The Beauty of Math

Just for fun!

For more Beauty of Math, click: www.sialnity.com

Television & Child Brain Development

A must watch..The science around television and its effect on children and concentration.                              Click on the photo below for video:                                                

 

Check out this supporting link:  Seattle Children's Hospital 

Parents - Educators - Caregivers       ... PLEASE ...

Turn off the TV!!

Chinese New Year

2012 - Year of the Dragon. Chinese Lunar New Year is the largest annual festival celebrated by Chinese and Chinese descendants around the world. The New Year celebration begins on the 1st day of the Chinese lunar calendar (this year: January 23rd) and ends on the 15th day with Lantern Festival. To help celebrate, here is a festive craft idea that is simple enough for a preschooler to make on his/her own, yet fun for all ages.  

1-Provide precut rectangular paper, with a dotted line in the center to indicate where to fold:

2- If necessary, draw lines for cutting:

3-Unfold. Use a stapler, glue, or tape to secure the bottom and top edges:

 4-Provide a pre-cut 6" strip for the handle and staple on top of "lantern":

 

5-Hang additional on a string in celebration! Don't limit yourself to just one color!

 

"Gung hay fat choy!" 

Counting Snowflakes

It's Winter here in the Pacific Northwest, with lots of snow flakes coming down...and more on the way. A rare treat for us Seattleites!

makinglearningfun.comHere's a fun, snow-inspired Math activity you can make yourself as part of your Winter Theme in the classroom (or at home). Click on the snowman for templates and instructions. 

Note: If you can't obtain "snowflake pasta," then use your imagination. How about cotton balls? Or...get the hole puncher out with some white paper from the recycling bin and have the children make their own snowflakes.

Enjoy...and let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! 

Martin Luther King Day

Greetings from UMA! We are back from our Winter Break on January 15th and will officially return to the office on Tuesday the 17th, the day after Martin Luther King Day. We wish you all a blessed, peace-filled year ahead. (Click on photo below for classroom ideas posted on the UMA Facebook Page):

A Boy and his Tea Set

Daphnea Solomon, owner/director of Children's House Montessori - Tupelo, sent us this priceless photo of her son, now a teenager... From the archives of the Solomon Montessori Home:

"Hayden serving up some hot (warm) tea to mama and then himself from his glass tea set. As you can see, 'every boy NEEDS a glass tea set'! This was the summer before kindergarten. I think he was covered in mud from head to toe about an hour after this picture. He's a well rounded kid, I have to say!"

So what are all the benefits?

Grace, Poise, Courtesy, Concentration, Hand-eye Coordination, Refinement of Movement (gentle hands), Balance (carrying), Confidence, Self Control, Respect, Independence, Appreciation for Beauty, Order, Responsiblity...

The Joy of Serving Others!

Side note: If you are planning to provide a tea set at home or in the classroom, NO PLASTICS! Glassware or porcelain is essential.

Bedtime Story

Trevor Eissler has written another Montessor-inspired book entitled "4,962,571" - perfect as a bedtime story. The book is for sale at JuneBooks.com and Amazon.com. Enjoy the YouTube narration by the author, below:

Math Twister

Here's a fun Math game you can make at home, suggested by "The Inadvertent Farmer"...(click image, below). It involves using the whole body in finding combinations of 10. Besides the Math benefits, this activity includes motor coordination, balance, visual discrimination, concentration, cooperation, and FUN!

PLEASE NOTE: Before introducing this game, make sure the child recognizes and has a concrete understanding of the numerical symbols, 1-10. Plus, provide a demonstration on how to make combinations of ten with concrete manipulatives. Examples: the Montessori Golden Beads, Addition Strip Board, Snake Game beads, colored Math Beads... 

Enjoy!

Holiday Blessings to One and All!

UMA is currently on Winter Break. Applications for Montessori Teacher Training and Certification will continue to be accepted. If you have any questions, please contact us at any time!  Peace, love, and joy...

The Linguistic Genius of Babies

(Click Photo for Video)

At TEDxRainier, Patricia Kuhl shares astonishing findings about how babies learn one language over another -- by listening to the humans around them and "taking statistics" on the sounds they need to know. Clever lab experiments (and brain scans) show how 6-month-old babies use sophisticated reasoning to understand their world.

Patricia Kuhl is co-director of the Institute for Brain and Learning Sciences at the University of Washington. She's internationally recognized for her research on early language and brain development, and studies that show how young children learn. Kuhl’s work has played a major role in demonstrating how early exposure to language alters the brain. It has implications for critical periods in development, for bilingual education and reading readiness, for developmental disabilities involving language, and for research on computer understanding of speech.

 Photo is protected by copyright, UMA, and may not be reproduced in any form.