The Imperfect Community

Scout

We have decided to go with a Montessori school here in midtown. I took the kids for a visit this morning and we all three LOVED it. Compared to a traditional preschool, it's set up kind of different. The whole downstairs is age 2 through pre-K, and the rooms are all open to each other. The school is very bright and open.
The kids are allowed to go into any area they want to "work." If you aren't familiar with the method, Montessori uses special learning toys called manipulatives that are for pre-math and reading skills, so the kids can get out any manipulative they want to work with, then when they're done they put it away and get something else. In some areas there are groups working with a teacher on group projects, like there might be a table of kids painting, and they can choose to do that. There is an area called "Practical life" where they can practice skills like pouring, buttoning, etc. It has an area for flower arranging and fruit cutting. It's so neat. It sounds chaotic but when you go in it's actually kind of quiet, and the kids all seem really absorbed in what they're doing. They are always allowed to talk to friends but there's no running or yelling. One of the teachers is a Yoga instructor and on Friday mornings they do yoga. Once a week there is a special teacher who takes a group outside for the whole day, any kids who want to go. They have rabbits and a garden and they go on nature walks and stuff.

Jessica, I know you had a bad experience with Montessori in elementary school and have some misgivings about the discipline. They do tell the kids "no" when necessary and as I said it was very orderly. I will not keep my kids there past preschool because of the transitional issues with "regular" school, but for preschool I think it's my ideal, at least at this particular school.

DietCokeHead · Queen of Imperfection Joined: 29 Apr 2002 Posts: 3805

Yea! I am glad you found a place that all of you guys like. I worked in a Montessori school in college as an assistant. It was completely amazing what kind of skills the kids learned from playing with the wooden "toys" and manipulatives! And that is nice that they can be in the same class together, that will probably help the transition for both of them!

honeybee · Queen of Imperfection Joined: 20 Dec 2002 Posts: 3163

Kristy, that sounds fabulous!!

I wish we had something like that around here.

Scout

Melissa, it looks like [url= http://www.embdc.org/housing.html] may have a Montessori school. Maybe it will be a good option if you do end up there. Very Happy

Scout

Weird, it wouldn't give me an edit option even though no one had replied. Sorry about the sloppy link. Wink

honeybee · Queen of Imperfection Joined: 20 Dec 2002 Posts: 3163

I was just looking at the tuition fees...yowza!! $600 a month for partime? (8-12)??! And then it's only a hundred dollars more for them to be full time 8-3. Jeepers!

honeybee · Queen of Imperfection Joined: 20 Dec 2002 Posts: 3163

Okay, the LA fees are a lot less than AZ. It looks like it is $367 a month. That's not too bad, right? Am I reading this right? The table looks a little wonky to me.

http://www.msshreveport.org/tuition.html

Fingers crossed for my dh this weekend!!!!!!!

prescott

In Chicago we were paying $185/wk. for preschool, and that was at a city run facility. Montessori here was well over $200. So it sounds like a bargain! Wink

honeybee · Queen of Imperfection Joined: 20 Dec 2002 Posts: 3163

Yea for low cost of living in LA!!

Jessica

Kristy, your Montessori sounds great! I'm sure they vary from area to area. Around here, most of them (not all) are basically the preschool/school of last resort. It's where people send their kids who have been kicked out of every other preschool, such as my dad's little devil...opps, I mean "angel". Wink

Seriously, the Montessori was happy to take my Dad's 2 1/2 yr. old after she'd been kicked out of several preschools and several of their Nannies quit/walked out on them. They have the reputation that they let a child do whatever they want, even if it's disruptive or violent or recklessly selfish.

Yours sounds really nice though and I may still look at the one several blocks from us, when Graham needs to start preschool. Hopefully it will be run more like yours. It would be extremely convenient as we could walk there and I could get some work done during the day!