Indispensable preschool curriculum

books:

	• Mommy, Teach Me!: Preparing Your Preschool Child for a Lifetime of Learning Barbara Curtis B&H Publishing Group, 2007 - 182 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

A Book that Fills the Need!

I love how Maria Montessori really recognized the potential of a child in learning. She recognized the absorbent mind at the young ages, and illustrated how there are different sensitive periods of learning. It's easy to recognize how children need the tangible, sensory types of learning at a young age. She really did see the beautiful gifts of a young child, and tried to respect the child.

I am so excited that I found the missing link for me for incorporating Montessori approach in the home for the younger ages. I bought Mommy, Teach Me! and Mommy, Teach Me to Read! Both are slim volumes, packed with encouragement and information, but not intimidating or overwhelming. I would say she's a modern Elizabeth Hainstock, but makes the Montessori in the home even more parent friendly and less intimidating and scientific. The emphasis isn't about making one's own materials, like Hainstock, but more about making it all approachable and doable for mothers in the home.

Mrs. Curtis is a mother of twelve and homeschools her children and does understand the needs of a child and busy SAH moms. She had AMI training and taught Montessori in the classroom. She shares her knowledge and experience with other parents. She recognizes the role of God and our spiritual lives in education.

Mommy, Teach Me! explains your preschooler can thrive at home because "The Best Teacher is Forever"..."The Best Classroom Has No Walls"..."The Best Instruction Doesn't Stop at Noon"...and "The Best Foundation is Love."

This isn't a purist Montessori approach, but a gentle family friendly approach. Mrs. Curtis gently describes how to present to a child, but that presentations aren't just those 3 hour periods, but all day -life -- with the child. I totally recognize that when I teach my children, I'm also learning, probably five times more. I'm learning to be calm, deliberate, patient, gentle, leading but not forceful. I'm learning to be a better parent. Of course I'm a work in progress, but her books do give me encouragement! I'm also learning self-discipline by creating order and to help my sons thrive.

The presentations in this book cover the basic exercises like pouring, using tongs, sequencing, etc. They are recognizable as simple Montessori presentations, but in a friendly home environment, not segregated from family life. She has lots of applicable ideas in shopping trips, laundry, and other daily chores. The other chapters cover Manipulatives, Imaginative Play, Beginning Math, Science, Geography, Fine Arts, and Spiritual Life.

The previous negative reviewer must not have been familiar with any Montessori, because she would have recognized the practical life and simple exercises found in all Montessori classrooms. And ask any child if pouring rice or beans is different than water, and they would say yes! Each skill is built on...you wouldn't want to start with water with a small child who has never done any pouring.

And all these exercises are building up hand motions, eye-hand coordinations, left-to-right movements as building blocks in learning to read and write.

I highly recommend this book and her "Mommy, Teach me to Read!" books to help any parent realize that teaching isn't just a professional's job, and learning happens especially in the home and the family, not in classrooms.

for more information click here

Amazing!!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with young children. It not only discusses the 5 things we should be teaching our preschoolers, but it gives small beginning exercises that we can do with our kids. I went to the dollar store and got most everything I needed. I put together the first exercise and it kept my son busy and focused for hours. I don't think it's intended to keep them busy that long, but I was amazed.

As a teacher, I did not feel offended or defensive at all by the way the book was written. Most likely I will still send my children to preschool, but now I have some great ideas of things I can do at home to help prepare them for school. I'll be buying her other book also.

Buy this book!!!

for more information click here

Indispensable preschool curriculum

This book, paired with "Mommy, Teach Me to Read!" is going to become indispensable to me. I'd been overwhelmed at the thought of what to do with my 10-month-old daughter Katherine when she reaches preschool age - what activities will help her learn basic skills. "Mommy, Teach Me!" makes me feel completely equipped to be an excellent preschool teacher for Katherine.

The first part of the book goes through Barbara's history as a mom of 12, Montessori teacher, and homeschool teacher, and also explains a basic philosophy of teaching your children (God made you the perfect teacher for your kids, you can learn how to be a great teacher, your kids learn by observing you so slow down and do things carefully, etc.). The second part of the book has page after page of "work" for your young child to do (calling it "work" helps children understand that learning is an important undertaking, she says). Activities like sorting, pouring, and tweezing help children master fine motor skills and are also the building blocks for later academic pursuits like math and reading. Each activity is fully explained, and many include pictures of children doing them, submitted by readers of Barbara's blog. The instructions tell the supplies you need (mostly basic household items, so you don't have to go buy expensive manipulatives), how to teach your child the activity, what skills it teaches, and how to teach them to clean up afterward. I can't WAIT to start doing these with Katherine.

for more information click here

For Mothers with small children

I took my son out of pre-school because we were having problems at the school and I wanted to find ways to teach him at home. The thing is, most of the excersises in the book are for 2 year olds. Actually, I wouldn't buy this book if your child is more than 3. Not that it wouldn't help the mother of 4 year olds and give her ideas, but most of the excersises start with the very simple, for 2 year old, and move to the more difficult, for 4 year olds. As the mother of a 5 year old I can only use about one eight of the excersises with my son. Also this book does not cover any excersises for reading. The author covers all that in a companion book. Another thing, the author is very religious and very Christian. I am Christian myself, so I rather like that slant, but a non-Christian mother might find it difficult to deal with, so be forwarned. In the end I liked the message in the book and I think it would be great for a mother with a child of about 2 who wanted to start home schooling or even just wanted to find activities for her little one.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2

The preschool years are by far the most valuable for building character and instilling a love of learning. Mommy, Teach Me! author Barbara Curtis, a Montessori teacher and mother of twelve, will help you tune into your child's developmental needs and show you how to turn every day at home into a learning adventure your child will never forget.

This user-friendly guide is filled with hands-on exercises that will release your child's independence, sense of order, concentration, self-control, and other basic skills-the kind of early experiences that will give your child a lifetime educational advantage.

For any parent, grandparent, or teacher seeking a better understanding of children and wishing to make the most of the preschool years-including memorable introductions to math, science, geography, fine arts, and spiritual life-Mommy, Teach Me! is the place to begin.

"Mommy, Teach Me! gives parents the tools to help them bring out the best in their child and the best in themselves. This book will help you discover your God-given abilities so that you can help your child better discover hers or his."-Drs. William and Martha Sears

Barbara Curtis has published more than 700 articles and eight books about education and parenthood. She also writes the internationally popular Mommy Life blog, is an AMI certified Montessori teacher, and leads workshops for mothers from all walks of life on reading and other learning topics. Barbara and her husband, Tripp, have twelve children and live in Waterford, Virginia.

for more information click here

hot or not? What's your opinion? Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

In our home

preparing

What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know: Preparing Your Child for a ...
The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and ...
Before You Say "I Do"®
40 Weeks +: The Essential Pregnancy Organizer (The Essential ...
Real Life: Preparing for the 7 Most Challenging Days of Your Life

lifetime

Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips
What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know: Preparing Your Child for a ...
Pressure is a Privilege: Lessons I've Learned from Life and the ...
A Member of the Family: Cesar Millan's Guide to a Lifetime of ...
Be a Real Estate Millionaire: Secret Strategies To Lifetime Wealth ...

learning

Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, ...
Where the Wild Things Are
Fancy Nancy
What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming ...
Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers

search for books
mommy, teach, child, learning, lifetime, mommy, preparing, preschool, teach

Impressum / about us