Come across this in VCD version at Jusco store.
Bought one for ZuYan's preparation for toileting.
This title in other format that found in Amazon.
Book
Music
VHS
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
First Birthday walk
Birthday walk
One of the special occasion that a Montessori school has is to celebrate children’s birthday by having birthday walk. The birthday child will hold a globe and walk on elliptical/round line. A candle will be light up and place on a model sun in the center of the ellipse/circle. While the child is carrying the globe and walking on the elliptical line, his/her story will be told. Every one complete walk around the sun represent the earth orbit around the sun one round and means one year is past. If the child is three years old, he will walk for three rounds. The child get to blow the candle in the center at the end of his/her story is told. Then the birthday cake will be brought out and birthday song will be sang.
In some other Montessori school, they might have a birthday brass plate, which is polish by the birthday child in readiness for his/her birthday walk. The plate will hold up small tea lights, which are lit as the child completes each circuit.
To further raise the awareness of birthday and passage of time, photographs of the birthday child from birth at yearly intervals will be displayed. Some other idea are making a photo book , a basket of their favorite book, toys or things.
ZuYan’s 1st birthday walk
It is too young for ZuYan to understand about birthday, but I still decided to let him has his 1st birthday walk. He might not understand what is going on but it will leave a trace in his adsorbent mind.
An area in the living hall is designated and marked an ellipse shape with red masking tape. It will be left unpeel for ZuYan to practice walking on line when he is ready later.
The elliptical line was ready few days before his tiny birthday party. Instead of practice walking on the line ZuYan walk with the line between his leg as he needs to balance himself when he walk. ZuYan is able to walk freely around the house one month before his birthday. And that really give me a relief of carrying him around but tiring to follow him every corner of the house that he wanted to explore.
I wish to see ZuYan smile and toddle around the elliptical line on his birthday, it does not has to be a perfect one but he was tired when the birthday walk was started. He wanted to be held. Well! he did complete the circle with me knee down behind him and toddle around.
Other things that I have to mark the passage of time is his twelve monthly growth photo and a homemade tiniest cake and mini cupcakes.
Nothing much, only a memorable moment had been capture and to add a little spark in his passage of time.
One of the special occasion that a Montessori school has is to celebrate children’s birthday by having birthday walk. The birthday child will hold a globe and walk on elliptical/round line. A candle will be light up and place on a model sun in the center of the ellipse/circle. While the child is carrying the globe and walking on the elliptical line, his/her story will be told. Every one complete walk around the sun represent the earth orbit around the sun one round and means one year is past. If the child is three years old, he will walk for three rounds. The child get to blow the candle in the center at the end of his/her story is told. Then the birthday cake will be brought out and birthday song will be sang.
In some other Montessori school, they might have a birthday brass plate, which is polish by the birthday child in readiness for his/her birthday walk. The plate will hold up small tea lights, which are lit as the child completes each circuit.
To further raise the awareness of birthday and passage of time, photographs of the birthday child from birth at yearly intervals will be displayed. Some other idea are making a photo book , a basket of their favorite book, toys or things.
ZuYan’s 1st birthday walk
It is too young for ZuYan to understand about birthday, but I still decided to let him has his 1st birthday walk. He might not understand what is going on but it will leave a trace in his adsorbent mind.
An area in the living hall is designated and marked an ellipse shape with red masking tape. It will be left unpeel for ZuYan to practice walking on line when he is ready later.
The elliptical line was ready few days before his tiny birthday party. Instead of practice walking on the line ZuYan walk with the line between his leg as he needs to balance himself when he walk. ZuYan is able to walk freely around the house one month before his birthday. And that really give me a relief of carrying him around but tiring to follow him every corner of the house that he wanted to explore.
I wish to see ZuYan smile and toddle around the elliptical line on his birthday, it does not has to be a perfect one but he was tired when the birthday walk was started. He wanted to be held. Well! he did complete the circle with me knee down behind him and toddle around.
Other things that I have to mark the passage of time is his twelve monthly growth photo and a homemade tiniest cake and mini cupcakes.
Nothing much, only a memorable moment had been capture and to add a little spark in his passage of time.
Here is a video of a child's birthday walk I found in Y0utube.com
Friday, April 13, 2007
Montessori Little Helper Part I : Baking Birthday Cake
ZuYan was in the kitchen mixing flour while I am baking his birthday cake for tomorrow party.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Sensitive period for order
Sensitive period for order
This very important and mysterious period appears in a child’s first year and continues on through the second.
