The material she used to write these words is called the Moveable Alphabet and it is one of the Montessori language materials. The Moveable Alphabet allows the child to write before her hand is physically capable of writing. It gives the child her first positive experiences in writing and gives her the sense that what she has to say is important. There are no prescribed cards to write from. The words she writes are limited only by imagination and experience. Ms. Claire has placed the Moveable Alphabet by the window, and children often write about things they see in the garden.
Well, that's nice, you might say. But the words are spelled wrong!!!! Yes, they are. Spelling can be taught at a later age, but a love of writing and the ability to put words to thoughts cannot be taught from a list. When the child's first writing experiences are hampered by the fear of misspelling words writing quickly becomes a drudgery. Giving the child freedom to write about anything at all, without the fear of failure, instills a love of language that lasts a life time. And that is not something you will find in a spelling primer.
