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Inspiration from these Montessori classrooms – Sydney, Australia

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Over the summer, I was back in Sydney to visit my family and took a day to get some inspiration from these Montessori classrooms! It was such an inspiring day.

1. Morning visit at a parent-toddler class, Balmain

In the morning, I observed a session of the parent-toddler class at Inner Sydney Montessori School. The sun was shining through the windows and the toddlers were exploring every corner of this beautiful environment: making their own snack and fresh pasta (!), matching language objects to cards, mastering puzzles, and heading outdoors to tend to the plants and move their bodies.

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves…

entrance with low benches, cubbies, and bathroom
snack area, food preparation, and dish washing
orange juicing, apple cutting and pasta making (!)
cleaning materials and washing cloths
self care and washing hands
small table and chair for food prep or wood polishing
care of pets
orange juicing, apple cutting and pasta making (!)
cleaning materials and washing cloths
self care and washing hands
language materials
art area
outside area

2. Afternoon/evening at Montessori East, Bondi

Then I headed off to Bondi where I ran two sessions of my popular How to Talk So Kids Will Listen workshop.

It turns out the same questions come up for people all around the world – what do I do if my child has a tantrum in the supermarket, how will my child learn right from wrong if I stop saying “good job”, and positive ways of getting cooperation to avoid bribes, threats and punishments.

I was so impressed by the atmosphere of the school, the warm welcome, and the leadership of Bill

Conway and all the lovely teachers.

Me with Bill Conway, the Principal
the workshop is underway

3. Meeting up with two special teachers

We were also super happy to meet up with my children’s first two Montessori teachers, An and Annabel from Castlecrag Montessori School. This is where I fell in love with Montessori visiting their classroom on an open day, curious to find a preschool for our then baby and toddler. It was such a warm and cosy place that we shall always remember fondly.

Then (with An)
Now (with An)
Now (with Annabel)

4. A happy bonus

While we were in Castlecrag, we were able to sneak a peek inside Anniebelle’s 0-3 classroom from Little Hands Montessori. It was so fun to see the space where I first worked, now transformed into a new classroom.

shelves ready to explore
the classroom

5. But I missed seeing…

…the lovely Ferne van Zyl from The Independent Child. I met Ferne when I attended parent-toddler classes at Down Under 3 and, before I knew it, I was following my AMI training and working with her. I learned so much from Ferne as we sat on the floor in the classroom checking everything was just right from the child’s height.

Ferne isn’t living in Sydney any more, so I didn’t get to catch up with her this time. But here’s a throwback to meeting up on Manly Beach in 2014. Thanks for sharing your love of Montessori with me, Ferne.

So, til next time, I hope you enjoyed taking a look in some Australian Montessori schools and are feeling inspired to get more into the Montessori approach too.