moi. That's what all parents want, isn't it? For our beloved offspring to have it better than us? :love:

[quote]Yes, generally Montessorian children are well behaved as they learn to
respect everyone's work space within the classroom environment so
that wud mean no running as they may cross over someone's work
mat... or worse drop materials on a fren while running. They learn
to appreciate the prepared environment and help to care for school
property plus ensure materials are used for their intended purposes.

There isn't a need to shout for someone you can invite to work with
you is just a whisper away. [/quote]So they really are CONCENTRATING & not being voodoo-ed or something huh? :scared:
[quote]That said however, come story time, music & movement session plus
theme based lessons everyone comes alive with ideas and their own
self-expressions. In my classes, i also get my students to do gross
motor activities like inter group bean bag races, ring the hoop or
even egg-in-spoon races which is a helluva hit! We'd do musical
chairs during music session too! Variation of activities make the
lessons interesting and we get to see all the fun children have
being the children that they really are. :love:

I suppose it's reali the directress that plays a part? :oops:

I mean i don't wanna spoil market ya know..
Though i've been told to just spoil it, as it IS for good reasons. :laugh:[/quote]One thing I was a bit worried about was that with all this concentration, proper way of using the materials, silence, .. I'm not sure about freedom of creativity. So they do have times when they laugh madly & run about, play sand, giggle, play dress up, etc? I'm greedy I know! I say I want Montessori, yet I'd like boy boy to have firneds, mix ard, play, be a child, ... I think so much until I :siao: liao

[buds]

kabalevsky:

[quote]I prefer my children be independent as soon as they can. The whole idea of gg pre-school IS to un-sticky them isn't it?

I guess so, at 3yo. 18mth to me, still a bit early. My no pay childcare leave ends when she is 3, and I'll be ready (note, it is \"I\" :)) to let her go alone then. [/quote]Yeh.. i noticed that. :evil:

kabalevsky:

[quote]I am also a SAHP and love my kiddies to bits, but i dun like koalas sticking on me too long. :lol:

I also don't like. sob sob.
But cos I don't have helper or other help, dd has seen mostly me since birth. In fact, a large part of the day, it's just me she sees, so she's a big big koala. You don't know how happy I am for her brothers to come home from school (even though they are so noisy), cos it means they can distract her for some time![/quote]I have never had a helper for the last ten years darl.. :snuggles:
We have work delegations at home (yes, everyone helps out).. :love:
Hubs is very hands-on and will do the laborious manual ones.. Girls clean
up after themselves (still with reminders and uh.. naggings.. at this point)...
and i cook almost every other day as well. I suppose the house may not be
extremely spick & span like every single day, but neither issit super messy
every single day either. Hubs usually says, take own time own target
with the chores. Unless if they are really becoming an eye-sore of coz! :laugh:

My girls and now one boy very affectionate... but not koalas.

kabalevsky:

Your elder kids went to preschool so early too?

Nope. Late K1 nia.. The rest we had them on were on and off more
for the fun of it... & support my friends' new set-ups.

kabalevsky:

I've been a SAHM for 4 yrs liao, 2 more yrs and it will end. I think I will treasure it and just teach her myself, if I can't find somewhere suitable, and since you have moved further off! I thought CCK was still ok.

Yeh.. very far off liao. I've been SAHP while DD2 was in my tum like 6mths.

kabalevsky:

nvm, maybe someday can get together just for playdates, if not classes!

My frenz here in the forum say i'm extremely elusive.. :evil:

Well yes.. i like to maintain a low profile.

[smurf]

Hi jul04,


How’s the totsville trial?

[jul04]

Review of Totsville


I went for a trial with my boy last Sat. The class was from 930 - 11am. We were supposed to go there at 915am coz my boy has \"issues\" & would need time to get used to the environment, take his time to settle his fears so that he doesn't start bawling.

We were late & got there at 930am but there was no one. In fact, we were the only student there & the whole exercise was a bit pointless as there was no class, no interaction so it was difficult to do a proper assessment. (Supposed to have 3 other students but they come on & off. So.. I'd probably not sign up as I don't want my boy to be the only kid there. Defeats the whole exercise)

Anyway, the programme went like this :
930 - 10.20 am : Free play with Montessori materials.

(My boy went to the shelves & picked whatever he fancied. I could be wrong, but I thought the teachers were supposed to direct him to a few choices which are more suitable for him? He was doing quite well at the beginning as he started spooning beans from one bowl to another, then got bored, then started pouring them onto the tray, mat, floor etc :oops: Then he started wandering & & picking out 'toys' from all over the place, holding on to the spoon the whole time, refusing to let it go

10.20 - 10.30 am : Wash hands, had a snack, wash hands again

(Threw a mini-tantrum coz he didn't wanna wash his hands :x )

10.30 - 10.40 am : Watched Hi5

(It was supposed to be some art & craft, & music & movt but there was no one to move WITH And he didn't really watch much of the Hi5, but walked all over touching the materials. He wasn't interested in the shakers or tambourine. I think the teachers weren't very good at engaging his attention, for one. Secondly, there was no one to dance with And it really shd have been music CD instead of TV )

10.45 - 11 am : Zoophonics

(Not sure abt the 'proper' programme as this was my first encounter with Zoophonics. They played the CD which would go like \"Balls are Bouncing... buh buh buh.. buh is the sound of B\", short pause, then move on to C etc. A teacher would be holding an A4-sized book with one picture on each page corresponding to each alphabet.)

Then dismissal. So.. I probably wouldn't be sending my boy there every Sat. It's a shame, bcoz I can't really assess properly coz he was the only one there. Quite disappointing really

[jul04]

The hunt goes on...