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 Art of Geography
The theme of this year’s Children’s Art Exhibition, “The Art of Geography”, captures the global nature of our Montessori classroom. Every child yearns to understand their place in the world and to respect the diversity of people and cultures in our global community. Imagination, coupled with the stroke of a paintbrush, allows our children to…
Friendships Formed
We often wonder why it is that many friendships cannot withstand the test of time or distance, and a Montessori school may provide the answer with its multi-age classrooms and children at different stages of growth and learning who interact on a daily basis. These children have been able to forge friendships that last. Older…
Montessori Conflict Resolution
Conflict can be one of the best teaching tools! It is in the moment of conflict that children experience real emotions. With patience and practice, these social situations can lend themselves to magical opportunities to develop problem solving skills. It is second nature for an adult to step in when children are arguing. In a…
Preparation for life
The education of even a small child, therefore, does not aim at preparing him for school, but for life. — Maria Montessori Preparing a child for life is an immense responsibility, and one parents and dedicated educators do not take lightly. Throughout my tenure in education, I have witnessed the pendulum swing several times. Long…
Classroom Community
My most cherished times during the school day are those observing the classrooms. I often have a particular focus area such as the flow of activities, child interaction, or similar objective. Regardless of my intent, it never ceases to amaze me of the cooperation and compassion of children. It is a thing of beauty to…
The Montessori Classroom
The Montessori Classroom – A Very Montessori Poem by Bree Van Nes Shared from http://montessoritraining.blogspot.com/2010/08/montessori-poem.html A Montessori class is like no other, Calm and peaceful, neutral in color Amazing materials to challenge the mind, And countless opportunities to grow and to shine. A harmonious tone, where grace and courtesy are seen, Children helping, children learning,…
Independence
“Let me do it!” is commonly heard among young children. It’s their plea for independence in their pursuit of discovery. This can be a daunting request for an adult: It goes against our instincts of taking care of our children. But just the opposite is true, if we provide opportunities for our children to try…
Honoring Maria Montessori (1870-1952)
Breaking barriers… that is how I envision the legendary Maria Montessori. This pioneer of the proven Montessori Method of early learning first changed the view of women in medicine in the early 1900’s, and later originated the Education for Peace program earning her two Nobel Peace Prize nominations. Dr. Maria Montessori’s ground-breaking and scientific observations…
Words of Wisdom
If teaching is to be effective with young children, it must assist them to advance on the way to independence. — Maria Montessori
