Best Books for the Five Senses

We are starting to dive into our next unit- the five senses. Given the importance that sensorial activities have in a primary Montessori education, it's a great place to start and incredibly easy to integrate with Montessori activities.  As always, our first stop to building our shelves was the library.  Stay tuned for more posts about five senses activities and, eventually, a tour of our shelves.  And, check out my Five Senses pintrest page for more ideas!

Here are our favorite books on the five senses for early learners:

1. Hello, Ocean!  This is a beautifully illustrated book. The poetic text is a great way to introduce young readers to different writing styles.  Poetry is especially important within a Montessori education as it highlights the beauty of language.  Introducing poetry early on provides for a basis for a love of poetry later in life.
2. Rain. Another book with great illustrations- simple and colorful. Sing-song and repetitive text that is simple enough for a young child to quickly memorize and recite.
3. Forest Friends Five Senses.  Q-ball loves this book. Like many children this age, she's currently working on role playing going to the doctor over and over and over and over.  Within this book, the forest friends each have to take a trip to Owl (the doctor) to get one of their senses corrected. I ultimately want to use this book to encourage Q-ball to create her own story about the five senses. 
4. My Five Senses.  Great introductory book to the five senses. Simple text and illustrations.  
5. Kevin's Big Book of the Five Senses.  I must admit, this author is not always my favorite.  But, I do enjoy this book.  It's highly interactive.  It's scaffolds activities by introducing the sense, giving examples, and then encouraging the child to find examples in her life.
6. Bats at the Beach. We love this series of books!  I was excited to see how easily they fit with a five senses unit. Nearly every page includes a very descriptive verse that relates to one of the five senses. After mastering knowledge of the senses, the child should be able to read this book and identify the sense described. 

Teaching Grace and Courtesy to a Toddler: Our Homemade Manners Book

     In lieu of a totally Christmas focused unit during this season, I opted to embark on a big grace and courtesy push prior to visiting family.  In line with the Dr. Montessori's idea that young children have a strong need for order in their environment (most often notable by a clean and neat space), social graces and acceptable behavior provide young children with clear standards by which to interact with others. These social courtesies also enhance the respectful atmosphere found in Montessori classrooms.  In our house, we have used three methods to teach grace and courtesy: modeling, role playing, and finding examples in books.

Knock on a closed door. (Important for visiting family!)

Modeling
    Up to this point, we have primarily modeled social graces for Q-ball.  According to Dr. Montessori, this is the most influential way to teach grace and courtesy.  We say please, thank you, and excuse me.  And, we model behaviors like gently opening and closing doors, greeting others, waiting in line, placing our napkins in our laps, expressing concern when someone is upset or hurt, and expressing admiration for other people's work.  Even without any previous prompts or instruction these phrases and behaviors have occasionally slipped into Q-ball's habits (the latter more than the former.)

Role-playing 
   Recent holidays provided opportunities for grace and courtesy role-playing. Given that Q-ball's current favorite method of play is pretending, these activities have been a huge hit. Before starting the role- playing activity, I modeled the exact phrases and actions for Q-ball. For Halloween, we practiced how to greet and thank people while trick-or-treating.  Q-ball loved this so much that she actually still asks to play!  And, for Thanksgiving, we held several tea parties to learn basic table manners as well as practical life skills like napkin folding, table setting, and flower arranging.

Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.

Reading
   I've done several posts on books as they are always a favorite in our house.  When I plan a new unit or when Q-ball expresses interest in a new topic, my first stop is always our library's online catalog. Our manners unit was no different, and I checked out every age appropriate book I could find.  Sadly, I wasn't overly impressed with the selection.  Q-ball did enjoy the books, but I was a little more critical. I found many were a little too broad (I don't expect her to master manners from all aspects of life at this point) or too silly (many books were a bit tongue and cheek, making light of bad manners, but this may be a little abstract for a toddler just learning the appropriate social expectations.)

Q-ball enjoying her very own Big Book of Manners

    However, some good did come out of not being able to find a great manners, book, as we decided to make our own! Q-ball was very excited to be in her own "Big Manner's Book" after reading so many others.
Here's what we did:

1.  Introduced basic social graces through Model, Role-play, Read (see above!): again and again and again and again and again
2. Make a list of our most important manners: I guided Q-ball through this activity.  I asked her to recall our role-playing activities and what phrases or actions we use in certain situations.  We also went page by page through her manners books, and she identified selected manners using the pictures as cues.  We came up with a list of 12 manners.
3. Take pictures! I tried to take pictures of Q-ball preforming the action or stating the phrase as it was actually happening.  This was pretty easy to do for table manners and cleaning up, but some pictures (like covering your mouth when you sneeze) had to be posed.  But, posing made Q-ball more excited to see the final book, so it worked out well.
4. Make a photo book.  I used an online program for our local drugstore, so we'd be able to pick the book up together for more immediate toddler gratification.  This process was a little arduous for Q-ball, so I did this and let Q-ball see the product preview.
5. Pick-up your photo book and read!

