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 inspiration

What is scaffolding in Montessori?

I’m often asked, “What is scaffolding in Montessori?" Scaffolding put simply is building one skill on the next. When I first entered a Montessori classroom, I saw the beautiful materials laid out on open shelves in a clear order. Once the children master a skill, they move onto the next, each building on the next. Some steps they’ll move through quickly, others might take some time and repetition to master. They move through them at their own pace and can ask help from another child or the … [Read more...] about What is scaffolding in Montessori?

Some advanced Montessori

For those of you following along for a long time, I wanted to take you a little deeper into the Montessori approach. Even after more than 15 years working in Montessori, I still feel like a beginner with so many things to learn. And I had many moments of reflection, reminders and takeaways from finally reading Catherine McTamaney’s book The Tao of Montessori* that I want to share with you. And if you are newer to the approach, maybe start here – where to start with Montessori at home. The … [Read more...] about Some advanced Montessori

Montessori podcasts I recommend…and some other favourites

UPDATE – January 2020 I am happy to announce that I have just launched my own Montessori podcast – The Montessori Notebook podcast. More details here. I started listening to podcasts back in 2013 while I was preparing my classroom for the next day. And I listen to about 10 hours of podcasts a week at 1.5 speed, devouring information, getting inspiration, and learning so much. So much so that I mentioned in The Montessori Toddler book that podcasts have been one way that I have … [Read more...] about Montessori podcasts I recommend…and some other favourites

Does Montessori prepare children for the real world?

Everyone is so kind and gentle in Montessori. How does this help our children in the real world where not everyone is so kind? What about when you have to do something? One part of Montessori is removing obstacles. We try to set up our homes and classrooms so the children can have as much success as possible. The child receives an enormous amount of satisfaction from mastery and feeling capable. They are motivated to continue to be curious learners and seek out information. So, yes, we … [Read more...] about Does Montessori prepare children for the real world?