Guest guest Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Susan--Do you know of any books out there that tell families how to incorporate Montessori principles into their homes for a very young child? I have a strong interest in doing this, and I could swear I saw just such a book a while back, but I didn't need it then, of course! Now I have a toddler, and I would love to incorporate some of the Montessori ideas here for her. Marilyn **************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home. (http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15 & ncid=aolhom00030\ 000000001) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 You may want to visit a few of the schools and see what info they have that you can borrow. Our school provides a lot of information for parents - there is a magazine called Tomorrow's Child that has a lot of great info. We have done a couple of things to " Montessori " our home - the biggest was to put all his toys in their place. Some toys go into buckets which go onto a shelf, and some on the shelf itself. DS is only 13 mos and knows how to put away toys so it was well worth it to us. He can't walk yet, but he can collect toys and put them in their place We also had to get rid of toys that limited mobility - bouncy seats, swings, jumpers, etc. I think we will also invest in a Learning Tower so he can help in the kitchen - not sure if it is unusual, but he is already helping to load and unload the dishwasher. I can't help but think this is to do with what he learns at school (as well as at home). We also searched to find a Montessori school that was based on multi-faiths and also multi-cultural because it was important to us that if we found a private school, that we still expose our son to diversity. We were able to find that. Susan On 4/1/08, Lorraine <ldemi wrote: > > Hi Vicki, > Oh, I didn't mean to offend by saying " misuse of religion. " What I was > referring to is schools that teach that Montessori is based on one > specific faith, like an inextricable link between one religion and a > learning method, when I haven't found in my research that Montessori was > based on a religion, but easily incorporated into all faiths, if a > faith-based school is preferred. I prefer teaching about all religions > as equally important in our world, which from what I've read, is in line > with Maria Montessori's beliefs. Sorry for any confusion in my > truncated statement. > > And thanks so much for your input on the Montessori environment. It's > really helpful to hear how different schools function, and look forward > to finding our Montessori home. :-) Thank you! A couple more > questions - what kinds of Montessori things to you incorporate into your > home? (ugh, I know you're going to say we have to clean up the toy > drawers!) :-) And do you recommend any books about incorporating > Montessori methods in the home to prepare a child to entering Montessori > school? Thanks!!! > Have a great day, > Lorraine > > > <%40> [ > <%40>] On > Behalf Of Vicki Thompson > Tuesday, April 01, 2008 7:14 AM > <%40> > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > We absolutely LOVE our Montessori school. Being Ovo-lacto you would > probably have less conflicts. We really hadn't had any concern until > deciding to eliminate dairy from our diet. Montessori curriculum > contains > an area in the younger years called Practical life. Here the children > learn > to do a number of household type things from dusting and scrubbing > activities, cutting and pouring activities, etc. As far as non > vegetarian > friendly activities would mostly consist of slicing cheese, spreading > some > type of spread (that may or may not be vegan), pouring milk, etc. I > haven't > heard about any activities involving leather, beeswax or felting etc. I > would be mostly sensitive to leather. I don't necessarily object to > beeswax > and as a spinner, knitter, etc I use wool myself (although I try to each > the > source.) The older children do learn weaving, knitting and crocheting > but > so far they have been using acrylic yarn. Montessori schools will all > have > their own policy regarding lunch. Our school insists on a fairly healthy > lunch. They don't insist on vegetarian however all children must bring a > natural lunch. Nothing artificial, pre-packaged processed, etc. > > I am not sure what you mean by " misuse " religion. Maria Montessori was a > Christian and some of her original writing on education reflect this. > Our > Montessori school is a Christian school as well. But when we were > visiting > schools we found that the large majority of them are non-sectarian, > secular > schools. We really had to search for one that was Christian. It really > depends on the Head of School and how she/he wants to school to be run. > I > would imagine it would also depend on your community. > > Hope that helps. We love Montessori and incorporate many of the concepts > into our own home. If you have any other questions I would be happy to > share what I know. > > Vicki > > _____ > > @gro <%40> ups.com > [@gro <%40> > ups.com] On > Behalf Of Lorraine > Monday, March 31, 2008 1:16 PM > @gro <%40> ups.com > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > Hi Vicki, > We're looking into Montessori for our child in the next year or two > (Mommy-and-me program in the next year, kindergarten in 2 years), so I'd > be very interested in hearing anything that is non-vegetarian in > Montessori. We're lacto-ovos, so I'm fine with cheese slicing or even > beeswax stuff (like mentioned in the Waldorf discussion), but things > with leather or fur or felt or wool will be an issue for me, if they > exist. We're also being careful to choose a school that doesn't misuse > religion within Montessori curriculum, and would really prefer a > vegetarian-only lunch policy . . . but hey, what do I want, the moon and > the stars, too? :-) We're in southern California, but it still is > tough finding a school we like, within reasonable driving distance. > Anyway, any input you might have, or anyone else might have, on the > vegetarian-friendliness or not, of Montessori schools would be grand! > Thanks!! > Lorraine > > > @gro <%40> ups.com > [@gro <%40> > ups.com] > On > Behalf Of Vicki Thompson > Monday, March 31, 2008 9:54 AM > @gro <%40> ups.com > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > I am new to this group having been pretty much just reading posts and > soaking it all in the last week or so. I have been a veggie for a long > time, however as a family we are just starting to make the transition > from > Vegetarians to Vegans. My children (9,7, and 5) go to a Montessori > school > and as we were asked to pick up carrots and Ranch Dressing for the > children's snack time this week, I realized how difficult this > transition > is when comes to the school. Montessori also has " non-vegan " aspects to > their curriculum as well. Cheese slicing in the " practical life " center > jumps to mind immediately but I know that if I think about there are > other > aspects will surface. Since this transition for us is fairly new, (and > since we have yet to figure out some alternatives and how to get some > products completely out of our diets ourselves) I haven't addressed it > with > the school yet. I am interested in how other parents deal with these > challenges as well. > > Vicki > > _____ > > @gro <%40> ups.com > [@gro <%40> > ups.com] On > Behalf Of Paige > Sunday, March 30, 2008 2:29 PM > @gro <%40> ups.com > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > Chandelle, > > I would love to get in touch with you outside of the group via email to > discuss Waldorf challenges as a vegan. My five year old is at a Waldorf > school, which we love, but as a vegan I do have some struggles with the > felting, beeswax and other items and activities that are integrated into > the > Waldorf lifestyle and curriculum. I am wondering how you deal with some > of > the challenges. > > Please contact me if you are interested in discussing. > > gosstucker@roadrunn <gosstucker%40roadrunner.com> er.com > > Paige > > _____ > > @gro <%40> ups.com > [@gro <%40> > ups.com] > On > Behalf Of chandelle' > Saturday, March 29, 2008 7:03 AM > @gro <%40> ups.com > [Norton AntiSpam] Re: Re: kids in school > > yeah, we've converted my BIL and his wife, which is great because we can > do > holiday dinners together and nobody gets grossed out or offended by > what's > being eaten. but other than that we really don't know too many > veg*ns...there are a few families at my husband's/son's waldorf school > that > are veg but we don't know them well enough to " hang out " yet. and we get > a > lot of pressure from family to at least feed meat and other crap to our > kids; we don't really trust them not to feed our kids a lot of sugar and > crap when we're not right on top of them preventing it, and they treat > us > like we're so cruel for it...it's hard to be veg in utah, for sure!! > > chandelle > > On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 1:54 PM, Kristen <Ladybug810 (AT) (DOT) > <Ladybug810%40> com> wrote: > > > Holy cow.....so I'm not the only vegetarian in the state of Utah > > after all! :-) Aside from a few immediate family members, I've met > > exactly ONE vegetarian here in the last year. > > > > Kristen (Sandy) > > > > @gro <%40> > ups.com > <%40>, Katie > > Norris <norris929 > > wrote: > > > > > > > > Hello to my fellow Utahn! Where in Utah do you live? My son will > > be entering kindergarten this year, but we live in Sugarhouse > > (pretty liberal) so I think he'll be okay with other kids and being > > vegan. > > > I would tell my child if they were in that situation to have a > > witty comeback ready, " Wow, that's too bad that you won't be my > > friend because I don't eat meat. I'm willing to be your friend even > > though you kill animals. " > > > Good Luck! > > > Katie > > > > > > > > > : earthmother213: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:42:32 - > > 0600Re: kids in school > > > > > > where do you live? we live in utah and practically everybody we > > meethunts. it's hard to find like-minded parents here not only in > > terms ofdietary habits but in terms of any number of alternative > > choices...mychildren are only 3 and 1 but my son is in his father's > > class in a waldorfschool; lots of the