text:
A game for two people, or play online. Given a target number, say 23, and a range of numbers to choose from, say 1-4, players take it in turns to add to the running total to hit their target.
Play this game and see if you can figure out the computer's chosen number.
A collection of games on the NIM theme
Can you explain the strategy for winning this game with any target?
Start with any number of counters in any number of piles. 2 players take it in turns to remove any number of counters from a single pile. The loser is the player who takes the last counter.
Given the products of diagonally opposite cells - can you complete this Sudoku?
Got It game for an adult and child. How can you play so that you know you will always win?
Here is a chance to play a version of the classic Countdown Game.
An article for teachers and pupils that encourages you to look at the mathematical properties of similar games.
This article for teachers describes several games, found on the site, all of which have a related structure that can be used to develop the skills of strategic planning.
The aim of the game is to slide the green square from the top right hand corner to the bottom left hand corner in the least number of moves.
To avoid losing think of another very well known game where the patterns of play are similar.
A game for 2 players with similarities to NIM. Place one counter on each spot on the games board. Players take it is turns to remove 1 or 2 adjacent counters. The winner picks up the last counter.
Can you discover whether this is a fair game?
A game for 2 players. Set out 16 counters in rows of 1,3,5 and 7. Players take turns to remove any number of counters from a row. The player left with the last counter looses.
A game for 2 players
Here is a machine with four coloured lights. Can you develop a strategy to work out the rules controlling each light?
Factors and Multiples game for an adult and child. How can you make sure you win this game?
Nim-7 game for an adult and child. Who will be the one to take the last counter?
Can you work out how to win this game of Nim? Does it matter if you go first or second?
A game in which players take it in turns to choose a number. Can you block your opponent?
This article invites you to get familiar with a strategic game called "sprouts". The game is simple enough for younger children to understand, and has also provided experienced mathematicians with. . . .
Some puzzles requiring no knowledge of knot theory, just a careful inspection of the patterns. A glimpse of the classification of knots and a little about prime knots, crossing numbers and. . . .
Players take it in turns to choose a dot on the grid. The winner is the first to have four dots that can be joined to form a square.
A Sudoku with a twist.
Basic strategy games are particularly suitable as starting points for investigations. Players instinctively try to discover a winning strategy, and usually the best way to do this is to analyse. . . .
Add or subtract the two numbers on the spinners and try to complete a row of three. Are there some numbers that are good to aim for?
Some Games That May Be Nice or Nasty for an adult and child. Use your knowledge of place value to beat your opponent.
This is a simple version of an ancient game played all over the world. It is also called Mancala. What tactics will increase your chances of winning?
There are nasty versions of this dice game but we'll start with the nice ones...
A Sudoku with a twist.
A game for two people, who take turns to move the counters. The player to remove the last counter from the board wins.
Four numbers on an intersection that need to be placed in the surrounding cells. That is all you need to know to solve this sudoku.
How good are you at estimating angles?
This is a game for two players. You will need some small-square grid paper, a die and two felt-tip pens or highlighters. Players take turns to roll the die, then move that number of squares in. . . .
A simple game for 2 players invented by John Conway. It is played on a 3x3 square board with 9 counters that are black on one side and white on the other.
Follow-up to the February Game Rules of FEMTO.
Have a go at this game which has been inspired by the Big Internet Math-Off 2019. Can you gain more columns of lily pads than your opponent?
Take turns to place a decimal number on the spiral. Can you get three consecutive numbers?
A simple game of patience which often comes out. Can you explain why?
Spiralling Decimals game for an adult and child. Can you get three decimals next to each other on the spiral before your partner?
This pair of linked Sudokus matches letters with numbers and hides a seasonal greeting. Can you find it?
A game to make and play based on the number line.
Two sudokus in one. Challenge yourself to make the necessary connections.
A game for 2 players. Given an arrangement of matchsticks, players take it is turns to remove a matchstick, along with all of the matchsticks that touch it.
A game for 2 players. Take turns to place a counter so that it occupies one of the lowest possible positions in the grid. The first player to complete a line of 4 wins.
Can you spot the similarities between this game and other games you know? The aim is to choose 3 numbers that total 15.
The computer starts with all the lights off, but then clicks 3, 4 or 5 times at random, leaving some lights on. Can you switch them off again?
A game for 2 or more people, based on the traditional card game Rummy.
A Sudoku with clues as ratios.


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The best kind of snow day is when you can actually play in the snow.
Last week provided a miserable welcome to the new semester. Snow, high winds, and bitter cold meant that the Montessori School of Greater Lafayette was in session for only 20 out of a possible 40 hours over four days. Our staff did its best to maintain communication with the families and those families were very understanding. There were, however, a few questions about how we respond to Indiana's volatile winter weather at MSGL.
The question of the week was "If the weather continues like this, can we expect to continue having so many delays and closures?" The short answer is, "yes." But how are decisions about school delays made? That's a longer answer.
I would have thought this to be a very elementary understanding. Doesn't everyone know when it's too dangerous to take the kids to school? But when I found myself working as MSGL's "Weather Delay Intern" last week, I discovered that many factors contribute to a closing or delay, and they are not always obvious to everyone.
First, there are no hard and fast rules for determining if conditions are too dangerous for school. Everything depends on timing. Temperatures below -12F are a general cut-off if people are going to be outside for more than a few minutes. However, if the roads are clear and the temperatures are on the rise at 8 a.m., then -12F might be acceptable at arrival. High winds could change that, of course. Roads that are clear now may not be clear when morning classes dismiss. Or they might be passable in town, but dangerous out in the country. And all of this has to be considered over the course of our 10-hour day.
MSGL can't follow the determinations of local school districts because they have special considerations - such as bus transportation and a large number of students who walk to school. Generally, MSGL can be in session more frequently than the public schools.
The weather is just one component of a weather-related school delay. Preparation of facilities and the safety of our staff are two others. And our families themselves are an important consideration.
Facilities: The parking lot and sidewalks must be clear of snow and ice before staff and families arrive. Our school is a small, not-for-profit, parent-owned school. A small core of people manage the day-to-day operations of the school and the needs of over 500 people. This is why we rely on a private company to clear the parking lot, sidewalks, and steps of snow and ice. That company serves several other businesses each day AND it needs two hours to clear MSGL after a snow or ice event. As an example, if the snow stops falling at 6 a.m. on a school day and we are third on the list for snow removal, school cannot open at 7:30. The ability of our snow removal contractor to clear our lot and paths before we arrive is a major determinant of our start time.
Cultural Considerations: Another little-known factor is our region's cultural relationship with winter weather. As one parent said, "I grew up in Vermont. We don't cancel school there." Indiana's threshold for tolerating winter weather might be a bit lower than other cold places because we don't see as many snowy days and our street departments are not equipped for a large quantity of snow on a regular basis. And because the majority of the West Lafayette community is made up of faculty or students from Purdue University, we also have a lot of families who come from places with absolutely no snow, ice, or cold temperatures. It can take these families a few snowy days to get the hang of dressing for the weather and driving in it. We are more comfortable with snow than Los Angeles, but less comfortable than Montpelier - and that makes a difference in how we respond to it.
Staff: Teachers and staff need to be able to travel safely and arrive at school before the children. Our staff are dedicated to their jobs and they want to be at school. While it's easy to imagine teachers being excited to have a snow day, the reality is that the majority of our teachers have school-aged children of their own. Just like MSGL families, the teachers have to scramble to get their children safely to school in case of a delay or to arrange other care if public schools cancel and MSGL is in session.
Many of our staff live outside of city limits and travel county roads to get to work, so their ability to arrive safely is always a top priority. Delaying the start of school allows them to get out of their driveways and travel potentially hazardous roads in daylight so they can be here when the families arrive. We could call on substitute teachers to work for staff who cannot make it to school, but our substitute teachers are also home with their children on these days. Operating without adequate staff is not an option so we need to be sure all of our teachers can get to school.
Forecasted weather: Conditions throughout the day, and not just at arrival, need to be considered to determine closures and delays. The weather may be clear at morning arrival, but if incoming snow and/or ice and wind threaten later in the day, staff and children could become stranded at school or out on the roads. The administration must take into account the anticipated timing of dangerous weather and sometimes cancel classes in advance of this weather (even if that bad weather never fully materializes.)
Our early arrival and after school programs are the first to be cancelled because MSGL is a school and not a daycare facility. We do offer before and after-care programs that can function as full-day care for families, but our primary function is that of a school. This means being open during class time from 8:30 - 3:00 takes priority over being open before and after class.
We understand that it is frustrating to wake up to a school delay or cancellation. Our Montessori parents have jobs, commitments, and plans and not being able to leave their children in our care causes real problems for them. That being said, MSGL is a parent-owned school. We were started by parents over 40 years ago and all current MSGL families are the current owners of the school. If you are reading this and you have children enrolled at our school, you are one of the owners of the Montessori School of Greater Lafayette. With that ownership, come some responsibilities.
What can MSGL families do to help?
1. Stay informed - before school and during the day. We announce delays, cancellations, and early dismissals through many different sources. Here is a listing.
