Montessori Outdoor Science School 2019 (MOSS) Day Five

Well, today the rain that was forecast for the whole week finally came! We only ventured out to complete our weather forecast. And our young scientists predicted the weather accurately. “Well, the sky is covered by a heavy blanket of grey cloud – nimbostratus clouds – that means continuous rain.” “And there is almost no

How is testing used in a Montessori classroom?

Students in a Montessori elementary classroom are expected to show mastery of the material which has been presented. This is a cue for both teacher and student that it is time to move on to new material. For example, a student has been independently working on learning the names of states of the USA. He

Is St Nicholas real? What about Santa?

  Is. St. Nicholas real? Is Santa Claus real? Who brings the presents and fills the stockings? Is Jesus real? Children ask questions that are difficult to answer. I tend to start story telling, celebrations and debates with phrases such as: This is what some people believe. This is a story from long ago. This

The Absorbent Mind

  If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect. If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them. If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live. These are some of the qualities I hope surround our

Developmental Milestones

Where can I find information about a child’s normal development between the ages of birth to six? Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye bye” are called developmental milestones.  Children develop at different rates and reach these milestones at different ages.   While children develop according to their

Independence – what does it look like in your child?

This month the teachers and I have been focusing on  the development of independence in our children.  In the upcoming newsletter we will soon publish, we have included examples of what independence looks like in a two year old, all the way up to our big six year olds, and how the Montessori environment supports

Repetition

Parents ask the best questions! “My daughter keeps bringing home the same work.  Is that okay?” This parent has noticed a key concept of Montessori education – the desire in the child for repetition. Do you remember your child learning how to walk?  No matter how many times he or she fell down, your child

So, what exactly is Montessori Education – three answers short enough to give in an elevator!

What exactly is an elevator speech?  It really just means a very short, prepared speech you can use when someone asks you a question such as, “What exactly is Montessori education?”  When someone asks you this question in an elevator, you usually only have about a minute to answer before one of you reaches your

Visiting Childlife Montessori School in Bellingham, WA

I love to visit other Montessori Schools.  Other schools provide the joy of seeing the familiar . . . “Oh look, there’s the pink tower” . . . with novel ideas that can inspire you to introduce new lessons and activities in your own school.  Recently I visited Childlife Montessori School in Bellingham, and was

Looking forward to the kindergarten year

The Three Year Cycle Now is the time that parents make plans for their children who are five, and about to enter the kindergarten year.  I always hope that our parents will consider including the Montessori School of Pullman into their plans for their children’s future. The three year cycle is so important to a