families in this school > > are " alternative, " and some ofthem are vegetarian or vegan. > > findingthatalternativecommunityhasbeenhugelyimportantasfar as > > maintaining some stability in the midst of suchafirmly- > > entrenchedmainstream.idon'tknowhowwe'lldealwithitwhenourkidsreceiveun > > pleasanttreatmentfortheirveganism...sadly,forus,they'll probably > > receive that most of all from " well-meaning " " family. " :(chandelle > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Marilyn, I don't have any books on the subject but will check when I go pick up DS this afternoon. We get information, borrow books, magazines, etc from the school. They are the only Mont. School in our area with an infant program and are really great about sharing the information they have so I don't have to buy anything. I think the hardest thing for me to do is realize that my little guy is really a little person who is completely capable of things that I normally would never expect him to be capable of. He will be 13 months this weekend, and he is putting away his toys. If he were in daycare or even if I could just stay at home with him, I would never think he could do this yet. Maybe it is just a matter of my expectations being reset, but this program is helping me to do just that. I'll see what the school might have for incorporating Montessori principles at home so I can send you some titles. Have you tried googling anything? Just curious what might be available online.. Susan On 4/1/08, sahmomof8 <sahmomof8 wrote: > > Susan--Do you know of any books out there that tell families how to > incorporate Montessori principles into their homes for a very young child? > I have a > strong interest in doing this, and I could swear I saw just such a book a > while back, but I didn't need it then, of course! Now I have a toddler, > and I > would love to incorporate some of the Montessori ideas here for her. > Marilyn > > **************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL > Home. > ( > http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15 & ncid=aolhom000300\ 00000001 > ) > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Hi Susan, Wow, thanks for that input! I'll definitely look into Tomorrow's Child mag. We do have toys organized in drawers in one room, and baskets on shelves in another, with lots of toys and books out on shelves and tables around the house. And I think our son helped with things like the dishwasher when he was that young . . . but it was likely more to be able to play with all the kitchen utensils. :-) He's still totally obsessed with kitchen stuff. Oh, and about the Learning Tower - we were going to invest in one, too, but then one day I figured out that we could use a high-backed kitchen chair up to the counter for him to stand on, with the back of the chair behind him, then another chair against the side of that chair, with the 2nd chair's back up against the chair he was standing on, and I stood on the open side of the chair, and he was sort of boxed in. It worked wonderfully. We now have a 2-step step-stool in the kitchen, with non-skid steps . . . and often a light dusting of flour or whatever we're cooking with that day. :-) Have you had any issues with Montessori and vegetarianism? Just asking everyone who posts on this topic - thanks! :-) Lorraine On Behalf Of Susan Williams Tuesday, April 01, 2008 12:31 PM OT - Montessori School WAS " kids in school " You may want to visit a few of the schools and see what info they have that you can borrow. Our school provides a lot of information for parents - there is a magazine called Tomorrow's Child that has a lot of great info. We have done a couple of things to " Montessori " our home - the biggest was to put all his toys in their place. Some toys go into buckets which go onto a shelf, and some on the shelf itself. DS is only 13 mos and knows how to put away toys so it was well worth it to us. He can't walk yet, but he can collect toys and put them in their place We also had to get rid of toys that limited mobility - bouncy seats, swings, jumpers, etc. I think we will also invest in a Learning Tower so he can help in the kitchen - not sure if it is unusual, but he is already helping to load and unload the dishwasher. I can't help but think this is to do with what he learns at school (as well as at home). We also searched to find a Montessori school that was based on multi-faiths and also multi-cultural because it was important to us that if we found a private school, that we still expose our son to diversity. We were able to find that. Susan On 4/1/08, Lorraine <ldemi <ldemi%40ucsd.edu> > wrote: > > Hi Vicki, > Oh, I didn't mean to offend by saying " misuse of religion. " What I was > referring to is schools that teach that Montessori is based on one > specific faith, like an inextricable link between one religion and a > learning method, when I haven't found in my research that Montessori was > based on a religion, but easily incorporated into all faiths, if a > faith-based school is preferred. I prefer teaching about all religions > as equally important in our world, which from what I've read, is in line > with Maria Montessori's beliefs. Sorry