In her analysis of Montessori education, University of Virginia Professor, Angeline S. Lillard, Ph.D. notes eight fundamental ideas central to Montessori education that in her words, help provide students with superior educational outcomes:

1. Movement and cognition are closely intertwined; physical movement can enhance thinking and learning.
2. Choice and perceived-control promote children’s concentration and contentment in the learning process.
3. Personal interest enhances learning in a context where interests build on prior knowledge and the children’s own questions.
4. Extrinsic rewards negatively impact long-term motivation and learning.
5. Collaborative (child–child) arrangements are conducive to learning.
6. Learning situated in and connected to meaningful contexts is more effective than learning in abstracted contexts.
7. Sensitive and responsive (nurturing) teaching is associated with more optimal outcomes. (Multi-age classrooms where children stay with the same teacher and many of the same peers promote continuity and close relationships.)
8. Order in the environment promotes and establishes mental order and is beneficial to the child.

More information about Montessori education:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQl-7Lmm4hE (Superwoman was already here)

www.montessori-science.org

www.amshq.org

 

If you are interested in learning more about Montessori education, you may wish to check out one or more of the following books:

• Montessori’s Own Handbook by Dr. Maria Montessori
• The Child in the Family by Dr. Maria Montessori
• The Absorbent Mind by Dr. Maria Montessori
• The Science Behind the Genius by Angeline Stoll Lillard
• Montessori: A Modern Approach by Paula Polk Lillard
• Montessori Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Education from Birth to Adulthood by Paula Polk Lillard
• Montessori and Your Child: A Primer for Parents by Terry Malloy
• At Home with Montessori by Patricia Oriti
• Education and Peace by Dr. Maria Montessori
• From Childhood to Adolescence: Including Erkinder and the Function of the University by Dr. Maria Montessori
• The Secret of Childhood by Dr. Maria Montessori
• To Educate the Human Potential by Dr. Maria Montessori
• Montessori Play and Learn: A Parent’s Guide to Purposeful Play from Two to Six by Lesley Britton
• Montessori Madness! A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education by Tevor Eissler
• Understanding Montessori: A Guide for Parents by Maren and Dana Schmidt

You may also wish to peruse the following websites that contain a wealth of information about Montessori education:

• https://amshq.org/Family-Resources
• montessorimadness.com
• montessoriforeveryone.com
• montessori.org
• montessori-science.org
• www.amshq.org
• www.mariamontessori.com

We have found the following books on brain research and learning to be excellent resources for parents and educators alike:

•  Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science by Tracy Cutchlow
•  Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak, PhD
•  What’s Going On in There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life by Lise Eliot PhD
•  Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Difference Grow into Troublesome Gaps – and What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy, PhD
•  Your Child’s Growing Mind – A Practical Guide to Learning and Brain Development from Birth to Adolescence by Jane M. Healy, PhD
•  Different Learners – Identifying, Preventing and Treating Your Child’s Learning Problems by Jane M. Healy, PhD
•  Endangered Minds – Why Children Don’t Think – And What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy, PhD
•  Failure to Connect – How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds – And What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy, PhD

With summer right around the corner and beautiful blue skies tempting us out you may be thinking of exploring what our community has to offer.  There are plenty of fun adventures just waiting to be had right in our area.  No formal vacation plans required!

We’ve compiled the following list of day trip ideas we hope you will find helpful.  Some of these ideas are geared toward younger family members, some older, while others hold interest for the whole family.

Please let us know if you have something else to add or any feedback about any of these ideas.

The Arboretum and Japanese Garden: www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/japanesegarden.htm

Aviation Center & Boeing Tour (Everett): www.futureofflight.org

Beach Days — Golden Gardens/Ballard, Alki Beach/West Seattle, Seahurst Park/Burien or Jetty Island/Everett all offer a local sandy beach experience! Idylwood Park on Lake Sammamish, and Juanita, Houghton, or Medina Beach Park on Lake Washington offer lake swimming and water play.

