In Montessori you may have come across the kind of old-fashioned term “grace and courtesy.” Grace and courtesy might otherwise be known as manners but most broadly is how we teach our children what is acceptable in our society. Whilst we do learn grace and courtesy lessons to give to children in our Montessori training, grace and courtesy will not be the same for every family or community. Grace and courtesy will be culturally responsive. That is to say that these may differ based on … [Read more...] about Grace and courtesy – learning to say please, thank you and sorry
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5 days for reflection
As we say goodbye to 2021 and welcome in 2022, let's take 5 days for reflection. Reflection helps us to take perspective, to reflect on how things have gone, what worked well, and what we'd rather do differently going forward. Day 1 Let's start day 1 of our 5 days of reflection looking at our connection with our children. Some ways we may want to consider:✏️ how we communicated with them✏️ how we had fun together✏️ how we showed our love for them (not with gifts)✏️ how we slowed down … [Read more...] about 5 days for reflection
Montessori is community, not just independence
Montessori in community?! When I run workshops and ask what people know about Montessori, the most popular answer is “giving children independence.” Yes, independence is an important aspect of Montessori. We create a school or home environment where the child is so capable from such a young age, they learn to do things for themselves, have the satisfaction of mastering an activity that is giving them just the right challenge, they are learning skills how to look after themselves, others and … [Read more...] about Montessori is community, not just independence
What are stereognostic bags?
Back in this blog post of my favourite activities for 2.5 years olds, I promised to come back to stereognostic bags to show you how they work. These bags help children to develop that sense of feeling around an object to work out what it is just as we can put our hands in our bag to find our keys or glasses. These bags are often called mystery bags, but I do love hearing 2.5 year olds picking up “stereognostic bag” just as easily. These are great for developing their stereognostic sense, … [Read more...] about What are stereognostic bags?