All About Montessori

[drumstick]

Any muumies with children at Josiah Montessori cc at Changi Business Park? Would really appreciate some feedback.


Pl pm me. Thanks in advance!!

[Kabby]

tearss:

I went to St 52 branch before n didn't like it though.
I thought it is a bit run down.

I also went there to have a look. It is indeed small, yup not new... Been there quite long I think? JW Ext one is newer for sure.

But childcare doesn't suit my needs right now. If it does for you, can try it out?

I do wish we have more choices in JW though. I have been reading, surfing, asking around, seems there are a couple nearer Jurong East.

And then at Sunset way and Old Holland Rd are 2 very good ones too, in my opinion.

Where do you live? JW Ext? Only considering Montessori?

[buds]

Joysoh:

Hi, has anyone here heard of the MMI branch at Jurong West Extension? Is it good? I am thinking of sending my son to N1 next yr. But have also heard some people commenting that kids who came from MMI have difficulty adjusting to Primary education. Is that true? Need some advice.

Of course not true lar. My girls doing oh so fine you know..

[buds]

kabalevsky:

Buds! If you are having a trial please please keep me in the loop too! Like Smurf, I can travel a bit too. :love: I also want to see how it is supposed to be like.

Okie dear, will let you know in the event that i do run one.

kabalevsky:

Regarding the dressing frames, are there fixed ages when the kids start on these or you will introduce them even at 18mth as long as they seem ready?

As long as you gauge them to be ready..
When the fine motor / finger muscles are steady..
Look out for insistence on self-help skills and displaying more
independence in daily routine activities.

kabalevsky:

I vaguely recall long ago, when we sent ds1 to presch for a while when he was 3yo (only few months then we went overseas), I sat in the 1st few days, and the MOnte directress would intro certain monte materials to ds1 class only, and the older kids do others.

This sch segregated them according to age (N1 - K2). I was just wondering, so in a mixed age group, it is possible for a 3 yr old to have the same skills as a 6 yr old and work on the same newly introduced activity, or would the 6yr old be more of helping out the younger ones, since he/she had already done/ learnt it before?

The 6yr old may have more refined skills though working on the same
materials... and the 6yr old should have more extension activities to the
ones he or she has already worked with and completed to perfection.

kabalevsky:

And Jules mentioned 3 yr mixed age group. So for 18mth entry level, that would be grouped just from 18mth to 3yrs then?
Thanks!

Usually, yes.

[tearss]

buds:

Joysoh:

Hi, has anyone here heard of the MMI branch at Jurong West Extension? Is it good? I am thinking of sending my son to N1 next yr. But have also heard some people commenting that kids who came from MMI have difficulty adjusting to Primary education. Is that true? Need some advice.

Of course not true lar. My girls doing oh so fine you know..

Hi there! Thanks for replying. Your feedback is a booster. I almost wanted to sign up and then was surfing online and saw someone feedback about MM! JWE's teachers. Are both your girls still studying at MMI JWE? Do the teachers speak proper english?

[tearss]

kabalevsky:

tearss:

I went to St 52 branch before n didn't like it though.
I thought it is a bit run down.

I also went there to have a look. It is indeed small, yup not new... Been there quite long I think? JW Ext one is newer for sure.

But childcare doesn't suit my needs right now. If it does for you, can try it out?

I do wish we have more choices in JW though. I have been reading, surfing, asking around, seems there are a couple nearer Jurong East.

And then at Sunset way and Old Holland Rd are 2 very good ones too, in my opinion.

Where do you live? JW Ext? Only considering Montessori?

Hi! yes i stay in JWE. How about you? How old is your child? my son is going on 18mths soon and we feel that he can be better stimulated if he goes to playsch. more interactions with other kids and teacher can teach.

I have been sourcing ard. Those at Yunnan Walk - 3 child cares...MMI, even those enrichment schools. Initial thought was to send him to play school and not childcare as I heard lots of stories about sending your child early to a childcare..like low immune system etc. However, after some discussion with my husband, we feel that daily exposure is better than just a day on weekend. Hence, we decided to send him to a CC. Maybe not that bad after all as you can send him 9am over there and pick him up by 1pm.

