Did/does your child go to Montessori?

[ghosty]

I had a look around a Montessori preschool today which seemed absolutely lovely. DD is only 15 months and I would only be thinking of sending her when she is 3 for 3 mornings a week until she is 4 ... then move to 5 mornings a week until she is 5 when she will start school.
I went because the owner of the school is a friend and I thought I would check it out.
It was a little haven of calm but busy little people ... lovely atmosphere, great resources etc etc etc.
So, what do you think of montessori? Would love to know any thoughts and opinions (good OR bad) ...
TIA
G xx

ds puts his coat on in that funny way, & his nursery isn't montessori!

hoxtonchick, you'll have to get ds to show me how he puts on his coat, as I'm quite intrigued by it

my dd's Montessori nursery is fab, Ghosty. (my dd started at 15 months too) It is such a calm happy environment and has taught dd so much.

it's his own personal special trick maomao! i'm sure he'll be more than happy to teach your dd.... are you still on for wednesday? xx

Thanks everyone! I am now pretty convinced that that is the way we want to go with DD ... but not until she is 3 ... which is when she would be going to public kindy anyway ...

OliviasNanny ... Montessori is a philosophy really ... I don't know the ins and outs of it but it is all based on child centred learning in a prepared environment. All their activities are geared to children learning in the way they would naturally explore anyway.
Hopefully someone with more knowledge would be able to explain a bit more ...

I think Montessori is fine for Nursery (DD went to v snobby one in Sarf Landan) but not for primary. I've seen bright, but lazy, kids who are not pushed who really struggle when they go into mainstream education at age 8 +. They "learn at their own pace" so if they want to mess about and not learn anything, that seems to be fine by Montessori.

My dd1 went to a Montessori and I thought it was fantastic!!! Why don't mainstream schools use their philosophy!!!!!

How much more are the fees than regular private day nurseries?

I pay £30 per day for my dd to attend - that doesn't include any meals or milk though.

Re. fees ... My DS went to a normal nursery/daycare place from 4 months till we moved to NZ and that cost 31 pounds a day (including meals) from 8am to 6pm ... 49 weeks a year.
I know it isn't really right to compare NZ prices with UK prices but the Montessori I am looking at is $40 for a 8.45am to 3.15 full day (bring packed lunches) ... that is about 13 pounds. OR $22 for a 8.45 to 11.45 session. You have to commit to either 3 sessions or 2 full days a week. It wouldn't suit the full time working mum as it is only open during school terms (40 weeks a year) ....
Everyone is entitled to Public Kindy from aged 3 (but waiting lists are so long you are looking at nearer 4 for your child to start) and that costs $3 per session (1 pound) ... it is not called a 'fee' because Kindies are 'charities' so it is called a 'donation' but you HAVE to pay it ....
Anyway ... it is beside the by ... the main thing is that you all think Montessori is FAB!

PS ... on the home page it says "Montessori .. what do you think of his methods?"
Has anyone noticed this?
Do you think someone should let Mumsnet know that Montessori was a she ... Dr. Maria Montessori ???

Message withdrawn

Sorry to hear about that RnB ...
Do you think it was the individual place OR the whole Montessori philosophy that doesn't cater for SN children?

i think the whole montessori environment while certinaly exceptional in many areas on the whole does not cater for children with special needs. as a nursery teacher i would have to say that i stronly believe that as it is in the uk our children start formal education too early at the moment and that while mnay children do enjoy penicl control and the praise they recieve when they learn the alphabet etc at this age, i think they need more learning through play before any formal teaching starts. In areas within Norway for example formal learning does not begin util children are 7 and until that time they are learning and expereincing life through play. when they do begin to read and write by the time they have reached 10 they are further devleoped than 13 years old readers in the UK. Anyway what i really mean to say is that as a mother of a child with sn (severe learning disability- she is 12 now) i feel that Maria Montessoris mehtod is generally not for these wonderful children. Originally it was established for street children in Italy in ordre for them to get of the streets for some time of the day and learn. One final point and i apologise for being too long!! I think that the cost of the schools is far beyond reasonable and the majority of the schools i am aware of in this area are used by better of families. Compared to nursery which i know is so over subscribed that we can only take in, in my case 74 children for for 3 classes sep-june at a cost of 10 a week including dinners/snack.

anyway my apologies for boring u all!

please excuse my awful spelling when i type i never look to see what i spelt right or wrong!!

