Below is a sample of what you will find in The Joyful Child. However, the Michael Olaf catalogues contain 160 pages of text and products so we highly recommend that you order your own paper copy and curl up with it in a peaceful moment instead of spending more time on the computer! To order your copy of The Joyful child see: www.michaelolaf.net/ordering.html
Return to: www.michaelolaf.com/1CWhome.html
(CHILD OF THE WORLD products, 3- 12+)
To see the Montessori philosophy and practice page of "Age 3-12+ Parenting
/ Teaching" go to:
http://www.michaelolaf.net/1CW312teach.html
(At left, helping a younger sibling learn to blow his nose, treating another as he has been treated.)
The NORMALIZED CHILD
Montessori realized that through focused concentration on certain kinds
of work the child's deviations fell away and a new child was revealed,
she called this normalization. This book, written by a teacher, clearly
illustrates, with pictures and text, the characteristics of a normalized
child and will be of value to anyone who wants to learn more about all
children. It has recently been republished by the the North American Montessori
Association. Softcover, 8.5" x 11," color, 28 pages.
GB236 $8.00
CHILDREN WHO ARE NOT YET PEACEFUL
Charting the progress of 12 children in a real Texas Montessori 6-12 classroom,
educator Donna Goertz shows how positive change can occur given the proper
environment. In each case she describes a child's transformation from
destructive troublemaker to responsible citizen of the classroom community.
Readers will learn how to apply Montessori methods to virtually any early
elementary environment. Here is an insightful quote from a parent who
is also an MD:
I feel this is a must read for every educator and/or any parent of a "challenging"
"special needs" child. Since my son's ADHD diagnosis I have
read lots of books on ADHD and education This is by far the BEST!
Softcover, 6" x 9," 240 pages.
GB380 $15.95
ADHD:A CASE STUDY
Eight-year-old Denise had been put on Ritalin for the third time, in a
third school. In desperation her parents sent her from Florida to California
to stay with the Stephensons for six weeks. Her reactions to foods and
environmental influences were carefully observed and recorded, and the
environment adjusted accordingly; this bright and sensitive girl improved
dramatically during her visit. This 7-page report to her school, at the
request of many parents and teachers, her family has generously agreed
to share.
GB855 $4.50
PARENTING ARTICLES
Aiding the Development of Self-Esteem in Children, from birth to age
12+ is an article by Susan Stephenson (Montessori parent, teacher,
and author of CHILD OF THE WORLD) on how movement and work during this
critical time aids the development of self-esteem and supports optimum
physical, emotional, and mental development.
Modern brain and learning research gives very important information on
how television and computers effect the child during the first six years
of life. The Technology Screen is a compilation of this information
by three well-known authors on the subject of children and Montessori:
John Long, Silvana Montanaro, MD, and Jane Healy, Ph.D.
Summer Ideas for All Ages, written by 0-3, 3-6, and 6-12 Montessori
teachers (Susan writing the 0-3 section), gives valuable suggestions for
using Montessori ideas in the home, not just in the summer! All of these
articles were published by The Association Montessori Internationale.
GB784 Technology Screen $1.75
GB785 Self-Esteem $1.75
GB781 Summer Ideas $1.75
GB782 Set/3 $5.00
RECORD KEEPING IN THE MONTESSORI CLASS
In my training at the AMI Maria Montessori Training Organization in London,
England in 1970 I was given a record system that has worked for many years.
Here is an overview of that method, along with suggestions on how exactly
I gathered the data in the 3-6 classroom, and how I adapted it for the
6-12 classroom. There are also suggestions for using it in the Infant
Community, and for keeping records in the elementary class. This record-keeping
packet of information is constantly being updated due to feedback from
teachers and you will receive the most recent copy.
GB288 $12.00
3-HOUR WORK PERIOD(Lecture Reprint)
OBSERVATION OF A 3-6 CLASS (Article Reprint)
The uninterrupted concentration of children as they work is the most important
element of the Montessori experience. This is a reprint of a lecture on
this crucial 3-hour work period, and how to "get there" in the
Montessori 3-6 class. It was delivered by Susan Stephenson at the 1996
New Zealand Montessori Conference.
