"The essence of independence is to be able to do something for one's self."—Maria Montessori, The Absorbent MindCafeteria style, it's not! In a Montessori classroom, preparing, serving, and cleaning up are all on the children's menu. What could be more meaningful to a young child's developing independence than mastering the... Read More

"Getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, doing the day's work, preparing dinner, going to bed—all are occasions for adults to step back and see the home through the child's eyes."—Patricia Oriti, At Home with MontessoriThe family home, like the Montessori classroom, is a social environment. Children learn to function i... Read More

"Music matters. Encourage your child to listen to all kinds of music and to clap, dance and sing along."—Tim Seldin, How to Raise an Amazing ChildFrom the soft chimes inside their soft, furry toys to the full orchestration of "Carnival of the Animals, " children learn how to distinguish different sounds, rhythms, and melodi... Read More

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."—Desmond Tutu Earth Day (April 22) is an annual reminder to go outdoors with our children and celebrate the beauty and bounty of the Earth. The first Earth Day was held in the United States in 1970 when conc... 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

Explore the "universal language" of music with your children Children have a wonderful capacity to appreciate and make music. Early exposure to a music of all types has intrinsic value -- it can tell a story, set a mood, and reflect the character of a culture. Music stimulates the part of the brain associated with pattern r... Read More

Maria Montessori urged us to "give the child a vision of the whole universe..." so that children might better understand Earth's place in the cosmos. Books, card materials, and star charts take children only so far - no photograph can replace the awe-inspiring vision of millions of diamond-bright stars twinkling overhead.Wh... Read More

"We must teach the children the elements of social behavior ... In this way, these little people who, before, only knew vaguely and half consciously what to do in any particular social situation, now have a clear and vivid idea how to react when the particular occasion arises. ... (T)he essential thing is that he should kno... Read More

As a parent interested in the Montessori method, you may have heard about the three-period lesson, a hallmark of Montessori education that helps young children learn vocabulary and concepts.In simple terms, the three steps, or periods, are: 1. Naming (Introduction) "This is a dog." 2. Recognizing (Identification) "Show me... Read More

"Children of three years already know how to count as far as two or three when they enter our school. They therefore very easily learn numeration, which consists in counting objects."—Maria Montessori, The Montessori MethodMaria Montessori wrote the above over a century ago. Today children entering pre-school or kindergarte... Read More