[buds]

Errr... i did not mean to indicate that my girls were studying at MMI JWE

or even at any MMI for that matter. Hence i cannot comment on any of
the staff there, because i don't know any of them, nor have i visited
the centre at all to be frank. My apologies if the reply was misleading
somewhat.. :oops:

I was merely replying with regards to whether or not Montessorian
children have difficulty in adusting to P1... that's all and not that
my girls were studying at MMI JWE pe se.

My girls studied Montessori as well and have no problem adjusting..
or rather they didn't even have to adjust.

Montessorian children love school. ... as they have been
nurtured for the love of learning in general, so it won't/doesn't
matter which school they can learn from.

Hope this better clarifies the point. :celebrate:

[tearss]

buds:

Errr... i did not mean to indicate that my girls were studying at MMI JWE

or even at any MMI for that matter. Hence i cannot comment on any of
the staff there, because i don't know any of them, nor have i visited
the centre at all to be frank. My apologies if the reply was misleading
somewhat.. :oops:

I was merely replying with regards to whether or not Montessorian
children have difficulty in adusting to P1... that's all and not that
my girls were studying at MMI JWE pe se.

My girls studied Montessori as well and have no problem adjusting..
or rather they didn't even have to adjust.

Montessorian children love school. ... as they have been
nurtured for the love of learning in general, so it won't/doesn't
matter which school they can learn from.

Hope this better clarifies the point. :celebrate:

I see...:) Thanks for clarifying.

[Kabby]

hi buds!!!

missed you for a while! :love:
[quote]Okie dear, will let you know in the event that i do run one. [/quote] :thankyou:

I am really keen! I am still doing my reading up slowly, squeezing in some time each day aft the kids are asleep. Am inspired by Jules also. She has read and shared a lot here as well.

I am reading \"Tomorrow's Child\" magazine also. Quite impressed that there are schools that carry on Montessori right up to Grade 12. Wow, if only there were such in Singapore and not expensive. Just dreaming....

If I can dream on, I'd want to set up a school myself.

Thanks for answering my other Qs!

I also read about implementing the Montessori principles and beliefs in the home. So i am trying that out in baby steps. Whatever that I also believe in.

Like having child-sized chairs (instead of high chair) and tables. Dd sits there with her brothers for meals. Trying to train her to eat properly by herself with her own cutlery, bowl, cup. She has her own placemat, like her brothers. But they each know which is their own. Always use the same for each meal.

I also watched some YouTube vids on Montessori, so impressed with the kids pouring milk from jugs into their glasses and drinking them and this teacher said some even as young as 7 months do it on their own. I was flabbergasted. But I do believe it can be done.

Some things are not possible in my 4rm flat, though I love what I saw. all the gardening and then harvesting the veggies to cook/ eat.

Also read on Waldorf and Charlotte Mason. I know :offtopic: so won't elaborate here. But I am full of awe... Trying to incorporate what I myself believe in, and trying out, but also trying to make sure it is not in conflict but in harmony so that my kids don't end up confused.

alas, my ds1 is already 8yo. some things i wish I had done earlier! it's already my 3rd kid and last one liao... hope not too late for my oldest... some of the changes did have positive effect.

your kids must be really fortunate to have you as mom! you probably did all the right things from the start!

[poppyqueen]

Hi hi!


Just a short intro ..I've been lurking around this forum and looking for a PG or childcare for my son when he's 18 months. Really love KS parents! A wealth of info!

And Buds, been following your threads. Really love your sense of humour as well as generous sharing of knowledge! Been following your contributions to the Yew Tee/ CCk/Bukit panjang thread as <surprise surprise>, i'm staying in bukit panjang! :lol: Sad to see you have moved North. Otherwise, i would love to join your private Montessori group session too. :evil:

Just to share with you fellow parents,a few Montessori places i racae in the CCK/ Bukit panjang

Ichiban Montessori @ Hongsan walk
Big compound, but a rather strong smell of urine. Segregates the children by group. They have some mathematical and practical life skill montessori materials. However, the teacher doesn't come across as Montessori trained. Only half an hour of montessori time set aside per time. Quite a lot of children's activities and pictures on graduation ceremony performance pasted on the walls. Fees are reasonable at $380 (after subsidy) for full day and $350 for half day. Overall a rather decent place if you don't mind the lack of emphasis on pure montessori.

