Parenting

Visitors to Montessori classrooms often comment on the beautiful materials on the shelves, the lovely wooden crafted puzzles, graceful glass pitchers and fresh flowers. The classrooms are welcoming like a living rooms prepared for guests rather than the brightly colored and washable settings we've … Read more about Materials Matters

The activity of the day is done (almost.) Dinner is ready (almost.) The table is almost set. The kids are almost settled down. You're not really in the busy part of the day, but you're not really in the slowing down bedtime part of the day either. It's the witching hour. Montessorians know that … Read more about The Witching Hour

Montessorians often talk with some pride (and maybe a little boasting) about the ways in which Dr. Montessori’s influence on early childhood has become commonplace today. Those child-sized tables that are present in every preschool setting? Montessori’s idea. The manipulative geometric shapes? … Read more about They Kindled A Flame In A Few That Spread To Many

“Some may not be interested at all, and others take more time or less to assimilate what they want.” - M. Montessori Think of all the fears teachers and parents carry for their children’s progress through school. Are they “off track?” Have they “fallen behind?” If a child misses a day or two of … Read more about “…more time or less..”

In an ideal world, parents and teachers build collaborative relationships over days, weeks and months, working well when things are going well, and establishing the trust on which they'll rely when things get tricky. Y'all. Things are getting tricky. This morning, parents around the world woke up … Read more about Montessori At-Home Day One

Ideally, we're all working together to create a world with seamless transitions for children's development, when they can move smoothly from school to home to neighborhood without the jarring transitions of rules and noise and agendas. Ideally, our children are welcome in all the same places we are, … Read more about Montessori in the Airport

We know that part of our work as Montessori teachers is to observe children. We observe to understand their development, that we may better prepare for that development in the materials and lessons we offer in the environment. Before we introduce writing as a lesson, we need to observe the … Read more about Teacher Talk: Observing Writing

Observing in a Montessori classroom offers an insight into the rhythm and climate of the prepared environment, but it sometimes needs a little translation. Because so much of the peacefulness and productivity of the Montessori classrooms is tied to the preparation of those classrooms (including the … Read more about Visiting A Montessori Classroom

As Montessori learners develop the ability to measure and "tell" time, they are increasingly motivated to use these skills beyond daily routines. We know children are fascinated by large numbers, including large measurements of time across generations or even eons. In the Elementary classrooms, … Read more about The Timelines

While young children may not easily grasp the abstract concept of time, they are nonetheless inundated with references to the measurement of time. They observe that understanding time, knowing what time it is, knowing how much time something is going to take, and the like, seem to be very important … Read more about Telling Time

It's the American Thanksgiving, and across the country, families are gathering together to acknowledge the things for which they are grateful, to share abundant meals and family traditions, honoring the harvest and hearth, what we reap and what we sow. Today, I am grateful for Montessori, and for … Read more about Thankful: Montessori

For older children, who have a more developed sense of themselves separate from their parents and their ability to influence their environments, separation stress can take on a whole new intensity. Children who may have been transitioning between spaces with ease might suddenly seem anxious again, … Read more about Separation Stress in Early Childhood