Bellevue Art Museum: www.bellevuearts.org

Bellevue Parks: https://parks.bellevuewa.gov/parks-and-trails/parks/bellevue-downtown-park

The Burke Museum (Seattle): www.burkemuseum.org

Chihuly Garden & Glass (Seattle): www.chihulygardenandglass.com

Crystal Mountain (hiking and gondola ride): www.crystalmountainresort.com

Experience Music Project (Seattle): www.empmuseum.org

Farrel McWhirter Park & Farm (Redmond): http://www.redmond.gov/ParksRecreation/Farrel-McWhirterFarmPark

Flower World (Maltby nursery with a small petting zoo area): www.flowerworldusa.com/aboutus.html

Fox Hollow Farm (Issaquah): www.foxhollowfamilyfarm.com

Kelsey Creek Farm (Bellevue): www.farmerjayne.com

KidsQuest Childrens Museum (Factoria): www.kidsquestmuseum.org

Museum of Flight (Seattle): www.museumofflight.org

Museum of History & Industry (Seattle): www.mohai.org

Northwest Railway Museum – Thomas the Train event (Snoqualmie) www.trainmuseum.org

Northwest Trek (Eatonville): http://www.nwtrek.org

King County Parks (link to list of area parks): www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/inventory.aspx

The Pacific Science Center (Seattle): www.pacificsciencecenter.org

Outback Kangaroo Farm (Artlington): www.outbackkangaroofarm.com

Padilla Bay Beach and Estuarine Research Reserve (Mount Vernon): www.padillabay.gov

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (Tacoma): http://www.pdza.org

Remlinger Farms – U-pick, Farm Animals and some small rides.  www.remlingerfarms.com

Ride the Ducks Seattle Tour: www.ridetheducksofseattle.com

The Seattle Aquarium: http://www.seattleaquarium.org

Seattle Art Museum: www.seattleartmuseum.org

Seattle Bug Safari: www.seattlebugsafari.com

Seattle Children’s Museum: www.thechildrensmuseum.org

Seattle Waterfront & Ye Olde Curiosity Shop: www.ye-olde-curiosity-shop.myshopify.com

Snoqualmie Falls: http://www.snoqualmiefalls.com

The Space Needle (Seattle): http://www.spaceneedle.com/home

Tillicum Village/Blake Island Tour: www.argosycruises.com

Washington State Ferries: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries

Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle): http://www.zoo.org

Museum of Glass (Tacoma): http://museumofglass.org

Local magazines Parent Map www.parentmap.com and Seattle’s Child www.seattleschild.com/Things-To-Do also contain a lot of articles and ideas for family-friendly excursions.

Enjoy!

 

Consistent routines and getting enough sleep can make a tremendous difference to your child’s day and enable them to be ready to learn new social and academic skills at school. This is true at any age, but particularly true for younger children, especially if adapting to a new routine.

The recommended amounts of sleep per 24 hours are 11-13 hours for 3 – 5-year-olds and 10-11 hours for 5 – 12-year-olds. Sleep is most restorative when it is consolidated. If, when your child goes to bed, he/she falls asleep easily, wakes up easily and is not tired during the day, then he/she is probably getting enough sleep.

The best way to tell if your child is getting enough sleep is to see how he/she acts during the day. Take a moment to notice if:

• Your child falls asleep in the car almost every time you drive;
• You have to wake your child up most mornings;
• Your child seems overtired, cranky, irritable, aggressive, over emotional, hyperactive or has trouble thinking during the day;
• On some nights, your child is tired much earlier than his/her usual bedtime.

If your child falls into this pattern, then he/she might not be getting enough sleep.

Sleep deprived children may have more trouble than usual controlling their emotions. The part of the brain that helps to control our response to our feelings and actions is greatly affected by sleep deprivation. A child who does not get enough sleep may have behavior or attention problems, be more likely to hurt him/herself and just not be doing as well as expected.

A recent study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine conducted at the University of Washington also suggests children who do not get enough nighttime sleep are also at increased risk of being overweight, or overweight to obese. Researchers further noted that napping was not an effective substitute for nighttime sleep in terms of obesity prevention, citing that, “sleeping at night is deeper and therefore more restorative than sleeping during the day.” (For more information read, In Young Kids, Lack of Sleep Linked to Obesity Later.)

Make a calm, happy ritual of going to bed and getting up in the morning and keep bedtimes consistent. Make it a special time with a predictable, calming routine. It is your responsibility to put your child to bed so that he/she will have enough sleep, so be loving but firm.

Put some thought into finding your children’s ideal bedtime. Notice when they are starting to slow down and get physically tired. That is the time they should be going to sleep so complete their bedtime routine and get them into bed before that time so set a fixed bedtime and stick to it. If you wait beyond that time, children tend to get a second wind. At that point they will become more difficult to handle and they will have a harder time falling asleep. So keep consistent playtimes, meal times and nap times (if your preschool child still naps).

