An hand-crank eggbeater utensil, a bowl, and a drop of concentrated soap is an activity any toddler or preschooler will enjoy….and after the fun inside the bowl, why not have a cleaning frenzy?
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Did the kids eat this morning? I didn't see it with my own two eyes, but what have we here? A hodgepodge of mugs filled with varying amounts of milk or water or.... something... on the dining...
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It's not just you. Science confirms it - babies smell delicious. They also look like angels when sleeping. And nothing is as soft as a baby's bum....
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Yeast and gluten are magical. When working with a piece of dough, it feels alive. You knead….
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A lack of self-control is actually very common in early childhood. And most of the problem lies with the extremely-slow-to-develop prefrontal cortex.
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In Montessori, we recognize that there are four stages, or planes, of development for all humans which require extraordinary efforts and inevitable regressions before we are virtually reborn into the next...
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Boisterous or clingy, shrieky or shy, our toddlers give us the wildest ride of our lives and win our hearts forever. Your parenting journey, just like your toddler’s personality, is unique. In this excerpt from the Introduction of Toddler Discipline for Every Age and Stage, you can get a glimpse of my own pathway toward compassionate, gentle discipline.
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The Montessori classroom is the absolute perfect prepared environment for someone like me. Why? As a child, I was allowed the freedom to move at will, read to my heart's content, and daydream.
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Every child deserves to know that they are made of stars. From the tiniest babe to the gangly teen, we should be whispering it in their ears. “You are part of something absolutely amazing,” we say. “Your body was part of the very beginning, and it will be part of the very end.” Of what? Of everything.
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Never has a term so confused a traditional teacher or a parent just learning about Montessori. The common phrase "choose your work" used in the Montessori classroom has caused a massive myth...
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We call this the "power struggle". It's not fun. Avoid at all costs. "Don't get into a power struggle," the haughty book authors say, while looking down at you from much higher ground - a ground which is typically stood upon by people who have children already in college. "There are better ways to get children to do what you want." Ok, then.
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I've wanted to make these for a long time, but like many of the classic Montessori materials, these I simply could not justify the high price tag. But make no mistake - I did want them, and last...
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You don’t have to have a classroom, a playroom, OR Montessori materials from a specialized vendor to share Montessori with your child. You can start it right in your own backyard!
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What if I told you that Montessori has inherent and wonderful value for adults, too? That these changes that you make--to your home, to your lifestyle, to the way you raise your children--could have inherent value for YOU? That’s right! Montessori: it’s not just for children.
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Children, like unicorns, are magical beings, and they deserve a magical childhood. But unlike unicorns, they also have specific developmental needs.
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Maria's work continues today. It is estimated that there are about 4,500 Montessori schools in the United States and about 20,000 worldwide. It is impossible to evaluate the extent of her influence…
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Quite a lot has been written ABOUT Montessori in the past century, but any Montessori teacher worth her salt will tell you that reading straight from the…
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When your child is having an emotional meltdown, it's hard to keep your cool! What if your child is crying uncontrollably or is kicking and screaming on the floor? What then? No matter what, realize...
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At one point or another, we all feel the terrible aftertaste of envy in our social relationships. We see the venal colleague who gets ahead or the layabout relative who repeatedly falls into success. The resulting...
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Maria Montessori is one of history's greatest educational thinkers. Among her many significant observations is to - in all regards - follow the child. This doesn't mean just doing whatever the child...
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