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Handwriting or penmanship; no matter what you call it, it was likely an important part of your early education. Pressured by time and content constraints, many schools have abandoned explicit handwriting instruction. This is resulting in a generation of children who do not know how to write in cursive, and who sometimes even struggle to…

Believe it or not, the holiday season is rapidly approaching! We thought it might be fun to share some of our favorite Montessori-friendly gift ideas. Montessori Infant Mobiles Montessori infant environments traditionally use mobiles for newborns. There are different types, but their purpose remains the same: they aid babies in the development of their visual…

Our Montessori Basics posts are created in order to teach parents about Montessori philosophy and curriculum. Today’s post helps illuminate how one element of the philosophy drives the curriculum. We all know Montessori classrooms differ vastly from their more conventional, traditional counterparts, and views on how children developmentally react to fantasy and reality are one…

Human emotion. We are so very lucky to each experience such a wide-ranging set of feelings, but that experience can be quite the roller coaster! As adults, our own emotions can sometimes get the best of us. How might we help our children find healthy ways to navigate through their own? Choosing a title for…

Assessment is a topic often discussed in the many corners of the education world. Whether a child is enrolled in their local public school, an independent school, or is homeschooled, assessment will most likely play a role in that experience. To what extent it plays varies greatly, however, as does the prevalence of the different…

This month we are taking a break from our regular book list post and sharing something a little bit different. Are you into podcasts? Are your kids? If you’re not already, know that there is a whole world FULL of entertaining and educational screen-free media out there just waiting to be discovered. Podcasts are great…

Have you ever wondered how Montessori got its start? You likely know the educational model is named after its founder, but the beginnings of this approach are fascinating. Read on for a brief history of Montessori education. Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870. She lived with her family in Chiaravalle, Italy, though they…

Monday marks the fall equinox, one of two days during the year in which both the northern and southern hemispheres of our planet receive the same amount of sunlight (the other day is the vernal, or spring equinox.) The rest of the year the tilt of Earth’s axis makes for an uneven distribution of the…

You probably know that encouraging independence is a hallmark of Montessori education and parenting. The best way to teach our children to do things for themselves is to create supportive structures in which they can gradually depend on us less and less. You may be wondering exactly how to do this, and we are here…

Where would we be without plants? Botany is a major area of study in the Montessori curriculum, and children everywhere are fascinated by the magic of seeds, flowers, and growing plant life. Interested in finding some books to support this learning? Check out these ten titles and let us know what you think! The Tiny…