It's summer at last - time to relax and take it easy. What does that mean for you and your family? It's not easy to slow down when there are so many demands on your time.How can you re-create for your children the feeling of the uninhibited play you might recall from your own childhood summers? Times have changed and demand... Read More

I must admit that I can vividly recall a time when I graciously traded my younger sister five whole pennies for one quarter. In the process I absolutely convinced her what an amazing deal she was getting, because "everyone knows five is more than one." Glowing with pride over her newfound wealth, she shared the details of o... 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

"The pressures and fast pace of today's society have taken away the times of quiet togetherness which we should have with our children... We all know how quickly they grow up and leave us, so let us not wait until it is too late."—Elizabeth G. Hainstock, Teaching Montessori in the HomeWhen the family navigates major transit... Read More

Creating art and learning how to appreciate art take place at school, of course. Why not help children unleash their creative abilities at home? Art is an important part of a child's world. Art is a way for children to express themselves and it also helps them develop their fine motor skills. Learning how to mix two colors ... Read More

"No sensorial education can ever occur except as a part of some total activity in which both intelligence and movement are involved."—Maria Montessori, The Absorbent MindWhat's your first memory of using your toy blocks in a creative way? Did you build a castle, a garage, the perfect house, or just a wall to protect your ow... 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 holidays are almost here and many of us are wondering how we will find our way through the maze of our strange new world. Despite many losses, our children often remind us that we can find joy every day. With some creative thought and planning, we can feel the season's spirit and create some special memories filled with... Read More

"There are many people in the world who want to make children into performing seals. And as long as children can perform well, those adults will applaud. But I would much rather help a child be able to say who he or she is."—Fred Rogers, in Maxwell King's The Good NeighborIn answer to the question, "What do you want from li... Read More

"I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn."—Albert EinsteinMany of us have seen a young child more interested in the wrapping paper than the gift; or watched as a child played with just a string and a popsicle stick or a large empty box. Maria Montessori observed the same phe... Read More