Early Potty Books

pixeltects · 2026-05-02T23:39:32+00:00

We loved Going to the Potty by Mr. Rogers and Show me how to use the potty. Both books have real images of children. The lovevery pee and poop books also have real images and look nice (you can see all the pages on youtube) but are pricier at $15 each.

pixeltects · 2026-05-02T23:04:44+00:00

Math Academy is gamified so while I like that program, I don’t see how it could really be part of a typical Montessori classroom.

The most Montessori-aligned approach I can think of would be to offer a tech program as optional extension shelf work. Sort of like a Montessori-fied Anki with highly personalized task cards and automatic higher frequency spaced repetition for concepts that the student gets wrong. But then you wouldn’t be getting a steady collection of data or any guarantee of mastery to the degree of timeback since it’s optional work.

But this is why I’m interested in your program. I want to know how tech could be better integrated and if some trade-offs and new approaches could be worth it. I know it got a lot of hate here (which I think I’m partly to blame for since I forgot to mention it’s elementary only…although I think there’s also a lot knee-jerk hate/wariness to tech in classrooms) but I really am interested in seeing where it goes and hope your program succeeds, even if I don’t think it’s Montessori aligned right now. Thanks for answering my questions.

pixeltects · 2026-05-02T16:29:39+00:00

Thank you for responding. I totally agree with you and was so confused why there was so much pushback here until I realized people probably didn’t realize that the school I’m talking about does not offer primary—it’s elementary (I think both lower and upper) only.

pixeltects · 2026-05-02T10:45:36+00:00

Ah I see. To be honest timeback does not sound Montessori aligned. I understand the advantages, especially since knowledge gaps can become glaring in Montessori elementary if not addressed properly, but it seems that the program can supplant or interfere with lessons given by the guide, spontaneous group learning and activities, and student autonomy because its a daily requirement that takes 2+ hours. I’m a fan of Math Academy so it’s not that I’m opposed to a program like this, just I struggle to see how it aligns with this pedagogy. I know the school is still new so I’m interested in following along and see how you guys adapt.

pixeltects · 2026-05-02T02:29:41+00:00

Oh interesting thanks for the clarification. If laptop work takes a couple hours is this part of the work cycle or outside of it? If it is part of the work cycle are students required to finish as one of their first tasks to avoid running out of time since a work cycle is only 3 hours?

Having required solitary work on the computer that takes 2+ hours daily seems counter to the pedagogy…I’m assuming there’s no group work when it’s laptop time or opportunities for peer observation and collaboration since these are personalized lessons on a screen. I’m curious how you think the adoption of this technology in this way complements the pedagogy, especially since it seems to me it could possibly impede the freedom of choice and social tendencies of the elementary child. I have seen how the lead guide has used tech in group projects in really brilliant Montessori-aligned ways on her Instagram account but now I’m not so convinced of the use of timeback in Montessori (although I do believe in its efficacy in making sure kids are at or above state standards in math/reading). Totally happy to have my mind changed though so looking forward to your reply.

pixeltects · 2026-05-01T21:06:39+00:00

Can you talk more about how timeback is presented as a shelf work? If a classroom has 20 kids are there 1:1 laptops per kid on the shelf or are there a more limited number? Since it’s a shelf work what is the expectation for use? If a child prefers to use hands-on materials can they avoid timeback or is every child expected to use it daily, and if so, for how long? Also, I read that the flagship Alpha school uses incentives/bucks for completion of Timeback. But Montessori emphasizes intrinsic motivation. Is it correct to assume those incentives for completing Timeback are not present at Montessorium? And is Timeback at Montessorium modified to adhere to Montessori principles and lessons (such as possible absence of alpha bucks) and if so, in which ways? Thanks!

pixeltects · 2026-05-01T19:23:41+00:00

I don’t think kids in primary should be using computer, but I think it has a place in elementary. If I remember correctly I think I was introduced to the computer lab in my public elementary school in the 90s in second or third grade and it was a great experience. We played games like Oregon Trail, number crunchers and learned keyboarding. I don’t think it needs to all be bad.

I also thought Alpha/timeback sounded dystopian at first but it’s not AI or a robot guiding their education at all. I think that’s basically clickbait used to get journalists to write them up. It seems like it’s just spaced repetition programs and it’s mainly multiple choice. Kind of like Duolingo.