2. Offer help, if you can. If you have some time after bringing your child to school on a wintry day, you might:
If possible, we would prefer to be able to control the climate and prepare the outdoor environment as carefully as we prepare our students' learning environments. But the realities of winter weather require our staff and families to be vigilant, flexible, and patient with weather events - and the timing of those events - over which we have no control.
And if you, like me, are curious how the large, public school districts determine delays, this video from Louisville, KY is interesting.
Thanks for reading, ~Heather
Small donations by many children purchased these two refurbished bikes for the Community Christmas Dinner.
UPDATE: We received the following thank-you note from the organizers of the Community Christmas Day Dinner for our donation of two refurbished bicycles. "I wanted to say thank you again. On Christmas Day, we served 2,500+ meals and gave away 472 bikes. A lot of kids had "The Best Christmas Ever" because of people like you!"
We are thrilled to let you know that your donations to the "Buck for a Bike" fundraiser totalled $157.45 towards the purchase of two bikes! Our friends at Virtuous Cycles, 215 N Tenth Street, Lafayette allowed us to choose two bikes even though we only had enough for one, so a huge thanks to them! If you are thinking of buying a bike for yourself or one of your little ones, please check them out. Virtuous Cycles is the source for all of the popular Strider bikes that see constant use on our playground.
On Christmas Day at the Community Christmas Dinner at Lafayette Jefferson High School, two very happy teenagers will receive new bikes. Self-sufficiency and getting around town are developmental needs for adolescents so thank you all for helping to meet that need!
MSGL GIVES BACK in a big way! Gracias! Spasibo! Danke! Xiexie! Grazie! Thank you! Sas Efcharisto! Arigato! Dank u! Shukran!
~ Anita Trent, MSGL Development Director
Children at work in the Montessori Elementary class.
October is observation month at our Montessori school. Now that the classrooms have been up and running for six weeks and the children are mostly adjusted to being away from their parents, we invite the parents to spend 15 minutes in the class just observing to see what their children's days are like. Parents are given a clipboard with an observation sheet that asks some general questions about what they see. After class, the teachers read over the observation sheets and respond to any questions or concerns the parents may have at the upcoming Parent/Teacher Conferences. Observation month is offered again in April.
Parent observations are important to the teachers because they keep us focused on our own observations. "I'm seeing that this child rarely chooses to work by himself. I wonder if his parents will see the same thing? Is that how he is at home or only at school?"
Observations are important to parents because they can serve as an informative window into a child's day. "I didn't realize she had so many friends at school. Does she ever work by herself?"
Observations are also important to the children because every child enjoys when Mom or Dad come to visit. "Mom's at MY school watching ME work??? Awesome!" Being a part of your child's day promotes good feelings and almost guarantees terrific dinner conversation.
Children at work in a Montessori preprimary classroom.
So what can you expect during your in-class observation?
Children working in the Montessori toddler classroom.
Sign up for an observation time outside your child's classroom. We look forward to seeing all of our parents in our classrooms!
Miss Emily tries out a science experiment during the Teachers' Silent Journey and Discovery.
Have you ever wished you could experience Montessori through a child's eyes? We would like to offer you the next best thing. Please join us on Monday, September 22nd from 6:00 - 7:30 pm on the MSGL campus for the Montessori Silent Journey and Discovery. This is your opportunity to see the classrooms as your children do and to use the same materials they use to develop their bodies, minds, and spirits.
The Montessori Silent Journey and Discovery will take you on two guided tours of the school, starting as an infant and progressing through the Toddler, Preprimary, Extended Day, and Elementary classes. The first tour is silent. Your tour group will spend 5 minutes in each room looking at - but not touching - the classroom environment and the various materials. After the first tour, your guide will once again take you to each of the classrooms, but this tour will be the Discovery portion when you can use the materials, ask questions of the guides and teachers, and take part in the teachers' presentations. We will wrap up the Montessori Silent Journey and Discovery by gathering together for refreshments and discussion afterwards.
Miss Stacie presents the Squaring Chains.
We are very excited to offer this new parent education event and we highly recommend it for all new families and anyone who would like a hands-on experience in our Montessori classrooms. This is also a nice tour for grandparents and caregivers. The teachers practiced the Silent Journey and Discovery in August and really enjoyed the experience. You can read about one parent's experience with a Montessori Silent Journey and Discovery on the I Heart Montessori blog.
Childcare is available for children ages 2 and older who are currently attending MSGL or familiar with MSGL. All of our teachers will be on hand for this special evening and we look forward to seeing you there, too!
Please register for this fun event and sign up for childcare in the office or by phone by this Friday, September 19th.
A child explores the knobbed cylinders.
"Gradually the children begin to concentrate. One day one child, another day two or three children. After they have concentrated the children are different. They become detached and work for themselves. The disorderly children begin to love order. They all become so orderly that disorder is an extraordinary thing." - Maria Montessori, The Child, Society, and the World
"Gradually the children begin to concentrate. One day one child, another day two or three children. After they have concentrated the children are different. They become detached and work for themselves. The disorderly children begin to love order. They all become so orderly that disorder is an extraordinary thing." - Maria Montessori, The Child, Society, and the World
"Normalized" is the word Maria Montessori coined to describe children in their natural state. She believed that a "normal" child is one who is able to focus on activities that interest him and, through these experiences, he constructs his personality. A normalized classroom is one in which the children interact peacefully while exploring activities that introduce them to the world. Montessori described a normalized classroom this way,
"A room in which all the children move about usefully, intelligently, and voluntarily, without commiting any rough or rude act, would seem to be a classroom very well disciplined indeed." - The Montessori Method.
"A room in which all the children move about usefully, intelligently, and voluntarily, without commiting any rough or rude act, would seem to be a classroom very well disciplined indeed." - The Montessori Method.
At the beginning of the year, Montessori Toddler and Preprimary classrooms are far from normalized. Some children shout, wander the room, and maybe even throw objects or dump materials on the floor. There is crying and spilling. Messes are made and not cleaned up. Disagreements arise. Those first few weeks can be wild, indeed! In traditional educational methods, teachers might respond to these behaviors with reprimands and punishments. In Montessori classrooms, the teachers respond with redirection to purposeful work.
For example, when a new three-year-old is wandering the room and disturbing the work of others, a teacher will take him by the hand and present a new material to him. If he has shown an interest in counting then we might present the Hanging Bead Stair. When this work is completed, we assist him in finding another activity that calls to him.
While polishing the sailboat, a child tunes out everythiing else around him.
Whatever the activity the child is redirected to, the aim is always the same: to develop concentration. Concentration is the key to a child's natural development and all learning takes place in a state of concentration. We can think of ourselves in our adult lives to get a better understanding. When you need to study for your GRE exam, what do you do? Do you head to a busy shopping mall to work on your laptop in the food court with your friends, or do you choose a quiet place? If you need to paint a room in your home, do you do it in the afternoon when the children are busy around your feet or do you save it for those glorious, quiet mornings when they are at school? Adults relish those moments when they can concentrate and really focus on their work without interruption. Children also relish those moments, but they must first know what concentration feels like.
This is what a Montessori classroom does: it provides an environment where children are free to concentrate - without interruption - on work that is essential to their development. A child who is excited and distracted by all the activity around him will transform into a peaceful, thoughtful individual when he is able to concentrate on a work he enjoys. Because concentrating and being in control of his body feels better than thrashing around wildly and causing mayhem, he continues to seek out other activities that allow him to feel this way.
Since concentration is the ultimate goal of every activity in our classroom, we are reverent of it when it appears and we do not interrupt it for any reason. If all learning occurs during a state of concentration, it would be illogical to interrupt a child's concentration in an attempt to "teach" her something. Corrections, points of interest, fixing a lock of hair that has fallen over her eye, picking up the pencil that rolled off the table, reminding her to wash her forgotten snack plate - we must do none of these things. In fact, when a child begins to concentrate on an activity, our job is to quietly step away and behave as though we are not in the room.
"The great principle which brings success to the teacher is this: as soon as concentration has begun, act as if the child does not exist. Naturally, one can see what he is doing with a quick glance, but without his being aware of it." - Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
"The great principle which brings success to the teacher is this: as soon as concentration has begun, act as if the child does not exist. Naturally, one can see what he is doing with a quick glance, but without his being aware of it." - Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
Dressing the baby doll and fastening its clothes requires great concentration. Some children choose this activity nearly every day.
Eventually, in a few weeks or even months, the classroom has been transformed from a noisy, chaotic scene into a peaceful, happy place to learn and play. We have seen this transformation begin in our classrooms. The children are beginning to put their belongings in their lockers and walk quietly into their classrooms. They greet their friends warmly, but not loudly. They choose work, complete the work, and put it away when they are finished. They choose to work with a friend or by themselves. They tap us on the shoulder when they have a question. They pour their own water for snack and wash their dishes when finished. They use the toilet without assistance (although assistance is always available.) They are also preparing to read, write, and count to 1000 - but when you are a young child, those accomplishments are of secondary importance compared to the ability to control one's body and interact peacefully with friends.
