Summer is in full swing and as I plan for the next school year, I realized that many of you are probably doing the same! This year, in addition to the primary work I have planned for Pup, I am trying my best to get myself educated about the Elementary program for Bunny! To this end I purchased some albums from Elizabeth Papandrea. She is an AMI certified Montessori elementary teacher who is sharing her albums for $80. It is an amazing deal! These albums come with Math, Language, Geography, Geometry, Biology, History, Music, and Theory! It is everything that I wanted it to have and the great lessons are super good! One thing that I do love about the great lessons is that they are Christian based, however, she has an amazingly good description of how to change the story to fit your own religious preference! Perfect for everyone. The experiments that go with the stories are well laid out and simple to understand. She has alot of great hand drawn illustrations. Her other albums are also easy to understand. My favorite album so far is the Theory album. This album is so GREAT! She lays everything out for you from age 0-18. She then goes deeper into the mindset of an elementary child. This was so super helpful to see and understand what is different from the primary class and what is going on in their little minds! This really made it so much easier for me to get a handle on what I needed to focus on this year. It showed me the importance of the great lessons and how that was the basis of the whole elementary class. I also love that everything seemed simpler after I read the album! That I think is an marker of an awesome album set. My feelings of being out of my element and overwhelmed were calmed down and made easier after I read all about Montessori Elementary theory! I also love that she has been willing to answer my questions!
If you are interested in looking at her albums, send her an email and she will send you a sample of some of her Great Lesson experiment pages! They are really great! Here is Elizabeth's email elizabethpapandrea@yahoo.com. Let her know I sent you! I hope this helps you with your school planning! If you are looking for a bit more help, Jessica at Keys of the Universe, offers an online Montessori Elementary class! Tomorrow I am having a garage sale, so things may be quite here. However, I will be working on my school plan and I will be sharing it with you all soon! I cant wait to get few new materials for the classroom! ;) Happy Schooling and planning!
Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteYou've again hit on one of my mini-campaigns - to get people reading the THEORY albums ;)
Perhaps you could write another post about how the theory album helped you better understand what was going on - from the perspective of someone who has not had the formal AMI elementary training. I can preach its benefits all day long, but I've had the training, so that changes my bias ;)
Just to point out to anyone that might be interested:
Elizabeth and I both have similar training; so our albums are very similar. Hers are a great value! If anyone is interested in gaining access to Keys of the Universe online support, it would also correlate with Elizabeth's albums (and you'd get a discount for already have the albums). I have detailed scope and sequences, materials lists, a discussion board and private e-mail support for individual albums, or for the whole kit-and-caboodle.
You can choose just the online support; or to also have access to my albums (which is what we call "the course", within which I have made minor modifications here and there and added a few additional sections to meet typical local standards).
But everyone who reads this post: DO read the theory albums for both primary and elementary! It is truly worth it!
:)
Hi Jessica! I cant tell you how VERY helpful reading the theroy album was! I really dont know if I could have gotten it if I didnt read it! Without understanding the changes between the primary and the elementary, I think that it is easy to focus on the materials as opposed to the cosimic part of their education! It has changed everything for me and it has really given me the confidence to do this! It would be so much easier to go with a workbook for much of this, but the Montessori work becomes more then information. It becomes a part of them and will stick with them longer! I havent written a whole post about the theroy ablum, but I did write one that was my thoughts while I was reading it, but I dont have one that is only about the theroy! Thanks for the idea! I love that you also offer a whole course for people who want to know more! If it were in the budget, I woudl sign up myself! Thanks again for your support!
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI am trying to order her albums. How often does she answer her email?
Hmmmm....I dont know. I talked to her within a coupld of days. I hope you reach her! They are worth it!
DeleteWhat are your thoughts on her primary albums?
ReplyDelete