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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
First of all, who doesn’t say “good job!” to their kids? It’s a catch-all sort of praise that you can easily blurt out while you’re also skimming the news, chopping vegetables or peeking out of the bathroom to watch your child do some sort of jumpy twirly move that he’s obviously very proud of. Yet, […]
There’s this beautiful quote from Dr. Montessori’s Words of Advice to Teachers, published 95 years ago. “She must give her lesson, plant the seed and then disappear; observing and waiting, but not touching.” May 6th marks the anniversary of Dr. Montessori’s passing, and, like many dates of note, often has us feeling a bit sentimental. We’re […]
A quick glance into many Montessori classrooms will showcase not just students, guide, materials, and furniture, but also often plants. Why is that? Does the teacher just like ferns, or is there a reason? As usual, there is always a reason in Montessori. For why we have plants, there are several reasons! Let’s explore those together. […]
