"Influenced, perhaps, by my early experience at a Montessori school... I am all for encouraging children to work productively with their hands.... It is good to give them knives, for instance, as early as you dare.... to slice a hard-boiled egg neatly and then to fillet a fish. Talk to children as you plan menus. Let their ... Read More

cos·mic 1. Of or relating to the universe, especially as distinct from Earth. 2. Infinitely or inconceivably extended; vast.Dr. Montessori recognized that all of science and history tell portions of the same story: the continuing creation of the universe. Cosmic Education tells that story. In a uniquely Montessori way, the ... Read More

We've all seen young children doing any number of imaginative things with wooden blocks: building a toy animal corral or a parking lot for cars, or a doll's cradle. What makes block play open-ended, after all? Merriam-Webster's definition of open-ended, applied:"not rigorously fixed": the outcome of the child's activity is ... Read More

"[The young child] cannot distinguish well between the real and the imaginary, between things that are possible and things that are merely 'made up'."—Maria Montessori, Times Education Supplement, 1919The young child believes what he sees, hears, and experiences. The young child cannot distinguish between what's real and/or... Read More

"Children of three years already know how to count as far as two or three when they enter our school. They therefore very easily learn numeration, which consists in counting objects."—Maria Montessori, The Montessori MethodMaria Montessori wrote the above over a century ago. Today children entering pre-school or kindergarte... Read More

Explore the "universal language" of music with your children Children have a wonderful capacity to appreciate and make music. Early exposure to a music of all types has intrinsic value -- it can tell a story, set a mood, and reflect the character of a culture. Music stimulates the part of the brain associated with pattern r... Read More

"...the mind of the child in infancy is different from ours, and we cannot reach it by verbal instruction,..."—Maria Montessori, The Absorbent MindWhat a baby learns without conscious thought (intent) is absolutely amazing! Parents watch this miracle happen on a daily basis. In just ten to twelve months, an infant is no lon... Read More

Montessori Inclusion: Strategies and Stories of Support for Learners with Exceptionalities is a collaborative anthology featuring the voices of 20 distinguished contributors, offering a roadmap for accommodating children with special needs in mainstream classrooms. We interviewed three Montessorians who have been instrument... Read More

Normalization, absorbent mind, sensitive periods... if you sometimes wonder whether your child's Montessori teacher is talking about science or children, the answer is yes! Here are 12 key terms defined by experienced Montessori parent, teacher, school founder, school director, and columnist Maren Schmidt M. Ed.Understandin... Read More

"The objects that are used for practical life... are the objects used where a child lives and which he sees employed in his own home, but they are especially made to a size that he can use."—Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the ChildBelieve it or not, even a very young child of two-and-a-half or three years can learn to u... Read More