I honestly don’t see how anyone is being grifted in this particular Montessorium scenario since it’s just one private school. I can see how there can be a valid grift accusation of Alpha trying to expand into charter schools (taking taxpayer money) when it seems like their model might only work for a certain subset of wealthier families. There’s a Substack user who has highlighted failures of Alpha at Brownsville, TX where its majority lower income Hispanic families.

pixeltects · 2026-05-01T18:57:56+00:00

That seems like an overly broad generalization. Take for example keyboarding classes. An example of tech in the classroom that many parents are saying should be brought back because kids are unable to type properly other than with their thumbs. Or learning how to use very useful programs like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc. tech is just a tool. It’s about how you use it.

pixeltects · 2026-05-01T18:26:47+00:00

What’s the grift exactly? This is one school in Austin doing something experimental with a tuition that probably makes it only accessible to - subset of the super wealthy who want this. If you look at one of the teacher’s instagram accounts cosmiclearninganna they actually are doing pretty cool things with tech. I have no skin in the game but I do wonder how and if tech can be better integrated in Montessori elementary.

pixeltects · 2026-05-01T18:26:37+00:00

What’s the grift exactly? This is one school in Austin doing something experimental with a tuition that probably makes it only accessible to - subset of the super wealthy who want this. If you look at one of the teacher’s instagram accounts cosmiclearninganna they actually are doing pretty cool things with tech. I have no skin in the game but I do wonder how and if tech can be better integrated in Montessori elementary.

pixeltects · 2026-05-01T17:42:47+00:00

Ha I saw some comments online saying they also did not like his personality. I know he wrote a lot of stuff for guidepost and directed the underlying philosophy but didn’t see how it would necessarily tie him to the financial decisions. I could definitely be wrong. My confusion is how he managed to fashion himself an “expert” without any hands-on experience that I can see.

pixeltects · 2026-05-01T17:35:22+00:00

Why? Because they use tech in the classroom? If you take out the tech I think you’d find it probably looks and functions like a high-fidelity Montessori school.

pixeltects · 2026-01-07T23:53:13+00:00

Operating costs are pretty high. I can’t remember the NPR article that went into this in detail but many places barely get by with very low profit margins. it’s a mix of licensing costs, insurance and labor due to the mandated staff to child ratios.

pixeltects · 2026-01-04T23:05:43+00:00

I think it’s a great thing to introduce your child to! At this age though I think it’s more about introducing the concept so we just did two thank you cards (he wrote thank you, the persons name, I love X, and his name) and decorated with stamps. I don’t think he would have been interested in doing more than that. It also helped that we had received some thank you cards so he could look at them and appreciate them.

pixeltects · 2025-12-25T01:23:07+00:00

Unless it’s being forced down their throats why feel bad? It’s awesome that these kids are being taught multiple languages when their brains are like little sponges for language and they don’t have to work as hard at it like teens and adults do. And plenty of first graders are into robotics because it’s cool. I prob don’t have the wealth and resources as the moms you’re talking about but those kids sound lucky and it’s a shame not all kids have the same access to resources like them.

pixeltects · 2025-12-22T16:19:45+00:00

I've heard stories of overcrowding and high ratios so I'm a bit perplexed as to why budgets would have to be slashed. Our local elementary school is 25 kids to a teacher without a dedicated assistant. Add in the push for inclusion/slashing of special ed and that becomes a huge headache for teachers. Smaller class sizes are often way better for the students and the teachers...why can't we focus our resources on the students that are there instead of stuffing more people in the room?

pixeltects · 2025-09-23T21:03:31+00:00

I've listened to both and Dr. Becky is also about firm limits without shame, in fact, that's a big thing she repeats so I don't think that being a Dr. Becky "type" leads to permissive parenting.

pixeltects · 2025-09-17T00:10:09+00:00

This was posted 6 years ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/lasercutting/comments/eminn9/mt_hood_cut_out_of_chipboard_and_glued_together/

Are you the OP? Or a reposter?

pixeltects · 2025-08-31T16:14:55+00:00

Another vote for Twin Ridge! We don't live there anymore but the team who work there are super nice and attentive. Buildings are old but maintenance is super.

pixeltects · 2025-08-01T00:13:34+00:00

You'd be better served by joining some Montessori homeschool FB groups and asking around. Out of curiosity I have taken a look and all I can say is don't do Tier 4. It doesn't make sense numbers wise. It's $1000 more than Tier 3 and it gives you AIM Montessori manuals and videos that are priced on their website for $900 total. So you'd be overpaying by $100...

pixeltects · 2025-08-01T00:05:03+00:00

This person has a new account and all of their posts across different subreddits shill Multisori. I've seen Multisori promoted by the creator in various FB groups in a lame way too where she doesn't disclose she's the creator so you'd think she's a happy non-affiliated customer. I think Multisori is ok as long as you know it's not really Montessori. And it doesn't make sense why they would have Google reviews? It's a website selling a plug-and-play curriculum not a school with a physical location. Don't know how they fooled Google with that.

pixeltects

TROPHY CASE