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Montessori Learning

Social Benefits of Montessori: The Primary Years

By Montessori Basics, Montessori in Action, Montessori Learning No Comments
With NAPLAN receiving so much attention this week, we want to highlight the importance of skills learned during primary school, other than academics. Social and emotional learning are hot topics in today's education world and Montessori primary schools have this built into their curriculum.  Before moving on to social and emotional learning, let’s recollect the academic benefits of Montessori education. An August 2023 meta-analysis of 32 studies highlights how students...
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Shifting from “Stuff” to the Spirit of the Season

By Montessori in Action, Montessori Learning, 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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Art for Self-Expression

By Montessori in Action, Montessori Learning No Comments
Numerous theories and lots of research expound upon the importance of artistic expression. For young children and adolescents, art is an especially crucial form of personal expression. As such, children need to experience their own process rather than to produce a piece that someone else wants.  In Montessori, we also have sensitivity to different expressive needs throughout different stages of development.   Process vs. Product For young children, the process of...
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A Supportive Summer

By Montessori in Action, Montessori Learning No Comments
The summer months can sometimes feel like a long stretch, especially when we are trying to figure out how to keep our children engaged, or at least entertained. However, if we think about the big picture of what children really need, it can be easier to think about activities that will satisfy those needs and support natural development.  What do our children really need? When Dr. Maria Montessori first began...
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Memory, Learning, and Montessori

By Montessori in Action, Montessori Learning No Comments
Memory is such a critical component of learning. We perhaps take this for granted without fully understanding how memory works and how to support our children in the process of creating and retrieving memories.   What is memory?  Memory is essential to being human. Our brains have evolved to remember what is most meaningful. That being said, we also tend to forget things! Interestingly enough, not remembering is often just a...
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Materials Spotlight: The Bead Chain Cabinet

By Montessori in Action, Montessori Learning, The Prepared Environment No Comments
Visit any Montessori environments and you’ll immediately notice a stunning display of colorful 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 primary years. Colour-coding   One of the brilliant aspects of the Montessori mathematics materials...
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Family-School Partnership

By FMS Values, Montessori in Action, Montessori Learning No Comments
Our children really thrive when home and school environments work cooperatively, communicate well, and share similar educational values and expectations. When families devote sincere effort to learning about Montessori principles and how to reinforce these at home, there are positive effects. We want to partner with you in support of your child!  What does a home-school partnership look like in action?   In order to reinforce and extend your child’s experience...
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The First Six Years: Conquests of Independence

By Montessori Basics, Montessori Learning No Comments
Throughout their first six years of life, our children achieve many milestones of independence. Let’s take a look at some of these conquests of independence.  As caregivers and parents, we have a bit of a bittersweet role. While we want to keep our children close, we ultimately need to support their path toward independence.   We expect dependence at the beginning. Yet our newborns take their very first step toward independence...
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Kindergarten: The Icing On the Cake

By Montessori Basics, Montessori Learning No Comments
This post is for our Toddler and Pre-School  families (although the families of older students who read it will readily agree and support the points below - ask them when you have a chance!). Some of you were originally drawn to Montessori because you’ve read about how different and special the approach is. Some of you were looking for a high-quality daycare or preschool and stumbled upon us.   There are...
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The Montessori Prepared Environment

By Montessori Basics, Montessori Learning No Comments
In Montessori, we talk a lot about the “prepared environment.” Really, though, this concept of a prepared environment isn’t limited to Montessori. In fact, from the earth’s biosphere offering an array of support for life, to the fragrant and colorful flowers existing to lure pollinators, to a woman’s uterus preparing each month for the implantation of a fertilized egg – prepared environments are all around us!   A prepared environment has...
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