January 28 is Bell Let’s Talk Day in Canada, a campaign that encourages dialogue about mental health and raises funds for mental health initiatives. Established 11 years ago, Bell Let’s Talk is now the world’s largest conversation about mental health. The more we talk openly about mental health, the sooner the stigma surrounding it will … Talking About Mental Health: Bell Let's Talk Day
The iconic three-period lesson is a simple, effective tool for concretely presenting vocabulary and concepts to the child through the use of materials. The teacher names the objects or qualities in the first period using the key words “this is”: “This is South America.” The child repeats the term. In the second period, the key … How Do Children Learn with the Three-Period Lesson?
The Large Movable Alphabet allows the child to begin the exciting process of writing, allowing her to express her own ideas in a written format. She works with material repeatedly and often daily to build her understanding of how language can be written. She uses the material to write words, phrases, sentences, and eventually, stories. … How Do Children Learn with the Large Movable Alphabet?
We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity. —Maria MontessoriTo Educate the Human Potential, p. 6 As of August 4, 2020, more than half the countries in the world have mandated the use of … Wearing Masks in the Montessori Environment
The Mystery Bag is a sensorial material that helps the child refine his stereognostic sense. The bag holds small objects that the child identifies by touch alone. That’s a simple way of describing the stereognostic sense – recognizing an object by feeling it instead of by looking at it. But it’s really more than that. … How Do Children Learn with the Mystery Bag?
The holiday season is upon us once again. With the Covid-19 pandemic, our beloved Montessori traditions may not be actualized this year due to social distancing restrictions. In a time when learning to pivot is now a fact of life, it feels like we are once again being called to give up something beloved without … Celebrating Thanksgiving with Montessori’s Third Great Lesson
If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man’s future. —Maria Montessori Teaching in today’s climate is a challenge. So many questions abound Perhaps the most important question teachers are asking time and … How to Remain True to Dr. Montessori in Today’s Environment
Children love the Pink Tower — it’s fun and immensely satisfying for them to complete the tall tower by stacking the cubes on top of each other. But we know the material provides them with much more than enjoyment. As they choose the correct cube to stack, the child is practicing a number of cognitive … How Do Children Learn with the Pink Tower?
The Golden Bead Material is an iconic Montessori material that presents quantity and place value to children in a very concrete way. The material includes golden unit beads, 10-bars, 100-squares, and 1,000-cubes. The child first works with the Golden Bead Material to understand quantity, but she later uses the same material to explore the four … How Do Children Learn with the Golden Bead Material?
The Sandpaper Letters are an amazing multi-sensorial Montessori material that prepares children for writing. The child’s first impression of the letters is visual, when she sees their shapes. This is reinforced through the sense of touch. The tactile work of repeatedly tracing the letters, which are made of sandpaper, gives the child a muscular memory … How Do Children Learn with the Sandpaper Letters?
