Prepared Environment: Difference Between Montessori and Traditional Education

At Montessori Children’s House, the prepared environment is a critical step in teaching children. One visit to our classrooms is all it takes to see the prepared environment in action and observe how it differs from traditional schools. Some of the key benefits of a prepared environment are listed here, but there is a lot more to it than we can relate briefly.

Halfway Through the School Year: Checking in with your Child's Teacher

Typically, parent-teacher conferences are held on a regular basis but you have the option of having more frequent meetings if you or the teacher deem them necessary. Midway through the school year is a perfect time to schedule a meeting with your child’s teacher to get an idea of how well your child is developing through the Montessori Method. When you meet with the teacher, be sure to inquire about observations regarding things like the following.

Giving Back this Holiday Season

The holiday season is full of opportunities to express how one feels about another, show respect and care for others. The Montessori curriculum uses this season to increase your child's awareness of those in their lives they are grateful for and those in their environment who have needs that are not being met. Even though every season of the year deserves attention for those in need of services or items, there are unique opportunities for your child to give back during the holiday season.

Giving Back: Ways to Volunteer in Any Community

The strength of a community depends on the interactions within it. Whether you are volunteering your skills in your child's Montessori classroom, assisting those less fortunate, or simply making your community a better place for everyone, your contributions have profound effects on the local quality of life. Opportunities to volunteer can be found in many places. To give you some ideas on where to start or little ways to play an active role, we have provided some suggestions where volunteers are in high demand.

Fall Back: Safety Tips for Evening Activities

As the days get shorter, children will be engaged in more evening and nighttime activities. Halloween, for example, will see children roaming neighborhoods and attending festivals by the thousands. For parents, the primary goal is to make sure their kids have a good time and make it home safely when the day is done.

First Day of School: What to Expect

The first day of any new adventure offer both highs and lows, successes and challenges, and the first day of kindergarten is no different. Even with thorough planning, preparation, and rehearsal, there is no telling how the day will unfold. However, you can mitigate the degree of uncertainty by working together with your child and their new teacher at their Montessori school to learn and review a few basic things you and your child can expect.  

Quiet Time Activities

Infants and toddlers need quite a bit of sleep, and nap time is a common method to help them get it. As they get older, nap time gets phased out, often replaced by a similar method of working or playing for a while without disturbing others. Quiet time activities help them do that by giving children activities to do during the quiet period. We have listed a few quiet time activities for small children which can be easily modified to suit your needs and the educational level of your kids.

Looking Ahead: Comparing Traditional Education with Montessori Education

Montessori learning is a completely different approach to education. The appearance of the classroom, the way students learn, how they are taught, and the desired outcome are all handled differently - and for good reason. Once you understand how and why Montessori works, you will never want to go back to traditional teaching methods again.

Teaching your Preschooler about Cooperation through Games

The Montessori classroom is uniquely suited for teaching preschoolers about cooperation through games. First, Montessori is focused on play-based learning, and secondly, classroom activities are designed to encourage the children to act in cooperation. We will look at a few examples of play-based cooperation to give you a better idea of how the two concepts work in conjunction.

Getting Creative with your Preschooler: Make at Home Learning Tools

It is exciting to bring your child’s learning home from school. While traditionally, this has looked like parents assisting with homework, the Montessori child’s education makes it easy for parents to extend their child’s learning more creatively. Using Montessori’s principles of self-directed learning, here are a few creative learning tools you can make at home for your preschooler.