Zu Yan’s sense of order
I have try to maintain ZuYan’s daily routine in a same order everyday but forget about his sensitive period to order in his environment.
On the first day he came home with mummy from medical center, Zu Yan was placed in a crib in the living hall. At night, he co-sleep with mummy in mummy’s room. Second day, Nanny Cheng came in to help out. From that night till the day of eighteen Zu Yan slept in a crib (moved from living hall) in a room with Nanny Cheng. Day time, he slept in a bouncer or bassinet in living hall. On the night of eighteen, Zu Yan co-sleep with me again. That’s the night, the sleepless night started. He started to cry out until Nanny Cheng came in to cradle him over to her room.
Sleeping in the bassinet. Sleeping in the bouncer.
The first week of second month, I went back to my mother’s place with Zu Yan so that my mother could help out. Still Zu Yan had sleepless night, of course including me and my mother. I am back to my own house then, it took about two weeks for Zu Yan to settle and sleep at night. By four months old, the bassinet was removed and Zu Yan nap in my room during daytime. And, he took sometime to feel secure to nap longer hour. Started in January ( nine months old already), he nap in his playing room and sleep on a mattress on the floor at night. We have sleepless night for a month. He woke up in the night, crawls to the dressing table and practises his pulling skill. Finally, I decided to let him co-sleep with me again. And I noticed he will look at the wall light that he have been staring at since new born and also the newly install ceiling fan, quietly fall into sleep till the next day.
Phew! What a chaotic. I wish I would have started with napping in playing room and co-sleep with me at night. When I think back now, could it be the order of environment that made him sleepless. What do you think?
This very important and mysterious period appears in a child’s first year and continues on through the second.
Zu Yan’s sense of order
I have try to maintain ZuYan’s daily routine in a same order everyday but forget about his sensitive period to order in his environment.
On the first day he came home with mummy from medical center, Zu Yan was placed in a crib in the living hall. At night, he co-sleep with mummy in mummy’s room. Second day, Nanny Cheng came in to help out. From that night till the day of eighteen Zu Yan slept in a crib (moved from living hall) in a room with Nanny Cheng. Day time, he slept in a bouncer or bassinet in living hall. On the night of eighteen, Zu Yan co-sleep with me again. That’s the night, the sleepless night started. He started to cry out until Nanny Cheng came in to cradle him over to her room.
Sleeping in the bassinet. Sleeping in the bouncer.
The first week of second month, I went back to my mother’s place with Zu Yan so that my mother could help out. Still Zu Yan had sleepless night, of course including me and my mother. I am back to my own house then, it took about two weeks for Zu Yan to settle and sleep at night. By four months old, the bassinet was removed and Zu Yan nap in my room during daytime. And, he took sometime to feel secure to nap longer hour. Started in January ( nine months old already), he nap in his playing room and sleep on a mattress on the floor at night. We have sleepless night for a month. He woke up in the night, crawls to the dressing table and practises his pulling skill. Finally, I decided to let him co-sleep with me again. And I noticed he will look at the wall light that he have been staring at since new born and also the newly install ceiling fan, quietly fall into sleep till the next day.
Phew! What a chaotic. I wish I would have started with napping in playing room and co-sleep with me at night. When I think back now, could it be the order of environment that made him sleepless. What do you think?
Last month (10 months old), it was after I changed the curtains in the living hall in the night while he was asleep. The next morning I placed him on the floor. As usual he will makes a few crawl and sits up to look around. The moment he looks up at the curtain he was uneasy and showing unsecure, and crawls to me. After a while, he was calm after comfort and explain by me. I don't think it is the colour of the curtain that make him uneasy. The curtain before is in pale orange, now is in light yellow with white floral pattern.
And there is another occasion which happend in the playing room. There is a power socket at low level. Zu Yan will has a close look, feel, touch daily. One day, he found that there is something wrong with the socket, he makes sounds like " eh, eh, eh" because DaDa had cover up the socket. See, a 9 months old infant can remember his surrounding.
About the use of bouncer, crib, bassinet which is against the Montessori principles? I will explain in my coming post.
The crucial year and sensitive period
Quotation
"A child's different inner sensibilities enable him to choose from his complex environment what is suitable and necessary for his growth. They make the child sensitive to some things, but leave him indifferent to others. When a particular sensitiveness is aroused in a child, it is like a light that shines on some objects but not others, making of them his whole world."
Maria Montessori,The Secret of Childhood, Chap 7
There are four stages in the human plane of development.
First stage : 0-6 years, Second stage : 6-12 years, Third stage : 12-18 years, after about eighteen years of age there is no longer any transformation (Standing, 1984, p.108). Montessori identified the first period as the most crucial year in forming a child to prepared himself for his life.
