To access this page, you will need to log in or become a member.
by Margot Garfield-Anderson | Family Resources, Infant-Toddler (0 to 3), MFA, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting
ecently, Blakely Jayne, my 19-month-old granddaughter came for a visit. My son-in-law brought her down from New York while he visited with his own grandfather, so I pretty much had her to myself for four glorious days. Now that she’s totally mobile and quite verbal, we did many fun activities together. One day, I took […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Robin Howe, EdD | Birthdays, Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Parenting
very year in Montessori classrooms all over the world, young children celebrate their birthdays by walking around a candle with a globe in their hands, symbolic of the passages around the sun that the children have made during their lives. As these Montessori children get older, their stories get longer, and for many, after ten […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Sharon Caldwell | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting
ny parents and teachers, and some Montessori Directresses, make use of “time out” as a means of compelling children to behave in a certain way. Sometimes, the child is required to sit on a specific chair. Sometimes this is called a “thinking chair,” and the child is instructed to think about what he has done. […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Margot Garfield-Anderson | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting
t’s that time of the year again when commercials and print media pound into our conscious and sub consciousness that we NEED to buy their products for our children and grandchildren to ensure a successful holiday for all. The bigger the better, the more plastic pieces, even better yet, right? WRONG. Gift giving, regardless of […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Chelsea Howe, PsyD | Family Resources, Infant-Toddler (0 to 3), MFA, Montessori Family Life
hoosing day care is a particularly hard venture, whether you are a first-time parent or a parent several times over. Not only is it expensive, but it also is a choice as to what is the best solution for their child. No matter what the ultimate choice, parents hope that their children will be welcomed […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Tim Seldin | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Montessori Teachers, School Resources
Overview Shem Al Nessem (or “Smell the Breezes”) is an old Egyptian spring festival. It is a happy holiday that goes back to the days of the pharaohs. It is also an Egyptian national holiday. It is celebrated on the Monday following Easter. It starts very early in the morning. Whoever wakes up first can […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Tim Seldin | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Education, School Resources
Overview Africa is a continent of tremendous diversity of environments and peoples. However, in planning an African celebration, it is particularly appropriate to celebrate an African harvest festival. Farmers in Africa have to face long and terrible droughts in some areas, so a harvest festival is most meaningful to them. Of course, not all regions […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
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 […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Terri Sherrill | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting
was recently contemplating some of the long held theories about birth order (and some of its possible effects on our lives). In his book Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics, and Creative Lives, Frank Sulloway of MIT, presents statistical data supporting the idea that children born later into a family have disproportionately been the […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Tim Seldin | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Family Life, Research, School Resources, The International Montessori Council
very year we receive more and more inquires about formal research evidence that validates Montessori’s effectiveness. More than two hundred studies have been published about the long-term academic and social development of children who attended Montessori schools in the United States. However, educational research is not often taken seriously by scientists. What do we really […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Michael Dorer, EdD | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Montessori students, Montessori Teachers, Tomorrow's Child
icture yourself in this situation. You notice a child wandering around the Montessori classroom. It seems that she has been on the move for quite a while, without finding any constructive work. You decide that it is time to intervene. When you approach her, which of following do you say? Would you like to […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Michael Dorer, EdD | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Materials, Montessori Parenting
focal point in every Montessori classroom is the shimmering display of multicolor beaded chains hanging in a custom wooden cabinet. Adult visitors always notice it, wanting to reach out, to feel and hold the strands: they are that compelling. And it’s no different with children: they, too, are attracted to these gleaming chains, squares, […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Cathleen Haskin | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Montessori students, Montessori Teachers, Psychology
“… We are confronted with having to explain atrocities which we struggle to understand ourselves. We are often at a loss to explain the inexplicable …” n the shadows of some of our nation’s recent and catastrophic tragedies (the massacre at Columbine High School nearly fourteen years ago, the murder of five Pennsylvania Amish girls […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Alfie Kohn | Brain Development, Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Montessori students, Montessori Teachers
his essay is an abridged version of the introduction to Feel-Bad Education … And Other Contrarian Essays on Children and Schooling (Beacon Press, 2011) The field of education bubbles over with controversies. It’s not unusual for intelligent people of good will to disagree passionately about what should happen in schools. But there are certain precepts […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Chelsea Howe, PsyD | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Montessori students, Montessori Teachers, School Resources
bout a year ago, my parents were moving to a new house. My mom called me and told me, as any mother would, that she has a lot of old boxes that were mine that she wanted to give to me (Oh, the joys of moving!). Needless to say, when I received the boxes, and […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Maren Stark Schmidt | Brain Development, Family Resources, Health / Nutrition, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Psychology
All man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.—Blaise Pascal (1623 -1662) “I can tell you exactly the year that my students changed,” my college professor told our class in the 1970’s. “I’d ask a question and nobody made any attempt to answer it. They thought they were watching […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Maren Stark Schmidt | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Education, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting
s parents, we now have a choice to make regarding how we approach this paradox in our own household. How do we balance freedom and limits? When do we give a choice and when do we just make the choice? How much stuff do we have readily available in our homes, and how much more […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
by Maren Stark Schmidt | Family Resources, MFA, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Montessori students
Guess what the number one stressor is in our families today? t doesn’t take a wild guess. Financial decisions are creating the most pressure in our homes right now. The economic changes in the past two years have affected most everyone on this planet — from the goat herder in Kashmir to the knitted-goods manufacturers […]
To continue reading, you will need to choose a subscription plan.
