I wanted to add something that I wasn't thinking about when I answered yesterday, just a small item re Montessori philosophy. I will admit up front that I have never read Maria Montessori's book, but have heard quite a bit about it from my children's Montessori teachers. I point out that I haven't read the book simply to acknowledge that the conclusion I'm about to draw might not fit with MM's original intent
FWIW, the Montessori preschools my children attended, with one exception, did not accept children under the age of three. The school my dd attended that did accept 2 year olds had a very different curriculum for the youngest children than for the older children. There was much less emphasis on "work" that required a child to learn a procedure to complete the task. Just a thought to keep in mind when considering "Montessori" type work for a two year old
There was also quite a bit of creative "work" at their Montessori preschools, both for the younger and older children.
polarbear
