Last spring I bought my four-year-old grandson a set of gardening tools and he helped his dad plant a garden. The next day he spent at least an hour digging one hole. He said he was “looking for things in the ground.” The next day he went out to dig again. After a little while, he came in for his dump truck and bulldozer, saying “the construction site is ready.” Continue reading “It’s OK to Stay Home & Just Play”
Posts by Oaksweb
Multi-Age Grouping: Observation + Imitation = Learning
Inside the Montessori community and beyond, multi-age classrooms are a hot topic for parents, teachers, and school administrators. Multi-age class, combination class, double grade, split-grade class, mixed-age class, ungraded class, vertically-grouped class… Are we all talking about the same thing?
Angeline Stoll Lillard, in her authoritative research review Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, describes the Montessori multi-age setting this way:
“Montessori encourages learning from peers in part by using three-year age groupings. This ensures that as children move through the classroom they will be exposed to older and younger peers, facilitating both imitative learning and peer tutoring… Dr. Montessori was quite clear about the need for this mix of ages.” Continue reading “Multi-Age Grouping: Observation + Imitation = Learning”
Off To School
“If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.”
—Abigail Van Buren (the original “Dear Abby”)
It’s still July, but it’s not too early to think about the beginning of the school year. Taking a hint from the stores filled with school supplies and back-to-school specials, we can set the stage for our children to start school with their feet on the ground, happily pointed in the right direction. Continue reading “Off To School”
A Day in the Life.
Our day at Harbour Oaks includes many things. Reading under a tree, firing rockets, tending to the many animals we have, but most of all, there is learning going on every where you look. Continue reading “A Day in the Life.”