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How does a parent prepare their child for an unpredictable future? Don’t we all just want to give them every possible advantage? How do we define success in our children’s lives? Is it about being able to provide for oneself or is it finding joy in the work we do? Is it about contributing to…

If you haven’t already noticed the slight chill in the morning air, the changing seasons are likely creeping into your thoughts. Winter is coming, as they say. This has us looking forward to cozy evenings curled up on the couch with our families. In recent years, the ideas of the Danish concept of hygge have…

You may have noticed that in Montessori schools, we do not typically encourage competition between children. Our lack of traditional grading is one obvious marker of this approach, but you will notice that the lack of peer competition threads itself pretty much throughout the entire program. This is quite intentional, and we work hard to…

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…