Philosophy

Boundaries in Homeschooling

September 14, 2012
Boundaries in Homeschooling

This is a post I wrote in the spring and recently found sitting finished in my drafts and figured I should finally post it. *** It’s important when making the decision to homeschool that you set healthy boundaries for your schooling with your family. You don’t want school to take over your life and home, [...]

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How to Present a Lesson

September 12, 2012
Presenting a Montessori Lesson

As we’ve headed back to school, I’ve been doing some reviewing of my own with the Montessori 3-period lesson. It’s one of those things that I got use to and then…a little too relaxed on. Sometimes I’d find myself showing a new work and forgetting to follow the 3-period lesson. Not always a big deal, [...]

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5 Reasons Why We Chose Montessori

September 7, 2012
Why Montessori?

Some people may wonder out of all the educational philosophies, why did our family choose to pursue the Montessori method? After being in a Montessori environment (at school and home) and studying the method for nearly 7 years, I still have a hard time articulating our reasons. I tend to stumble over my words and [...]

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Starting Montessori at Home

February 15, 2012
Starting Montessori at Home

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is, How do I start teaching my children with the Montessori method at home? The plethora of information out there can be overwhelming and it’s hard to know where to start. If you’re interested in using the Montessori Method in your home, this is what I’d suggest: Research [...]

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Creating a Montessori Environment Without Losing the Home

January 16, 2012
Montessori Family

While I love the Montessori philosophy and am happy to incorporate it into our home and make it our choice of schooling, I never want to hold so tightly onto the philosophy at the expense of losing our home environment. What I mean by that is the home should first and foremost be a place [...]

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Making the Most of Sensitive Periods

October 11, 2011
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Over the last month or so, Joey’s been in a sensitive period for language. He’s often practicing his writing, painting, more focused in practical life activities than usual, using his chalkboard, reading books, and is fascinated with learning how to spell his name. Last week he read his first 8 words in the pink series. I’m treading [...]

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Building a Montessori Lifestyle

September 8, 2011
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I’m guest posting this week over at Montessori MOMents. Lori asked me to share about Montessori for infants and toddlers, so I decided to share what I think are a few essentials to building a Montessori lifestyle. Before I had children, I worked at a Montessori school with children ages 2 ½ to 6. I [...]

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The Prepared Environment: Kitchen & Bathroom

July 12, 2011
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As I’ve been working on this series, I’m reminded of how easy it is to neglect my children’s needs in designing our home. It’s really in the details. Can they wash their hands on their own? Get a snack? Is furniture too heavy? Towels out of reach?  I’ve fixed numerous things as I’ve gone from room [...]

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The Prepared Environment: Child’s Room

July 5, 2011
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At home the child’s room, out of all the rooms in the home, should be suited to their growing and developmental needs. This is where they wake-up in the morning, begin their routine, rest, and play. It should be engineered to fit them. The child’s room is the first place they can begin to assert [...]

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What is a Prepared Environment?

July 4, 2011
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“The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult. ” Maria Montessori, The Secret of Childhood (267) The Prepared Environment The prepared environment is designed so that the child has the maximum ability for learning and exploration. The phrase ‘prepared environment’ [...]

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Three Hours, Really?

April 8, 2011

The other day my mom was telling me about a co-worker who’s preschool age daughter was recently tested for ADHD at her teacher’s suggestion. The teacher told the mother that her daughter couldn’t concentrate, would frequently run around the room, and disturb other children. It sounds like there may be some problem, right? Here’s the [...]

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