Baan Dek Montessori

Even with training and patience and observation, our own judgement is a voice that is hard to quiet. It's instinct, and can be a helpful tool, but it means we also sometimes jump to conclusions, rather than leaving space for Following the Child.

It's easy to get stuck and thing some things definitively ARE Montessori, while other things patently are NOT. The truth, as with so many things, lies somewhere in the middle.

We're wrapping up this Montessori Summer series this week. It's been fantastic to hear stories of how Montessori has been implemented at home! Thanks for keeping us company.

Offering choice is so hard, but so important for developing confidence in yourself, logic, and decision-making skills. What kinds of choices do we offer? How do we phrase those choices?

While our first few episodes of the Montessori Summer Series were about routines and systems inside the home, this episode has a few activities and ideas for going outside, one of the best things about Summer!

In Episodes 73 & 74, we discussed Space and Time in our Montessori Summer series. In this episode, we bring them together, to address one difficult area of family life. We'll go over four areas where small changes can have a big impact, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. What's one challenging area in your family's life, where minor changes can make a tremendous difference, and really set you up for success?

What's the best way to use our time? Are we over-scheduled, or might things be a bit simpler if a schedule were implemented?

This week, we're kicking off summer. Learning and Montessori live outside of the school building. Let's look at ways we can Montessori at home, outside, whether or not school is in session.

This week, we're starting our series about Montessori outside of school. We're focusing on spaces, or "Prepared Environments."

"How was your day??" It's such a common question, but our answer depends on so many factors, some emotional, and some factual.

It's the time of year for making plans about what's coming next. We're often asked, what can we do to get ready for school? Here are our top three tips.

Why and how do we give choices? Which choices should we give? How should we present the choice, to set a child up for success? Is everything a choice?

Can how we think about clothing and about getting dressed make mornings a bit easier?

We received the best question on Facebook. Here are our thoughts on how to support children into altruism!

Children love to help, love working hard, love feeling the strong sense of belonging. We think of them as tasks that "have" to be done, children gain a sense of responsibility, attention to detail, and satisfaction.

An impulsive two-year-old flushing a whole roll of toilet paper, a four-year-old telling her sister not to cut her pants into shorts and then joining in, a six-year-old cleaning her room before bed without reminder. What do they have in common?

Just because we don't use tests doesn't mean we're not looking for children to be successful. In fact, just the opposite is true! So, if it's not an "A," how do we define success?

Math isn't just flashcards and worksheets. We use math all the time!

A child might always hang up their coat at school, but never at home, or always tidy their work, but leave small doll shoes for parents to step on at home. What's going on here?

What is this word, "discipline?" What do we mean? Why do we say it with such delight? Is it the same as punishment? Is it demanded, supported, imposed?

What's the purpose of Art in a Montessori classroom? How can we support creativity? How can we support the Process of Art, not just the Product?

Why do we say things like, "you did it!" and "congratulations!" but we try to avoid "good job?" Are Montessorians cold and unfeeling, or is there space for affirmation?

We love to give children gifts. For a birthday or a holiday, or because it's Tuesday or I was thinking of you. Looking for a great gift? Here are five of our favorites.

Stick to your guns of let it go? A pause and reflection on what's really important can help diffuse an argument, or provide another way to approach a situation.

Sometimes comparisons are helpful, sometimes, not so much. They can be a tool, or they can create challenges, or even internal conflict, when it might be unnecessary.

Communication is the give and take of everyday life. There can be challenges, and in this podcast, we provide some tips and suggestions from the classroom.

We recently held a Parent Education Workshop and a Webinar on A Montessori Life, uncovering a few areas of the classroom dynamics which sometimes translate well into family life. In this podcast, we chat with Jamie Bauer, Montessori Parent and Educator, on some ways she has brought Montessori into their home life, aspects of school they leave at school, and some challenges even a trained Montessorian faces!

No one will tell you what to do in a Montessori classroom. Opportunities will be provided, but it's up to you to choose how you're going to spend your time, what you'll do when faced with a challenge. It is empowering, and gives children motivation.

Work is motivating. When we only progress when a child has mastered something, we're instilling intrinsic motivation. The first in a two-part series on Motivation.

A few hints for starting the school year off strong.