Your children always benefit from opportunities to concentrate on an activity. You can provide these opportunities at home by providing space and, most importantly, time for them to focus on just one thing. Maybe painting with watercolors, washing the breakfast dishes, watering the plants outside, looking at the spider web by the front door - let her look and explore for as long as she wishes. Be available to answer questions, but don't obey your urge to jump in and explain everything you've ever heard about spiders or tell her all about color theory. Let her concentrate and formulate her own ideas and questions. When her curiosity is satisfied and she is ready to turn her attention elsewhere, you may notice that she looks refreshed and relaxed. This is a sign that she is learning and making new connections in her brain! Dr. Montessori observed that, "The child who concentrates is immensely happy."
Do you have a story about concentration from your life or your child's life you would like to share in the comments below? We would love to hear about it.
May you find yourself concentrating and immensely happy in the week ahead. Thanks for reading.
~ Heather
Following Friends to Physics
Free play and building with logs and boards is a realistic way to explore physics concepts. MSGL has an outdoor space that allows for more than just "recess." Outside time is not a chance to get away from the classroom, it's an opportunity for children to use their whole bodies to learn and, most importantly, have fun with friends.
On Thursday, a quartet of boys was getting very silly in the back corner of our Montessori classroom. They were speaking with outside voices and using all available paper to make pretend swords so they could have a pretend swordfight. When I tried to redirect them, they asked to make paper airplanes and see whose would fly the farthest. Although Montessori teachers are known for their flexibility and laid-back grooviness, I could not condone sword-fighting and airplane-flying during class on this, only the second full week of preschool. What would people say?
I empathized with these friends because they wanted to play together and needed to actively move their bodies, but it was still 30 minutes before we (read: I) could even think about going outside where this type of gross-motor play was appropriate. They took a half-hearted interest in another activity and I sat at a table nearby to observe. When they realized I was there to stay, they started putting away their work and chanting with dead eyes and sad voices, "No more fun. No more fun. No more fun." It would seem I had officially become "the man." They went to the other side of the room to build a tower with the brown stair and the pink cubes and within minutes, they were using the smallest brown stair as a lever to launch the smallest pink cube across the rug. Clearly, they were trying to tell me something.
What these boys wanted was action. They are perfectly willing to come in each morning and work on their maps or practice writing their names, but after a time they really want to make things move. And it's not just the boys, of course. Girls thrive on kinesthetic learning activities and they are usually the first to line up to walk across the log seesaw.
In fact, all young children are kinesthetic learners. Most mature into adolescents who can learn successfully through watching and listening, but not all. As long ago as 1979, researchers studying how humans learn understood this:
"Restak (1979) and others have indicated that many students do not become strongly visual before third grade, that auditory acuity first develops in many students after the sixth grade, and that boys often are neither strongly visual nor auditory even during high school. Therefore, since most young children are tactual and kinesthetic learners, such resources should be developed and used, particularly for those who are experiencing difficulty learning through lectures, direct verbal instructions, "chalk talks," and textbook assignments."- See the full article at Education.com
"Restak (1979) and others have indicated that many students do not become strongly visual before third grade, that auditory acuity first develops in many students after the sixth grade, and that boys often are neither strongly visual nor auditory even during high school. Therefore, since most young children are tactual and kinesthetic learners, such resources should be developed and used, particularly for those who are experiencing difficulty learning through lectures, direct verbal instructions, "chalk talks," and textbook assignments."- See the full article at Education.com
No one is suggesting that preschoolers should be taught through lectures, but sometimes society (or maybe our high school principal's voice in the back of our head) worries us into thinking that if we don't make our children sit down, concentrate, and learn - how will they ever be successful in school or the Real World that supposedly comes after?
Parents sometimes ask, "When will you teach him to sit still and listen to the teacher?" The answer is that he will sit still and listen when what I am saying is of interest to him. It's my job to find the topic that is so fascinating to the child that he can't help but hold his body still so as to not miss a single word. A teacher's job is to be fascinating; but only until the child is so interested in the subject that he sets off to explore it on his own. At that point, the teacher observes and prepares for the child's next question then guides him to find the answers on his own. (Please note: Matters of health, safety, and courtesy are always addressed immediately. No one in the classroom has the freedom to hurt themselves or to hurt or disrupt others.)
Maria Montessori observed that not only do young children learn kinesthetically, they absolutely MUST learn this way for proper brain development.
"Movement, or physical activity, is thus an essential factor in intellectual growth, which depends upon the impressions received from outside. Through movement we come in contact with external reality, and it is through these contacts that we eventually acquire even abstract ideas." - The Secret of Childhood
"Movement, or physical activity, is thus an essential factor in intellectual growth, which depends upon the impressions received from outside. Through movement we come in contact with external reality, and it is through these contacts that we eventually acquire even abstract ideas." - The Secret of Childhood
So, as a good teacher who believes in a research-based approach to education, I am obligated to consider the kinesthetic learning style of my preschool students. I am also obligated to follow a child's interests because a child who is studying something she is interested in, as opposed to an externally-imposed curriculum, is much more likely to retain that information and build connections in her brain. So why were we still inside the classroom and NOT outside studying the physics of flight and simple machines? Because I didn't know they were interested until Thursday. But now I do.
As a result, my assistant and I will be following our 3, 4, and 5-year-olds into the action-packed world of physics this week starting with the simple lever. We will spend a little extra time outside on the log seesaw for some major gross motor exploration, then we will scale down the kinesthetic experience to make smaller levers inside the classroom using blocks, rulers, pennies, rocks, and pompoms. We will introduce the appropriate words such as "load", "effort", and "fulcrum" and we will figure out how many pennies it takes the raise the rock load. I will do my best to be fascinating. There may be squeals of joy and pompoms flying through the air, but no more "No more fun."
Thanks for reading,
Grace's first day of Montessori preschool, 1997.
Last summer, my 19-year-old daughter was getting ready to move into her first apartment. I was excited for her to have the chance to live on her own and had been setting aside household items that I thought she could use. One day, after admiring the "steal" of a chair I had found at Goodwill, she asked me, "Aren't you sad that I won't live here anymore?"
"Well, honey," I said, "I always imagined that you would grow up and move out of the house. That was our goal all along for you to be an independent, self-sufficient person."
"I know," she said. "But I'm kind of sad that I won't be sleeping here anymore."
I reminded her that she had hardly slept at home at all since she started college last year. She lived in the dorm, four hours away from home and we often didn't hear from her for days.
"Yeah, but this is different. I just can't believe this won't be my home address anymore. Are you going to change the garage door code?"
A-ha! Then I figured it out. She was worried about cutting the cord from the house where she grew up. I had been concerning myself with making sure she was comfortable "out there" and she was worried she would no longer be welcome back at home.
It occurred to me that not much has changed between that day and the day sixteen years ago when we were preparing to send her to preschool here at the Montessori School of Greater Lafayette. Back then we were so excited to help our "baby" pick out a new lunch box and indoor shoes but we had little idea what to do to help prepare her (or ourselves) emotionally for this new chapter. She sailed through preschool and is now working through nursing school just fine, but we have learned a lot since then. Today I am sharing some tips and advice gathered from teachers and parents here at MSGL to help you and your child prepare for the first days of preschool.
Talk about school - mindfully.
Talk with your child about preschool when he is in the mood. Maybe he will bring it up or you can start the conversation, just don't push too hard. If your child seems "done" with the conversation or is becoming anxious, let the topic drop until later. And be honest about your feelings when you do talk about school. Some children worry that their parents will be sad or lonely when they are gone. When you say, "I am going to miss being with you in the morning, but it makes me happy to know you will be enjoying yourself at school," it lets him know that you will miss him but you are confident that school is a good place for him to be.
Check out the new environment.
MSGL's Parent Work Day is Saturday, August 16th. This is a great time to get familiar with the school and classroom environments and to be part of the school community. Children are encouraged to help clean lockers, pull weeds, and load and unload wheelbarrows full of mulch right alongside their parents and new classmates. And, each family member's time counts towards your volunteer hours requirement.
You will have another opportunity to get familiar with the school when your child attends her New Student Orientation visit on Monday, August 18th. This is her first opportunity to see her teachers and classmates in her new classroom. She can put her indoor shoes in her locker, locate her cubby and extra clothes box, and see where the bathroom is. The whole family can attend the Parent Orientation later that evening and maybe your child can give a tour of her new classroom.
Make new friends.
You will receive a class list via email in August. Consider contacting a few families on the list to set up a playdate before school starts. Even if you can't get together with any other families, you and your child can look over the names on the list together. You may discover that one of his classmates lives on your street or maybe someone has the same name as a sibling or a friend.
Help her dress for success.
Our Montessori classrooms are prepared to encourage your child's independence and you can help by providing your child with shoes and clothing that she can put on and take off by herself. Belts, suspenders, and jumpsuits look smart but they can be difficult for your child to use successfully. Provide your child a choice of clothing that allows her complete independence in her self-care routines. And please remember that preschool is a time to jump in and explore. Paint, snack, sand, and dirt from the garden can stain your child's clothing, so please send her to school in clothes that can stand to get dirty.
Plan a morning routine.
Now is a good time to do a mental run-through of your morning routine. Consider how much time your child needs to wake up, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Allow time for packing lunches, finding coats and shoes, and getting on the bike or in the car. Then add a few extra minutes. Parents and children who are not in a rush tend to have much better experiences at drop-off. Some families even do a few "practice runs" in the summer to see if they can get to school and work on time.