• Give your child some “heads up” time to put away toys and get ready mentally for bedtime.
• A warm bath is a good way to wind down after a lively day. A special toothbrush and toothpaste could be part of the routine.
• Try to keep the bedroom at a comfortable temperature with a dim nightlight if it helps. In the summertime try to block out bright daylight.
• Limit food and drink before bedtime, but at bedtime provide a sip of water so that your child doesn’t get out of bed to ask for one.
• Allow your child to choose which pajamas to wear and which stuffed animal to take to bed. Some children have a favorite blanket that is definitely part of the routine.
• Do not crowd the bed with so many toys that there is not enough room for your child and use the bed only for sleeping, not for playing or watching TV.
• Read a favorite story or recite a favorite poem. Quietly go over the highlights of the day and then mention what will be happening tomorrow.
• Soft, gentle music or a “Sound Soother” that emits white noise, waves, rustling leaves, etc. can help block out distracting noise. Stick to the same music or songs every night for preschoolers.
• You may wish to reevaluate nap times for a growing preschooler.  Often a child is ready to give up a nap if napping in the afternoon means that bedtime becomes very late.  A consolidated night’s sleep is more beneficial to a child than a nap and a shorter nighttime sleep. (See article The Effects of Napping on Cognitive Function in Preschoolers which concludes daytime napping is actually negatively correlated with neurocognitive function in preschoolers. Nighttime sleep appears to be more critical for the development of cognitive performance.)
• Tuck your child into bed snugly for a sense of security, give a kiss, say goodnight and close the door (or leave it slightly ajar if the house is quiet) and leave.

Remember that children will naturally be more tired as they adapt to a new school routine, so adjusting bedtime to be a little earlier now may make all the difference to help your child be ready for school.

About the Article’s Author: Joan Starling, Founder, Sammamish Montessori School serving preschool, kindergarten and elementary students in Redmond WA.  

Joan established The Sammamish Montessori School in 1977.  She began her long career in Montessori education more than 37 years ago training under two Montessori trainers who were themselves trained directly by Dr. Maria Montessori. One of them, a wise and practical woman, Margaret Homfray, when young in the late 1930s, accompanied Dr. Montessori on trips to translate her lectures on her speaking tours.  Joan has been a pioneer of Montessori education in the greater Seattle area, establishing one of the oldest Montessori schools on Seattle’s Eastside and now one of the largest Montessori schools in the state.  Joan’s two daughters and husband now share the running of the school and are supported by a wonderful group of teachers, assistants and supporting staff from all over the world. 

 

The ability to mentally focus and sustain concentration comes from within the child’s brain and as the brain develops, so does the capacity for an attention span. The daily experiences of a child’s life, together with the environment surrounding him/her, can shape this growth.

When children are passively watching any kind of screen instead of actively participating in a problem solving activity, the impact on their brains affects their attention spans. Dr. Jane Healy addresses this in Endangered Minds. “A ‘good’ brain for learning develops strong and widespread neural highways that can quickly and efficiently assign different aspects of a task to the most efficient system….Such efficiency is developed only by active practice in thinking and learning which, in turn, builds increasingly stronger connections. A growing suspicion among brain researchers is that excessive television viewing may affect the development of these kinds of connections. It may also induce habits of using the wrong systems for various types of learning.”

Researchers have now confirmed this theory.   In 2004, Dimitri A. Christakis and his colleagues at the University of Washington and Children’s Hospital conducted a study on the relationship between screen technologies and ADD/ADHD. Christakis’ research clearly demonstrated that young children face a 10% increase in the risk of having attention problems at the age of 7 years for every hour of daily television that they watch. The conclusion was that extensive exposure to television and video games may promote development of brain systems that scan and shift attention at the expense of those that focus attention.   Christakis pointed out that the fast-paced images of TV can over stimulate and permanently “rewire” the developing brain.

Developing brains are extremely fragile and are readily molded by the input they receive. The wrong input at crucial times of development can have a huge impact for the future. The national average of four to five hours of screen time for young children means that children are not given the correct experiences to fully develop attention capacities.

Also, all that cumulative time spent in watching quickly-changing images over stimulates certain brain centers at the expense of under developing crucial parts of the brain that are needed to sustain attention. Unfortunately if the low brain center is hyper activated, it eventually “takes charge.” The high thinking cortex no longer directs the brain’s workings, and the reactionary, low, ancient “reptilian” brain takes over. The brain is more tuned to quick shifts of attention than sustained focus.

