If you are a parent interested in enrolling your child in a Montessori school, you will frequently come across the phrase “follow the child” in your research as it is a core tenet of the Montessori Method and the foundation of Dr. Montessori’s philosophy. “Follow the child. They will show you what they need… Continue Reading »
Learning begins at birth, or even before, and continues throughout our lives. Yet what is fascinating is that most of the learning occurs during early childhood from birth to six years – a plane of development called the “absorbent mind” by Dr. Montessori. It is during this phase that the child observes and absorbs the… Continue Reading »
Walking into a Montessori school, you may notice that class sizes are larger than in traditional preschools, but noise levels are lower. At their worktables or on woven rugs, children may be seen working independently or with their peers. They may be moving around the classroom and even using their voices but are unlikely to… Continue Reading »
If you are a new parent to Montessori, the term “normalization” may seem scary and confusing. You may ask yourself, “Isn’t my child normal already?” Rest assured, normalization in no way implies that your child is not normal! Rather, it is an ongoing process of learning. … Continue Reading »
Have you ever been curious as to how children learn in a Montessori setting? The Montessori Three-Period Lesson (basically a lesson in three parts) is used throughout the Montessori environment to help introduce a new concept and lead the children along a path to understanding and mastery. Villa Montessori Stone Ridge uses the Three-Period Lesson extensively (but not… Continue Reading »
Our lives today seem to be a whirlwind as we get back to work and the kids get back to in-person learning. Once again, we find ourselves consulting our calendars to check and double check where we are supposed to be and at what time we need to be there. After spending so much time at home,… Continue Reading »
Over the past several months, we have taken an in-depth look at how the Montessori classroom prepares a child for the rigors of academia and life. Much like math, language arts is the culmination of all the skills a child has learned through the other areas of the classroom, such as practical life and sensory learning. Dr…. Continue Reading »
According to Dr. Maria Montessori, the absorbent mind occurs from birth until approximately the age of six. During this time period, a child experiences a period of intense mental activity that allows him or her to “absorb” learning from their environment on an unconscious level with very little effort. Learning during this absorbent mind period is natural… Continue Reading »
The Montessori Method is often a mystery to a lot of parents. They may have heard of Montessori, but have no understanding of its ideology. Over the next several months, we will dive more deeply into the Five Key Learning Areas of Montessori and how children develop academically and socially. These five areas include: Practical Life Sensorial Language Mathematics Culture… Continue Reading »
The children come in and are greeted by the teacher. Children wash their hands. They begin their three-hour work cycle that focuses on the five main areas of the classroom: Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, and Science/Geography. During that three-hour work cycle, the child will pick a work that has already been presented to them by… Continue Reading »