AGE 6-12+

BIOLOGY - Life Sciences

PLANTS & ANIMALS
How often is the soul of man,
especially that of the child, deprived
because one does not put him in contact
with nature.
There is no description, no image
in any book, that is capable of replacing
the sight of real trees, and all the life to
be found around them, in a real forest.
Something emanates from those trees
which speaks to the soul, something no
book, no museum is capable of
giving. The wood reveals that it
is not only the trees that exist, but
a whole, interrelated collection of
lives. And this earth, this climate,
this cosmic power are necessary for
the development of all these lives.
The myriad lives around the trees,
the majesty, the variety are things
one must hunt for, and which no one
can bring into the school.
— Maria Montessori
In the elementary class, for children from
age six to twelve, the study of biology has
three main focuses:
(1) Experiments and observation of plants
and animals to discover the amazing variety
and needs of plants and animals
(2) Evolution of plants and animals
(3) Classification of plants and
animals
At the beginning of each year the teacher
inspires children to carry out research in
these areas by telling stories, and presenting
beautiful books, posters, charts, and timelines.

WILDCRAFT A Cooperative Herbal Adventure Game THE TREE OF LIFE

Wildcrafting is the harvesting of wild plants.
This herbal adventure game is a cooperative board game that teaches about edible
and medicinal plants in the natural environment—inspiring the child to want to learn
more. It introduces 25 important edible and medicinal plants and their uses in mostly
first aid situations.
Players learn about plants by connecting the icon on the challenge or "trouble"
cards with the icons on the "plant" cards. If a
player has a burdock card in their herb basket
and draws a "hungry" card, then the player can
turn the cards in and move to the next rest space.
Though it is a cooperative game, there is plenty
of strategy and drama as players travel up the
mountain to the Huckleberry Patch and back to
Grandma's before nightfall. The only way to get
back safely is to help each other out.
Contents: 20x20 game board, 52 plant cards
with common and botanical names, 52 trouble
cards, 25 cooperation cards, playing pieces and
instructions. Ages 4-adult, 1-4 players
(*) EP299 $30.00
THE PLANT
KINGDOM
In 1735 Carolus
Linnaeus published the
first edition of his System
Naturae, which set forth
his system for classifying
all living things.
The Plant Kingdom
chart provides a
comprehensive overview
of 10 classifications of
plants. All illustrations
are prepared by a leading
botanical illustrator, and
special care went into
showing important extinct
species. Each is accurately
summarized and many
representative species are
shown. The chart is 24" x
36", full color, laminated.
EP400 $15.00
The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth
If every known
species on Earth were
a leaf on a tree, the tree
would have 1,750,000
leaves. Humans count
for just one leaf on this
tree.
Tree of Life is a
dazzlingly illustrated
and child-friendly
introduction to
biodiversity—the
incredible variety of life
on Earth-and shows how
living things are classified, the five branches: Monera,
Fungi, Protoctista, Plants, and Animals. It also teaches
how each species is important and how a problem with
any one branch can affect the whole tree. Hardcover,
9.2" x 12.2", beautiful color illustrations, 39 pages.
EP450 $18.95
PLANTING THE TREES OF KENYA
The Story of Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004
for her environmental and human rights achievements. Founder of
the Green Belt Movement,
she has encouraged people
to repair their economy,
land, and health with simple,
environmentally friendly
acts, such as planting more
trees. This beautiful picture-
book biography echoes the
potent simplicity of Maathai’s
message with direct, spare
prose and bright, delicate
watercolors. Tracking
forward from Maathai’s
childhood in the rich landscape of Kenya’s highlands, the words
and pictures clearly show how the activist’s deep connection with
nature as a youth inspired her to develop sustainable practices as an
adult. Hardcover, 11" x 9.2", beautiful color illustrations, 30 pages.
(*) EP170 $16.95

66 CHILD of the WORLD, Michael Olaf 's Essential Montessori for ages 3-12+ (*) = new items
 AGE 6-12+ BIOLOGY - Life Sciences
Then each child begins a personal
journey of discovery, joining others
for research projects and presentations.
Every year is unpredictable, not even the
teacher knowing what will be covered, as
the rule is to "follow the child."
Experiments & Observation
Experiments and observations help
the child to discover first hand just how
plants and animals live, to find out how
their needs are met, and to discover the
amazing variety of life forms.
Children become aware of the
world in a new way, discovering the
tiny plants in the cracks of pavements—
growing wherever they can find a little
light, moisture and nourishment. This
close hand experience makes children
appreciative and protective of all of life.
Adaptation & Changes
of Plants and Animals
Experiments and observation lead
to discoveries that help the child travel,
through his tremendous imagination,
back through time to the very beginning
of life, to discover the miracle of variety
and the transformation of plants and
animals through time.
Classification
of Plants and Animals
The discovery of the multitude
of kinds of plants and animals helps
children understand why there must be a
system of sorting and naming them—this
is biological classification.
Children want to know how and why

