Parenting

Whether this is the first time your child is headed to school or you're preparing for your youngest of six, the first day of school evokes all kinds of emotions. You may be feeling anxious about leaving them, or excited to have a little more space to breathe and think during the day. You may be … Read more about Preparing for the First Day of School: 0-3

Just as the Montessori classroom allows ample practice for the physical skills children will need to master holding a pencil, we also offer practice for the discernment skills children will need to remember and replicate the shapes of letters. Throughout the classroom, integrated into lessons across … Read more about Montessori Sandpaper Letters

Are your shelves cleaned? Have you reorganized your cupboards? Are they a safe distance apart? Decided whether the loft should be a reading nook or an observation perch? Is it a safe distance apart? Is the label maker out yet? Are your first-day checklists complete? Does your Assistant know where to … Read more about Teacher Talk: Preparing for the New Year

Perhaps the most distinct difference between traditional early childhood programs and Montessori classrooms is the absence of fantasy characters in the Montessori prepared environment. Mickey Mouse doesn't live here. Power Rangers and Powderpuff Girls are left at the door. Montessori's … Read more about Fantasy and Imagination

Montessori teaching is a calling that demands self-care. We are intellectually engaged long beyond after the children have gone home, analyzing our observations, preparing lessons, maintaining the environment, and active models whenever they are present, scientists, servants and saints. It's … Read more about Maintaining Community from a Distance

You may be getting ready to return to your classroom this fall with a whole list of teacher resolutions in your mind. Maybe you're planning to take more time for yourself this year. Maybe you're hoping to take time to offer more advanced lessons. Maybe you're determined to take time to finish those … Read more about New School Year Montessori Teacher Resolution: Observe The Children

You may be getting ready to return to your classroom with a whole list of teacher resolutions in your mind. Maybe you're planning to take more time for yourself this year. Maybe you're hoping to take time to offer more advanced lessons. Maybe you're determined to take time to finish those materials … Read more about Teacher Talk: Making Time for Observation

In addition to the design of the materials in general and the ground rules of the classroom, there are special lessons offered in the Montessori classroom to support children’s peaceful interactions and contributions to their society. The “Grace and Courtesy” lessons are often considered a part of … Read more about Peace Education: The Grace and Courtesy Lessons

The Montessori materials all share certain characteristics. They are beautiful and elegant by design, isolating a single concept, and offering some child-centered control of error. For concrete concepts, like quantities or colors, this is fairly straight-forward. For abstract concepts, like time, … Read more about The Perpetual Calendar

Something is going awry. A parent has raised a concern about (enter any number of possibilities here: your teaching, your classroom, the children's behavior, more homework, more time outdoors... the possibilities are as diverse as the children you serve.) What now? It's hard not to jump into … Read more about Difficult Conversations with Parents

A father I was chatting with recently pointed out the irony of my web-based-recommendation that we unplug and go outside more. I get it. The screens in front of us are important, critical tools in how we engage professionally, economically, civically. That's true and it's not changing. But as more … Read more about Look around. Look around.

You may have noticed the beautiful Math materials in Montessori early childhood and elementary classrooms. Enticing and elegant, a few minutes of exploration with these materials often help even experienced adults to better understand the relationships and principles of Mathematics. Montessori knew, … Read more about Math and the Infant/Toddler