Create a goodbye routine.
Discuss with your child how you each want to say goodbye at drop-off. Some families say, "After you put on your inside shoes and put away your lunch box, we will walk to the classroom and I will give you three hugs and two kisses before I go to work." Some children like to wave to dad out the window and some parents leave their children with specific plans for what they will do after school. "Sonia is picking you up today" or "we are going to the Farmer's Market on our bikes after school today." Children have so little control over their daily lives that they appreciate at least knowing what is happening and when.
And while we're talking about goodbyes, let's take just a moment to consider the specter of separation anxiety.
What if my child cries when I walk away?
Separating from your child that first time can be heart-breaking, but remember - it's only for a few moments. The majority of children who are sad when they separate from their parents are able to calm themselves and choose an activity within a few minutes. If you have gone through the goodbye routine and are finding it hard to turn around and walk away, ask your teacher for help. Sometimes parents say, "Please help me. I need to leave." That is the teacher's sign that she needs to hold your child's hand or pick her up so that you can walk away. Teachers don't want to step in before you are ready to go but they are happy to help when you ask them.
The best thing you can do for your child at drop-off is to be consistent and walk away when you say you will. Lingering tends to just prolong the heartache for the parent and the child. The first few times you drop your child off may be difficult, but trust that with consistent repetition you and your child will develop a peaceful good-bye routine.
Talk with the teachers.
Talk with your child's teachers about how the adjustment period is going. The teachers help dozens of children adjust to school every year but this may be your first time. They expect you will have questions and concerns. Email is a great way to communicate with your child's teachers and all of the contact information is available on the classroom web page at Msgl.org.
Help your child talk about his day.
If this is the first time your child has been away from home you will no doubt be very eager to know what he did all day. Unfortunately, preschoolers often say they "did nothing" or "just played." A lot of things happened between the time you dropped him off that morning and when you picked him up several hours later, but he might not yet be able to give a sequential list of his activities. Here are some ideas to help your child tell you about his day.
Take care of yourself!
The best thing you can do during these last few weeks of summer is to give you and your child the gift of a regular bedtime that allows enough sleep to wake up refreshed and ready for the big days ahead. Fill up with a good breakfast each morning and be extra patient with your child and especially with yourself. Parenting preschoolers, like college students, is hard work and there is no right way to do it. Follow your heart and follow your child, and in sixteen years, or so, you will be very proud of the people you have both become.
MSGL Summer Camp is open to Preschoolers through 1st Graders who are currently enrolled or recent alumni and while it is a really great time for all of those kids who have been here before, it is especially helpful for children new to MSGL and for the toddlers who are graduating to preschool. For these children, Summer Camp is the perfect way to ease into the routines of preschool and to set the stage for a successful start in August.
The absolute best part of being a Montessori directress - or ANY teacher, anywhere, I imagine - is watching the children develop and grow. We spend time with your children each day, observing and guiding them, and we get to see them just as they are in that moment. And what they are, as Grace Harvey says, is "totes amazeballs" (totally amazing). They grow in strength, wisdom, and courage right before our very eyes.
Today I will just speak to their courage because courage is the thing that gets your child through his or her day without you. In more stuffy circles it might be called confidence, but when you are only 28 inches tall and mom or dad just drove out of the parking lot, you've got to be brave to pull yourself together, to turn to face that great big green space filled with people you don't know and sally forth through the rest of your morning.
Maya Angelou said, "Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistenly without courage." During last week's Summer Camp, there were many examples of children developing their courage and I will share a few.
During Friday's Bike Day, a 4-year-old friend who enthusiastically embraces everything at school stopped his bike right at my toes, looked out at the cars going by on Sagamore Parkway, and said, "I miss my dad and my mom. And my little brother. And our dog. And they are missing me, too." I listened and commiserated and soon he took off speeding around the course. His courage waned for only a moment then he got back on his bike.
The 5-year-olds are totally courageous (one might even say fearless) out on the bike course and they consider their turn during Bike Day to be a race even though there is no starting line and no trophies. As they put on their helmets, their talk is all about who will win. When D missed his turn to ride with his fellow 4-year-olds, he got to ride with the 5's (a truly courageous decision) alonside his big brother. After the race, D was a little upset that he didn't "win." His big brother reassured him, "No, you DID win, D! Did you see all those people going by you? That's because you won!" (Just a note: We have a lot of siblings at camp this year and even though we know sibling rivalry is a real thing, you couldn't tell by watching these brothers and sisters interact at school. Whether it's inviting a little sister to play or feeding a little brother apples during snack, your children take good care of each other when they are away from mom and dad.)
The exploding paint activity required all different types of bravery, especially from the teachers. For this activity, the children put a scoop of baking soda and some colored vinegar in a plastic baggie, sealed it and shook it up before throwing it on the ground to watch it explode. If there was no explosion the child could take a pin-puncher and pop the bag. Loud noises, spraying liquids - it's not an experiment for the timid.
Courage hung thick in the air under the willow tree on Friday as children experimented with the log seesaw. Little ones who started out holding our hands as they walked the length of the log until it dropped to the ground were able to do it by themselves after seven or eight attempts. One group of brave 5 and 6-year-old girls inspired their younger sisters and friends to walk the seesaw and soon there there were eight girls waiting in line for a turn. These are some of the same girls who regularly show others how to draw pictures of princesses and fairies in the classroom. For me, this experience was a reminder that when we worry that a child is "only drawing" or "only playing" it's time to take a break and get a cup of coffee while the children follow their interests.
Maria Montessori observed that by using their senses and their big, beautiful brains, children can naturally learn everything they need to about their world. All they need is a caring community of adults to prepare an environment where that learning can occur. She described it this way, "The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences."
MSGL provides such an environment in our classrooms and on our beautiful campus that has been created by you and other parents like you. When you bring your child to Summer Camp next week or to Preschool this fall, you are allowing her to bravely conduct her own experiences apart from you. And that requires real courage from both of you.
See you soon!
What are "Indoor" Shoes?
MSGL students get to play outside every day that the weather allows. This means their shoes can get wet and muddy. To avoid tracking that dirt onto the carpet, we ask that you provide your child with one pair of shoes to wear inside the classroom. These shoes will stay at school.
Your child will probably change outdoor shoes with the seasons - from sandals to sneakers to snow boots - but indoor shoes can stay the same all year. Walking around in the classroom with bare feet is not allowed, so a comfy pair of shoes that the child enjoys wearing is a must.
Below are some good examples of indoor shoes that work well for the children. These styles of shoes keep a child's foot dry from spills, are non-slip, stay attached to the foot, and they allow the child to get them on and off by themselves.
Below are some examples of indoor shoes that DO NOT work well for the children. Slippers are not water-resistant and they can be difficult to walk in. If a child has not yet learned to tie, shoes with laces can be impossible for a child to get on and off by himself. Please save these types of shoes to wear at home.
If you want to be sure your child's belongings find their way home, you can order personalized labels for shoes, clothing, lunch boxes, and etc. online. This year, we are partnering with Mabel's Labels for a handy fundraiser. During August and September, 2015, you can buy labels and MSGL will receive a percentage of your purchase price.
Your thoughtfulness when shopping for indoor shoes will help put your child on the path to independence. Thank you!
Bunny the Guinea pig came to us when her family decided to adopt an actual rabbit, sometime around 2010. She was the much-loved and snuggled River Birch class pet until her death last week while the children were on summer vacation.
Bunny didn't really like to move around very much. She was content to sit in her well-appointed enclosure and munch on carrots and timothy hay. The children were allowed to pet her, brush her, and feed her as long as they were gentle and respectful. She sat in a box on their laps in the green chair and they could pet her with one finger or two.
Bunny never required medical care, but she did get a few check-ups.
Bunny tolerated being brushed, especially if she had a sweet apple core to keep her occupied. She really loved spring and summer when she could get fresh lettuce from the school garden.
Bunny was peaceful, quiet, and - did I mention - tolerant? She only nibbled a couple of fingers but we are sure she was just testing to see if they were carrots.
Thank you for remembering Bunny with us, today. She is certainly going to be missed.
Seen outside Globe Willow class: "I wish this was a boring school and it was longer so I can finish my work."
Happy birthday! Two of the four Wyandotte chicks have hatched in the Birch room. Stop by before or after class to meet them.
What did your child do at preschool today? You can try asking, but often they will say they did nothing or they "played." The most common question I receive from parents is, "How can I know he is doing anything at school? He never tells me anything and his cubby has been empty for days."
Please believe me, your child is doing something. A lot of stuff, actually. But he may not remember "doing" anything at all that day. And his accomplishments often cannot be held in the hand or seen with the eye at pick-up time. If he could tell you, it might sound like this:
I concentrated today!
When someone asked to play with me, I said yes.
I looked at the caterpillars in the jar - for a very long time. Then my teacher read me a book about butterflies. Twice. Because I asked.
I sat next to a friend who was labeling the lifecycle of the frog. I handed her the labels and helped her match them. I got her a paper towel when her fingers were gluey.
