by Cathie Perolman | Mixed Ages, Montessori Education, Tomorrow's Child, Tomorrow's Child Online Issue
Dear Cathie— Our children are both in Primary Montessori classrooms. One is a young three-year old-who just entered, and the other is four and one-half. They talk in passing about the Peace Corner and peace works that they do. Although the peace curriculum has been mentioned in our parent education talks, it still seems vague […]
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by Cathie Perolman | Infant-Toddler (0 to 3), Kindergarten, MFA, Mixed Ages, Montessori Education, Montessori Parenting, Primary (3-6)
Dear Cathie. I am looking for a preschool for my child, who will be three next summer. I hear good things about Montessori schools and plan to investigate them as a possibility. My friend said to go and observe. What exactly should I be looking For? -A Mom Beginning the Preschool Search Dear Mom, Observing […]
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by Cathie Perolman | Discipline, Infant-Toddler (0 to 3), MFA, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Primary (3-6)
Dear Cathie, Our daughter has entered a new stage, where she whines and pouts when she does not get her way. She is quite dramatic, and some of these incidents last a fairly long time. What can I do to help her snap out of it more quickly? Why is this happening? Her younger sister […]
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by Cathie Perolman | Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Tomorrow's Child, Uncategorized
Dear Cathie— Our oldest child will begin attending the Montessori school in our area in just a few weeks. We are new to the neighborhood, the philosophy and the school. We are anxious to meet the faculty, other families and children and others in the community as we begin this experience. But we are not […]
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by Cathie Perolman | Tomorrow's Child
Dear Cathie, I have been thinking about days off from school and this winter, even snow days. What is the best use of this time off? Is it best to just have a regular day that is like a weekend day, schedule some activity each day, or just let the kids have time to hang […]
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by Cathie Perolman | Infant-Toddler (0 to 3), Kindergarten, MFA, Montessori Education
Dear Cathie, My four year-old son loves to cut, color and paste. He can spend hours and hours happily doing just these activities. I wonder if he gets enough opportunity for creative expression at his Montessori school. I know children are encouraged to repeat the exercises they have had lessons on, but do they ever […]
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by Cathie Perolman | Infant-Toddler (0 to 3), Kindergarten, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Parenting, Montessori Teachers, Prepared Environment, Primary (3-6)
Dear Cathie: I like lots of parts of the Montessori system. But I am confused about why children are supposed to be quiet and calm all the time. When I watch my children at home, they seem to need to scream, run, and jump almost constantly. It seems that the Montessori schools go against what […]
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by Cathie Perolman | MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Parenting, Practical Life, Primary (3-6), Tomorrow's Child
Dear Cathie: I heard my child say that she “scrubbed a table” at school today. I understand that this is a “big work” and that it is important, but I really don’t understand why or how it helps my child. Can you explain why that is for me and other parents who are also in the […]
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by Cathie Perolman | Tomorrow's Child, Uncategorized
Dear Cathie, I understand the Montessori philosophy of “Follow the Child” and I really try to do that! But I also understand the importance of setting limits. Somehow that seems harder for me though. I seem to find these two tenets of the philosophy at odds with each other. How can I let my child […]
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by Cathie Perolman | Infant-Toddler (0 to 3), Language & Reading, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Parenting, Montessori Teachers, Primary (3-6)
Dear Cathie, I hear that Montessori schools recommend books that are realistic and do not have talking animals. My preschooler loves books with animals as main characters, and many of these do talk. Is it negative to read such literature to her at this stage of her development? —A CONCERNED PARENT Dear Concerned Parent, I […]
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by Cathie Perolman | School Leadership, The International Montessori Council
n our training, we all discussed the value of variations. I want to consider and explore the potential overuse of variations and the effect it can have on the child and the classroom. What is a variation? A variation, in a Montessori classroom, is an opportunity for a child to practice the same work at […]
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by Cathie Perolman | Kindergarten, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Montessori students
Dear Cathie, How important is it to keep my child in the Montessori class through the kindergarten year? After all, she will have to transition to her neighborhood school at some point. Isn’t it best that she do it when all of the children are entering the local elementary school? If we don’t transition at […]
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by Cathie Perolman | MFA, Montessori Parenting, Montessori students
DEAR CATHIE, I understand the Montessori philosophy of “Follow the Child” and I really try to do that! But I also understand the importance of setting limits. Somehow that seems harder for me though. I seem to find these two tenets of the philosophy at odds with each other. How can I let my child […]
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by Cathie Perolman | MFA, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting
Dear Cathie, In our school the children bring lunches from home and there are no facilities to warm up the food. I find my choices of menus very limited and boring. Sometimes my son doesn’t even eat it, and most of it comes home, or he tells me he threw it away. Can you offer […]
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by Cathie Perolman | Free Reads, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Family Life
Dear Cathie I am so pleased to hear that your child is flourishing in her Montessori classroom. And it is wonderful to hear about h erpeaceful persona. Growing peaceful children is an important topic in the Montessori classroom and one crucial to the success of our...
by Cathie Perolman | MFA, Science, Uncategorized
Dear Cathie, We are hearing so much about global warming. Although I want my child to develop good habits with respect to the earth, I am unsure about how much information to give him. I want to be sure it does not come across as frightening to a preschooler. Do you have any thoughts on […]
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by Cathie Perolman | MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Parenting, Montessori students
Q: As I begin to investigate Montessori schools for my preschooler, I hear two different philosophies about special classes provided outside of the regular Montessori curriculum. Both ‘camps’ seem proud of their position. But it seems vague to me. Why would a school choose not to have special classes for children unless they are just […]
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by Cathie Perolman | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Psychology
Dear Cathie: The topic of bullying seems to be all over the press. My child has just started preschool, but I want to be proactive in being sure that my child does not become either a bully or the victim of bullying. Is it too soon to think about this now? — A Proactive Mom […]
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