Early preschool

[mathjak107]

We were blown away by the fact all our grandkids learned to use sign language to communicate before they were old enough to even speak ...all quality day cares teach the babies to do this .

It is amazing how much these little sponges can learn at young ages , even being babies ...far more then we ever gave them credit for or knew how to even teach them .

We have 6 grand kids all who went to different quality day cares and all by 3 or 4 were learning things we didn’t learn until public school and the little ones really enjoy this stuff as it is presented.

When I was that age I was still eating crayons and bugs and scribbling on paper ..by 3 or 4 today these kids are doing all kinds of cool stuff they learned

[mathjak107]

Originally Posted by Coney

Yes, they do, based on child development theories. The curricula are based on enhancing skills like gross motor, language skills, fine motor. There's a lot to it. Maria Montessori worked with 3 year olds.

We had two of the 6 grand kids in a Montessori day care and then the Montessori school ...what these kids learn at such young ages is amazing

But most of those Montessori facilities are incredibly expensive ..far more than average families can pay ...

Our two were in a westchester one and it ran about 50k a year for the two.

They tried using public school when they were old enough but they were bored stiff having done most of that public school work for years in the Montessori day care .

So they put them back in the Montessori school

[ChiGeekGuest]

Originally Posted by suzook

Part of his curriculum should be working with his hands. No one knows how to anymore.

Wholeheartedly agree, working with one's hands is becoming a 'lost art' so to speak, & that's much too great a loss, imho.

Also one of the reasons why I agree with mathjak107's discussion of Maria Montessori's philosophy as implemented in schools worldwide.

My son (grown now) attended a Montessori school in Levittown which, I believe, is still open & accepting students.

Maria Montessori was the first woman physician in Italy. She developed her philosophy & methodologies by working with children who were orphans, & were living on the street in many cases. The prevailing thought at the time regarding these children were that they were 'unteachable' or had developmental or learning disabilities. The children lived at the school, & so were no longer homeless. The fact that many or all of the children had no parents, & the society had all but given up on them, allowed her to develop & test the methods in real time without outside interference.

Maria Montessori's methodologies include involving as many of the senses as possible in learning activities. For a simple example, young children are encouraged to learn how to write by using their fingers to trace letters or words in sand.

Part of her methods include adapting learning tools, resources, et cetera to 'fit' the student. For a simple example, young children use pens, pencils, writing tools that fit their manual dexterity which is often age or size related.

One of the reasons why I appreciated the school was the focus on teaching/learning creative & critical thinking strategies from the earliest age & continued as the students grew. I feel this appeals because children are naturally curious, creative, & 'lawyerly' in that they advocate for getting what they want, & are persistent.

Maria Montessori geared her methodologies toward children in primary school up to high school, although the philosophy & methodologies can be, & have been, adapted to suit any audience based on curiosity & desire.

[Coney]

The Chicago University Laboratory Approach founded by John Dewey continued Dr. Montessori's work in the US with a similar philosophy. All of the children in his school learned gardening, woodworking and other hands-on skills. But this is all really, really off-topic.

M.M. was very much ahead of her time, living with a married man, having a child of her own out of wedlock, etc. She just didn't care what others thought. Any school can use the Montessori name but authentic Montessori schools are AMI or AMS accredited. There is a Montessori training program for teachers in Westchester. The lowest "group" in a Montessori school are 3-5 year olds. Authentic MM schools have mixed aged classes. There is some controversy about the curriculum concerning the stifling of children's imagination and creativity. Not everyone likes the original Montessori curriculum in early childhood. There are other early childhood curricula and approaches out there, Waldorf (Steiner), High Scope, Emilla Reggio (project-based learning), CC, etc. You just have to find a program that appeals to you and your philosophy. I suspect the OP is not a native English language speaker and when he mentions his child is "up on his curriculum," most likely referring to letter and number recognition, color recognition, counting skills, and so forth.

[mathjak107]

The two in the Montessori day care and then Montessori schools are at least a grade and maybe more a head of the other grand kids their age ..plus their knowledge of non class room stuff seems to be far wider and deeper ...