Greenfield Montessori @ Hongsan walk
Smaller class -teacher ratio. Overall centre has 35 children (if remember correctly). PG has 5 to 1 teacher. Segregates children by group. Place and equipment pretty old and run down. Saw tables and chairs that have seen much better days and should have been disposed off long ago. Have additional enrichment classes in house eg town4kids media. However, principal doesn't seem very approachable. On my visit, i saw only china and Filipino teachers too. Concerned about as they may not be that familiar with Singapore culture as well as accent. School would be good if wanted child to be exposed to a strong disciplinary mistress (as in the principal) . Montessori programs seems rather limited based on observation.

Springfield Montessori @ Jalan Suasa (near Diary farm)
Mighty impressed with this Montessori. Angela , the person who showed me and my husband around, was the only one among the 3 Montessori centres i visited, to explain in depth about the Montessori approach. And it's the most \"authentic\" All 5 montessori curriculum are practiced here and it's the only one with vertical grouping of the children (eg the older and younger child \"works\" together). The materials are well kept and in good condition too. But i'm most impressed with how passionate she is about Montessori and her illustration on how it is applied , which goes beyond the standard Montessori materials. Eg, she shared with us how one parent gave a gift of a lamp shaped like a big egg. So she pretended it was an ostrich egg to the class, described what is an ostrich, brought in the topic of an emu, and then subsequently asked the children to go back and seek knowledge from daddy/mummy on the difference between an ostrich and emu, why they always stick their hands in the sands etc etc. She also brought us out to the outdoor area, where it so happened that a bird was building an nest in the Little Tikes basketball structure. She shared with us that she brought children out to observe the bird in action from a distance, explain why she had to cordon off the area for now (eg the bird will abandon the nest if they smell human scent on it), input information on why some birds build nests as round, some as ovals, what is the opening for etc etc.
I really love the way she expresses herself,her enthusiasm in imparting knowledge, and observing certain mundane things which we take for granted or fail to note, and incorporating it to impart knowledge to the children in such a fun way, rather than structured. That's how i want learning for my child to be, rather than in a structured, predictable, and boring manner (which i believed that's the way most of us were brought up)
However, one grouse is the play mat. It's a big mat with a red round circle drawn to denote the play area. However, mat do look rather dirty with some skid marks. A bit eikky to imagine my son lying on it to play.
Area is big and clean. Well ventilated with no aircon. Class size also seems very personable. Understand that there's around 15 children currently with 3 directress (2 english speaking, 1 chinese). However, in the afternoon when i went, only saw 3 children.
Fees are not cheap though. For a 5 days a week 3 hour program, it cost $1500 for a term of 10 weeks! (*faint!). No subsidy either as it's not a childcare. And there are no meals provided too. The parents would have to bring their own prepared food, for the directress to feed the children.

I'm really in a dilemma whether to bite the bullet and send him in here. On one hand, i believe the montessori approach of \"unstructured learning\" is more suitable for my son and will cultivate his interest as he is quite strong headed and doesn't like to be taught the traditional input way. However, on the other hand, the cost is ghastly and it's only for 3 hours.
I would also like my son to be in a CC setting, where he can learn to feed himself, settle himself to sleep etc and generally be more independent. Currently, he's too cosseted and overprotected by my ILs & hubby, eg not allowing my son to walk for more than 10 mins for fear of him hurting his tender soles nor allow him to mess up and feed himself even he expressed interest in self feeding. Drives me a bit nuts! Now my son no longer has any interest to take the spoon as and quietly be spoon fed .I feel their overprotectiveness is detrimental to the natural development of my boy. :stupid:

Alternatively is to send my son to a half day cc and then let him attend the 2 days a week Montessori program. Any views on whether a 2 day a week, 3 hours Montessori will still be effective?

Is there any current review on the MMI @ Phoenix too?