A Little Taste of Luck March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, and people everywhere enjoy this celebration of leprechauns, shamrocks, rainbows, and all things Irish. This is a great time to talk about Ireland’s geography and culture. It is also a reason to incorporate some fun, St. Patrick’s Day themes into your Montessori practical life […]
As you may know, Maria Montessori was a physician (the first female doctor in Italy, actually) before becoming an educator. As such, she was keenly aware of the relationship between physical health and academic growth. The Montessori Method focuses on the whole child, which includes the child’s physical well-being as much as mental, spiritual, and […]
Over the years, I’ve had countless conversations with parents regarding the pros and cons of a Montessori education. As parents, we have many different factors to take into consideration when it comes to choosing the right school for our children, factors such as location, cost, hours of operation and, of course, educational approach. Many would rank the […]
You’ve probably heard of Montessori. You may also know that Montessori is an educational approach based on a child’s natural stages of development. But did you know that Montessori’s in-depth understanding of the inner workings of the child’s growing mind, body, and spirit, can be used at home? Your child’s education begins at home, long before […]
Wondering how to celebrate the upcoming day of hearts and kisses with young children? By reading beautiful, fun, and kid-friendly picture books of course! Here is a list of eight great picture books for Valentine’s Day. Enjoy! Here Comes Valentine Cat by Deborah Underwood and Claudia Rueda I am a huge fan of Deb Underwood and […]
I just finished watching the latest Age of Montessori webinar entitled, The Fundamental Needs of Mankind, and what really “sunk in” for me is this: all of the different topics within the elementary-level curriculum really are connected. Maria Montessori refers to this as the “Cosmic Plan.” “The secret of success is found to lie in […]
If you are looking into Montessori education for your 6- to 12-year-old child (Montessori referred to this age as the “second plane of development”), you will likely hear the term “Cosmic Education.” So, what on Earth does this far-out phrase really mean? As with her educational method for younger children, Dr. Montessori developed the second […]
Science and Sensitive Periods What can cats, mice, and monkeys teach us about the way our children develop? And what can this possibly have to do with Montessori? The answer to both questions boils down to two words: sensitive periods. Back in the 1960’s, researchers discovered that kittens deprived of visual input during the first […]
No parent likes to spank, but it can sometimes be hard to know how else to react to our children’s misdeeds. After all, many of us grew up in a “spanking culture,” learning from a very young age that spankings were just the “norm.” Now that current culture steers clear of spanking (and for good […]
I’d like to kick off the new year with a recap of one of our site’s most searched topics of 2016: what exactly IS Montessori? Most people have heard of Montessori, but many don’t have a clear understanding of what it is or how it differs from other educational programs. Misinformation and misrepresentation have muddied […]