for any confusion in my > truncated statement. > > And thanks so much for your input on the Montessori environment. It's > really helpful to hear how different schools function, and look forward > to finding our Montessori home. :-) Thank you! A couple more > questions - what kinds of Montessori things to you incorporate into your > home? (ugh, I know you're going to say we have to clean up the toy > drawers!) :-) And do you recommend any books about incorporating > Montessori methods in the home to prepare a child to entering Montessori > school? Thanks!!! > Have a great day, > Lorraine > > > @gro <%40> ups.com <%40> [ > @gro <%40> ups.com <%40>] On > Behalf Of Vicki Thompson > Tuesday, April 01, 2008 7:14 AM > @gro <%40> ups.com <%40> > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > We absolutely LOVE our Montessori school. Being Ovo-lacto you would > probably have less conflicts. We really hadn't had any concern until > deciding to eliminate dairy from our diet. Montessori curriculum > contains > an area in the younger years called Practical life. Here the children > learn > to do a number of household type things from dusting and scrubbing > activities, cutting and pouring activities, etc. As far as non > vegetarian > friendly activities would mostly consist of slicing cheese, spreading > some > type of spread (that may or may not be vegan), pouring milk, etc. I > haven't > heard about any activities involving leather, beeswax or felting etc. I > would be mostly sensitive to leather. I don't necessarily object to > beeswax > and as a spinner, knitter, etc I use wool myself (although I try to each > the > source.) The older children do learn weaving, knitting and crocheting > but > so far they have been using acrylic yarn. Montessori schools will all > have > their own policy regarding lunch. Our school insists on a fairly healthy > lunch. They don't insist on vegetarian however all children must bring a > natural lunch. Nothing artificial, pre-packaged processed, etc. > > I am not sure what you mean by " misuse " religion. Maria Montessori was a > Christian and some of her original writing on education reflect this. > Our > Montessori school is a Christian school as well. But when we were > visiting > schools we found that the large majority of them are non-sectarian, > secular > schools. We really had to search for one that was Christian. It really > depends on the Head of School and how she/he wants to school to be run. > I > would imagine it would also depend on your community. > > Hope that helps. We love Montessori and incorporate many of the concepts > into our own home. If you have any other questions I would be happy to > share what I know. > > Vicki > > _____ > > @gro <%40> ups.com > [@gro <%40> > ups.com] On > Behalf Of Lorraine > Monday, March 31, 2008 1:16 PM > @gro <%40> ups.com > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > Hi Vicki, > We're looking into Montessori for our child in the next year or two > (Mommy-and-me program in the next year, kindergarten in 2 years), so I'd > be very interested in hearing anything that is non-vegetarian in > Montessori. We're lacto-ovos, so I'm fine with cheese slicing or even > beeswax stuff (like mentioned in the Waldorf discussion), but things > with leather or fur or felt or wool will be an issue for me, if they > exist. We're also being careful to choose a school that doesn't misuse > religion within Montessori curriculum, and would really prefer a > vegetarian-only lunch policy . . . but hey, what do I want, the moon and > the stars, too? :-) We're in southern California, but it still is > tough finding a school we like, within reasonable driving distance. > Anyway, any input you might have, or anyone else might have, on the > vegetarian-friendliness or not, of Montessori schools would be grand! > Thanks!! > Lorraine > > > @gro <%40> ups.com > [@gro <%40> > ups.com] > On > Behalf Of Vicki Thompson > Monday, March 31, 2008 9:54 AM > @gro <%40> ups.com > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > I am new to this group having been pretty much just reading posts and > soaking it all in the last week or so. I have been a veggie for a long > time, however as a family we are just starting to make the transition > from > Vegetarians to Vegans. My children (9,7, and 5) go to a Montessori > school > and as we were asked to pick up carrots and Ranch Dressing for the > children's snack time this week, I realized how difficult this > transition > is when comes to the school. Montessori also has " non-vegan " aspects to > their curriculum as well. Cheese slicing in the " practical life " center > jumps to mind immediately but I know that if I think about there are > other > aspects will surface. Since this transition for us is fairly new, (and > since we have yet to figure out some alternatives and how to get some > products completely out of our diets ourselves) I haven't addressed it > with > the school yet. I am interested in how other parents deal with these > challenges as well. > > Vicki > > _____ > > @gro <%40> ups.com > [@gro <%40> > ups.com] On > Behalf Of Paige > Sunday, March 30, 2008 2:29 PM > @gro <%40> ups.com > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > Chandelle, > > I would love to get in touch with you outside of the group via email to > discuss Waldorf challenges as a vegan. My five year old is at a Waldorf > school, which we love, but as a vegan I do have some struggles with the > felting, beeswax and other items and activities that are integrated into > the > Waldorf lifestyle and curriculum. I am wondering how you deal with some > of > the challenges. > > Please contact me if you are interested in discussing. > > gosstucker@roadrunn <gosstucker%40roadrunner.com> er.com > > Paige > > _____ > > @gro <%40> ups.com > [@gro <%40> > ups.com] > On > Behalf Of chandelle' > Saturday, March 29, 2008 7:03 AM > @gro <%40> ups.com > [Norton AntiSpam] Re: Re: kids in school > > yeah, we've converted my BIL and his wife, which is great because we can > do > holiday dinners together and nobody gets grossed out or offended by > what's > being eaten. but other than that we really don't know too many > veg*ns...there are a few families at my husband's/son's waldorf school > that > are veg but we don't know them well enough to " hang out " yet. and we get > a > lot of pressure from family to at least feed meat and other crap to our > kids; we don't really trust them not to feed our kids a lot of sugar and > crap when we're not right on top of them preventing it, and they treat > us > like we're so cruel for it...it's hard to be veg in utah, for sure!! > > chandelle > > On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 1:54 PM, Kristen <Ladybug810 (AT) (DOT) > <Ladybug810%40> com> wrote: > > > Holy cow.....so I'm not the only vegetarian in the state of Utah > > after all! :-) Aside from a few immediate family members, I've met > > exactly ONE vegetarian here in the last year. > > > > Kristen (Sandy) > > > > @gro <%40> > ups.com > <%40>, Katie > > Norris <norris929 > > wrote: > > > > > > > > Hello to my fellow Utahn! Where in Utah do you live? My son will > > be entering kindergarten this year, but we live in Sugarhouse > > (pretty liberal) so I think he'll be okay with other kids and being > > vegan. > > > I would tell my child if they were in that situation to have a > > witty comeback ready, " Wow, that's too bad that you won't be my > > friend because I don't eat meat. I'm willing to be your friend even > > though you kill animals. " > > > Good Luck! > > > Katie > > > > > > > > > : earthmother213: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:42:32 - > > 0600Re: kids in school > > > > > > where do you live? we live in utah and practically everybody we > > meethunts. it's hard to find like-minded parents here not only in > > terms ofdietary habits but in terms of any number of alternative > > choices...mychildren are only 3 and 1 but my son is in his father's > > class in a waldorfschool; lots of the families in this school > > are " alternative, " and some ofthem are vegetarian or vegan. > > findingthatalternativecommunityhasbeenhugelyimportantasfar as > > maintaining some stability in the midst of suchafirmly- > > entrenchedmainstream.idon'tknowhowwe'lldealwithitwhenourkidsreceiveun > > pleasanttreatmentfortheirveganism...sadly,forus,they'll probably > > receive that most of all from " well-meaning " " family. " :(chandelle > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 There are actually a few books you can look into: This one, we were required to get, and read certain things we would discuss with the teacher from time to time (it was a parent/infant class) Montessori From the Start: Montessori from birth to age 3 - By Paula Polk Lillard and Lynn Lillard Jessen I also have these I would recommend Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook: A Short Guide to her Ideas and Materials - by Maria Montessori Teaching Montessori in the Home The preschool years Teaching Montessori in the home - the school years Both by Elizabeth G. Hainstock Oh, and I think " Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready " might have some things in it as well, but I don't think it's particularly Montessori - I actually don't recall. But it's good anyway for up to age 3 or 5 or something - I forget now. I think there's a few beyond that, but those are the ones I have. We used to do Montessori with our son, but the toddler classes were too expensive for us at the time, and unfortunately, now it feels too 'late' since he's turning 5 shortly and they run on the 3 year cycle. So, while we've been doing this, we probably won't be able to continue (if you are wondering why we're not doing it...but our experience was that the school we were at was very accomodating - they also had a lot of kids with food allergies, so perhaps that played a roll in it...but we did also mention our son's dairy allergy and they certainly were sure that they did not even bring dairy into the class (we were vegetarians at the time, so eggs were not an issue for peeling and slicing in the P/I class, but I imagine if we brought an alternative (like tofu) that would have been fine with them. You really need to field the school, two of them in our area were once one big school, and they broke off because of differences in how they