Ju*Ni

There is also a very active online forum for Germans in London: http://www.deutsche-in-london.net/forum/

Here is a list of MEAB (Montessori Evaluation and Accreditation Board) accredited Montessori nurseries and schools: http://www.montessori.org.uk/msa/find_a_school?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZhZG1pbi5tb250ZXNzb3JpLm9yZy51ayUyRnNjaG9vbHMlMkZzZWFyY2glMkZpbmRleC5waHAlM0ZyZXN1bHRzJTNEMSUyNnZpZXdfYWxsJTNEMSZhbGw9MQ%3D%3D

'Where Willy Went' by Nicholas Allan - factual, fun, without going into too much detail. I have read this to many children within the 4/5 year old age group and they all loved it.

How about "I feel angry" by Brian Moses: http://www.amazon.co.uk/I-Feel-Angry-Your-Emotions/dp/0750214031/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358879070&sr=1-1#_ I also like "It's ok to be different" by Todd Parr and often read it to groups of preschool children. It's not so much about anger - even though I know one page says 'It's ok to be mad' - but generally about realising that different feelings as well as different ways of being yourself are ok. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Its-Okay-Different-Todd-Parr/dp/0316043478/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358879247&sr=1-1

As a childcare professional who has worked with hundreds of two year olds, I can tell you: Two year olds are just at the beginning of becoming social beings. It's a long learning process and it is totally normal that children express themselves through hitting or snatching or scratching and so on. Younger children are completely focused on developing themselves and their own skills. Around the age of 2.5 years children reach a stage stage where they realise that there are other people as well. Now they want to engage and play with the others, but they haven't learned yet how this works. You describe it very well: your son didn't want to hit the other child, he justed wanted to express his excitement. He is probably just as frustrated at the moment as you are. So no need for punishments or rewards. It's as if someone would punish you for pronouncing a Chinese word wrong - punishment doesn't make you any better: what helps you to get better is if someone pronounces it for you. What your son needs at the moment are adults who model for him how people interact with each other kindly. So, for a while, observe your child closely in social situations and if you see he is about to snatch a toy or hit another child, try to catch his hand before he hits and model what he could say instead, for example "I like your toy. I want to play with you" or "Can I have a go when you are finished?" At home exaggerate a bit when you talk to your partner or friends: say lots of 'Please, may I have' and 'Thank you for sharing this with me' and similar. When someone is hurting or not feeling well, model how to make this person feel better. This can be a glas of water, getting a flower from the garden or drawing a picture. Do something your son can do as well, so he learns how joyful it is to look after others. If he has hurt another child, help him to make the other child feel better instead of saying sorry. It's a very special time in the development of your son and he will take all this in and it will become part of his personality. Social skills are closely connected to language skills: talk to and with your child, read books together. There are lots of nice books for young children about not hitting and about the fact that others have feelings as well, something that young children don't realise inititally and have to learn. The aim is for your son to learn to express his anger or excitement through words rather than actions. So langugae development and social skills are closely connected. It is a challenge and it will take a while, but if you see it as a developmental stage in your son's life which you can influence just as you make sure you do the best for him in other areas, it can be a satisfying experience. This is one of the best articles I've found on this matter: http://www.stressfreekids.com/10190/kids-biting-and-hittin

Very traditional - to Paris. I love romantic traditions such kissing under Pont Neuf. Mind you, I married a french guy who was born in Paris :)

Ok, where to start? I am a Montessori teacher, so I write obviously from my own perspective. I work in a school that has an outstanding Ofsted report as well as an outstanding MSA accreditation. There are ? unfortunately ? two different branches in Montessori. MSA (Montessori Schools Association) is associated with Montessori Centre International http://www.montessori.org.uk and ME(UK) (Montessori Education UK) is associated AMI http://www.mariamontessori.org Both are valuable approaches to Montessori and there are lots of members of each branch who are working hard on uniting the movement. The differences are subtle and only interesting to discuss for Montessori teachers. I think it?s safe to say that any Montessori school accredited by either scheme should provide good Montessori education. Montessori accreditation is indeed different from Ofsted reports. Any early years setting has to adhere to Ofsted standards and deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. The Ofsted report is important to any setting including Montessori nurseries: it tells you as parents whether your children are safe and how well the team and the school are managed. What the accreditation tells parents beyond that is that the school has qualified Montessori staff and follows the Montessori philosophy. If you really would like Montessori education for your child, you should ask the school whether they are accredited or whether they are working towards accreditation. If they say they are not bothered, they know why and I would not send my child to one of those schools. Following Montessori philosophy means for example: ? Teachers follow the individual child (to take your example: potty training is done when the individual child is ready for it ? children being pushed towards being potty trained shows that the school does not follow Montessori principles) ? Three hours uninterrupted play time for all children, free flow between inside and outside at all times ? that means no time table of circle time, then French lessons, then snack etc. for all children. Snack has to be available at all times and children should prepare it themselves. ? Schools that divide between ?Montessori work? and play time don?t understand Montessori ? children should be playing with Montessori materials and all additional materials all day long. ? Children are always talked to with kindness and all teachers are role models. ? There is a busy, yet remarkably calm atmosphere because the children follow their interest: that keeps them busy and keeps the noise level down. ? The room is very tidy, not over-decorated and all activities are individual on low level shelves which the children can reach at all times. ? There are no big boxes with materials and no worksheets on the shelves. ? No one will tell you that your child will learn to write and read earlier than other children. Good Montessori schools do not push their children to academic activities: because Montessori activities are so beautiful, children are naturally attracted to them and so, in a playful way, may show interest in activities which may lead to earlier writing and reading, but this totally depends on the individual child. ? And most of all: The children look happy and are welcoming. All this requires well trained staff and lots of training and reflection. Many nurseries find this too challenging and either fail their accreditation or don?t apply for it. I feel sad when parents ask us ?when we do Montessori?, as they went to view a school where a Montessori teacher comes two hours a week "to do Montessori". This is so NOT a Montessori school ? Montessori is a whole approach to education based on respect for the individual child and helping the child to become independent. It is possible to have a very good Montessori school without any of the expensive Montessori materials - what is important is the way adults support the children and look after the enviornment, keeping it beautiful and tidy out of respect for the children. This is a great source of any information: http://www.montessori.org.uk/what_is_montessori This site also has a search engine to find accredited schools: http://www.montessori.org.uk/msa/find_a_school?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZhZG1pbi5tb250ZXNzb3JpLm9yZy51ayUyRnNjaG9vbHMlMkZzZWFyY2glMkZpbmRleC5waHAlM0ZyZXN1bHRzJTNEMSUyNnZpZXdfYWxsJTNEMSZhbGw9MQ%3D%3D Hope this helps when making decisions.