  

Road Trip Activities for a Media-Free Toddler

       We recently returned from a road trip during which we logged over 1400 miles in the car.  We worked to spend as little time in the car as possible, but the first and last days of the trip required about 5-6 hours in the car (much of this was through some very, very boring country- no buildings, no trees, few hills...blah).  This can be tough for anyone, but especially for a toddler.  I searched online for ideas to entertain my toddler during the trip, but many of them involved watching DVDs or playing with other computerized games.  We are a media-free family, so I knew that I would need to be a little more creative with my activities. 
    While Q-ball was obviously ready to get out of the car when the time came and did, of course, experience some boredom and frustration, my husband and I were incredibly impressed with the patience she showed and with her ability to largely entertain herself.  Here are the activities that were most successful: As always, I'm a little blog, so I'm not getting any sort of compensation for the links below!

1. Car Tray. This item was necessary for all others to be successful! We introduced it to Q-ball a few hours into the trip, and she wanted to use it pretty much the entire time after that!
2. Books, books, books.  Before the trip, I spent a substantial amount of time exploring our public library's catalog for books that related to our trip.  I ended up with over 20 books!  I looked for books that included lots of pictures of the areas and specific sites we were visiting as well as descriptions of activities that we were doing.  Of course, not all the books were successful (mainly the ones with a bit too much of an academic focus), but these were Q-ball's favorite: Fred and Ted's Road Trip and Maisy Goes Camping.
3. Toy Cars. Q-ball played with these more than any other item!  She parked them, drove them, lined them up.  They never bored her! 
4. I Spy. I'd never played with game with Q-ball before, but she enjoyed using these print-outs from the Montessori Print Shop. (They are free!)  While she wasn't able to identify object by shape or color, she liked picking out the objects by name or, at times, by subject (something to eat, an animal, etc.)
5. Animal Matching Cards. This is another resource from the Montessori Print Shop.  I hadn't introduced this activity to her previously, but she enjoyed naming all of the animals and matching them to their "shadow."  We certainly weren't able to achieve any sort of Montessori neatness in our matching piles, but we got the big idea!

Other tips from our travel (most are obvious, but just to confirm!)

• Schedule naps for car rides when possible.  Q-ball hated the carseat for about the first 9 months of her life, and our road trip when she was 4-months was much prolonged as we had to stop every 15 minutes or so at times to calm her screams, but I'm happy to report, she is now a relatively happy car napper!  (Although she does still like for Mama to sing her to sleep...)
• Have snacks and water on hand.
• Make lots of times for active play when you are not in the car.  We used hotel swimming pools at the end of the trips and ran around some green spaces before getting in the car.  When possible, take lunch breaks at parks or restaurants with playplaces. (Q-ball had her first Happy Meal on this trip- we very, very rarely do fast food, but she loved being about to run around the playplace for an hour!)
• Include lots of cuddles when you are not in the car!  According to Dr. Laura in Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids, although you may feel very close to your toddler when you are all stuck in a car together, a car ride can be a separation for a child. Your child needs you to make up all of this time apart with extra attention later!
• Introduce toys steadily throughout the trip.  I waited to introduce some activities until we were two weeks into our trip, so we'd have something novel on the way home. 

Board Books for a Montessori Household

   The majority of responses I received in response to my previous post about reading to a toddler with Dr. Montessori's ideas in mind focused on finding board books or other books aimed at younger readers that are not overtly fantastical. Board books with singing dogs, dancing zebras, and all of Dr. Seuss's creatures abound.  There is certainly nothing wrong with these books!  Q-ball loves many of these books.  However, it is true that they do not meet Dr. Montessori's recommendations.  

   I wanted to try to find books that were easily available to parents working to create a Montessori environment, so during our regular trips to the public library, I took note of books that I believe meet Dr. Montessori's intentions.  Also of important note, Q-ball gives all of these books 2 thumbs way up!  

