Thanks for adding this addition to the creativity perspective! There are inevitably always other great examples that I fail to remember when writing my outline for these videos, 🤣 so I appreciate that you’re able to come in here and add them for everyone to read! ❤️🙏Thank you!

Yes! Problem solving boosts creativity. You are literally forcing your brain to think in new ways. Doesn’t get much more creative than that!

Yes. Although important to note there are reasons nursery schools allow understanding of red rods before inviting the child to play with numbered rods. There is a logical sequence to the materials and all materials are important to developing areas the mind, skipping a few will also skip a few important developmental “milestones” in terms of logical understanding and thinking in the child’s brain and that is one worry in implementing the practice on a home based level however there are great resources to help parents at home with little ones: like this vlog and others, Lovevery play style boxes, and your nearest experienced montessori teacher.

@@Sdween red rods?

@@brunettesweetie21 Yes, the red rods and number rods are in the Montessori sensorial curriculum. Niuhuis most commonly makes them. They are a wonderful early learning tool to understanding length and size, numbers and counting in equal measure. But it is good to be aware that missing out on one set of rods, and buying another (of a higher developmental level), without first creating a fountational understandimg of the more basic concepts of size first can be disadvantageous.

@@Sdween oh okay, I haven't purchased any specific montessori style learning activities like this for our home

It's a really unfortunate byproduct of Montessori exploding online, especially on platforms like Instagram and TikTok where everything is highly aesthetic and quick paced. The expensive items become the focus because...that's where the sponsorships lie. And that's all the audience picks up without researching further and then continues to perpetuate that. I've seen a good number of creators step up to combat this though and really try to bring the true Montessori method to light. Hopefully that change will trickle down soon 🤞🤞🤞

@@MariaandMontessori I truly hope so. I was watching a video on a channel I follow that focuses on learning through play and she went to ikea and showed Montessori inspired ideas from there that could be used at home. More than half the comments were about how uneducated she was because a few of the items she showed were plastic. One person even made fun of her because she didn't fully enunciate the T in Montessori in the video. It was vindictive and really could turn anybody off to Montessori if they thought that's how people acted that utilize the method. I had to chime in about how it was great that she showed all kinds of options so that parents can do what works for their budget. She isn't a Montessori channel but, even if she was, there's no excuse to call someone uneducated because they show plastic items or don't pronounce a word as crisply as they'd prefer. That's why I'm so thankful for those who are putting the information out there and are mindful that not everyone can afford the top of the line toys and tools. Like you, I hope that things trend back toward the true meaning of Montessori and less about the aesthetic or the " look how much better I am as a parent because I have all these things" mentality that is far too prevalent now.

The parents who are that casually cruel to strangers online will never raise happy children, that’s the most sickening part.

That’s really interesting! I wonder if there may have been a more specific reason for the guide’s decision. I’ll have to watch this documentary, I didn’t even know it existed! ☺️

@@HapaFamily if you do watch it, I would love to hear what you think about it!

This. When I was a new teacher at my placement, I was surprised to see this approach for the first time too, it took a couple weeks of witnessing to understand. Previously been a nanny, I was used to cuddling little ones. I was told not to have anyone on my lap in the morning when children arrive, I felt that a little cold as it was the children themselves who greeted me with a hug and wishes to sit on my lap (of course). Other teachers would remind children:” H. You have big legs for touching the floor when you sit on the chair properly” or “M. If you rest your back to the backrest, your legs should touch the floor nicely”, always with a bit of a smile and a hint. The children know the rules of the classroom and are excited to follow them most of the time. They take pride in independence and their skills. When it came to a child who was feeling lonely or sad, often in a reading corner, we were encouraged not to solve the problem with physical contact - but in the reading corner we had a guide for emotions for them to identify how they feel, it was also a soft, dimmed space for them to be able to take a break in. We were not teaching them that problems are solved by us. The guides. The teachers. We were teaching them that they can find solutions to their problems themselves. And that they always have support around, helping them find their way if they get lost.