When everyone was talking about bees I told them, "Bumblebees don't sting. Only honey bees sting. Bumblebees just bumble." Everyone agreed with me.
I looked at a real chicken egg and a real duck egg. I said the duck egg was bigger.
I used the very heavy tortilla press to make playdough tortillas. My friends helped and we laughed. None of us pinched our fingers.
I compromised about sitting in the comfy chair.
I served myself a snack, ate it politely alongside my friends, and cleaned up after myself.
I felt sad - just for a little bit - because I missed my mom.
I noticed that the lizard's food bowl was empty and cut some lettuce for him.
I waited for a turn on the orange bike.
I heard that a friend is going to Korea for the summer and I gave him a hug to say goodbye.
A preschooler's greatest and most important work often doesn't have any external product to show for it. Having and being a friend, acting out of kindness, demonstrating patience and self-control, taking care of oneself, feeling satisfied with a job well done - these things are all internalized. The children in our classrooms build their character and their understanding of the world every day, but they can't always verbalize it. They are doing so much challenging work! But they do not yet see their actions and successes as separate from themselves.
After a sunflower seed sprouts in the garden we might notice as the stem grows taller, but we cannot see the acts of photosynthesis and respiration and transpiration that take place every single day. The sunflower plant continues to do its work converting sunlight to sugars and sugars to fuel - the internal work of living - whether we take notice or not. Then, one day it blooms and we look at it and say, "Finally!"
Maria Montessori believed that the child reveals himself through his work, not through his outwardly visible successes and accomplishments. Every experience he has is internalized and becomes a part of his very being. She put it this way, "The things he sees are not just remembered; they form a part of his soul."
Stories from their day and recorded work, like the blooms of a sunflower, are parts of the child we can see and they might be pleasing to us, but they are only the product of a monumental amount of internal work. So please don't worry when your child says she did nothing all day. Nothing to grown-ups can be everything in the life of a child.
Lots of peace, lots of love ~ Heather
"The only language men ever speak perfectly is the one they learn in babyhood, when no one can teach them anything!" - Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
The Spinosaurus
Perhaps you like listening to and collecting phrases like I do. Our Montessori classrooms are great theaters for listening. Three, four, and five-year-olds are intensely thoughtful and they tell us so much about themselves just by talking with their friends.
This week I had the pleasure of working in the Willow, River Birch, and Canoe Birch classes and I collected as many fabulous phrases from the children as I could. The words are theirs, the spelling is mine.
On being the first to arrive... "The only time I'm not first is when Mommy brings me. Daddy is faster than Mommy."
"Frogs lay eggs, right? Butterflies lay eggs, right?"
"I had my birthday before my brother's."
"Our grandpa makes a Donald Duck sound."
While drawing dinosaurs with friends... "It's a Spinosaurus. It's the biggest carnivore on land and it's name means lizard. It reaches in the water just a little bit and snatches a fish with it's crocodile long snout."
"A drobeosaurus has toe claws and it goes 25 miles an hour."
A different dinosaur friend... "It runs 100 and 90 hours. He has a bunch of blood in his body. It's called Spinadoctora Hundreds."
"At my house I have five lipsticks. No, six."
A child was looking for a bike to ride on the playground. I asked, "I see that blue bike is available. Would you like to ride that one?" "No! he said. "I just fell off that one."
"I'm trying to sing Let it Go, in German, but it's too hard." (The children in one class burst into singing "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen at least six times in one morning:)
"Being in the sun is so much fun."
"Will you do something interesting?"
I like to listen to teachers, as well. I overheard a few of them talking about the possibility of having a couple of chickens at school and which type might be best suited to be Montessori chickens.
"They're good egg layers, the Wyandotte's. "And they're peaceful."
"I am concerned about them getting upset and flying up into the pine tree."
"There is a 100% chance of them getting upset."
Wyandotte chick
May all your chickens be peaceful as you enjoy some fun in the sun this holiday weekend.
~ Heather
Thanks to the timeless quality of Montessori materials, it seems that only the faces have changed in these photos from MSGL classrooms in 2000.
It's a genuine Polaroid photo and the genuine Mr. Jeff presenting abstract computations with the Stamp Game.
We still use the same dishwashing stands in the classroom today.
Miss Chloe has been preparing the environment at MSGL for a long time.
The Unifix Cubes are not a Montessori material but they allow for counting, sorting, color recognition, and provide a clear control of error.
It just feels good to put the colored pencils in their matching holders.
Taking the spindles out of the boxes reinforces the counting activity used to put them in - and it builds concentration.
Two friends can work together on the Teen Boards. They are matching the quantity with the symbol and witing the numerals.
Using scissors is classified as a language activity because it builds hand-eye coordination and strengthens the hand muscles required for writing.
A comfy chair is better when it's big enough for two.
And finally, what is Steve building?
I hope that was as fun for you as it was for me! Have a warm and wonderful Wednesday. ~Heather
Let's recap our Building MSGL series on Wayback Wednesday. Montessori Parents, Inc. purchased the Calvary Baptist Church on Soldiers Home Road in 1999. Demolition of the interior began in September, 2000. Now it's December, 2000 and the stud walls are in place so that wiring, plumbing, and drywall work can begin.
Looking toward the Oak Room in Building B.
Standing in Catalpa looking through the wall into the Oak Room.
Looking out the door of the Maple Room into the office hallway.
Here's the view walking in the office door.
Here's that same view just a couple of months later.
This is the Maple Room looking toward the stairs.
This is the Willow Room looking toward the kitchen area.
And here is the Spruce Room filled with drywall supplies.
The Harvey & Son Construction crew. Steve, Don, Nolan, and Tony working over Thanksgiving Break.
That's all for this week. Have a terrific Wednesday!
It's been a long week for everyone at MSGL and it's only Wednesday. The roots of our beloved river birch tree, which shaded the sandbox for more than 10 years, finally overtook the sewage pipe coming from Building A. The tree was cut down, the sandbox was dug up, and the lovely pergola that Ron Stier designed and built to shade the children has been dismantled. This is the sight today as workers remove roots and begin to repair the pipe. As luck would have it, we received 3 inches of snow this morning so classes were cancelled.
It's not a pretty sight right now on the playground. (Photo by Tony Harvey)
Yesterday, we said goodbye to the river birch tree.
The river birch comes down, one limb at a time. (Photo by Lena Atkinson)
But this is Wayback Wednesday and we have to go way back. So let's take a look back at how we got here. This is the sandbox under construction in 2001. The river birch was planted later that year. It probably seemed like a really good idea at the time.
2001 - Sandbox under construction.
Two years later the children are enjoying the new sandbox. The birch tree is wrapped in black at top left.
Miss Sherry and friends enjoy the shade of the river birch and the pergola during summer camp in 2010.
And here is a nice photo of the whole area from Summer, 2011.
Certainly one of the most popular areas in our outdoor classroom, the sandbox is going to be sorely missed until it can be reconstructed. But even as we lament this loss, it's good to remember that things could be worse. Back in September, 2007, this was the view outside of Building A.
2007 - Old toilets being removed during demolition of Building A.
Take heart, friends. The water will soon be flowing in Building A and children will once again play in a shady sandbox. And Spring is only eight days away. Have the best possible Wednesday!
This week's installment of Building MSGL focuses on the work of the jackhammer, a tool that was put to much use during the first few months of the construction project. Lots of concrete had to be broken up and hauled away so we could remodel the buildings and install new steps and sidewalks.
Tony Harvey breaks up concrete in Building B to make space for new plumbing for sinks and bathrooms. This was one of his least favorite days of the entire 6-month project.
Looking at Building A as the concrete demolition gets underway.
Later that day, it looked like this. Watch that first step - it's a doozy.
Don Harvey and Craig Lamb prepare to take out the upstairs landing.
As the demolition continued, it became apparent that the light-duty jackhammer they had been using was not going to cut through some of the steps. One parent volunteer took a look at the slow progress they were making and set off to find a better solution. Half and hour later he pulled in with a trailer-mounted mobile air compressor and a much more powerful jackhammer. Tony Harvey said that was a real game-changer for this phase of the project.
"We had a little jackhammer that you could plug into an outlet in an airplane bathroom," he joked. "This parent came back with a rig that looked like Iron Man built it. When we flipped the switch on the big one you could see lights flicker in the apartments across the street," he said, once again, joking. "We had been working all day on those steps and in just 20 minutes with the big hammer, they were dust."
The old steps are broken up to make way for the new stairs/ramp that will lead into the upstairs hallway in Building A.
Just for fun, I am including before, during, and after photos from Building A so we can admire the progress from an old church basment entry to a modern, ADA-compliant school entrance.
During demolition.
Here it is with the concrete walls freshly poured.
Here, the railings are being installed.
And here it is that first summer, looking quite lovely.
Thanks for joining me in the wayback. Have a super Wednesday!
"No matter what we touch, an atom, or a cell, we cannot explain it without knowledge of the wide universe."
- Maria Montessori, 1948, To Educate the Human Potential
The Elementary students present their space projects in these photos from 2000 - 2001.
Stay warm out there and have a terrific Wednesday!
