Children Learn Best in their Freeplay: MUSIC IS EVERYTHING and EVERYTHING IS MUSIC
Children Learn Best in their Freeplay: MUSIC IS EVERYTHING and EVERYTHING IS MUSIC: The whole universe is MUSICAL in nature Rumi's messege is enough for us to know the Universe . ...
MUSIC IS EVERYTHING and EVERYTHING IS MUSIC
The whole universe is MUSICAL in nature
Rumi's messege is enough for us to know the Universe .
EVERY THING IS MUSIC FOR A CHILD
It was started as our usual SAND PLAY time, when all my students started playing with the sand toys. Whenever I see them in the sand, I witness amazing things happening around, they all dive into a diffrent world of Imagination and Creativity.
And while playing , one of my student shouted, "Miss Erum, please come here ,you know, I can make different Sounds out of that broken Rake ,look its amazing ,hey listen come here you all". That was a Ah - ha moment for that child but I was equally sharing her feelings .Children are creative beings ,nothing is impossible for them , she discovered something which cannot be taught.
Oh no, many children gathered to witness her RAKE SOUND SYSTEM, a group announced loudly, "look at us, we are actually making the music with our rakes,taa taa tata ".
Another group of my LITTLE MUSICIANS were busy in their unique discovery; one of them was showing how his sand toy touched the stone and made the rocky music . I was speechless!
While some were discovering the Music in nature ,some were busy concentrating on their own ideas .
look at his calmness and concentration ,nobody was telling him to do so, its in a child's nature to involve deeply when he plays because for him PLAY IS A WORK.
She was happy with her own play.
Heres came my another Creative artist who was just transfering sand to his bucket. And in doing so he sudenly pour down the sand ,Bucket upside down and ........
He started drumming the bucket with the spade, witnessing him, the other child moved towards him with some broken toy piece and started making another tip tap sound and then they continued discovering the Rythm , the balance of two instruments, the contrasting effects.
He loves to discover his own Imaginations .
While everyone was busy making sounds and creating music, she was asking me if i needed some SOUP .....
Here they were trying to make different angles and positions of the Bucket and see the different sounds made by the spade on different corners.
After sensing the musical environemnt, she just left her play and start making her own sound system.
And when all the surrounding was nothing but musical he decided to beat more rythmic and fast beats.
After the drumming session, its natural that he would dance.
Its natural for some kids to be different and then transform the WHOLE environment .Its discovery, its creativity, its imagination , its the FREE-PLAY of a child.
CardBoard is a stuff which can stimulate children's creativity to it's Highest
GREAT WALL OF CHINA MADE BY CARDBOARD
A Montessori is not a typical classroom where kids get the facts and figures ,but its a real life journey to discover things and that is how we humans learn.
Geography is a beautiful subject and we as Montessorians start the lessons from the Sand Paper Globe and goes as far as discovering each Continent and then many countries with all it's culture and traditions . So this November we choose Asia as our main discovery continent .
As we have started our project of the month that is ASIA, we picked CHINA as a main country to discover . There are lots of things to do, to learn, to investigate , but as I always follows my student's interest more when it comes to pick one thing from a list of dozen , I discovered that they were in love with the GREAT WALL OF CHINA.
So we talked about it ; how it was built ,who ordered the wall, how much time it took to build it , how many people worked for it and many more things.
For children every news is fascinating, every thing they explore is a discovery.
As we were discussing the history of China , one of child asked me," Miss Erum, why did the King order to build the wall to his people, I think this is bad to Order". I was just amazed at his thinking that children are naturally tuned towards goodness and Justice.
Then I announced ,"so what do you think , can we make our own great wall of China ?". They all shouted simultaneously,"with the cardboard". And I felt great that now my students are in love with the cardboards.
A Montessori is not a typical classroom where kids get the facts and figures ,but its a real life journey to discover things and that is how we humans learn.
Geography is a beautiful subject and we as Montessorians start the lessons from the Sand Paper Globe and goes as far as discovering each Continent and then many countries with all it's culture and traditions . So this November we choose Asia as our main discovery continent .
As we have started our project of the month that is ASIA, we picked CHINA as a main country to discover . There are lots of things to do, to learn, to investigate , but as I always follows my student's interest more when it comes to pick one thing from a list of dozen , I discovered that they were in love with the GREAT WALL OF CHINA.
So we talked about it ; how it was built ,who ordered the wall, how much time it took to build it , how many people worked for it and many more things.
For children every news is fascinating, every thing they explore is a discovery.
As we were discussing the history of China , one of child asked me," Miss Erum, why did the King order to build the wall to his people, I think this is bad to Order". I was just amazed at his thinking that children are naturally tuned towards goodness and Justice.
Then I announced ,"so what do you think , can we make our own great wall of China ?". They all shouted simultaneously,"with the cardboard". And I felt great that now my students are in love with the cardboards.
We selected this box to start with. And then all my students started bombarded me with questions on how we would be making this wall, how many cardboards we needed, how to cut them.
