Montessori Links
Montessori Links and Other Resources American Montessori Society (AMS) These short videos are available on YouTube and other resources. Here are some we at Sweetwater Montessori School find pertinent to our approach to preschool and kindergarten. We hope you find these valuable, too. Please be sure to check out Sweetwater Montessori School's YouTube channel: Montessori Philosophy and Principles: Montessori Education for the Early Childhood Years Choosing a Montessori School (Montessori for Parents Podcast) Choosing a Montessori School for Your Child How to Choose a Montessori Preschool The Montessori Kindergarten Year - A Question for Parents This series of short videos by LePort Schools in Orange County, California does a good job of introducing some of the theory behind what otherwise appear to be simple Montessori classroom objects. When looking for a Montessori preschool for your child, look for these materials and be sure to ask the teacher to explain some of the theory involved with their use and the progression of uses for a given material based on a child's developmental readiness: An Introduction to Montessori Philosophy and Materials Montessori Mathematics Montessori Sensorial Exercises Montessori Practical Life at LePort Schools The Montessori Language Program The Cultural Curriculum (Montessori for Parents Podcast) 
Organizations
http://www.amshq.org/
Our national Professional Organization
Videos & Podcasts
http://www.youtube.com/user/SweetwaterMontessori
A good introduction to the Montessori preschool and kindergarten curriculum as presented by our national professional organization, the American Montessori Society
Structure with Choice in the Montessori Elementary Classroom
This video is relevant to kindergarten level and above. Preschool children have the same freedom of choice, but the structure of assignment lists is not generally appropriate for this earlier level of development.
Choosing a Montessori Preschool:
Montessori Kindergarten or Conventional Kindergarten?
This does a good job explaining why Sweetwater Montessori School preschool and kindergarten is structured as a three-year early childhood program.
A Third Year of Montessori - or Kindergarten?
This video shows how investing in your child's Montessori kindergarten year has the potential to equip him or her with academic and leadership skills that can exceed those required by typical state curricula for traditional schools even beyond kindergarten.
The Montessori Preschool and Kindergarten Curriculum, Methods and Materials
Mathematics
An introduction into how Montessori's ingenious math materials move a preschool child from the concrete to the abstract as s/he is ready to do so. All well-designed Montessori lessons utilize this principle of a child's developmental readiness as a guide for when and how to introduce the next progression.
A more in-depth look at the use of math materials in the Montessori preschool and kindergarten classroom
Sensorial
A good explanation of some benefits of the Sensorial segment of the Montessori preschool curriculum
Practical Life
This video shows some of the Practical Life work the children do in a Montessori preschool and kindegarten environment. It gives an idea of just how independent and full of concentration little ones are capable of being, and touches on how these activities build confidence and prepare a child for academic learning
Language
Cultural
(From Educational Video Publishing)
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