Montessori Homeschool Help for Beginners
Simple, clear guidance for starting Montessori at home without overwhelm.
Welcome! Here you’ll find information about real-life Montessori homeschooling. These topics were chosen because they are the most popular curiosities and concerns we see from parents who are brand new to Montessori. We hope you find them helpful! Please reach out to us anytime. We love helping newbies!
Learning to Read: The Three Period Lesson
The three period lesson is a staple of Montessori education. It can be used to teach the name of anything, including the sounds of the letters of the alphabet, setting the stage for reading. It is...
Using Minimalist Ideas in Your Montessori Home
I think we’ve all heard the siren call of Minimalism at some point in parenthood. The notion that minimizing your possessions means MORE time for other things is understandably appealing--especially to parents who find themselves overwhelmed with life and upkeep. There is truth to this: simplifying life CAN make things easier…
You're Doing it Wrong: the Apple Slicer
Do you have an apple slicer? Me, too! I use it all the time, and I always loved letting kids in the classroom help me prepare apple snacks this way. It takes quite a bit of effort for a small child, and I would put...
The Garlic Peeling Work: A Lesson in Mindset
If you ever find yourself wanting to practice patience, I suggest no greater classroom than a house with a toddler. Case in point. One morning, as I sleepily stirred oatmeal on the stove, I glanced over to...
Five Tips for the Montessori Beginner
So you want to do Montessori in the home but aren't sure where to start. Maybe you follow those Instagram feeds filled with achingly beautiful photos of some fantastical Montessori home and think...
Want to Build Fine Motor Skills? Get Nuts.
When I was a kid, my parents took me to a restaurant where you were not only allowed to throw peanut shells all over the floor. You were actually encouraged to. Sure, it may have just been a marketing...
Songs We Love: Inchworm
I'm not above singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, but I also believe that along with the simple, happy melodies we are all familiar with, children should be offered more. They deserve to hear harmonies and discord...
Conflict Resolution Starts in the Sandbox
The sand beckons them. One child reaches for a shovel and kneels, prepares to dig. The other takes off his shoes and swishes his bare feet back and forth. “A sand angel!” he exclaims. His whole body ...
Considering Homeschooling? Here’s How to Make It Work
Curious about homeschooling? You’re not alone. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, almost 3.5% of school-aged children (and growing) are homeschooled. For context...
Knock Down the Pink Tower? Say It Ain't So!
Sometimes we come upon a quote from Maria that shocks us and makes us reconsider everything we've been taught in the name of Montessori. Where do we go from there?
You Can Make a Nearly Perfect Learning Tool For Pennies
Playdough is great. It feels so good to kids because it stretches and strengthens their wrists, their hands, their fingers. But you know what's better? Real dough...
Do Kids Need Fewer Toys? A Montessori Perspective
Every three months or so I go crazy decluttering my house and removing nearly all of the children's toys. I'm not an organized person by nature, so while my minimalist goals may never be reached, I find...
The Heart of Montessori is Actually Pretty Easily Found in Homeschooling
What do you think of when you hear the word “Montessori”? Is it a private school? A classroom full of shelves and children choosing activities independently? You would be on the right track, but this isn’t the end of the story. Montessori homeschoolers get right to the heart of the method.
This Is the Way We Wash a Wall: The Montessori Way!
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?
Don't Feed Your Kids. Organize the Fridge!
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...
Five Ways to Respect Newborns
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....
The Art of Baking Bread With Children
Yeast and gluten are magical. When working with a piece of dough, it feels alive. You knead….
Why Is My Child So Grabby?
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.
The Journey to Adulthood: Birth to Age 6
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...