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One of the key concepts in Montessori educational philosophy is understanding and guiding a child’s process of normalization. Normalization can be a confusing term. What it is meant to describe is the normal, natural, and healthy growth and development of children when their physical, emotional, social, and intellectual needs are being met. When I was […]
One of the things I’ve learned as a parent and grandparent is that you never stop worrying about your kids! There are two big ideas that have helped me over the years feel confident that life was going okay: For his book, Dyer surveyed parents and found that they wanted the following: I want my […]
A few years ago, my sister was running a seasonal garden center. In her neighborhood, it was the go-to place for everything needed to create a beautiful yard. Needless to say, it was popular and busy, with most customers on a first-name basis. They struggled to find help. College students would be hired for the […]
With my almost five-year-old grandson visiting us for the past month, I have found it difficult to find a window of time to write. What I have been able to do, though, is observe him and work with him. This time together has given me another vantage point from which to see the power of […]
While working with a group of older four-year-olds on a craft project, I looked on in amazement as the children held their pencils like spears, ready to be launched. Scissors were clutched upside down and backward using all sorts of awkward finger combinations. Frustration and discouragement filled the air. “What happened,” I wondered, “to the three-finger grasp?” […]
Clarity, Calm, and Connection: Montessori Support for Everyday Parenting and Teaching Ever find yourself second-guessing how to respond to your child when things go sideways? Unsure if you’re actually helping—or just adding to the chaos? Whether you’re a Montessori parent, teacher, or school leader, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, isolated, and unsure what “the right […]
When we talk about Montessori classrooms as prepared environments, many people see only a classroom with shelves containing various materials. Period. Montessori materials—that’s all there is to a prepared environment. And that would be an incomplete view. A prepared environment is not about materials—it’s about intentional design. A properly prepared environment requires thoughtful planning, along […]
As we work to prepare places for optimum learning and living with purpose and meaning, one idea that needs to be added to a prepared environment—consisting of people, ideas, tools, objects and the natural world—is how we help others obtain independence. Stephen Covey called these steps 7 levels of initiative or self-empowerment. In Montessori terms […]
As I’ve come to a different stage of my life–as a grandparent–and I observe my grandchildren and their peers, I’ve seen the skills of practical life as key to living a happy life. These articles came out of my realization, too, that among my peers–fellow grandparents–the ones that were the healthiest and happiest practiced practical […]
What should our children learn? Over the past posts I’ve tried to show that children need to learn, as a life-long foundation, the practical life skills that include care of the self, care of the environment, care of others, and care of community. The skills of practical life offer the child a way to build […]
