January, 2018

• 16 January

  Hosting a Montessori Menagerie

  

  Have you ever… sat next to a three-foot long iguana (or a giant rabbit or a cockatoo) while laying out the Square of Pythagoras on a rug? With such experiences, how can we not be in awe of life? In such circumstances, life itself is exciting, unusual, normal, and mystifying …

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• 16 January

  Sourcing Classroom Materials

  

  It took Montessori Services founder Jane Campbell only a few mornings in the Montessori classroom to discover how time-consuming setting up and maintaining the children’s environment can be! Four years later, with her own new baby in tow, Jane set out to serve the Montessori community in another way: by …

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• 16 January

  Glass in the Classroom and Home

  Whenever possible, try to build a control of error into each activity so it becomes clear to your child when she has made a mistake. The rationale behind letting children use cups and bowls that break if they are dropped or misused is that children quickly learn to be careful …

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• 16 January

  Art in the Montessori Environment

  Art is one of the many ways children express themselves. Art is a way for children to communicate their feelings. It is through art that children develop their fine motor skills. In the Montessori environment, we provide open-ended art activities that help children explore and use their creativity. When it …

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• 16 January

  Cultivating Peace in the Classroom

  Montessori education has been referred to as “peace education”; Montessorian Sonnie McFarland calls peace education a “Montessori best practice” (Montessori Life, January 2005); and even Gandhi praised Montessori’s approach to world peace. So, how is peace cultivated in a Montessori classroom? The Quiet Hum of Peaceful Activity Visitors often marvel …

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• 16 January

  Finding Freedom in Routine

  Focus on Routines, Not Lesson Plans Though we are ruled by the clock and the calendar like the rest of the world, we make room for real freedom with a regular routine. One of the features of a Montessori classroom is the consistency of an established schedule, which promotes what …

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• 16 January

  Cool Summer Water Lessons

  Summer is here, and whether you have summer camp programs or year-around school, many hours will be spent outside. Summer and water go together, even without a nearby pool or beach. Not only are wet activities fun, but they also provide opportunities for children to discover how things work. So …

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• 16 January

  Music in the Montessori Classroom

  

  Music is a universal language, loved by children and adults in cultures throughout the world. Children have an uninhibited inclination to move, dance, and make music, as well as an innate capacity to appreciate all types of music. Musical activities are included in the daily life of the Montessori classroom …

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• 16 January

  Sensorial Sounds

  

  The sensorial curriculum is one of the brilliant foundations of Montessori education. The materials that Dr. Montessori created are elegant in isolating each of the senses, and the Bells are among the most beautiful and fascinating of the sensorial materials. Even if you have no experience with the Bells, or …

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• 16 January

  Sensorial Games and Variations: Keep it Fresh!

  A five-year-old boy had been working with the Geometric Solids in my classroom. On the weekend, his family took a drive out to the countryside. His mother reported that her son, seeing a grain silo for the first time, pointed to it with great excitement and said, “Look, Mom. There’s …

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