- Thanks to Jennifer Tyrrell for this guest post. Jennifer is a Montessori teacher who worked in the Spruce Toddler class at MSGL from 2003 - 2005.
One of the arguments I hear most often when I'm describing Montessori is that the open workspace—in particular the freedom to move around, to work where you do best for a specific task, and the ability to make a snack when you like—is not properly preparing children for the realities of life or the workforce: at some point they will have to learn to stay at their desk and do their work like everyone else. I think my husband's workplace shows the opposite to be true.
My husband Jeremiah took the family to visit his "office" in Cummins's COM building. Cummins is a well-known, large, international, Fortune 500 company that makes diesel engines, and they've recently built this COM building in their Columbus, Indiana, headquarters with a "collaborative workspace" design. They have converted several spaces in other buildings to this open style, as well. With this collaborative workspace, departments are located on the same floor, as much as possible. Though employees can work wherever they like on any floor, they are encouraged to work amongst their department's floor.
He showed us his locker (hook and cubby) with a couple drawers for his personal items and work laptop (each employee is given one as their primary work tool), and a thin cabinet for his coat and outerwear. Then we walked around a huge floor with areas that have a variety of tables, some standing height, some for chairs; other areas with couches and coffee tables; other more intimate areas with armchairs and footstools (Jeremy's favorite). A couple of kitchenettes with long counters and stools (snack tables) are located centrally with no walls enclosing them. There are cabinets (shelves) that divide some places and contain files and materials for everyone to access.
There are even treadmills with laptop spaces and hookups for those who need movement as they work (they are calibrated for walking, not running . . . we walk in the workplace :) There are walls to divide the elevators and small conference rooms (which can be used and reserved by any employee), but other than those areas, there are no rooms, no "offices", no cubicles, it is all shared space: managers working amongst underlings. It looks like, well . . . a grown-up Montessori classroom :)
They are doing this to encourage collaborative problem solving and to make the workday more pleasant so that Cummins continues to retain younger employees. Please share with anyone who questions the appropriateness of Montessori's open workspace. :)
You can read a news article about more of the company's redesigned workspaces see additional photos, here.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
Thanks to the timeless quality of Montessori materials, it seems that only the faces have changed in these photos from MSGL classrooms in 2000.
It's a genuine Polaroid photo and the genuine Mr. Jeff presenting abstract computations with the Stamp Game.
We still use the same dishwashing stands in the classroom today.
Miss Chloe has been preparing the environment at MSGL for a long time.
The Unifix Cubes are not a Montessori material but they allow for counting, sorting, color recognition, and provide a clear control of error.
It just feels good to put the colored pencils in their matching holders.
Taking the spindles out of the boxes reinforces the counting activity used to put them in - and it builds concentration.
Two friends can work together on the Teen Boards. They are matching the quantity with the symbol and witing the numerals.
Using scissors is classified as a language activity because it builds hand-eye coordination and strengthens the hand muscles required for writing.
A comfy chair is better when it's big enough for two.
And finally, what is Steve building?
I hope that was as fun for you as it was for me! Have a warm and wonderful Wednesday. ~Heather
- Thanks to Jennifer Tyrrell for this guest post. Jennifer is a Montessori teacher who worked in the Spruce Toddler class at MSGL from 2003 - 2005.
One of the arguments I hear most often when I'm describing Montessori is that the open workspace—in particular the freedom to move around, to work where you do best for a specific task, and the ability to make a snack when you like—is not properly preparing children for the realities of life or the workforce: at some point they will have to learn to stay at their desk and do their work like everyone else. I think my husband's workplace shows the opposite to be true.
My husband Jeremiah took the family to visit his "office" in Cummins's COM building. Cummins is a well-known, large, international, Fortune 500 company that makes diesel engines, and they've recently built this COM building in their Columbus, Indiana, headquarters with a "collaborative workspace" design. They have converted several spaces in other buildings to this open style, as well. With this collaborative workspace, departments are located on the same floor, as much as possible. Though employees can work wherever they like on any floor, they are encouraged to work amongst their department's floor.
He showed us his locker (hook and cubby) with a couple drawers for his personal items and work laptop (each employee is given one as their primary work tool), and a thin cabinet for his coat and outerwear. Then we walked around a huge floor with areas that have a variety of tables, some standing height, some for chairs; other areas with couches and coffee tables; other more intimate areas with armchairs and footstools (Jeremy's favorite). A couple of kitchenettes with long counters and stools (snack tables) are located centrally with no walls enclosing them. There are cabinets (shelves) that divide some places and contain files and materials for everyone to access.
There are even treadmills with laptop spaces and hookups for those who need movement as they work (they are calibrated for walking, not running . . . we walk in the workplace :) There are walls to divide the elevators and small conference rooms (which can be used and reserved by any employee), but other than those areas, there are no rooms, no "offices", no cubicles, it is all shared space: managers working amongst underlings. It looks like, well . . . a grown-up Montessori classroom :)
They are doing this to encourage collaborative problem solving and to make the workday more pleasant so that Cummins continues to retain younger employees. Please share with anyone who questions the appropriateness of Montessori's open workspace. :)
You can read a news article about more of the company's redesigned workspaces see additional photos, here.


text:
We believe that when it comes to meat, organic is the only way. Our award-winning collection of organic lamb includes whole and half, legs of roasting lamb, various shoulders, burgers, kidneys and even heart.
Read More
The rich taste and tenderness of our lamb is superb and it's perfect for Sunday dinner with the family. We offer gluten free options for our lamb sausages and burgers, as well as various lamb boxes to order. Our livestock is hand reared and our animals are free to roam to their heart's content.
Finding food that hasn't been filled with preservatives or artificial flavour is such a task these days, which is why we make it easy and affordable to order organic produce. Our expertise in organic farming comes from many years of experience, so you can trust us to provide high quality produce.
Grass-fed meat has many benefits, making it a healthier and more sustainable alternative to processed meats. It's friendly to local wildlife, better for the environment and free from additives. More advantages include:
With all these great qualities, there's no reason to continue buying processed meat. Find something in our tasty collection of lamb to make a mouth-watering meal. Why not check out our yummy lamb recipes?
Items 1-9 of 28
Items 1-9 of 28


text: Thursday, September 06, 2012 APTA Comments on Medicare OPPS Rebilling Demo, IRF Quality Reporting This week APTA responded to 4 specific questions posed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in its proposed rule for Medicare hospital outpatient prospective and ambulatory surgical center payment systems (OPPS) for calendar year 2013. The questions are in relation to implementation of the Medicare Part A to Part B Rebilling Demonstration. In this demonstration, participating hospitals are allowed to receive 90% of the allowable Part B payment for Part A short-stay claims that are denied on the basis that the inpatient admission was not reasonable and necessary. The hospitals can rebill denied Part A claims as Part B services and be paid additional reimbursement when an inpatient admission is found not reasonable and necessary. CMS' questions involve setting parameters regarding the amount of time a patient can remain on observation status, establishing specific clinical criteria for admission and payment, aligning hospital payment rates more closely with the resources used to provide outpatient care, and having case management and utilization review staff available in hospitals outside of regular business hours to improve the accuracy of admission decisions. Additionally, APTA notes its support for 3 proposed changes to the IRF Quality Reporting Program. The changes seek to harmonize the processes for the maintenance of technical specifications and measure removal from the IRF quality program with other quality reporting programs such as those in inpatient hospital settings.


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SeatownJay wrote:Washington's going to be lucky to lose by less than 4 TDs.
beehawk46 wrote:Have I missed something? Granted I have literally missed a couple games this year. Shaq Thompson is being primarily as an outside linebacker? It seems every damn long pass I catch Shaq isn't even lined up back there. D and O line are worthless
jkitsune wrote:How did UW score its last TD? some friends came over and I turned it off to host after they punted.
SeatownJay wrote:At least Price isn't fumbling the ball every time he's touched tonight.
jkitsune wrote:Oh good, KP is still in.
jkitsune wrote:He's easily the worst single player on the field today. That's incredible. This guy was an early Heisman dark horse last year with his play.
JSeahawks wrote:I had Washington losing to Arizona. But, i've got them beating the Beavs next weekend. They better not let me down!
CPHawk wrote:JSeahawks wrote:I had Washington losing to Arizona. But, i've got them beating the Beavs next weekend. They better not let me down!
Are you dreaming, or just trying to make UW fans feel good? OS wins in a blowout.
CPHawk wrote:Don't buy the UW secondary hype, UO had guys open all night we just called off the dogs early. Wheaton will be open also.
The thing that pisses me off is all the Kjr douches who actually think UO was close if not for turnovers. newsflash our 3rd string was avg 10 yards a carry in the second half, Barner and Mariota could have scored 80 on UW if they wanted. Oh and the UW oline wasn't that good we just stopped rushing more then 2-3 guys after the first quarter to not give up a big fluke play.
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Over the next week, we will see some of the best young soccer talent in North America take the field down in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the annual MLS adidas Player Combine. And we're here to bring it to you every step of the way.
Starting with the arrival of the players on Thursday, and finishing a week later in Philadelphia at the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, presented by adidas, MLSsoccer.com has lined up a battery of content to bring you the inside scoop on every prospect, what your team's brass is thinking, and – most importantly – who's likely to go where in the draft.
