Ask Maitri

Question

I purchased the Nienhuis montessori cursive sandpaper letters. The set includes 17 letters. It does not include the "ng" sound but does include : "er" "wh" and "au". Which one's do I need?

Also, do you ever offer multiple sounds, like the way "g" can be both "guh and juh" or do you just stick to one sound? I've wondered this, particularly with many of the vowels. I should also teach "y" as making the sound "ee" because we also have "oy" that makes the alternate sound, right?

Question:

I am raising two children. My daughter is 4 years old. My son is 10 months. He is not crawling. The difference between them is 3.5 years. But the feeling and state is like becoming a mother again for the first time.

Question:

Good evening I have recently completed my AMI 3-6 Guide training and have three daughters at home ( 6 months, 2.5 and 4 years) and I have started setting up our basement with the intention to homeschool and wanted a bit of guidance as the space is not a typical classroom size. I’m leaving most of the practical life work upstairs near the kitchen but wanted to create sensorial language and math downstairs.

Question

I understand that each child develops at a different speed. However, I was wondering if you have (or can recommend), content appropriate for the age of 4.5/5? I will be starting a new job as Nanny/Governess to twin girls of 4.5 and as i have only recently started my Montessori training, I am looking for content that will really help bring structure to the support I provide.

Question

Your albums does not consist of the first stage of teaching, Origin, history, methodology and application. Why is that?

Question:

I'm wondering if the phonogram folders kit correlates with the pink series in montessori or the blue or the green?

Question:

Greetings, my son is four and is homeschooled. I recently came across your website and am so impressed by the thoroughness of it and the quality of the materials. But it's a bit overwhelming knowing where to start. My son enjoys being read to and can recognize the letters in the alphabet and say them. We are working on the sounds. The words he recognizes by sights, as far as I can tell, are his name (William), Mama, and Papa. Which materials would you recommend I purchase for him at this age/stage/readiness level?

 Question:
I closed my school, sold most of the materials I wouldn’t use with my grands after being a 3- 6 guide over 30 years. I have many Montessori guide friends from those years. Many also retired in recent years. In my garage I have stored all my AMS curriculum albums. I have found from asking around that there isn’t a market for these much loved and utilized resources. I thought maybe our local homeschooling parents might be interested but most homeschooling parents here lack the finances to purchase something like these even at a nominal cost. I just haven’t had the nerve to add them to the landfills and I am assuming other retirees are hanging on to theirs too.

Had you considered ever being a go between for buyers and Montessori retirees wanting to find a new home for these albums? 

Question: 

You once told me to "start where they are" in using the Montessori approach with my children on the autism spectrum. Well, one of them turns 15 next week and I am STILL working in the 9-12 cycle. He is making progress, but rather slow.... From a brain standpoint - have I missed windows with him?? I feel so "rushed" sometimes and like I'm totally so far behind and I'm making the wrong choices for him. I've tried public school, private school, unschooled, ....all the things. It all mostly results in frustration and a long shutdown towards ANY learning and then having that slow return to a more structured learning period each day. Here is a good example: His writing is REALLY horrid. He fatigues easily and there seems to be a total disconnect from brain to hand....I have metal insets, sandpaper letters, a Montessoriam app for tracing on the iPad, etc....I have the bigger pencils for a better grip (although his hands and fingers are huge and long). I'm not trying to make him write everything out, but rather get him to the point of legible printing and being able to function in his adult life with writing confidence.

Question: 

Hello! I'm wondering if there is a reason why your card materials don't have colored borders to match Montessori color coding? I was making our own personal religion cards for Mass and I added a border, but I want to buy many of your cards and the perfectionist in me is wondering if I should just make my cards without a border to coordinate with yours. But, that got me wondering if there is a benefit to not having the border and why you went that route.