Moving images on a screen trigger alerting and orienting responses of the “low” brain while “executive attention” is eclipsed. The brain research of Dr. Daniel Siegel shows that, “executive attention is characterized by “effortful control.” The child must be working to select, supervise, or focus his/her attention. Real mental effort is required. In his book The Mindful Brain, Dr. Siegel cites studies that show this form of attention is related to “planning or decision making, error detection, new or not well learned responses, conditions judged to be difficult or dangerous, regulation of thoughts and feelings, and the overcoming of habitual actions.” He goes on to emphasize, “that the period between 3 and 7 years of age appears to be a profoundly important time for the acquisition of executive attentional functions.”

Replacing passive TV time with board games, chess, checkers, puzzles and time for quiet reflection gives the developing brain the opportunity to concentrate. Some boredom in a child’s life is necessary for developing built in motivation. Ingenuity and inventiveness emerge as a result of thinking slowly and concentrating.   Dr. Maria Montessori introduced the “Silence Game” where children relax, stay absolutely still, and concentrate on all the little sounds around them. Students’ listening skills become more acute and they come out of the experience refreshed and ready to learn.

We can help children expand their executive attention by choosing TV programs, movies and video games that are at a relaxed pace. Even though the late “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood” and even “Barney” were considered slow, children were able to use their attention spans and were not required to dart from one image to another in a frenzied mental chase. Rather than being over-stimulated, they concentrated and calmed down while watching.

Self-regulation and the executive function of the brain are interconnected. Your children need time for imaginative, self-directed play so that they can experience inner focus and direction while regulating emotional responses.  When children are making their own decisions, they are practicing the ability to acquire knowledge and develop the inner thought processes that feed selective attention. If you give children a choice and ask the reason for their making it (would you like to wear your red shirt or your green shirt today?) you are allowing them to direct the conscious decision-making process and helping them understand the reasons for his/her choice.

When children are given the opportunity and time, they can develop the mature attention spans they need for effective thinking and problem solving in today’s screen dominated environment. A human brain that is given the chance to develop naturally, without being bombarded by fleeting visual stimuli and constant interruption, will naturally develop a robust attention span, which is the fundamental human requirement for learning and creative achievement.

About the Article’s Author: Joan Starling, Founder, Sammamish Montessori School serving preschool, kindergarten and elementary students in Redmond WA.  

Joan established The Sammamish Montessori School in 1977.  She began her long career in Montessori education 4 decades ago training under two Montessori educators who were themselves trained directly by Dr. Maria Montessori. One of them, a wise and practical woman, Margaret Homfray, when young in the late 1930s, accompanied Dr. Montessori on trips to translate her lectures on her speaking tours.  Joan has been a pioneer of Montessori education in the greater Seattle area, establishing one of the oldest Montessori schools on Seattle’s Eastside, which is now one of the largest Montessori schools in the state.  Joan’s two daughters continue Joan’s legacy by running the school and are supported by a wonderful group of teachers, assistants and supporting staff who have come to Redmond from all over the world. 

References:

Dr. Dimitri Christakis, et al., “Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children” Pediatrics, vol. 113, n.4, April 4, 2004

Dr. Jane Healy, Endangered Minds:
Why Our Children Don’t Think and What to do About It, Simon and Schuster, 1991, P. 235

Dr. Daniel Siegel The Mindful Brain, W. W. Norton and Company, 2007, p. 114, 115, 73

 

 

Current research is reinforcing what teachers and parents have witnessed for many years:  Sleep, good nutrition, water and exercise really do matter!

• Sleep is essential for brain development as well as function.  Brain growth occurs while sleeping and consolidation of learning does as well.  (Ensure 11-13 hours for 3-5 year olds; 10-11 for 5-12 year olds.)
• Nutrition: Make sure children consume protein, calcium, fat, vitamins/minerals, antioxidants, and omega-3s daily for brain development. And because the brain requires sustained high glucose levels for optimal function, snacks and meals should ideally always contain a balance of fat, protein and carbohydrates.
• Water: Brain function actually diminishes without water so encourage regular sips of water throughout the day.  (Water is always available to children while in class.)
• Exercise actually boosts brain function.  Recent studies have found that 20 minutes of exercise actually generates a blitz of neurotransmission, which improves cognition.  This just reinforces how important recess really is for children’s bodies and minds!

For more information about the importance of sleep, read also Sleep and Your Child.
For more information about the importance of nutrition, read also Scientists learn how what you eat affects your brain and those of your kids.
For more information about the importance of water on brain function read, Why Your Brain Needs Water.
For more information about the importance of exercise and cognitive development read: Exercise and Children’s Intelligence, Cognition and Academic Achievement.