So the work was started then ,we distributed the work perfectly , one group was working with me as I started cutting the cardboard box, holding it from sides, making room to turn, opening the sides , etc.
Children are infact so systematic, that they can't let you jump to any other part of the work unless the first one is done. I was thinking of taking out all the boxes and work simultneously on them, but they all shouted,"Miss Erum, lets finish this one please".
So we started cutting the first one , its me who was supervising them, but I think children are far better in a position of judging their environment , especially when it comes to safety issues. What we can do is just "be there".
Throughout my Teaching career ,I witness that children are the best managers specially in the absence of any adult (miraculous). They have all the abilities to direct , calculate, make most authentic division of labour , and work accordingly. So now in most cases I am a passive OBSERVER.
We opened the cardboard box , cut it as required ,matched it with the length of other pieces. After the final cutting, I was thinking of how to design the wall, how to paint it and how to actually make it stand on the floor? But to my surprise children were thinking on some Different lines, their natural curiosity towards the particles of each thing took them towards the LEFTOVER pieces which I was thinking to clear up with our Child sized brooms.
And suddenly I discovered that the whole group of my class from age 3-6 years all were exploding into Writing their LOVELY MESSEGES to their parents, teachers and friends. Isn't amazing that they just follow their INTUITION ,and that is always brilliant.
It was a wonderful scene , I just stopped every thing and like a PASSIVE observer was recording their movement, their communication, their conversations, their sharings, their creativity and everything they did on that day.WOW!
Even the tiniest of my children were exploded into writing and they just wrote everything from a letter to a special- sign messege in their special language .
The next day they all were curious to paint the Great wall of China, so I handed over the Aprons to them.
So they all were getting ready ,for the much excited activity of the day ; Painting the Great wall.
And its only children who knows the real meaning of HELP ,they will help out anyone anyway when they feel it that somebody need it genuinely. In a Montessori environment children from the very begining of their first few years start "Helping each other" as it is already present in their souls when given the right kind of environment to flourish.
So everyone in my class helped each other in wearing the Apron.
You can see the happiness and satisfaction in their eyes, they know the worth of friends .
And then we started the first layer of painting, some kids love to take brushes, some prefer sponges, some just want to explore it by hand .
So the final look was given the next day with the second layer of terra cota paint and it looked amazing.
Throughout our month long China project,my children were asking me many questions about China, why they created Dragons, why they wanted the Great wall of China to build ,why they were the inventers of all the basic stuff, how the Great wall helped them, Who climbed the Himalaya ?and so on. I think its not imporatnt for us as teachers and parents to just read out the FACTS and FIGURES of history and Geography to our children, the main thing is to involve them in such a manner that they will become curious to know more throughout their life. That is the real learning!
Maths as Discovered by my children using all the SENSORIAL material
MATHS IS ABSTRACT BUT IT SHOULD START AS A SENSORIAL LESSON IN THE EARLY YEARS
In our class, when a child of two and a half comes, he already posses the MATHEMATICAL MIND.
"The Mathematical Mind’ refers to the unique tendencies of the human mind", Maria Montessori . She was familiar with Blaise Pascal, a French philosopher, physicist, and mathematician, who theorized that “man’s mind was mathematical by nature and that knowledge and progress came from accurate observation” (The Absorbent Mind, 17, pg. 169).
So a little child starts exploring things in his environment ,getting the idea of shape, size, length, height, colour, sorting, and dimensions .
And it goes on ;the process of unconscious discovery of mathematics in a child's mind.
Now the concept of TENS is being learned using the same GOLDEN BEADS and then making the exact numbers for them.
The transfer of concrete into paper makes lots of sense for a child who was gone through the material using his/her hands.
This is another Hands on material called "Addition Strip Board" which stimulates the child's mind to make his own Addition Table using this simple but brilliant Montessori material.(my children love this material and learn all the basic Addition tables not by memorizing but by doing it by themselves).
These kids are doing the Addition Table of 3 by discovering on their own .
This child is adding using the STAMP GAME. Typically it is used by children (ages 4-7) for both static and dynamic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. After being introduced to the process of the decimal system using the golden bead materials, the Stamp Game provides opportunities for individual practice in the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In a step towards abstraction, the quantity and symbols of the decimal system are combined and represented by each stamp.
In our class, when a child of two and a half comes, he already posses the MATHEMATICAL MIND.
"The Mathematical Mind’ refers to the unique tendencies of the human mind", Maria Montessori . She was familiar with Blaise Pascal, a French philosopher, physicist, and mathematician, who theorized that “man’s mind was mathematical by nature and that knowledge and progress came from accurate observation” (The Absorbent Mind, 17, pg. 169).
So a little child starts exploring things in his environment ,getting the idea of shape, size, length, height, colour, sorting, and dimensions .
working with the BROWN STAIRS, AND GETTING THE MENTAL PICTURE of decreasing width and size.
working with PINK TOWER gives him the exactness of height and decreasing size ,preparing the mind for future maths.
achild can explore many things in a MONTESSORI CLASSROOM , where balance and freedom emerges in a unique form.Here she is getting the basics of geometry all SENSORIALLY.