I think the SN provision probably varies from Montessori to Montessori, and I guess will depend upon how the school is run.

My children did not do any formal learning in their nursery so my experience is very different to Thomscats.

They did take SN children and there was an AS boy in my daughters class. He was given such good care and his mother is extremely grateful about the way he was treated. I think that he truely blossomed in his time there and I know that what he learned there has helped him to settle into mainstream school. What was also wonderful to see was the way that this child was accepted by the other children and parents - not one person left him off the birthday party list and he came to every one of them He was a frequent visitor to other childrens' houses for tea and equally they were invited back to him. Yes it was demanding and challenging when he came to visit - but it was definately worth getting to know this child rather than just his disability!

I know that the parents received a heck of a lot of personal support from the nursery owners as well!

OliviasNanny I have experience of 4 preschool/nursery/playgroups for my children (we keep moving house). I would say that most of what people are describing is similar across all of the preschool type environments I have been in. I understand that in Montessori, though, the child gets their own "space" in which to play with an item. They put that item away before getting another item back out. The thing is... don't children ever interfere with each other? What happens when a Montessori child goes to big school where non-Montessori kids are? And how does Montessori handle limited resources like if there are only 5 trikes for 25 children that all want to ride trikes at once??

DD's nursery solves this problem with timers and putting the names of children (who want to ride the trikes next) on a blackboard. DD's nursery also has a big emphasis on sharing and taking turns. I think that's brilliant for DD. I used to think she'd thrive in a Montessori environment, but now I think she's MUCH better off not there, because DD finds it too easy to play on her own, in her own space. She is better off being forced to share her toys, share her activity, just like she'll have to do at big school...

As an aside, and am I the only one who feels this way (?) -- personally I don't care if my children know their letters before they start school, whenever I hear parents saying how great that is, that a playgroup is focussed on teaching letters, I want to run a mile....

Our montessori isn't geared for L's SN's, but they neither was anyone else round here. The attitude of the teachers at the montessori was wonderful compared to the 'ohhh a Down's we haven't had one of those, we had a deaf once but never had a down's' and other schools talking to me about whether L would be better in a special school! The attitude of montessori teachers in my case was great and they have really made the effort and learnt signs and are great with L, and now L is statemented she'll have a SN teacher anyway.

I attended a Montessori school from 3 -12 yrs old so in answer to the question "don't children ever interfere with each other?" Yes, sure they do, you have only one material of each kind so I remember running to be the first in the classroom to be able to get the one I liked, and I remember other children hidding it in order to have it first. Considering that the material was used to teach children maths I think it was a great success. I also loved to choose a material and be able to take it out and work with it in the garden (though I'm sure many schools don't allow that, I just loved it). In a way you learn to take turns, there are the great favourites but everbody understand that you have your chance and then you have to return it to the shelves as soon as you complete it.

Children in Montessori classroom look as if they were working on their own and left to their own devices but the teacher is always paying attention to what they are doing and how they are doing it, my mother describes it as controlled freedom. A teacher won't interrupt you while working but you ask the teacher to check your work once you have finished. As for doing the same thing over and over again... Montessori materials are like toys,you love one to pieces one day, next day you are bored and choose a new one, and you go on like that. Of course, children have preferences and some will spend more time "working" in a subject but soon you will be introduced to another set of materials in other subject so you get a good time using them all. Another nice thing of the Montessori schools I have known is that if a child is good in something they allow him to continue ahead rather than making him wait for the rest of the class. So you can have 10 yrs olds having a go at algebra or children who have simply completed the school's curriculum (that at least in my school, was significantly wider than the proposed by the national education system).

