Publisher:Schocken
Release Date:
July 22, 2003
Genre:
–Non-Fiction, Parenting, Education
Length:
–304 pages
My Rating:
3/5
About This Book (from Goodreads)
What can parents do to help their youngest children
in their task of self-formation? How does the Montessori method of hands-on
learning and self-discovery relate to the youngest infants? This authoritative
and accessible book answers these and many other questions. Based on Dr. Maria
Montessori's instructions for raising infants, its comprehensive exploration of
the first three years incorporates the furnishings and tools she created for
the care and comfort of babies. From the design of the baby's bedroom to the
child-sized kitchen table, from diet and food preparation to clothing and
movement, the authors provide guidance for the establishment of a beautiful and
serviceable environment for babies and very young children. They introduce
concepts and tasks, taking into account childrens' ''sensitive periods'' for
learning such skills as dressing themselves, food preparation, and toilet
training. Brimming with anecdote and encouragement, and written in a clear,
engaging style, Montessori from the Start is a practical and useful
guide to raising calm, competent, and confident children.
How and Why I Acquired This Book
After seeing this marked as “To Read” by one
of my friends on Goodreads, I requested it from my library. The Montessori method (what little I know
about it) is fascinating to me. Add to
that the fact I have an 18-month old at home and another little one on the way,
and it just seemed like a good time to read and learn more about Montessori.
CRITIQUE
This book
was good if a bit overwhelming in all of its ideas and skills that apparently
my toddler is already behind on. So it
was nice to get to the end and have a disclaimer from the authors that it’s
okay to pick and choose what to implement.
That, ultimately, every family is different and has different needs and
abilities. It would have been nice to
have that up front. It would have
relieved some of my guilt.
This book really
does cover pretty much every aspect of growth and development from birth to
three. It starts out with how the
nursery should be arranged and why.
There are big concepts and ideas that are then broken out into the
practical.
The
authors discuss brain growth, the brain to hand connection, movement, life
skills like dressing and feeding oneself, language and the arts, and how to
help your child to develop best in all these areas.
Really, it’s
probably more a 3.5 or 4 book for rating as far as the presentation of the
ideas. My lower rating of 3 is probably
due to my personal biases. It’s one I’m
considering purchasing and using for reference.
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