   Here are some books to look for:

1. Books by Helen Oxenbury, specifically I See, I Can, I Hear.  These books are incredibly simple, single word books with beautiful illustrations.  Q-ball loved practicing all of the actions in I Can.
2. Books that demonstrate sign language.  It's actually quite amazing to watch how studiously Q-ball reads these books. She looks at the page for quite awhile, asks us to demonstrate, and then practices herself. We love Baby Signs and All Day Long.
3. A special bedtime book.  One of my favorite findings in my first post was that reading should help foster a connection between caregiver and child.  And, what better time than bedtime?  We use I Love You Through and Through.  It is wonderful because it introduces simple vocabulary words while using repetition that toddlers love.  The illustrations are also simple and life-like.
4. Everywhere Babies.  This might be my favorite book of all time!  It meets Dr. Montessori's goal of introducing all cultures, genders, lifestyles (grandparents raising baby, stay-at-home dads, city life, country life, etc.) and even sexual orientations. It also uses repetition and a sing-song quality to storytelling.  Q-ball loves being able recognize the activities in the pictures and check out the other babes.  And, as a parent, I love the warm-fuzzy the book provides.
5. Does a Cow Say Boo?  Again, this books uses repetition and sing-song storytelling to introduce vocabulary that interests toddlers (animals!)  The children are from diverse backgrounds.  Most importantly, Q-ball has so much fun reading this book! I don't want to give away the book's exciting ending, but the final lines have become a favorite game in our household.

Reading about camping, while camping.

   Another critical aspect of a Montessori environment is practicing respect for materials. Allowing young children access to high-quality books with real pages is an excellent way to do this. For the lack of a better name, I call these "special event books."  I head to the library when we are planning an upcoming trip or activity so that Q-ball will be able to make connections between the books we read and what is going on in real life.  We loaded up on butterfly books before visiting the butterfly house, camping books before going camping, and, of course, potty books before introducing potty learning.   

As with most of my Montessori posts, I like to remind readers that I am not trained in the Montessori-method.  My findings here are based upon my personal research and experience in my home.  So, a true Montessorian might pooh-pooh some of these book suggestions, but these have worked for us!  I'd love to have your feedback!  Do you think these books meet Dr. Montessori's intent?  Do you have any other suggestions?

Linking up with Montessori Mondays!

Reading to a Young Toddler, the Montessori Way

  We love books! Daddy and I have always had a full selection of books in the house and are always in need of a new bookcase.  So, naturally, we wanted to share books with Q-ball. In fact, the theme of Q-ball's baby shower was books!  While we read to Q-ball from her birth, she did not begin to show her true interest in reading until about 11 months.  Since that time, she reads far more than Mama and Daddy!

   Within Q-ball's current space are two shelves full of books.  I had debated putting out so many, but she always seems interested and is able to "clean up" with some reminders, so I leave the bulk of our board books available.  We do, however, rotate books from the library in and out to introduce new topics and to prevent constant repetitiveness (for Mama and Q-ball!).

   However, I recently realized that I had not researched Dr. Montessori's thoughts on books for infants and toddlers. The goal of reading to this age group, according to Montessori experts, is to introduce new vocabulary words, model the use of books, and to foster a connection between caregiver and child through reading.

   Here are some of the tips I found for creating your own Montessori-inspired library:

Reading with her uncle

•  Board books are best for this young age.  But, high-quality children's book with regular pages and dust covers should also be introduced to the child with an adult's supervision.
• Books should be easily accessible to children in a basket or low shelf.  Special books, however, should be stored away from the child and only brought out when they are read.
• Proper care and respect of books should be modeled to children- how to turn the pages, how to hold the book, and how to return the book to its location.
• As toddlers are actively looking to learn new words, books can be used to extend their vocabulary. These books should have simple, large images matching the words with the pictures.
• As with toys, children should have access to favorite books, but there should also be a rotation of new books to keep children engaged. Only a few books should be available to a child at any given time. (To see the science behind this, check out this Science Friday.)
• When reading to a child, make sure that you are interested! A child's love of books will come when it is modeled by his role models. Likewise, ensure your child sees you reading for your own pleasure.
• Topics and pictures in books should represent a variety of cultures and topics.
• Books should stay focused on reality and shy away from topics of animals that talk and sing. Young toddlers are still working to figure out our real, everyday world, and fantasy stories can confuse them.  I must say these can be harder to find in board books! But, I like this quote from Micheal Olaf's site about the importance of this.

 We should check that they [books] present reality, since at this age children are trying to make sense of the environment and the life around them. There is nothing more extraordinary and interesting than our own daily life. Fantasy can come later—after reality has been experienced and absorbed.—Dr. Silvana Montanaro

 

   Based upon this research, I'm going to make a few changes. For one thing, I'm packing away many of the books we have out.  I have out way too many right now!  And, I want to start reading more of the "special" books with Q-ball to ensure she knows how to care for these books as well.

Does your child love reading?  What does reading look like at your house? 

Sources:

Olaf, M. (2010). The joyful child. Montessori from birth to three. Retrieved from http://www.michaelolaf.net/1JC13language.html.

Lillard, P.P. & Jessen, L.L. (2003). Montessori from the start: The child at home, from birth to age three. Random House: NY.