Included are example concentration graphs taken from Dr. Montessori's
writings, a blank graph to be copied and used by teachers, and specific
suggestions for eliminating group lessons, fostering individual work,
and aiding the development of concentration and normalization in children.
Included is a reprint of the article "Observation of a 3-6 Montessori
Class," written in 1987 about the children's class at the Maria Montessori
Training Center (AMI) in London, England, where the 3-hour work period
is part of the daily schedule. 22 pages.
GB850 $10.00
REQUIRED CURRICULUM EXAMPLES
In a Montessori elementary class, the state or country public school requirements
for grades one through six are posted on the wall, a page for each year.
Each child works with the teacher to plan his schedule for meeting these
requirements, so that he can be free to use the major portion of school
time to follow his own research interests. These sample curricula give
an overview of what children at this age are expected to cover in a variety
of schools: (1) a California public school curriculum—in Montessori
language—for K-3, (2) a private school curriculum from a school in
Nepal, (3) a Waldorf-type homeschooling curriculum, (4) a sampling of
the public school requirements in Japan. 24 pages
GB54 $6.00
3-6 LESSONS, FOR THE HOME AND CLASSROOM
It is the cultural experience—art, music, sciences, history, and
geography—which provide the basis for the Montessori practical life,
sensorial, language, and math work.
Here are the basic cultural lessons for the Montessori 3-6 class, inspired
by the AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) training center in
London, England. Each lesson offers a key to one aspect of that area of
study, and opens a door to a new understanding. There need only be one
key to each door. NOTE: If the child does not get these lessons in the
3-6 class, they can be used to initiate these studies at the ages 6-12.
GB70 Physics Curriculum $5.00
GB71 Biology Curriculum $5.00
GB72 Geography/History Curr. $5.00
GB73 Music Curriculum $5.00
GB74 Art Curriculum $5.00
GB75 Complete Set $24.00
Other Products include:
RECOMMENDATIONS BY PARENTS AND TEACHERS FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS
BOOKS FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS OF CHILDREN FROM THE AGE OF 0-3, 3-6, 6-12
ACADEMIC OUTLINES
And books appropriate for this age and subject
EARNING MONEY, HANDLING MONEY & MANAGING TIME (a record
of time use)
Often children are given, or earn, money which is to be spent for nonessentials
rather than for food, basic clothing, gifts, and so on. This does not
prepare them for independence or responsibility. Here is a reprint of
an article that presents a budget system for a 7-year-old which involves
him in meeting the family's basic needs, in planning ahead, giving service
to others, and in learning the value of money.
The 8.5" x 11" chart "Managing Time" is used to make
children (and adults) aware of just how they use their time - the first
step in learning the important skill of Time Management. It is fun for
the whole family to track the time of each member for a few days, and
for the child in the classroom who just doesn't seem to be getting anything
done. Each activity during a 24-hour period is recorded. At the end of
the day time is added up and color coded to have a look at just how much
time is spent in helping others, studying, watching TV, leisure, and even
sleeping and eating. It helps us learn why some people seem to accomplish
a lot and others not so much, why some are rested and others wiped out.
An eye-opener.
ER085 $2.50
Products from:
"THE JOYFUL CHILD" Michael Olaf's Essential Montessori for Birth to Three,
ISBN: 1-879264-09-9
Return to: www.michaelolaf.com/1CWhome.html
(CHILD OF THE WORLD products, 3- 12+)
If you would like to order a paper copy
of Child of the World to read at your leisure, and to share with
relatives, friends and colleagues, please see: www.michaelolaf.net/ordering.html
Michael Olaf home pages:
www.michaelolaf.net (free
information on Montessori philosophy and practice)
www.michaelolaf.com (products)
© Copyright Michael Olaf, 2004