Ideas & Insights

"Kahoho kuhuma madzi is the Giriama/Kenyan name for toddler. It means 'a youngster who can be sent to fetch a cup of water.'" —David F. Lancy, Child Helpers: A Multidisciplinary Perspective As a struggling new mother, Michaellen Doucleff was frustrated that her two-year-old was slapping her. Doing research for a story on parenting in the Yucatan gave her tools that helped transform their lives. Inspired to learn more about parenting in indigenous cultures, Doucleff traveled to the Arctic a ...

"During the pandemic I learned to let go a little and it worked. Imagine that!" —Parent of three young children How we are looking forward to getting back to normal! Now that things are beginning to open up, many of us are embracing a better normal. We have struggled to fulfill the new responsibilities created when school and work entered our home environment. When we were forced to stay home, we learned how to live a different pace of life. New Family Togetherness With the stay-at-home order ...

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 holiday joy. "Thankful by the Heartful" In the words of Winnie the Pooh, "Thanksgiving is a time when everybody gets rumbly in the tumbly and thankful by the heartful." Some ...

Science is everywhere. With this awareness, you can identify common scientific principles that occur in your normal everyday family life. That's reassuring for parents who have become teachers due to the pandemic. Your child begins to experiment and learn about science usually before he can walk. The youngest child discovers gravity at a young age when the spoon "falls" to the floor from the highchair or the stuffed animal "falls" from the crib. It's a true discovery that can be replicated and ...

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 instrumental in advocating for children with exceptionalities: the editor of the book, Ann Epstein, a Montessori teacher educator for nearly 40 years, Elizabeth Slade, the founding coac ...

"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 transitions, the impacts are life-changing. Whether adjusting to a new child or an ill parent, or suddenly working and schooling from home, our family traditions can help us stay gro ...

"Spring came again to the northern garden and so did the bluebirds." —R. Bruce Horsfall Bluebirds Seven The dawn chorus of birds is a universal sign of spring, and you might listen for it with your early-rising children - even from inside your home. Morning is a perfect time to hear birds as they greet the rising sun. It's an ideal way to introduce yourself and your children to bird-watching, and, it is easier than it seems. Surprisingly, children are able to become enthusiastic participants in ...

Our lives are made up of stories. Consider for a moment how your mind recalls almost every experience with a story. As parents, we have a treasure trove of stories within us to share with our children and use to help them mature and learn history, manners, morals, family lore, and appropriate behavior.As technology becomes more prevalent, we are using our human story-telling skills less and less. The person-to-person, parent-to-child story is special and creates unique family bonds. Impacting on ...

"Every child is gifted. They just unwrap their packages at different times."—AnonymousLooking at a shelf of parenting books in the bookstore recently made me wonder how parents today decide how to raise their children. One could become The Confident Parent or listen to The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer while trying to remember that Baby Knows Best. But how do you know what's best? Is there a right or wrong? For the first-time parent, it helps to have in place a basic philosophy about personal va ...

"...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 longer a baby, but a toddler. The changes are dramatic. In that short time, the little human has begun to communicate, and so much more. He will soon be walking and talking. Mont ...