wanted to run things, or at least how 'lenient' they wanted to be in some regards. The one we did not go to was fairly rigid in sticking to the 'rules' and would not allow for any substitutions (for instance my friend's daughter started presenting OCD pretty dramatically and it caused issues because she could actually not clear her place after snack/lunch because it made her physically ill but they would not allow any deviation from it, so there were lots of issues that they had and now they homeschool - and they just love it and it's been a long time now - 6 years I guess they've been doing it, and it works). I know a couple of the teachers at ours from outside of the school, and from our experience they seem more willing to work with each child individually. Our friends did look at the other school and the first year they were homeschooling, she said if it did not work out, they were going to enroll her in the other one (they had done sort of Montessori at home to transition with their daughter but now have an entirely different approach). Ok. So maybe that's more info -but I guess I just really second the 'talk to the schools' advice, because they're not all the same - even some of the applications of the Montessori Method can vary greatly from school to school. So, it's hard to judge just on paper. missie On Tue, Apr 1, 2008 at 3:49 PM, <sahmomof8 wrote: > Susan--Do you know of any books out there that tell families how to > incorporate Montessori principles into their homes for a very young child? > I have a > strong interest in doing this, and I could swear I saw just such a book a > while back, but I didn't need it then, of course! Now I have a toddler, > and I > would love to incorporate some of the Montessori ideas here for her. > Marilyn > > **************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL > Home. > ( > http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15 & ncid=aolhom000300\ 00000001 > ) > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2008 Report Share Posted April 2, 2008 So far no issues with the vegetarian stuff. I met with the Head of school, and all the teachers over the course of a few visits and explained to them that we are vegan and raising DS vegan as well. They were very understanding. I asked if they could let me know about any " non-veg " activities ahead of time by at least a week or so and then I could brainstorm with his teacher about an alternative. They are very open to this. The one area that I have been challenged with is that they are putting on a musical Spring pageant at his school in a few weeks and it is a Circus theme. I am just disgusted my the Circus and animal cruelty issues. We decided to let DS participate as a clown (I have no ethical issues with clowns) but it is bothersome to me that the other kids are dressing up as animals, and singing about the lions, et al in the circus. Made me realize, I need to ask around December next year if I can help with picking the theme for the pageant. Susan On 4/1/08, Lorraine <ldemi wrote: > > Hi Susan, > Wow, thanks for that input! I'll definitely look into Tomorrow's Child > mag. We do have toys organized in drawers in one room, and baskets on > shelves in another, with lots of toys and books out on shelves and > tables around the house. And I think our son helped with things like > the dishwasher when he was that young . . . but it was likely more to be > able to play with all the kitchen utensils. :-) He's still totally > obsessed with kitchen stuff. Oh, and about the Learning Tower - we were > going to invest in one, too, but then one day I figured out that we > could use a high-backed kitchen chair up to the counter for him to stand > on, with the back of the chair behind him, then another chair against > the side of that chair, with the 2nd chair's back up against the chair > he was standing on, and I stood on the open side of the chair, and he > was sort of boxed in. It worked wonderfully. We now have a 2-step > step-stool in the kitchen, with non-skid steps . . . and often a light > dusting of flour or whatever we're cooking with that day. :-) Have you > had any issues with Montessori and vegetarianism? Just asking everyone > who posts on this topic - thanks! :-) > Lorraine > > > <%40> [ > <%40>] On > Behalf Of Susan Williams > Tuesday, April 01, 2008 12:31 PM > <%40> > OT - Montessori School WAS " kids in school " > > You may want to visit a few of the schools and see what info they have > that > you can borrow. Our school provides a lot of information for parents - > there is a magazine called Tomorrow's Child that has a lot of great > info. We have done a couple of things to " Montessori " our home - the > biggest was to put all his toys in their place. Some toys go into > buckets > which go onto a shelf, and some on the shelf itself. DS is only 13 mos > and > knows how to put away toys so it was well worth it to us. He can't walk > yet, but he can collect toys and put them in their place We also had > to > get rid of toys that limited mobility - bouncy seats, swings, jumpers, > etc. > I think we will also invest in a Learning Tower so he can help in the > kitchen - not sure if it is