Fundamental to the Montessori classroom, and more valuable than academic lessons, are the lessons which help children learn social strategies. These strategies help navigate friendships and collaboration with others, benefitting children throughout their life. Grace and courtesy is an integral part of the Montessori curriculum beginning in the early childhood classroom and continuing through the…
The Importance of Making Mistakes
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. —Mahatma Gandhi As a protective parent, I have been known to step in and share my personal wisdom in hopes of preventing my girls from making mistakes. My actions, though well-intended, can rob them of a valuable learning experience or…
Cultural Studies
Maria Montessori called the cultural studies a “window to the world” for good reason. Through rich and stimulating cultural studies, the children have opportunities to experience beyond our classroom and to realize many aspects of the wonderful world around them. These lessons cover a variety of subjects all intertwined; geography, zoology, botany, history, art and…
Learning From Dolls
Today a parent returned from Brazil and brought us the most lovely native doll from there to add to our hundred something doll collection. We are running out of space in our curio set as our doll population surges. From the doll guards of the Buckingham palace to the Kimono adorned dolls of Japan, to…
The Pyramids of Egypt
African studies this summer brought us to Egypt where we studied the great pyramids. The content of our lessons ranged from the limestone the pyramids are made from, to the traits of a cube, and also what is inside the great pyramids of Egypt. As an extension to our pyramid lessons, we gave the children…
