The Montessori Notebook

The place to learn everything about Montessori at home in easy-to-follow, simple steps for busy parents and caregivers. Whether you are new to Montessori or have been using Montessori for a while, you will come away with practical ideas you can try today and use in your daily life.

Montessori Tips

The Decalogue of Montessori

Ok. So maybe the language is a bit bossy. But there is so much wisdom to be found in the “Decalogue of Montessori" that I’m hanging it up in my classroom in Amsterdam. The oldest version of the Decalogue of Montessori was found in a 1957 Around the Child publication by the Association of Montessorians in Calcutta. It was described as "compiled from Dr Montessori's lectures," so not written by Dr Montessori herself, but an overview of her ideas. Definitely something for all adults to think … [Read more...] about The Decalogue of Montessori

Teach by teaching, not by correcting

Ever been curious about what Montessori teachers talk about when they get together? I can assure you we have some pretty fun conversations and we lose track of time. When Jesse McCarthy of Montessori Education and I got to meet up when I was in the US recently, 2.5+ hours flew by. We thought that maybe you’d find it fun to hear the kind of things we were talking about and recorded a few interesting topics one Saturday morning when I was back in Amsterdam, this time via Skype. Teach by … [Read more...] about Teach by teaching, not by correcting

Montessori and technology

This fun conversation with my friend Jesse of Montessori Education focuses on the T word – it’s almost feels like a sin to say it – “Technology." People are curious how much technology we should use with our children. Will they be left behind if they don’t have screen time? And would Dr Montessori have allowed technology in the classroom? We talk about the limits I gave to my children around screen time, the importance of real hands-on experiences for our youngest children instead of screens, … [Read more...] about Montessori and technology

Traits of great teachers & parents

In my ongoing series of conversations with my Montessori friend, Jesse McCarthy, we talk about what characteristics we find important in a Montessori teacher. What 3 or 4 characteristics would you pick? The things that came up for me were: curiosityenjoying to be with childrenbeing able to set kind and clear limits when needed: andhaving mutual respect between the child and adult Listen to the conversation to hear what came up for Jesse and how you might like to try to embody some of … [Read more...] about Traits of great teachers & parents