unusual, but he is already helping to load > and > unload the dishwasher. I can't help but think this is to do with what he > learns at school (as well as at home). > > We also searched to find a Montessori school that was based on > multi-faiths > and also multi-cultural because it was important to us that if we found > a > private school, that we still expose our son to diversity. We were able > to > find that. > > Susan > > On 4/1/08, Lorraine <ldemi <ldemi%40ucsd.edu> < > ldemi%40ucsd.edu <ldemi%2540ucsd.edu>> > wrote: > > > > Hi Vicki, > > Oh, I didn't mean to offend by saying " misuse of religion. " What I was > > referring to is schools that teach that Montessori is based on one > > specific faith, like an inextricable link between one religion and a > > learning method, when I haven't found in my research that Montessori > was > > based on a religion, but easily incorporated into all faiths, if a > > faith-based school is preferred. I prefer teaching about all religions > > as equally important in our world, which from what I've read, is in > line > > with Maria Montessori's beliefs. Sorry for any confusion in my > > truncated statement. > > > > And thanks so much for your input on the Montessori environment. It's > > really helpful to hear how different schools function, and look > forward > > to finding our Montessori home. :-) Thank you! A couple more > > questions - what kinds of Montessori things to you incorporate into > your > > home? (ugh, I know you're going to say we have to clean up the toy > > drawers!) :-) And do you recommend any books about incorporating > > Montessori methods in the home to prepare a child to entering > Montessori > > school? Thanks!!! > > Have a great day, > > Lorraine > > > > > > @gro <%40<%2540> > > > ups.com <%40> [ > > @gro <%40<%2540>> > ups.com > <%40>] On > > Behalf Of Vicki Thompson > > Tuesday, April 01, 2008 7:14 AM > > @gro <%40<%2540>> > ups.com > <%40> > > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > > > We absolutely LOVE our Montessori school. Being Ovo-lacto you would > > probably have less conflicts. We really hadn't had any concern until > > deciding to eliminate dairy from our diet. Montessori curriculum > > contains > > an area in the younger years called Practical life. Here the children > > learn > > to do a number of household type things from dusting and scrubbing > > activities, cutting and pouring activities, etc. As far as non > > vegetarian > > friendly activities would mostly consist of slicing cheese, spreading > > some > > type of spread (that may or may not be vegan), pouring milk, etc. I > > haven't > > heard about any activities involving leather, beeswax or felting etc. > I > > would be mostly sensitive to leather. I don't necessarily object to > > beeswax > > and as a spinner, knitter, etc I use wool myself (although I try to > each > > the > > source.) The older children do learn weaving, knitting and crocheting > > but > > so far they have been using acrylic yarn. Montessori schools will all > > have > > their own policy regarding lunch. Our school insists on a fairly > healthy > > lunch. They don't insist on vegetarian however all children must bring > a > > natural lunch. Nothing artificial, pre-packaged processed, etc. > > > > I am not sure what you mean by " misuse " religion. Maria Montessori was > a > > Christian and some of her original writing on education reflect this. > > Our > > Montessori school is a Christian school as well. But when we were > > visiting > > schools we found that the large majority of them are non-sectarian, > > secular > > schools. We really had to search for one that was Christian. It really > > depends on the Head of School and how she/he wants to school to be > run. > > I > > would imagine it would also depend on your community. > > > > Hope that helps. We love Montessori and incorporate many of the > concepts > > into our own home. If you have any other questions I would be happy to > > share what I know. > > > > Vicki > > > > _____ > > > > @gro <%40<%2540> > > > ups.com > > [@gro <%40<%2540> > > > > ups.com] On > > Behalf Of Lorraine > > Monday, March 31, 2008 1:16 PM > > @gro <%40<%2540>> > ups.com > > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > > > Hi Vicki, > > We're looking into Montessori for our child in the next year or two > > (Mommy-and-me program in the next year, kindergarten in 2 years), so > I'd > > be very interested in hearing anything that is non-vegetarian in > > Montessori. We're lacto-ovos, so I'm fine with cheese slicing or even > > beeswax stuff (like mentioned in the Waldorf discussion), but things > > with leather or fur or felt or wool will be an issue for me, if they > > exist. We're also being careful to choose a school that doesn't misuse > > religion within Montessori curriculum, and would really prefer a > > vegetarian-only lunch policy . . . but hey, what do I want, the moon > and > > the stars, too? :-) We're in southern California, but it still is > > tough finding a school we like, within reasonable driving distance. > > Anyway, any input you might have, or anyone else might have, on the > > vegetarian-friendliness or not, of Montessori schools