Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Timeless Treasure, January 2, 2000
The Montessori curriculum has been used around the world for many years and the simplicity and ingenuity of its creator Maria Montessori has been used by many eduators from all walks of life. Montessori at Home is a terrific book providing a complete guide for the beginning parent who wants to provide Montessori curriculum for their preschooler. The lessons and instructions are clear cut and complete. The author, Heidi Spietz, presents an organized series of lessons to help children prepare for either a homeschool or public school kindergarten. This flexibility is wonderful for the parent who really hasn't decided which way to go. The parent doesn't need to invest a fortune in learning materials. They can make the apparatus and present the lessons right in the comfort of their home. I have even recommended the book to parents whose children are having problems in the areas of beginning math and phonics. The spelling exercises and games illustrated in this book are especially useful for beginning phonics and reading. I have worked as a kindergarten teacher for tweleve years, use Montessori in the classroom, and have seen many students enter the doors really unprepared for the learning adventure that lies ahead. This book could help parents ensure that their children have the necessary life skills as well as beginning phonics and math skills to feel more at home during their entry into kindergarten. By using this book as a guide, the parents can spend the months before that first big day of kindergarten making sure that their child is ready to enjoy all school has to offer. I would imagine that the book would be a wonderful guide for the undecided homeschooling parent by helping to determine if the parent and child will work good together. The author has some really neat ideas, and I have used the ideas from this book to help children who need individualized attention in phonics and math.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Outstanding Book for Parents of Preschoolers, August 1, 2000
I purchased this book several years ago to be used teach my foster children. Many of these children have come from disadvantaged environments and needed the stimulation of some of the ideas offered in this book.The book was recommended to me by a friend who was a former teacher and had used it in the classroom. The book teaches social graces, practical life exercises to help with coordination and self confidence. The exercises are easy to prepare and understand. The book also includes many fun activities to get the children ready for reading, spelling, math, and so many other subjects they will be learning in school. Some of these children have suffered from ADD and other factors that obstructed learning. The lessons given in this book were used to help these children and to my amazement they calmly sat and worked in solitude very content in learning different skills. They felt so proud when they would accomplish their goals. The foster children that I have worked with desperately needed a head start and this book more than provided this for them. I have loaned this book to many of my friends and each has enthused about the contents. In my opinion, this book is one of the most practical, easy to understand books out there on the market for parents looking for a good start to educate their little ones.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Montessori at Home - An Excellent Headstart, December 15, 1998
By A Customer
My children are finally in a Montessori school, and this book was recommended to me by the teacher at the school. We were placed on a waiting list, and she said that the book would help me to understand how the method is used. She was right!Although I purchased this book more than seven years ago, the exercises and demonstrations are still current enough to be used today. In fact my sister who has a three year old recently purchased a copy.Montessori at Home begins with an overview of the Maria Montessori method of teaching and informs the reader on how to set up a Montessori environment in their home. The author Heidi Spietz then gives specific information for parents of three year olds and explains and demonstrates the Montessori three period lesson, practical life exercises, and sensorial exercises. She gives instructions on how to make the I Can Dress Myself activity and geometrical shapes exercises too.She also shows how parents can make the olfactory exercises, movable alphabet, sandpaper letters and sandpaper numbers for four and five year olds. Her instructions for presenting the sandpaper letters and sandpaper numbers exercises are very complete and easy to understand. She also gives step by step instructions on how to introduce phonics, spelling and beginning reading. My daughters really enjoyed the Matching Label Picture Exercise demonstrated in the book. This exercise was easy to make, like all of the others mentioned throughout the book. Also, if you are frugal, like we are, you'll be glad to know that most of the materials are very inexpensive to purchase. Some of the learning aids used throughout the book can be converted from items right in your household.For instance, the only items you need for the spindle box exercise are crayons (to be used as spindles) and a box. Her other math exercises are inexpensive and easy to make.Exercises for presenting a foreign language, geography or science were also easy to make, and fun for my two children.I would highly recommend this book to any person who is either considering home schooling or wanting to give their child a headstart using the Montessori method. All of the information presented in this book was very helpful to my children. They entered the first day at their Montessori school feeling relaxed. I think the exercises they practiced from this book provided them with a lot of confidence.
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