Children at all times and at all ages are engaging curiously with the world, absorbing what they see and building their understanding of the world. In seeking to understand the world, young children ask so many questions! The Montessori geography materials meet that curiosity with simple, beautiful objects that help children put the world into context. As Dr. Montessori explains in Education for a New World, "Children are not able...
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If you come to observe a Montessori classroom, you may notice that the teacher is not the center of attention. You’ll see children moving around, working on various tasks, solving problems, and helping each other, while the teacher moves quietly through the room, watching, waiting, stepping in briefly. This is a careful, deliberate practice (and, for what it’s worth, it may be the hardest thing a Montessori teacher learns to...
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Did you and your children have fun these last school holidays? The winter holidays have us indoors much more than in the warmer months, so kids tend to get more creative at play. Hopefully you had some time to play too. Wintery days often call for board games, arts, crafts, and cooking, and more time getting imaginative at play. Play is a way for children to process and make sense...
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In Part One of this series, we explored Dr. Montessori's profound belief that imagination is nourished not by fantasy alone, but by reality. The richer children's concrete experiences of the world, the more powerfully their imagination can soar. In Part Two, we look at how this actually unfolds: how the carefully designed Montessori materials of the early childhood classroom lay the groundwork for the extraordinary imaginative life of the elementary-aged...
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Have you ever wondered how your young child seems to learn without even trying? One day, they suddenly begin speaking the language, walking with confidence, or mimicking our gestures with astonishing accuracy. Dr. Maria Montessori described this extraordinary power of early learning as the Absorbent Mind, a special mental function unique to children in their first six years of life. The Absorbent Mind vs. the Adult Mind The child's mind...
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Harmony Week is a celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. Fittingly, this year’s theme is Everyone Belongs. These values reflect the core values of Montessori education and very specifically the values we hold true at Forestville Montessori School. Within our small school community there are more than 27 cultural backgrounds. 48% of...
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If you’ve ever watched a young Montessori child build a word out of beautifully crafted red and blue letters, you’ve witnessed something profound. This is the moment when spoken language begins to take physical shape through the Movable Alphabet, a beloved Montessori material that opens the door to writing long before children’s hands are ready for a pencil. What Is the Movable Alphabet? The Movable Alphabet is a wooden box...
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With invitations shared this week for our parent-educator conferences, we thought we'd introduce all FMS families to one of the quieter, less visible practices in a Montessori primary classroom: the Child-Educator conference. You may never see it listed on a schedule or mentioned in a weekly update, yet it plays a profound role in children’s experience at school. Relationship Comes First The purpose of these conferences is to establish, maintain,...
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The school years are full of exciting growth but can, at times, be fraught with tricky social situations. This is all normal. Children are learning how to communicate kindly and effectively, make and maintain friendships, manage their emotions, and solve problems, all while figuring out their place within a group. It’s no surprise that challenges arise. As parents and caregivers, our instinct is to protect our children, especially when they...
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Our children are particularly sensitive to changes. Whether something as seemingly small as news day, or as major as a new sibling, our children feel the energetic shift of change, and we may see resulting (and perhaps frustrating) differences in their behavior. Starting the school year, moving to a new classroom and especially starting a new school are much bigger changes that may take your child a little more time...
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