Sensitive period is referring to the period when a child is sensitive towards a particular item or aspect. Generally, there are sensitivity towards small or detail object, sense of order, sensory perception, language, coordination of movement, and a time of social awareness. It is through these sensitivity the child learns to get to know his world and helps the child’s mental growth. For example, if the child is going through the sensitive period of small detail, he would seen noticing the ant on the ground. If the necessary action or opportunities were not given to the child during the sensitive period, the child would to learn, develop and refine the related skills again in the future with extra effort.
Zu Yan is sensitive to details when he notice the label at his pillow.
Zu Yan further explore the label at the pillow by touching and tasting.
Zu Yan was cooing when we talk to him.
At 4 months old, I enrolled Zu Yan (left) to the Baby massage class. Zu Yan is interacting with his friend, Yong Joe (right) who is 6 months old.
When Zu Yan is awake and quiet, he looks toward the window where the brightness come in.
"A child's different inner sensibilities enable him to choose from his complex environment what is suitable and necessary for his growth. They make the child sensitive to some things, but leave him indifferent to others. When a particular sensitiveness is aroused in a child, it is like a light that shines on some objects but not others, making of them his whole world."
Maria Montessori,The Secret of Childhood, Chap 7
There are four stages in the human plane of development.
First stage : 0-6 years, Second stage : 6-12 years, Third stage : 12-18 years, after about eighteen years of age there is no longer any transformation (Standing, 1984, p.108). Montessori identified the first period as the most crucial year in forming a child to prepared himself for his life.
Sensitive period is referring to the period when a child is sensitive towards a particular item or aspect. Generally, there are sensitivity towards small or detail object, sense of order, sensory perception, language, coordination of movement, and a time of social awareness. It is through these sensitivity the child learns to get to know his world and helps the child’s mental growth. For example, if the child is going through the sensitive period of small detail, he would seen noticing the ant on the ground. If the necessary action or opportunities were not given to the child during the sensitive period, the child would to learn, develop and refine the related skills again in the future with extra effort.
Zu Yan is sensitive to details when he notice the label at his pillow.
Zu Yan further explore the label at the pillow by touching and tasting.
Zu Yan was cooing when we talk to him.
At 4 months old, I enrolled Zu Yan (left) to the Baby massage class. Zu Yan is interacting with his friend, Yong Joe (right) who is 6 months old.
When Zu Yan is awake and quiet, he looks toward the window where the brightness come in.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
The New Born child
A new born child
"child who has grown in a place where it was protected from all assaults, from every change o f temperature, in a fluid created for its rest. And in an instant it has changed this dark and silent home for the hostile air. "
(Montessori,1966, p.21)
Zu Yan was placed on my chest right after he was born, strange! I don't feel like how i feel for watching a child is born in TV. I noticed his hands and feet are blue, very very pinky face and no words...
"... clothes are no necessary for a new born child, nor even during the first month of its existence."(Montessori,1966, p.22)
Zu Yan was swaddled and placed in this nursery room after taken from mama. According to dada Zu Yan opened his eyes and look around the room, then closed and be silent again.
"Its tender body is exposed to the harsh contact of solid objects and is roughly handled by thoughless adults" (Montessori,1966, p.21)
Posing with the Consultant Paediatrician Datuk Dr. S.C.E. Abraham.
Twenty-second day of life
Fifth day of life
An alien environment
“At birth a child does not enter into a natural environment but into one that has already been extensively modified by men. It is an alien environment …”
(Montessori,1966, p.21)
And that has explains the reason why ZuYan was frowning whenever he was awake in his first month of life. He was looking at us as “alien” and he is in an “alien” environment.
"Far better for a child would be a room shut off from the noises of the street, where there is peace and quiet, and where light and heat can be tempered a nd controlled." (Montessori,1966, p.21)
Feel so sorry that did not set up a proper place for Zu Yan to rest until early of this month. He was napping in our living room which expose to noises, light, heat for his first two to three months.
I read the book 4 years ago, by now I have forget most of the details. Re-read the book now, it makes more sense to me.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Montessori, M., (1966), The Secrete of Childhood, Ballatine books, New York.
The Walking Curricullum
ZuYan moving side to side by holding the rail.
ZuYan pulling up and down at the rail.
Finally, a 5' long towel rail is mounted 18" from the floor in the learning room.
This will allows ZuYan to pull up to standing position and move sideways, hand over hand, foot over foot, at anytime, without help from me.
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