“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” Kay Redfield Jamison. Play is the most valuable way that children learn. Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children at a […]
Children plus glass seems like a recipe for disaster. If we can mitigate the danger to our children by limiting their access to it, why wouldn’t we? On the other hand, when we don’t allow children to use items made of glass or ceramic, could we be endangering them more by not teaching them […]
When my daughter was just 14 months old, we started Montessori potty training (learn more about Montessori here) every night before her bath. It took her a full month before she actually went pee in the toilet and we celebrated like crazy! We then took it up a notch and started putting her on the […]
At Battle Creek Montessori Academy, we often have prospective families asking us, “What is Montessori?” It helps us understand why we are learning something, rather than just learning to learn. Like I said – simple, right? Once you’ve grasped the concept of Montessori education, you often wonder how or why you ever learned in […]
There are many unexpected moments in the way Montessori presents various concepts of skills to children, including the surprise of introducing children to handwriting first through cursive. The Sandpaper Letters are iconic, pink or blue oversized cursive letters in rough sandpaper for a child to take to a table and practice tracing and pairing with a known […]
Many parents ask themselves about the importance of Kindergarten in the scope of children’s house. Their child becomes the wonderful age of five and they are faced with the complex decision…Do we stay in Montessori for his/her Kindergarten year? We all know young children are resilient and are often faced with change and transition. […]
For most of us, homework doesn’t enter our thoughts until the mid-elementary years and is typically thought of as worksheets and assignments that are given by the child’s teacher. That’s where we are different. Traditional homework emphasizes the repetition of rote behaviors rather than the development of understanding. These assignments limit the possibility for […]
You know your kids are Montessori when your oldest will be graduating from the college of his dreams at 20 years old. His college offers a four-year bachelor’s degree in timber framing and a full progress of traditional historic preservation major class. And he’s at the top of his trades classes because of his work […]
by Angela Chang One of the perks to being a Montessori mom is that I’m not constantly cleaning up after my children. But this isn’t just a Montessori thing. All children go through a sensitive period for order from birth to age five. This means that they are naturally inclined to work towards and crave […]
By Linda Karchmar Montessori is a lot of things – the philosophy, the materials, the beautiful and calm environment, but without The Lesson, it won’t all come together. The Lesson is one of the MOST important parts of Montessori to master. It isn’t easy! Anyone who has gone through a Montessori training program such as […]