@@Sdween Hm, I never thought of it like that, but it makes sense. However, is there any "mechanism", that would teach children, when NOT to rely on themselves? Like how to find the line, when trying on my own just doesn't do anything and I really need to seek help from a trusted adult.

@@SalomeHanka In the classroom activities, almost all Montessori apparatus have an in-built “control of error” which can be considered as a guiding mechanism, meaning that the activity really mostly has one way of how it is done. If you try do it in any other way, then it does not work or is not done according to learning objective. So very often, children listen to their intuition or gut feeling. For example - knobbed cylinders. The objective is taking out the knobbed cylinders and placing them back into their slots. If a child tries any other activity with them, like imaginary play, the “mechanism” then logically guides the attention back to placing cylinders back into empty slots - or the child can turn to an adult for assistance and ask what they can/should do. I hope I was able to explain with some logic here.

@@Sdween Thank you for your reply. I know about the control of error in the classroom, I was more curious about not-shelf activities. How can the child identify the point, when it should stop the activity and go to the guide. How to tell, that his abilities for this particular problem are not enough yet. I will try to make some examples, but i never saw a real Montessori classroom, so they may be a bit off...: 1, The child took out all the letters from the moveable alphabet. Put some back incorrectly and the rest doesn't fit, yet the child can't come to the idea, that those letters it put back (because these do fit) are at wrong places. The child is busy with the activity for a long time, no improvement though. 2, The child sweeps the floor, but the mess is for some reason sticky, doesn't get cleaned, just moved there and back. 3, Unknown to the child (and the guide), the activity it is working with, is broken, therefore undoable. 4, Lets say that a child comes from bad family background. Does it have a chance to share with the guide, if home-problem arises? 5, One child sees other child crying. What is it expected to do?

@@SalomeHanka These are great questions, thank you for putting them out. From where I see it, the Montessori method comprises of three key principles: the prepared environment, the role of the adult and the individuality of the child. Therefor depending on the child’s age, developmental level and experience with a certain activity, and the structure of that activity, they may be able to tell if they are having “success” with it. The adult/guide/teacher/carer in the environment is there to facilitate independent learning where possible. Following the child’s interests and developmental needs…

She addresses these things in this video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jqmpjLl-3MzTfmw.html

I had a similar problem a while ago and I found that it was the shoes themselves. So I took my little guy to the store to pick some shoes (gave him 3 options to try), and it worked really well. Turns out he was having trouble wedging his ankles into the back, and he chose shoes with velcro in the back.

many thanks. she actually can easily put on and take off her shoes- it’s not something that she struggles with. i was thinking perhaps she’s doing this to re-connect with me after she comes back from the daycare. not sure. yesterday she did take off her shoes and clothes on her own. ❤️

LBZ my 4-year-old does the same! She can put her clothes on, but she always asks for my help (this started 3 months ago). 🤔

I would definitely say that it is very likely that she is doing it as a way to connect with you 🥰

Same question for me! Montessori means grounded in reality, but how do you approach that when society frowns upon it as “destroying the magic” of the fantasy of the Easter Bunny/Santa/Tooth Fairy/etc.?

I’ve actually talked about this topic before, in a few of my older videos. ☺️ Here is one of them: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jqmpjLl-3MzTfmw.html

Sounds like your mom is from the generation of “touch me nots” (pointless objects everywhere that are breakable) I think it’s more of your mom’s responsibility to provide a space that’s safe for a two year old, however maybe implementing some of verbiage like “those are grandmas things and I can’t let you touch them” will both clue you your child that they don’t belong to them AND clue to your mom that her house is full of temptations for your child.

@@haleymglick yes that’s my thoughts too! And yeah it’s only my mother. My father even told her to put away all her breakables and she said no my children need to learn

Maybe instead of telling them to stop touching things, tell them to be gentle with those items and handle them slowly because they can break