1205 of 2404 people found the following review helpful

Good Introduction for Montessori Homeschooling 06/24/2010

Reviewed by Megan Fuller from Ironwood, MI US

Hainstock provides a good introduction for parents planning an at home Montessori preschool environment (ages 2-5). The book contains a general overview of the history and theory behind the Montessori method as well as advice on setting up an at home Montessori prepared environment. It gives overviews of a variety of practical, sensorial, language, and arithmetic activities and includes clear, concise instructions which make Montessori activities easily accessible to parents with no formal training. The biggest asset of this book is a section containing information on how parents can make select Montessori materials themselves. This book is not a comprehensive resource. If you are designing an at home Montessori curriculum for your child there are other, more detailed, titles that you will wish to read as well, but it is a great introduction and a very fast read. In my opinion the book's biggest drawback is that a lot of the practical activities are EXTREMELY dated and not relevant to my child's life which is why I only gave it 4 out of 5 stars. There are other (additional) areas where the text is also very dated, making the "new updated edition" something of a misnomer. This book is also probably unnecessary if you are sending your child to a Montessori preschool. But overall, this is an excellent introduction to the Montessori method for homeschoolers with young children.

Was this review helpful to you?