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Materials Spotlight: The Bead Chain Cabinet

By Montessori Basics, Montessori Learning No Comments
Visit any primary or pre-school Montessori classroom and you’ll immediately notice a stunning display of colourful glass beads hanging in an open cabinet. Children (and adults!) are drawn to the order and elegance of the bead chains. Beyond their initial aesthetic appeal, the bead chain material offers an amazing array of intellectual opportunities for young children to those in their elementary years.   Colour-coding  One of the brilliant aspects of the...
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What is the Montessori Three-Year Cycle?

By Montessori Basics, Montessori Learning No Comments
When visiting a Montessori classroom, it can at first be surprising to see children of a range of ages in one room. Visitors often ask how children of very different sizes and abilities can all be supported and challenged in one classroom. There are many factors, but one reason the mix of ages works so well in Montessori is because we have “three-year cycles.”   What is a Montessori Three-Year Cycle? ...
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How We Montessori: A Montessori View on Chores

By Helpful Hints, Montessori Basics, Parenting No Comments
Chores: the word has such a negative connotation.  But does it need to be that way?  Following on from our post last week about chores being beneficial for all ages, we wanted to share a post from 'How We Montessori' about the benefits of chores for children at three years of age. It’s not about making children do chores.  Instead, it’s about encouraging and supporting your children to recognise and...
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Chores: They’re Good for Your Kids!

By Helpful Hints, Montessori Basics, Parenting No Comments
Chores: the word has such a negative connotation.  But does it need to be that way?  Do you remember doing chores when you were growing up?  For some of us, we remember them as a negative consequence.  For others, we never had them and it took us a while to learn how to do them as adults.  Still others remember helping around the house but not thinking it was a...
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Joining a Montessori Community

By Montessori in Action No Comments
We care for your children and  because we care we want each and every one of them to thrive.  Thriving beyond here at FMS is more than a tagline, it’s a way of being, a way of doing, a way of taking every child on their own unique journey.   Your child is important to us, central to all that we do.  Your hopes and desires for your child matter to...
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Farewell our 2022 Graduates!

By Montessori in Action No Comments
From outdoor learning, even before it was a trend during COVID to connecting with the Earth and building strong relationships, Montessori education lives in the hearts and minds of our Graduates.  Our 2022 graduates embody the purpose of a Montessori education – to educate for life and for peace.  Listening to what they have to say, it will illuminate all that we hope for in our future generations.  Neste Szarka-Kovacs...
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Time for Togetherness

By FMS Values, Parenting No Comments
During the holiday season, we can unintentionally become a bit edgy or stressed. Routines change. We might travel or have visitors staying. While our children may feel excited about the holidays, they also can feel the changes in family routines or shifts in family dynamics.   If we are getting together with extended family or friends—no matter how loving, patient, and well-meaning—having additional people mixed into the scene, especially during the...
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Shifting from “Stuff” to the Spirit of the Season

By FMS Values, Montessori Philosophy No Comments
All too often the holiday season becomes about “stuff”–presents, decorations, more presents. How do we wean our children away from their focus on getting gifts and instead shift attention to the spirit of togetherness, generosity, peace, and goodwill?  It can be helpful to hold a family meeting and talk about everyone’s feelings about the holidays. We can ask our children about what, besides the gifts, they really like about the...
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How Do Our Staff Address Avoidance?

By Montessori Educators, Montessori Philosophy No Comments
One of the top questions parents ask about Montessori is: How do teachers deal with children avoiding work they don’t want to do? This is a really important concern and becomes increasingly so as children get older. Most families know Montessori centers on student choice, and it can be hard to envision that value working in conjunction with accountability. The good news is it’s something we take very seriously. In...
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Focused on Friends (or Fenemies!)

By Montessori Educators, Montessori Learning, Montessori Philosophy No Comments
During their primary years, it can seem like our children are only focused on friends (and frenemies!). We hear about what happened at recess or who they sat with at lunch. They come home with elaborate accounts of being wronged. It’s easy to begin to wonder what they are really learning at school!  In Montessori we always try to understand what is happening developmentally, so we can address children’s needs...
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