Montessori Moms: Planting the Seeds of Growth

Update:  I wrote this 9 years ago and although my children are in or done with college, a lot of this still holds true.  My 2 college students are antsy and are looking foward to getting back to their routines.  Our days are not filled with poolside games and daytrips any longer but rather work, time with friends and concerts seem to rule their summers.  Looking back those summers were filled with fond memories that I would not change for the world. It is hard to believe but September is just around the corner.  I love the beginning of the school year but my children would stay in summer vacation mode for eternity, (although they start to crave structure about this time of year, they just don't realize it yet!)  Summer vacation, in our house, is pretty relaxed. Everyone has daily jobs and expectations, but it's pretty loose as far as scheduling and structure.  We do some camps in July, but mostly my kids are free to get together with friends, play game...

Don't sweat the small stuff.  I know easier said than done!  In a day when social media is bombarding us with "perfect family photos", praises of a child's test scores and accomplishments, Pinterest projects gone wild etc. it is so easy to feel as though you are not making the cut as a mom/dad.  Trust me you will not look back on your child's early years and remember the clean house, the healthy balanced meals made from scratch every day or the perfectly matching clothes etc.  You will remember the fun, the laughs and the quality time you spent together.  That is not to say that the above mentioned are not important, they just should not be how you judge yourself as a parent. To quote a good friend who has an adult child, "All the times I was so worried about making everyone happy and looking like a good mom....Making sure my house was clean, the cupboards were perfect, my child looked perfect... to be honest I don't remember any of those times.  I rememb...

Montessori Moms: Planting the Seeds of Growth: What Happens After Montessori : So your child attended a Montessori school for preschool, now what?  Will they have difficulty transitioning to traditional schooling, will ...

So your child attended a Montessori school for preschool, now what?  Will they have difficulty transitioning to traditional schooling, will they have friends since many of the local children went to a traditional preschool, will they be behind academically........these are many of the questions I have been asked over the years about the children leaving our program and moving on to kindergarten or first grade.  Every child is different, but it has been my experience that most of our students transition with little difficulty to a more traditional setting, however the lifelong skills they learn from their time at Montessori will be benefit them time and time again. My children all went through Montessori and completed the 3 year cycle.  Upon entering first grade I was honestly a bit nervous.  We had been teaching them based on their ability, interest etc and was a bit worried what would happen when faced with an "assignment" they did not want to do or a tim...

What is Montessori? Truth be told the first time I stepped into a Montessori classroom I felt like I entered a whole new world.  I was not prepared to work with children who could sit where they were comfortable and do their work, choose work that interested them or even prepare their own snacks.  Having a very traditional schooling background my first thought was “this educational philosophy is way too alternative for me”, but I needed a job.   By my second week of working as a teaching assistant I was applying to a teacher training program and rethinking my career path.  That was 18 years ago and I am still in awe at times at what children are truly capable of given the right environment. Montessori to the untrained eye can look a bit “chaotic” and unstructured.  The opposite is actually true.  The teachers are trained to observe and teach to each child as an individual.  We plan activities and lessons based on each child’s development. ...

Montessori Moms: Planting the Seeds of Growth With the upcoming Holidays and lots of new toys coming into our homes I thought this might be a good time to repost this from last year. Wednesday, October 17, 2012 Setting up a play area for your preschool age child Creating a play area for your child can be frustrating, but it is easier than you think. Just think of these 3 rules: 1.         Get rid of the toy box 2.         Invest in 1 or 2 sets of shelves 3.         Less is best 1. Get rid of the toy box .  Honestly they scare me.  I never know what I am going to find on the bottom and either will your child.  Keep their toys displayed so they can see them. 2. Invest in shelves.  Don’t feel like you have to get expensive she...

Montessori Moms: Planting the Seeds of Growth: Terrible Twos at Three! : I always heard of the "Terrible Twos" and believed in them until my oldest child turned 3!  I thought the worst was over with the ...