would be grand! > > Thanks!! > > Lorraine > > > > > > @gro <%40<%2540> > > > ups.com > > [@gro <%40<%2540> > > > > ups.com] > > On > > Behalf Of Vicki Thompson > > Monday, March 31, 2008 9:54 AM > > @gro <%40<%2540>> > ups.com > > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > > > I am new to this group having been pretty much just reading posts and > > soaking it all in the last week or so. I have been a veggie for a long > > time, however as a family we are just starting to make the transition > > from > > Vegetarians to Vegans. My children (9,7, and 5) go to a Montessori > > school > > and as we were asked to pick up carrots and Ranch Dressing for the > > children's snack time this week, I realized how difficult this > > transition > > is when comes to the school. Montessori also has " non-vegan " aspects > to > > their curriculum as well. Cheese slicing in the " practical life " > center > > jumps to mind immediately but I know that if I think about there are > > other > > aspects will surface. Since this transition for us is fairly new, (and > > since we have yet to figure out some alternatives and how to get some > > products completely out of our diets ourselves) I haven't addressed it > > with > > the school yet. I am interested in how other parents deal with these > > challenges as well. > > > > Vicki > > > > _____ > > > > @gro <%40<%2540> > > > ups.com > > [@gro <%40<%2540> > > > > ups.com] On > > Behalf Of Paige > > Sunday, March 30, 2008 2:29 PM > > @gro <%40<%2540>> > ups.com > > RE: Re: Re: kids in school > > > > Chandelle, > > > > I would love to get in touch with you outside of the group via email > to > > discuss Waldorf challenges as a vegan. My five year old is at a > Waldorf > > school, which we love, but as a vegan I do have some struggles with > the > > felting, beeswax and other items and activities that are integrated > into > > the > > Waldorf lifestyle and curriculum. I am wondering how you deal with > some > > of > > the challenges. > > > > Please contact me if you are interested in discussing. > > > > gosstucker@roadrunn <gosstucker%40roadrunner.com<gosstucker%2540roadrunner.com>> > er.com > > > > Paige > > > > _____ > > > > @gro <%40<%2540> > > > ups.com > > [@gro <%40<%2540> > > > > ups.com] > > On > > Behalf Of chandelle' > > Saturday, March 29, 2008 7:03 AM > > @gro <%40<%2540>> > ups.com > > [Norton AntiSpam] Re: Re: kids in school > > > > yeah, we've converted my BIL and his wife, which is great because we > can > > do > > holiday dinners together and nobody gets grossed out or offended by > > what's > > being eaten. but other than that we really don't know too many > > veg*ns...there are a few families at my husband's/son's waldorf school > > that > > are veg but we don't know them well enough to " hang out " yet. and we > get > > a > > lot of pressure from family to at least feed meat and other crap to > our > > kids; we don't really trust them not to feed our kids a lot of sugar > and > > crap when we're not right on top of them preventing it, and they treat > > us > > like we're so cruel for it...it's hard to be veg in utah, for sure!! > > > > chandelle > > > > On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 1:54 PM, Kristen <Ladybug810 (AT) (DOT) > > <Ladybug810%40 <Ladybug810%2540>> com> wrote: > > > > > Holy cow.....so I'm not the only vegetarian in the state of Utah > > > after all! :-) Aside from a few immediate family members, I've met > > > exactly ONE vegetarian here in the last year. > > > > > > Kristen (Sandy) > > > > > > @gro <%40<%2540> > > > > ups.com > > <%40>, Katie > > > Norris <norris929 > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Hello to my fellow Utahn! Where in Utah do you live? My son will > > > be entering kindergarten this year, but we live in Sugarhouse > > > (pretty liberal) so I think he'll be okay with other kids and being > > > vegan. > > > > I would tell my child if they were in that situation to have a > > > witty comeback ready, " Wow, that's too bad that you won't be my > > > friend because I don't eat meat. I'm willing to be your friend even > > > though you kill animals. " > > > > Good Luck! > > > > Katie > > > > > > > > > > > > : earthmother213: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:42:32 > - > > > 0600Re: kids in school > > > > > > > > where do you live? we live in utah and practically everybody we > > > meethunts. it's hard to find like-minded parents here not only in > > > terms ofdietary habits but in terms of any number of alternative > > > choices...mychildren are only 3 and 1 but my son is in his father's > > > class in a waldorfschool; lots of the families in this school > > > are " alternative, " and some ofthem are vegetarian or vegan. > > > findingthatalternativecommunityhasbeenhugelyimportantasfar as > > > maintaining some stability in the midst of suchafirmly- > > > > entrenchedmainstream.idon'tknowhowwe'lldealwithitwhenourkidsreceiveun > > > pleasanttreatmentfortheirveganism...sadly,forus,they'll probably > > > receive that most of all from " well-meaning " " family. " :(chandelle > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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