I got the most ridiculously large jar of these little beads at ikea. It's crazy! But we're having fun with them & they must be good for hand-eye co-ordination.
My kids LOVE Perler beads. About twice a year I have to restock because they spend hours and hours playing with them and having me iron them. They are great for lots of things... we send them to grandparents in envelopes. I am sure they love that. ;)
As far as the mix of Montessori and Waldorf goes... I have found them to be quite compatible (in my head... lol). Montessori is so much more organized and 'sterile' like I said in my post. That is the one difference in the practice that I can tell from the outside. They are both ‘whole child’ curriculums. They both try to see the child as a whole person and start at the beginning getting the child to love to learn being the main goal. Waldorf seems to have a lot of rhythm. They even concentrate of the rhythm of the year as a main teaching venue (love that).
Montessori almost seems like a behaviorist approach. The environment is everything. I find that the way they set up their spaces to be relaxing, organized, a bit sterile, but always accessible. I have met teachers with cluttered classrooms in Montessori methods… but not often. And all the books make it look very clean and neat. Every picture is crisp and the baskets of natural material toys are all labeled with pictures for younger and words for older, etc… Very neat and easy to keep neat. Even the way that Montessori teachers teach the kids to keep their projects on those mats (brilliant!) helps keep the environment clean and neat. I do like sequence that Montessori has included… say a child wants to pour the juice. That morning, they would start with a small pitcher of lentils or other small bean, then they would move on to water when they don’t spill any of the lentils. Again… brilliant. If you have the discipline. I don’t usually so Waldorf has always been easier for me to apply.
Waldorf is a bit more messy. A bit more artsy, loose… a bit more hippie. ;) They have a lot of room for expression. The nature table idea (which we had for years and then I had another baby) is something that I think is amazing. I LOVED putting out different colored candles and silks and then watching what my kids would choose to put on the nature table each season. It was like they were drawn to it. Very natural for me to have things like that. (Did I mention I really think curriculum is about the personality of the teacher… it is like if we like it, we can sell anything. :) )
As far as similarities in environment, I see lots of baskets, lots of natural materials, lots of hands on, lots of setting up experiences and environments so that the children will find it very easy to go from one thing to another and learn along the way. Sequence, rhythm, balance. Both founders were amazing and brilliant. I am still comparing and learning, and I don’t even try to delve into spirituality or philosophy quite yet… I haven’t read enough side by side yet… but I am enjoying the study.
Feel free to email me at BlueRoseMama@hotmail . com I’d love to chat and get feedback. :)
oh, i want ikea now.
ReplyDeletei'd have to drive 10 hours at least to get some.
probably not worth it.
I think maybe I should get some for my son who could always use some fine motor arts practice.
ReplyDeleteOther stores have this too or similar stuff.
Oh yeah, I got those same ones at Ikea for my neices, isnt it great!?...and by the way the fruit platter looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteMy kids LOVE Perler beads. About twice a year I have to restock because they spend hours and hours playing with them and having me iron them. They are great for lots of things... we send them to grandparents in envelopes. I am sure they love that. ;)
ReplyDeleteAs far as the mix of Montessori and Waldorf goes... I have found them to be quite compatible (in my head... lol). Montessori is so much more organized and 'sterile' like I said in my post. That is the one difference in the practice that I can tell from the outside. They are both ‘whole child’ curriculums. They both try to see the child as a whole person and start at the beginning getting the child to love to learn being the main goal. Waldorf seems to have a lot of rhythm. They even concentrate of the rhythm of the year as a main teaching venue (love that).
Montessori almost seems like a behaviorist approach. The environment is everything. I find that the way they set up their spaces to be relaxing, organized, a bit sterile, but always accessible. I have met teachers with cluttered classrooms in Montessori methods… but not often. And all the books make it look very clean and neat. Every picture is crisp and the baskets of natural material toys are all labeled with pictures for younger and words for older, etc… Very neat and easy to keep neat. Even the way that Montessori teachers teach the kids to keep their projects on those mats (brilliant!) helps keep the environment clean and neat. I do like sequence that Montessori has included… say a child wants to pour the juice. That morning, they would start with a small pitcher of lentils or other small bean, then they would move on to water when they don’t spill any of the lentils. Again… brilliant. If you have the discipline. I don’t usually so Waldorf has always been easier for me to apply.
Waldorf is a bit more messy. A bit more artsy, loose… a bit more hippie. ;) They have a lot of room for expression. The nature table idea (which we had for years and then I had another baby) is something that I think is amazing. I LOVED putting out different colored candles and silks and then watching what my kids would choose to put on the nature table each season. It was like they were drawn to it. Very natural for me to have things like that. (Did I mention I really think curriculum is about the personality of the teacher… it is like if we like it, we can sell anything. :) )
As far as similarities in environment, I see lots of baskets, lots of natural materials, lots of hands on, lots of setting up experiences and environments so that the children will find it very easy to go from one thing to another and learn along the way. Sequence, rhythm, balance. Both founders were amazing and brilliant. I am still comparing and learning, and I don’t even try to delve into spirituality or philosophy quite yet… I haven’t read enough side by side yet… but I am enjoying the study.
Feel free to email me at BlueRoseMama@hotmail . com I’d love to chat and get feedback. :)