Thursday, Jan. 9 - Combine Pregame
Pre-Combine Mock Draft
- MLS on Campus correspondent Nate Sulat, Armchair Analyst Matthew Doyle and the inestimable Simon Borg predict the draft ahead of the big showcase.
ExtraTime Radio Quiz
- Find out which of the prospects know the league inside and out, and which just like to play the game.
Friday, Jan. 10 - Combine Day 1
Nitro Charge vs. Predator, 2 pm ET
adiZero vs. Brazuca, 3:45 pm ET
- Coverage of each game will include highlights, analysis, and features on the day's standout players.
PLUS: Day 1 "Stock Up, Stock Down" -- MLSsoccer.com asks analysts determine who helped themselves the most and who hurt themselves on the day.
Saturday, Jan. 11 - Combine Day 2
- Performance Testing: Who stood out in the phyiscal testing?
- Expert Analysis: Former MLS and USMNT star Cory Gibbs joins the crew to break down what went right and what went wrong on Day 1 of the event.
- FEATURE: "The secret behind Caleb Porter's success?" -- Matt Doyle on how the current Portland Timbers coach (right) turned tiny Akron into a college soccer powerhouse.
PLUS: "To confess a handball" -- Maryland forward Patrick Mullins did the deed in the College Cup final, and immediately regretted it. Simon Borg finds out why.
Sunday, Jan. 12 - Combine Day 3
Game 3: Nitro Charge vs. adiZero, 1:30 pm ET
Game 4: Predator vs. Brazuca, 3:30 pm ET
- Coverage of each game will include highlights, analysis, and features on the day's standout players.
- Day 3 "Stock Up, Stock Down"
PLUS: "How an Ajax player ended up at the MLS Combine: GK Kees Heemskerk" -- Simon digs into the story of one invitee with a background – and pedigree – that stands out.
Monday, Jan. 13 - Combine Day 4
- Expert Analysis: Former MLS and USMNT star Cory Gibbs joins the crew to break down what went right and what went wrong on Day 4.
- FEATURE: "Impact of the 2013 SuperDraft and Supplemental Draft" -- How much does the draft matter? MLSsoccer.com editor Andrew Wiebe weighs in, shining a light on the 2013 version's hits and misses.
- FEATURE: "Is the No. 1 pick a blessing or a curse?" - MLSsoccer.com senior editor Nick Firchau takes a look at the long and inglorious history of the No. 1 overall SuperDraft pick, including 2011 #1 overall Omar Salgado (right). It gets ugly, and he finds out why.
PLUS: "Team Needs: Eastern Conference" -- MLSsoccer.com breaks down the rosters with a fine-toothed comb, figuring out which squad needs what kind of help and where.
Tuesday, Jan. 14 - Combine Day 5
Game 5: adiZero vs. Predator, 10 am ET
Game 6: Nitro Charge vs. Brazuca, 11:55 am ET
- Coverage of each game will include highlights, on-site video analysis, and features on the day's standout players.
- Day 5 "Stock Up, Stock Down"
PLUS: "Team Needs: Western Conference" -- MLSsoccer.com goes through the rosters with a fine-toothed comb, figuring out which squad needs what kind of help and where.
Wednesday, Jan. 15
Final Mock Draft
- With the combine done, MLSsoccer.com experts give you updated predictions of the SuperDraft.
PLUS: "Fan Poll: Who should D.C. United take with the first pick?" -- Will it be one of the Generation adidas stars? Could Patrick Mullins get the call? Does California defender Steve Birnbaum make sense for the Black-and-Red? Cast your vote!
Thursday, Jan. 16
2014 MLS SuperDraft, presented by adidas
- 12 noon ET, Philadelphia, Pa.
- LIVE coverage on MLSsoccer.com, featuring an up-to-the-minute Draft Tracker, live chat, video interviews, and features.
- Watch the SuperDraft LIVE on ESPNews and WatchESPN.


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- Paid Clinical Trials
- About Us
- Auto-Updates
- FAQ's
- Quick Start Guide
Join Paid Clinical Trials ...
PaidClinicalTrials.org is a registry of compensated and uncompensated, federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the United States and around the world. Here you will find information about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers.
Clinical Trial Seekers - PCT is a public service, sponsor supported, clinical trial database that may be accessed by the general public at no charge in accordance with our terms of service use.
Clinical trials are added and removed each day on a 30 day rotation. For accuracy - We only list clinical trials that have been reported to these government agencies in the last 30 days:
U.S. National Library of Medicine,
Tips for Finding Clinical Trials
One of the toughest and most-time consuming parts for medical research staff conducting the clinical trials is actually finding volunteers willing to participate. Research staff are looking for you! There are numerous ways to identify clinical trials looking for healthy human volunteers.
Trials are actively conducted by hospitals, universities, foundations, and contract research organizations (CROs, firms that conduct studies for big pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies). According to CISCRP, nearly 40% of these clinical trials can be learned about through media such as tv, radio, or printed ads. While finding studies through tv and radio ads might be difficult, you can actively scour the wanted section of your local newspapers to find trials.
Most local research clinics run ads for volunteers in the local newspaper, employment papers, on TV, and on the radio. They also post ads on Craigslist and on their own websites. Call them up as soon as you see something of interest. If the study is no longer recruiting volunteers, they might enter you in there database for future study participation.
Look up local research clinics in your phone book and ask (a) if they have any studies openly recruiting healthy volunteers and (b) if you could be entered into their volunteer database.
College campuses and major universities with research hospitals are also great places to find clinical trial. Schools of medicine, dentistry, and nursing, along with departments of psychology, sociology, and communications, at local universities, are always looking for willing volunteers for their experiments. Perform an internet search for the hospitals, schools, and departments on nearby campuses, then look for any section concerning clinical trials or research volunteers.
When searching for clinical trials on our website you will click on a Clinical Trial Information sheet like this example. Example Information Sheet. The first thing you should do is to see if the clinical trial is right for you. You can do this by quickly scanning the headings of the information sheet. These headings are highlighted on the left by blue icons as follows:
>> Status of the Clinical Trial (This will appear at the top in red or green)
Purpose - This will briefly let you know about the clinical trial and how it is conducted.
Eligibility - This tells you age, gender and health status information. If you do not meet these eligibility requirement you should move to another clinical trial.
Contacts and Locations - This will list the locations the clinical trial is being conducted and it will usually list the contact person to call. Note - Even if your location is not listed you should call the clinical trial investigator. Sometimes their locations have not been updated or they are willing to pay time and travel expenses.
More Information - This will often give alternative contact people and other pertinent information about the trial.
These headings appear on the left side of the information sheet and are fairly self explanatory. Doing this will help you to quickly evaluate if the clinical trial is right for you.
Searching Tips
Check the Conditions Category - If you only search the "Locations" directory you are missing out on a lot of clinical trials. Trials that are listed by "Condition" usually have multiple locations and can add new locations as the study moves forward.
Register Your Profile with us. - You can post your location and condition in our personal clinical trials directory for FREE. This helps the research recruiters find you when the right trial becomes available. Register for Clinical Trials Here.
Call the Clinical Trial Recruiters - At the bottom of all the information sheets you will see a "Contact Information" heading. Many clinical trials can be conducted in remote locations and the recruiters can help you.
Subscribe to our Auto Update Service - By subscribing to our Auto Update Service you will receive automated emails informing you when new trials have opened in your area.
Sponsored Links


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In a week in which gold suffered its biggest price decline in 30 years, one former futures trader is here to herald the next long-term commodity star—diamonds. Yet others insist that reports of gold's death are greatly exaggerated.
Kristopher Schellhas has invested heavily in what he regards as the rotation into the next big investment wave. The former Chicago Board of Trade futures trader, together with partner Chris Duffield, a former hedge fund trader, are not simply going long on diamonds. They have created an exchange to facilitate others' investments in the light-dispersing gemstone.
Through their newly launched Investment Diamond Exchange, investors can now buy investment-grade diamonds at rock-bottom prices with complete transparency—as well as take physical possession, track prices in real time and liquidate their portfolios.
The two Los Angeles-based partners want to capitalize on trends that began to emerge when De Beers, through lawsuits and privatization in the early 2000s, lost its more than century-long monopoly over the diamond market.
"They no longer have the ability to manipulate diamond prices, and their stockpile was officially depleted in 2004," Schellhas (right) tells AdvisorOne. "The market was democratized," he adds, noting that the participation of companies like Alrosa, Rio Tinto, Harry Winston and Petra Diamonds in diamond production have allowed market forces to prevail in the formerly De Beers-dominated industry.
Adding to the new liberalization of the market are what Schellhas regards as exceptional supply-demand characteristics.
"The fundamentals for diamond price appreciation are amazing now because all the existing diamond mines that are substantial are at their peak capacity," he says. "The supply of diamonds are going to remain static for the decade and continuing on till 2030, and no new diamond mines of substantial size have been discovered."
And even if new discoveries are made, Schellhas says it takes 8 to 13 years to get a mine up and running. And while the supply appears attractively limited, Schellhas points to a surge in expected demand coming from China, India, the Middle East and Brazil.
