We know that part of our work as Montessori teachers is to observe children. We observe to understand their development, that we may…
First Plane
Sandpaper Letters and Metal Insets
Just as the Montessori classroom allows ample practice for the physical skills children will need to master holding a pencil, we also…
Montessori Monday: The Dressing Frames
In most Montessori classrooms, you’ll find a standing rack with a number of curious frames hanging on it. One frame includes panels of…
Montessori Monday: Addition with the Golden Beads
The Montessori materials share certain qualities: they are hands-on, beautiful and self-correcting. They isolate concepts to be explored…
Montessori Monday: The Pink Series
Legend has it that, when Dr. Montessori sought to translate her original design for reading materials from phonetic Italian to the much…
Montessori Monday: The Geometric Cabinet
In almost every Montessori classroom you visit, from toddler through elementary, you’ll notice a set of drawers, constructed of simple,…
Montessori Monday: The Binomial Cube
Algebra? In preschool? Why not? As a field of mathematics, algebra addresses concepts that apply regardless of the individual quantities…
The Sensitive Periods: Movement
Montessori identified a number of “Sensitive Periods,” times when children’s development motivated them toward an interest in particular…
Montessori Monday: Word Building with the Large Moveable Alphabet
Our Montessori classroom is rich with language, from the casual conversations children enjoy between friends and teachers to the formal…
The Kind of Help a Kid Can Do Without
“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” – Maria Montessori Because we care deeply about our children, we seek…