I really enjoyed being in a Montessori school, and if there was one in town, a well managed one, I wouldn't hesitate to send DS to one. HTH Ghosty

But some children really, really want to learn letters and do number work. To them, it's the best sort of play. My ds is like that. He is absolutely passionate about numbers and 'plays' with them all the time, counting, doing adding up and taking away, asking what numbers are in French. He is also completely besotted with the idea of foreign languages. A place like Lottie's where the teachers speak French most of the time would be heaven to him. Yes, he also likes to run about a bit, but that's not really what drives him. Kids, like adults, are all different and learning letters and to read can be just as much 'play' as any other activity. Reading was always my favourite form of play. I don't believe in pushing children, but there is nothing wrong, IMO, in letting them follow their interests.

My children go to a Montessori nursery/pre-school and they love it. It is a shame we don;t actualy have a Montessori that goes after the age of 4/5 in our area as I would definitely keep them there.

Yes they also use the same method of putting on their coats and although they have to put their toys away at nursery, this hasn't extened to the home environment (unfortunately). They also are very independent - perhaps too much so and my house resonates with the cry of "I do it on my own" which i what they are encouraged to do there.

My DS was 4 in January and can read fluently, know his numbers up to 1,000 and is interested in other cultures and languages - he is always asking what things are in French or German etc. Sometimes I can oblige, but the request for numbers in Japanese tonight was one step too far for me. I had to look up a rhombus on the internet the other night (a diamond shape to us mere mortals) as these sorts of things have left the ageing memory. He has lectured us in the life cycle of frog spawn and knows how the lungs and heart work.

All this is great but I am convinced he will be bored (and therefore destructive) when he goes to the village school in September.

The down side is I think they push children a little too far with certain things. They tried to toilet train by DS when she obviously was not ready and I had to ask them to stop as it was upsetting her and we had far too much washing. I know from experience kids will do that sort of thing when they are ready, and indeed a couple of months later she has sussed it completely.

All in all however we are very happy Montessori parents and would recommend the method to anyone, although my children also go to a local playgroup so perhaps the combination of the two is what has worked for us.

Hapy decision making!

I'm really keen to sign up dd for a Montessori nursery (baby 4 so have tried all sorts) but have only found Montessori style in my area. If anyone knows of any around Ashford, Kent I'd love to know.
Thanks

Well, I am getting loads of good vibes here ... thanks
I agree with Aloha in that pushing children is wrong but letting them follow their interests is great ... my DS is quite similar to yours aloha ... and that is why kindy, where no writing or formal learning was allowed, bored the pants off him ...
What I particularly liked about the Montessori I went to see is the Head ... she is Irish and very friendly and sweet. She took the time to explain many of the activities to me and how they work. She told me that yes, many children seem to be working/playing on their own but they are all doing stuff along side with others watching and helping ... I watched a little group of kids do a floor puzzle together ... helping eachother (in DS' kindy there would have been a full on fight if someone tried to touch a puzzle piece)
I have also been to the Head's house (her DD is in DS's class at school and they live down the road ... so, although she is a head of a montessori pre school (with all the proper 'gear') she also has all the normal 'kids' stuff at home - barbie toys, batman dressups, etc etc etc ... she also offers me a glass of wine every time I go there ... so I like her even more

Re. someone's question about how children settle into 'ordinary' school after montessori ... apparently it isn't a problem at all ...

Ghosty - have you looked at Playcentre? They vary massively as they are parent co-ops. We went to one awful one, and now we are in an excellent one (apart from the balloon incident -which they have finally stopped apologising for).

They have 16 areas of play, are child centred, and while the children get to choose their interests they would not be allowed to hang on the monkey bars for 3 hours. The one we go to has a special interest in keeping children right through to school and has a lot of extension work for 4-6 year olds to avoid a mass defection to kindy.

It's also cheap, $20 gets me a whole term once a week, though I seem to have to do quite a lot of cleaning!