ERAS OF LIFE CHART

This detailed and beautifully colored
geological time chart provides an extensive
exploration of life as it existed in various periods,
life in the sea and on land, plant and animal.
There is a globe next to each period which shows
how the land masses changed over time due to
continental drift, and the margins (dark in the
picture) are filled with additional information.
Suggestion for Use:
Use two of these charts. Keep one on the
wall as the "control of error", cut the other apart
in strips. Take the cut up strips to a place in the
room far away from, out of sight of, the first
chart. Have the child take one strip at a time to
the chart, and "carry in his mind" the picture of
where it belongs, assembling the strips correctly,
by memory. This is learning.
Then suggest a horizontal layout of the strips
to show a horizontal timeline. The chart is 24" x
36", laminated.
EP410 $15.00

ANIMAL DEVELOPMENT CHART

This exciting new poster follows along the Montessori 6-12 study of the animal kingdom
through the development of physical characteristics. It shows how the main branches of the
newest classification system were established. The poster starts with the simplest animals then
progresses to the most complex, showing all of the important changes. Detailed illustrations show
many representative species. All are identified by captions. 24" x 36", full color, laminated.
(*) EP020 $15.00

Who Eats What?
Food Chains & Food Webs
This early reader presents the very important
information about food chains in a way that makes it
clear to children. We are part of this food chain that
begins with green plants, and each link is important,
because every living thing depends on others for
survival. Softcover, color, 10" x 8", 32 pages.
EP250 $6.00
LIFETIMES
Old age is relative, depending on one's life span; a mayfly's lifetime lasts one day;
she reaches old age by the time the sun sets. Lifetimes allows us to compare Earth's
residents by their life lines, from the short-
lived mayfly to the 2,000-year-old sequoia tree.
Included also are the time spans of the Earth,
the sun, and the universe—cosmic references
that dwarf human life spans. Every species
has a lesson for us. Every page includes brief
information about the life form profiled set
against a realistic, full-color illustration. Hard and
softcover, 32 pages, color, 9" x 11".
EP060 softcover $8.95
EP061 hardcover $16.95

(*) = new items USA Toll Free ORDER Number 888.880.9235 or ONLINE www.michaelolaf.com 67
 AGE 6-12+ BIOLOGY - Life Sciences
plants and animals have been classified
and how the systems of classification
change as we learn more about biology.
This work links biology to logic, math
and language, English and Latin.
When subjects are connected like
this, and the child is allowed to follow
his interest, facts become part of his
long term memory instead of just being
memorized, tested on, and forgotten.
Biology can become a lifelong interest
for this child.
Our Human Bodies
The child from birth on is constantly
learning about bodies, from the way we
handle an infant, the way we respect and
care for the growing child's body, and
from the way we feed and care for our
own bodies, even the way we treat our
spouse.
A natural and healthy attitude
develops about bodies and sex if these
topics are part of the daily conversation
at home and at school. Otherwise a child
is put into the position of learning about
these things from the media or from other
questionable sources.
Caring for our bodies and learning
to respect the bodies of other people, sex,
love, relationships, families—what could
be more important information for us to
pass on correctly to our children during
these very curious years from age six to
twelve, and beyond.

PREHISTORY
TIMELINE
Six hundred million
years of life on Earth are
laid out in this black and
white timeline that is
six-foot long and thirteen
inches high. It represents
the history of aquatic and
terrestrial life from the
Cambrian Period to the
present.
There are 207
different life forms
(including both plants
and animals) drawn
and numbered so that the names and definitions can be found on the
accompanying literature. The timeline comes with a description of the
periods, and suggested activities in the areas of language, social science and
math. The timeline comes accordion folded.
EP14 $7.50
FOSSIL COLLECTION
This fossil collection
contains one of each of twelve 1-2 inch fossils,
including trilobite, dinosaur bone, fossil shark
tooth and petrified wood, each in its own plastic
bag with a card of information. Pairs of fossils
from two collections are fun and challenging
to match as no two will be exactly alike. Older
children enjoy putting the fossils on the correct
part of the Evolution Time Line which is the
main chart for the Second Great Lesson (the
Coming of Plants and Animals) in the 6-12 class.
EP13 $13.00

DICTIONARY OF HUMAN ANATOMY BOOKS

WORD ROOTS Children at this age want to see inside everything!
AND COMBINING FORMS And to understand the tiniest details. They can dissect
This little book is cherished by found dead animals, but these books provide a look
students of the Montessori elementary at the inside of the human body. The author knows
course because that the secret to interest children is captivation by
it compiles spectacular color photographs—taken by amazing new
from the Greek, scanners which change X-ray photos into computer
Latin, and other code to make clear, colorful graphics.
languages, with Children exposed to these pictures and this simple
special reference and correct information have a real head start in the
to biological important task of understanding human bodies.
terms and NOTE: These books are not appropriate for
scientific names. children under the age of 6. Just as dissection flowers
This study is not appropriate, because children at this sensitive
is another age can easily identify with the flower or the "cut up"
important humans in these books. But for the correct age, 6-12,
tool in the they are wonderful. Softcover, 10" x 10", color, 26
understanding of biology and the pages.
EP360 Bones $7.00
etymology of language in general which EP361 Brain $7.00
is of great interest to the child at this age. EP362 Heart $7.00
Softcover, 5" x 7," 135 pages. EP363 Muscles $7.00
EP281 $16.95 EP364 Set/4 $27.75

68 CHILD of the WORLD, Michael Olaf 's Essential Montessori for ages 3-12+