"Solicitous care for living things affords satisfaction to one of the most lively instincts of the child's mind. Nothing is better calculated than this to awaken an attitude of foresight."—Maria Montessori, The Montessori MethodChildren can plant a seed now and nurture the seedling for next year.Planting an Arbor Day tree t... Read More

Last spring I bought my four-year-old grandson a set of gardening tools and he helped his dad plant a garden. The next day he spent at least an hour digging one hole. He said he was "looking for things in the ground." The next day he went out to dig again. After a little while, he came in for his dump truck and bulldozer, s... Read More

"The objects that are used for practical life... are the objects used where a child lives and which he sees employed in his own home, but they are especially made to a size that he can use."—Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the ChildBelieve it or not, even a very young child of two-and-a-half or three years can learn to u... Read More

"Kahoho kuhuma madzi is the Giriama/Kenyan name for toddler. It means 'a youngster who can be sent to fetch a cup of water.'" —David F. Lancy, Child Helpers: A Multidisciplinary Perspective As a struggling new mother, Michaellen Doucleff was frustrated that her two-year-old was slapping her. Doing research for a story... Read More

"Whatever do you think they'll do with all those boxes? Well..."—Min Flyte, BoxYou're thrilled with the gift you've chosen for your toddler, and you can't wait to see her open it up. She takes forever tearing off the paper, and becomes enchanted with the ribbon and wrappings. You help navigate the opening of the box and exp... Read More

"Influenced, perhaps, by my early experience at a Montessori school... I am all for encouraging children to work productively with their hands.... It is good to give them knives, for instance, as early as you dare.... to slice a hard-boiled egg neatly and then to fillet a fish. Talk to children as you plan menus. Let their ... Read More

Do you find pastry intimidating? Children don't! Any child who has played with modeling dough will be eager to use the same techniques to create a pastry-based snack. And any parent can make it happen, with ready-made pie crust, realistic expectations, and Montessori-style step-by-step skill-building.Fiddling with scraps of... Read More

"The artist is not a special kind of person; rather each person is a special kind of artist."—Ananda CoomaraswamyIt's the first month of the year and you may still be making room for holiday gifts. In my house, these gifts traditionally included fresh, new art supplies. As the children grew up, the size of the crayon box al... Read More

"In today's world, we all need to get outside and grow and do these things together, and a garden is the best place to teach our children about healthy food choices and to also find joy."—Emily Murphy, Grow What You LoveThe joy of discovery lights up the world. It's a special delight to see children discovering their enviro... Read More

There is a lively debate going on in the country about whether, in this age of electronics, cursive handwriting is a necessary skill. Cursive is not required by the national educational Common Core Standards. Many states across the country are removing or reducing cursive instruction from the curriculum while only a few sta... Read More