It's Been a While...Part Two conference

There are so many things I would like to mention about the International Montessori Conference that I could go on and on, but just a few more...

Water and Air Workshops:

Harvey Hallenberg, Director of the Claremont Montessori School in Boca Raton, Florida, was the presenter for two great workshops.
I was scheduled to go to both of them but had to miss the second half of the first and the entire second one...Big bummer, as what I had seen and heard in his first was very interesting.
Unfortunately, diabetes, skipping a meal, and hot tubs do not mix that well and I ended up getting quite sick...had tried to squeeze in some family time at what was supposed to be lunchtime...since it was breezy, we had decided to try out the hot tub.

Okay, back to Harvey's cool workshops...
If you want to know how to really guide children in the area of science, you should really come and see one of Harvey Hallenberg's workshops and get his book, Wonders of Water & Air.

What he did in the time I was there was very innovative and fun for adults...can only imagine how much the children would love doing these activities in a classroom.

Two things that really stick out are the Dance of the Elementary Particles and the Dance of the Molecules.

His workshops are intended for those working with elementary, but since my older son is now 6, I wanted to go to see what we might be doing next year with respect to science.

Getting children to act out what would normally be very abstract scientific concepts is great, because not only does it make it more concrete and memorable for children, it also makes it fun!

Everyone in the room had a great time and, it really brought the concepts to life.

Venue: Very Family Friendly
The Hyatt was very nice and welcoming.
Dear Hubby, Big Bro, and Little Bro enjoyed the pool and the playground.
Across the street from the Hyatt is a neat science museum called G Wiz. The boys went on two of the days and loved it. They liked it so much that we have bought a museum pass and will go back there throughout the year.
Dear Hubby, Big Bro, and Little Bro also checked out the area beaches.
According to them, it was a blast.
There were also plenty of places within a short drive to get a casual bite to eat.

Exhibitors:
Overall, the exhibitors were very welcoming of my husband the the boys.

Big Bro and Little Bro actually ended up selecting some additional items for our homeschool.
Some of the materials they selected could have easily been items that if I had been by myself, I would have passed on...so glad that they were there, as the shelf work they selected are being chosen again and again and again...

Kaybee:
We purchased some very nice control maps and trays. The trays are nice quality, as are the control maps. The workers were helpful and nice.


Laughing Star:
One of their favorites is from Laughing Star Montessori. It consists of shelf work related to Caribbean Sea Life. The people here were very helpful and incredibly receptive to homeschooling families.

Waseca:
Their other favorite is the Continents Collection of Biomes Readers from Waseca.
Our whole family would love to purchase the entire collection of materials from Waseca. Their mats are just gorgeous! Their wooden stamp sets, trays, grammar stencils, wooden animals sets, and readers are all so nice.
Dear Hubby, Big Bro, Little Bro and I all marveled at their display.
Sharon and Martha are also great to deal with if you do order.
Sharon also goes out and does workshops, although she was not one of the presenters at the conference.
My goal is to get to one of her workshops.
If you love using Montessori inspired materials in your homeschool or classroom, you should really check out her materials and try to see her in action as a presenter.
What makes their materials so nice is that they work great for 3-6 but also would work very well for 6-9...so even though the materials are expensive, you get to use them for a longer time, making them more cost effective than some others.

Hello Wood:
The craftsmanship is excellent. My sons loved many of their items they had for sale.