Learning to use the toilet independently is a meaningful milestone for toddlers, giving them a deeply personal way to experience their autonomy and the ability to meet their own needs. We often refer to this season as “potty training,” but in Montessori, we call it “toilet learning.” This might seem like a matter of semantics, […]
Community
Victoria nature festival
The Victorian Government is hosting its first free virtual nature festival from 28 September – 11 October 2020. Meet Victoria’s park rangers online, take a virtual tour of the zoo, learn about Dja Dja Wurrung’s work on Country or check out a webinar about nature and science. These events look interesting for Preschoolers: 28 September Become […]
The Brain Architects Podcast: COVID-19 Special Edition: A Different World
While the coronavirus pandemic has changed many things around the world, it has not stopped child development. In this series of special episodes of The Brain Architects podcast, we aim to share helpful resources and ideas in support of all those who are caring for children while dealing with the impacts of COVID-19. The first […]
Opinion: Don’t obsess over digital lessons. Let children create own lessons.
Over the same period that children have become ever less free to create and pursue their own activities, the mental health of children and young adults has declined. In recent years researchers have documented record levels of anxiety, depression, and suicide in children; increasing numbers of young adults who fall apart when faced with the independence […]
Distance Learning in Times of Disaster
By Letty Rising and Elizabeth Slade Without warning, children across the country have experienced a dramatic shift in how they participate in daily learning. In addition, children who relied on social service connections and food service programs provided at school were suddenly without these essential resources. Educators have put their heads together to experiment […]
Does Montessori Ever Close?
Human Tendencies In A Time Of Pandemic No seriously, bear with me here. Of course Montessori doesn’t ever close, right? Because Montessori is about serving life and serving the child. Its not about classrooms and schools, even though that’s where we tend to practice it. So if Montessori never closes, what do Montessori people […]
COVID-19 – We Are One Global Family
The Coronavirus is a Stark Reminder We Are One Global Family An Article by: Andrew Kutt What a difference a month makes. The whole world is reacting to a pandemic of a previously unknown virus. It’s an emergency on a global scale, dominating every news cycle. It’s the subject of conversations over coffee counters at 7-11 […]
“Hello! I am the Coronavirus”
Dear families and educators, Manuela Molina from Mindheart has built this short book for children between 2 and 7 years old with the purpose of anticipating and accompanying the emotional world of children against the COVID-19 virus. This resource does not seek to be a source of scientific information but rather a tool based on […]
Montessori Movie – Melbourne Premiere
The first ever documentary film on Montessori education – as lived by the children themselves. Director Alexandre Mourot spends a year filming a class in which students direct their own learning. As a young father, watching his daughter go through her life experiences, Mourot discovered the Montessori approach and decided to set his camera up […]
Planes of Development
Dr Montessori outlined four consecutive planes, or stages, of development from birth to maturity, each plane spanning approximately six-years. At each plane of development children and young people display intellectual powers, social orientations and creative potential unique to that stage. Each plane is characterised by the way children in that plane learn, building on the […]
Celebrating 150 Years
The 31st August 2020 is 150 years since the birth of Maria Montessori. Montessori was ahead of her time in her research, educational approach and pioneering work for social reform. The work of Montessori today continues to motivate people to change the world for the better and has impacted the lives of children and teachers […]
The ultimate list of Montessori activities for babies, toddlers and preschoolers
Download The ultimate list of Montessori activities for babies, toddlers and preschoolers provided by The Montessori Notebook.com
Our Favourite Montessori Podcasts
With the explosion in podcast popularity we thought we would list our favourite’s for Montessori inspiration. Montessori Education with Jesse McCarthy The Art of Parenting The Montessori Notebook Montessorium (a wonderful source of inspiration for our Preschool) Baan Dek Montessori (a wonderful back catalogue of content) Dr Montessori’s Own Handbook Let us know […]
How Positive Discipline changed my life
I’m often asked, “What is Positive Discipline?” For me, and I don’t mean to be too dramatic, it was a rude awakening, changed my life and saved it at the same time. Let me explain… I discovered Positive Discipline during my first year working in a mixed age Montessori classroom. At 43, I had decided […]
Happy Birthday Maria Montessori
August 31st is a special day. Maria Montessori would have turned 149. She passed in 1952, but her legacy lives on. Children all over the world are working daily in classrooms just like the one she cobbled together in 1907. Adults are witnessing the same discoveries she made. Generations later, has childhood really changed all […]
How to Deal With a Child’s Aggressive Behavior
When I’m upset — insert also overwhelmed, exhausted, angry, impatient — it takes me awhile to work through it. It’s not easy for me to simply shake it off, restrain or ignore however I’m feeling either. I need time to reflect, talk about and work through strong emotions, and I need empathy in that, too. […]
Five tips to bring Montessori Home
Families want to be supportive of their children’s development. We all get the same 24 hours in the day, so whether our work is unpaid as a primary caregiver or takes us outside the home for most of the day and many special occasions, between chores and school and sleep and the zillion other unnameable […]
When We Get Mad at Children
Most of us who work with children and/or have children of our own know well that little boys and girls are not the only ones who can find it challenging to handle anger and stress. We can too, of course. A significant challenge when being around children can be stress. That stress has many different […]
Don’t Interrupt the Concentrating Child; Dr. Steven Hughes on Neuroscience and Montessori
Valid and reliable scientific research and brain development theory should be the driving force behind any school system. Sadly, in our country, that is too often not the reality. Too many of our nation’s schools are based on an industrial-era, conveyor-belt, “information-in, information-out” style. Missing in this antiquated approach is the child as an agent […]
7 Best Books about Montessori & Child Development
There are so many incredible options out there if you want to read more about Montessori and early childhood development. Here are 7 best books on the magic of the first years of childhood These are Montessori classics that you will love, covering everything from how to incorporate Montessori in your home, to Montessori theory, […]