"These emerging economies are fueling unprecedented demand for diamonds and jewelry," he says, noting forecasts of 276 million new middle-class households in China and India by 2020.
"That's more than three times the middle-class households in the U.S. right now," Schellhas says. "These countries have an insatiable appetite for luxury goods. It's woven into their culture. They love jewelry, and of course developed countries are going to buy jewelry as they always do."
But Leigh Greenberg (left), a precious metals dealer with Universal Bullion, also in Los Angeles, counters that demand factors still favor other commodities.
"The demand for jewelry in gold and silver is much higher than for diamonds," he told AdvisorOne. "Diamonds are for weddings—they're one-time purchases. Gold and silver demand is throughout the year."
Apart from diamonds' constricted supply and demand growth in line with emerging economies' GDP growth, which is north of 5% according to a Bain & Co. study Schellhas cites, it may be diamonds' novelty as an investment that makes them shine brighter than gold.
While gold owners may be miffed that their precious metal now trades at a 2-year low, or about $1,400 an ounce, the commodity was priced at just $450 an ounce before the GLD ETF was launched in 2004. Schellhas believes the ETF, by making it easy for ordinary investors to trade, fueled speculative interest in the commodity.
He cites research indicating that 40% of the gold market is speculative capital, compared to a mere 1% speculative investment share for diamonds.
But Greenberg doubts diamonds can rise to gold's age-old status as a store of value.
"If we look at history, gold has always been considered money; diamonds have never been considered money," he says. "People have always used gold for money, barter, trade. Diamonds just don't qualify for that category."
Yet plans afoot to release the first diamond ETF by the end of this year fuel Schellhas' confidence in a coming surge of speculative investment in diamonds.
Schellhas concedes that the uniqueness of each individual diamond has been a barrier to commoditizing them and turning them into a publicly traded asset class.
But a company called GemShares, which will be issuing the aforementioned ETF, has succeeded in patenting a class of "investment-grade diamonds"—specifically, 0.5- to 5-carat, round, brilliant, clear or colorless GIA-certified diamonds—for public trading.
Those are the only diamonds that Schellhas sells through his Investment Diamond Exchange.
Schellhas calls the patent and the investment commoditization process it will launch "a precursor to creating a futures market for diamonds.
"It overcomes all the idiosyncratic features of a diamond; it overcomes the fact that… there's roughly 16,000 variations of this diamond," he says.
While financial advisors are more accustomed to buying financial products such as publicly traded companies involved in mining and production—"more power to you," Schellhas says—the diamond merchant is a big believer in physical possession.
"The process is to buy diamonds and hold onto them because they're unbelievable for appreciation of wealth," he says. "You're taking physical delivery of the diamond. They'll come to your house in an armored truck with beautiful leather cases that fit into your safe. There's no better way to preserve your wealth than to take physical delivery of the diamond itself."
And you avoid the management risk inherent in owning investment companies, Schellhas adds.
The diamond merchant claims to have the lowest available prices, made possible by the arrangements made with cutting and polishing factories in Israel, Belgium and India.
"They compete to get their diamonds on our website," Schellhas says. "Consumers can now have access to diamond pries once available only to insiders. We utterly blow them [competitors] out of the water."
On Friday, the lowest priced 1-carat investment-grade diamond on his website sold for $6,161.11.
"We're creating a spot price for every single diamond. We've driven prices down. We're like a portal connecting investors with prices that are true wholesale prices," Schellhas says.
The site also clearly states a buyback price that is precisely 5% lower than the sales price.
The exchange currently offers $23 million worth of inventory, which Schellhas expects to grow to hundreds of millions in time, but they have no merchandise in their headquarters, which merely administers the exchange and armored truck deliveries.
Schellhas says he is working with several advisors across the country—he named Kubler Financial as one partner—who are not restricted by their arrangements with custodians like Schwab.
Diamonds are "extremely attractive to independent advisory firms," he says. "They're allocating their clients into physical diamonds all the time," citing an advisor in Charlotte, N.C., who just made one client extremely pleased with her sparkling new acquisition. The exchange has a referral agreement for advisors and offers prompt payment, Schellhas says.
"We configure diamond portfolios for the individual needs of each client," he says. "The idea is to help people preserve and grow their wealth."
Going forward, Schellhas says diamonds' time has arrived.
"The smart money is going into this product," he says, citing Zurich-based Diamond Asset Advisors; commodities booster Jim Rogers, and diamond producer Harry Winston having established a $250 million fund for diamond investors.
"They're a hedge against inflation, their volatility is way less than gold, it would be a play on global growth and they perform well in times of intense economic volatility," Schellhas sums up the matter. "It's a very stable asset, returning 15% per year on average since 1959."
On the risk side of the equation, "it would take a serious reduction in growth prospects in these emerging economies to take away that demand," he says, citing something on the order of a revolution in China. "In World War II, these things were used to hide and preserve [people's] wealth."
And he insists that diamonds trump gold.
"Gold was a very stable asset before it was commoditized. You have wild swings now."
As for Universal Bullion's Greenberg, gold's wild swings merely reflect "the insanity of the global economy," a fact that has positive investment implications.
"If gold can move down $140 [an ounce] in one day, it can move up $140 in one day," he says. "It works both ways."
Read 7 Reasons Gold Is Falling: Currency Manager Merk on AdvisorOne.


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Music In Milford Ad
United States Canadian
Drum Corps News June 7, 1967 issue
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Labels: 1967, Connecticut, Drum Bugle Corps, Jrs.


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Luxury Buyers
For buyers, finding a home is a personal process of discovery, and Ebby Halliday and the accomplished global network of Luxury Portfolio International brokers are ready to assist in the journey. Luxury Portfolio International is the luxury face of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, the largest global network of premier real estate companies, including many of the world's most powerful independent luxury brokerages. In addition, Ebby Halliday is an active member of Who's Who in Luxury Real Estate, a global collection of the finest luxury real estate brokers in the world, and FIABCI, the International Real Estate Federation. Whether you're buying a property in North Texas or across the world, Ebby Halliday's world-class connections can help with all of your luxury real estate needs.


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All this talk from A. Gary Shilling and others about the coming danger of deflation? Bleh.
That's the message delivered in a recent whitepaper from Seth Masters.
The chief investment officer of Bernstein Global Wealth Management says deflation, that "persistent drop in the value of assets," is unlikely any time soon.
Even if it does, Masters notes that investors already protect themselves from deflation through their bond purchases.
Rather inflation, although dire warnings of which have yet to materialize, is still the threat, Masters argues, and even modest amounts of inflation can be harmful—in some ways, even more so than deflation.
"Inflation-protected assets will always have a place in investor's portfolios because of heightened uncertainty, the availability of better inflation hedges and reasonable costs for inflation protection," he writes. "While rare, inflationary periods are notoriously difficult to predict. History shows that major bouts of inflation often strike suddenly and without warning, which is what makes inflation particularly dangerous."
He sees three key reasons why an allocation to inflation protection is even more compelling today: heightened uncertainty, the availability of better inflation hedges, and reasonable costs for inflation protection.
1). More Uncertainty — "Even in the best of times, there's no reliable forecast of the future path of inflation," he writes. "Today, however, uncertainty about economic policy and its impact on the price level have become especially high, mainly because no one can confidently predict exactly what will happen as the enormous monetary expansion since the global financial crisis is ultimately unwound."
On the one hand, some view inflation as inevitable, given the pervasive climate of supportive monetary policy across developed economies, Masters notes. On the other hand, mixed economic data have kept the specter of deflation alive.
"Given the experimental and opportunistic nature of central bank policy measures, economists' outlook for the breadth of possible inflation outcomes is highly divergent today. This heightens the risk of surprises, and makes inflation protection all the more vital."
2). Better Hedges — Fortunately, better inflation hedges are available today than existed in past inflationary periods, he explains.
"From a portfolio construction standpoint, inflation hedges can be divided into two categories that complement a traditional portfolio: real bonds that protect risk-mitigating assets such as traditional bonds, and real assets that protect return-seeking assets such as stocks."
Inflation-linked bonds such as Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) can provide very effective inflation protection for the bond portion of the asset mix. For taxable accounts, he also recommends a muni inflation strategy that layers inflation protection onto a municipal bond portfolio.
"Real assets, such as commodity futures, natural resource stocks, and inflation-sensitive REITs, generate cash flows tightly linked to important components of the overall price level. Shares in mining and other natural resource stocks, as well as some real estate companies, can also benefit from rising prices. Note that most individual real assets are quite volatile, and so it makes sense to diversify a real asset portfolio across a wide range of inflation-sensitive investments. We also see real assets as a good investment."
3). Reasonable Costs — Reasonable costs represent the final rationale for adopting proactive inflation protection today, Masters concludes. TIPS are fairly priced, with a breakeven rate—or the difference in yield between inflation-protected securities and nominal bonds of the same maturity—of less than 2% for 10-year maturities.
"That's not much of a premium to purchase inflation protection, especially compared to a high of 2.6% last fall when the Fed's third round of quantitative easing was announced. Real assets are also sensibly priced relative to their fundamentals."