Many of you have expressed to me that your child really doesn't come home talking about school much at all. Children this age are very busy exploring, absorbing, and analyzing everything in their environment and do not generally seem to have a very good short-term memory because they are so busy processing all that they have experienced. It's really a massive amount of information so it is often difficult for them to recall specific events unless they really stand out.

Many children seem to be "tired" when they come to school.  I see this tiredness in the way that they work and the work they choose.  In Montessori, we don't give homework for a specific reason.  We believe the work the child does at school is more than enough and that the home is for their lives to be outdoors, with friends and family, and a time to relax and be at ease.  Doing workbooks, educational games on iPads or the computer, being asked to work on handwriting or numbers at home, makes the children tired and ready for a break when they come to school in the morning.  So, we see lots

I would like to write on my personal thoughts of how wonderful the Montessori method is and how it impacts the lives of our children daily. As a parent to a Montessori child and as a teacher, I can't say enough about how the Montessori method changed my child's life and changed my perspective toward the children I work with. Here are a few notes about the Montessori philosophy:

The Changing Environment

I would like to share with you something that I've learned recently through Miss Sarah McNeill, a Pediatric Occupational Therapist.  She came to speak to us about a very serious issue which is becoming more common with our children today.  Miss McNeil works with the Poway School district and she also runs her own practice.   

I would like to underline the importance of observation in our environment and how it is a critical part of our work.  The foundation of the Montessori school educational practice is based on observation.  It is through the observation of children that Maria Montessori acquired the knowledge and elaborated the teaching method as well as the materials that hold her name today.  'She believed in innovation in the classroom and her whole approach to education was in the spirit of constant experimentation based on observation of the child.' (P.

Some parents have asked me in the past if any form of practical life exercises exist in Montessori elementary.  They don't see the prepared and color-coordinated exercises they so admired in the primary classroom.  I tell them that practical life is not gone, just transformed.

Happy Fall!
 

As harvest time approaches and the heat of summer gives way to the cooler weather of fall, family outings to pumpkin patches and apple orchards become more and more common. While these outings can seem like little more than entertainment at face value, there are actually some very valuable lessons that children can learn during their visit.

The Life Cycle – Even the biggest pumpkin in the patch begins as a tiny, tiny seed, which is something that your child will learn when he visits the patch where those pumpkins grow.

       Maria Montessori always emphasizes consistency in the environment to help child's healthy development.  If your child is working on the toilet learning process, this is very important.  Any change in daily routine can be an obstacle to your child's learning process.  So please be understanding for frequent "misses" when he/she has unusual events such as having visitor(s), going out for a day, and getting involved in exciting activities.  Even a short time change, let's say 30 min longer night sleep, can disrupt your child's routine.

By Lena Aburdene Derhally

As school begins to wind down for the school year, expectations in the class begin to change.  In some cases, the older children are being held to a higher standard because they have had the time and experience in the classroom to become role models.  In other cases, the "little ones" get away with a bit more because it's almost time for summer vacation.  One ongoing theme that reappears every year, both in my home and in the classroom, is "it's not fair!"