Counting actually never starts but only after a child discovers himself the PORPOSE of it in his real life.
And the developement of Mathematical mind is going on. Be it a sese of order, design , sequence ,a child is always an intellegent builder .
Making a puzzle, a pattern , or anything related to sense of order always lead to a Mathematical mind.
Only after such a sequence of INDIRECT preparation of maths, we start this simple RED RODS, developed by MARIA MONTESSORI to introduce the concept of counting formally to a child.
And here the Numerals are formally introduced, only when the concept of counting is mastered. When a child is given an opportunity to Touch the Written SIGNS ,his hands not only remembers the PRINTS in his mind but it is incarved there for ever.
In a Montessori class, a child is given SAND PAPER LETTERS AND NUMBERS so that he can touch it with his fingers and then make Impressions on a Sand Tray, and only then he uses EXTENTIONS like pencils, markers, chalks to write on paper, blackboard or white boards.
At this point , children can easily relate the relationship between COUNTING and
NUMERALS.
After a strong connection is being built between number and numerals, a child is taken a step ahead of arranging the numbers in a specific order ,making his mind to get the concept of ODD AND EVEN NUMBERS.
And here the concept of ODD and EVEN numbers are easily understood .
The concept of CONCRETE is being transfered to a paper ,and now he can easily understands that everything in his environment can be tranfered to a paper( First lesson of Abstraction).
The next stage is without any CONCRETE stuff, mind is working all in an Abstract term.
Now the concrete material is getting more sophisticated
to form a foundation for ADDITION AND SUBTRATION later on.
BUSY counting.
The best material of Montessori Maths is GOLDEN BEADS, here the child is given the concept of UNIT, TEN, HUNDRED and THOUSAND, all in one beautiful presentation unlike other traditional systems where it takes a long long time to get into THOUSANDS.
Here the child is busy learning the cocept of TEENS with the help of GOLDEN BEADS and then relating it to it's coresponding numerals.Amazing Montessori materilas!
Now the concept of TENS is being learned using the same GOLDEN BEADS and then making the exact numbers for them.
Here the children finished their HUNDRED BOARD , all by themselves and in their first attempt, its all because the base was very strong uptill here .So the transfer of concrete to abstract is a simple , easy and smoth process in a Montessori class .
The LONG lesson of GOLDEN BEAD TO show unit, ten, hundred and thousand till 1-9. ,10-19,,100-900, and 1000-9000 . Children not only get the concepts but love the lesson to do it again and again untill they attain mastery.
This group of boys really enjoyed this long lesson called FORTY FIVE LAYOUT WITH GOLDEN BEADS
Here the Golden Beads lesson is shown with its NUMERALS ,CALLED large number cards, It gives the BEAUTIFUL concept of Decimal System to a Five years old .
The Montessori Maths doesnot ends here , it goes on with many more amazing Concrete materials .The process is simple, easy to difficult, concrete to abstract ,and the child 's mind is ready for all the Operations of Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division.
Montessori not only developes Mathematical mind , it creates the most reasoning ,logical ,accurate, and orderly MIND which is the base of all Creativity related to science.
Here the Golden Beads lesson is shown with its NUMERALS ,CALLED large number cards, It gives the BEAUTIFUL concept of Decimal System to a Five years old .
In a Montessori class, children not only learn Maths concept in a 3-D world but they get the satisfaction of handling and transporting the materials .(In these early years ,children loves to carry things around , a natural instinct which develops their fine-motor and gross-motor skills )
Montessori Directress always create a her own Maths materials to add more flavor, here this child is learning Addition using the colored Marbles.
This is another Hands on material called "Addition Strip Board" which stimulates the child's mind to make his own Addition Table using this simple but brilliant Montessori material.(my children love this material and learn all the basic Addition tables not by memorizing but by doing it by themselves).
These kids are doing the Addition Table of 3 by discovering on their own .
This child is adding using the STAMP GAME. Typically it is used by children (ages 4-7) for both static and dynamic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. After being introduced to the process of the decimal system using the golden bead materials, the Stamp Game provides opportunities for individual practice in the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In a step towards abstraction, the quantity and symbols of the decimal system are combined and represented by each stamp.
Doing the 100 and then 100 Bead Chain lesson using the Golden Bead chain and Arrows to count the perfect 1-100 counting and then counting by 100 leading it to the 1000. Montessori Maths lessons are just an amazing way of discovering Mathematics using 3-D materials.
The Montessori Maths does not ends here , it goes on with many more amazing Concrete materials .The process is simple, easy to difficult, concrete to abstract ,and the child 's mind is ready for all the Operations of Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division.
Montessori not only develops Mathematical mind , it creates the most reasoning ,logical ,accurate, and orderly MIND which is the base of all Creativity related to science.
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