It's so easy to forget, EVERYTHING is learned. We learn from an early age that we have an impact on our environment -- the people and the things around us. Sometimes, when we say something, it's true. Sometimes, it isn't but is that the same as a lie? Or wishful thinking? Or hope? Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

To help is one of our most important roles as adults in children's lives. It's one of the ways we live in relationship, and one of the reasons we need community. What are some of the ways we help, and what might be motivating factors behind this help? Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Children want to know everything. There's such a drive to learn and to discover. Questions are second nature. How do we need more information, in order to best help a child? What are they REALLY asking? Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Math is typically one of the last areas of the Primary Classroom a child works in. There are so many things a child is working on developing, skills required for success in math. Why do we wait? Why don't we jump in on the first day? Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Practical Life is foundational for children under six, in both the Toddler and Primary Environments. Why do we show children sweeping, scrubbing, polishing? What is the point of all these materials? Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Maximum Effort is a Montessori term for a quality Maria Montessori observed in very young children. Devoting all of their energy to mastering something, in order to fulfill their development. Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

"Follow the Child" is a Montessori phrase that is used a lot, but what does it mean? What DOESN'T it mean? How do we know we're Following the Child? Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Freedom and Discipline are big words in Montessori. Hugely important concepts, and so clear in practice, but difficult to understand, and to support equally. This podcast goes deeper into explaining how these two sides of the same coin manifest in the classroom. Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

This work, the Montessori lifestyle, is all-encompassing. It isn't clock-in-clock-out, it's not even a job or a career. It's a vocation, a lifestyle, a path of self-reflection and self-improvement. In this podacast, we chat with Lara Jacobs, Montessori guide and parent, who wrote a beautiful post for the blog entitled, "Vocation of Job?" In this podcast, with the same title, we talk about how she discovered Montessori, and how it's impacted her life. Hint -- in many, myriad, daily ways.

It seems natural how the classroom supports academic development. But we are social creatures, how is the interpersonal development met in the Montessori classroom? Independence is fostered, children primarily work at one-person tables, isn't this lonely? How do we help children build the strong sense of community one immediately feels upon walking into a Montessori classroom? It's just as natural, once you know what to look for. Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Learning happens outside of a classroom, and even before a child is ready to attend school! Learning to walk, to talk, and to feed yourself are huge achievements. Learn more about one way to support independence with eating in this podcast interview with Jamie Bauer. Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Observation is important for adults in determining if and how to help a child, but it is absolutely critical for children in meeting their own developmental needs. It is one of the most crucial skills a child develops, and they do this even without any instruction from the very first days. Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Observations is Key. How do we know what children need? How do we know what children are ready for? How do we know when to stand back and let learning unfold? This muscle is necessary, flexed and grown every day. Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

We're often asked, what can I do at home to support the work my child is doing in the classroom. The answer is surprising -- you're probably already doing it! Spending time together, having conversations, shared experience, all are beneficial for a child, socially and academically. For some specific tips, listen here! Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Maria Montessori proposes, in The Secret of Childhood, that the ‘creative urge of life’ is, essentially, love. She has a peculiar phrase for this particular articulation: she names it an “intelligence of love”. Later, in The Absorbent Mind, Montessori posits that, “The child is a well-spring of love. Whenever we touch the child, we touch love. It is a difficult love to define; we all feel it, but no one can describe its roots or evaluate the immense consequences which flow from it, or gather up its potency…” For us, it must be said, there is a logic of life that exists beyond the logic of yes and no and that is the logic of love. We see, in your work, this logic continually being put to work. For instance: your adamant love for life, at all costs. How would you make our classrooms, classrooms of love blossoming? If nothing else, this work must be precise and rigorously determined, but how do you construct a rigorous love? How intelligent, or sentient must it be? Can the architectural surround touch the love of the children?

Following Through might be a term we've borrowed from sports, but it's vital to supporting children in their development. It could be viewed as how we help children learn all the non-academics in the classroom. Young children are following their development, sometimes impulsively, and if something is important enough for me to stop that inner voice to change a behavior, help a child, enforce a routine, it's important enough for me to Follow Through. Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

The Primary Montessori classroom is typically a three-, sometimes four-year program. When a child is ready for Kindergarten, often the question comes up-- should we stay in Montessori, or move to a different school, be it the neighborhood public school, a private school, or homeschooling. What are some aspects of that final year in a Primary Montessori classroom? Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Sleep is tricky. Wouldn't it be wonderful, if every young child fell right asleep, slept through the night, didn't need multiple tucking-ins, drinks of water, one-more story/hug/look under the bed? Some families experience ease with sleep from earliest days. Some families eagerly seek help, from the internet, friends, elders, anyone with a suggestion. Sleep is something we all do, we all need, but it isn't always easy for young children. Hopefully this episode is helpful! Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Reading is more than a skill. It's an important milestone, but reading together is just as important as being able to read to yourself. Reading together can pave the way for a life of joy in reading. Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere

Winter is here! Boots and mittens and coats and hats... there's so much to put on before we can go outside. But, as the saying goes, there's no such thing as bad weather, only wrong clothing. This podcast offers a few suggestions for getting through Winter with ease. Our theme music is by Lee Rosevere