“North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia…don’t forget Australia, don’t forget Antarctica…” a group of children is overheard signing while exploring the continent puzzle map. The Montessori philosophy approaches concepts of geography in a unique and brilliant way. At the start of the school year, the children are introduced to the concepts of land, air and water. Next, the sand paper globe helps the children to further understand the elements on planet Earth. Soo

As we begin to slide into winter, we are faced with new challenges in the Seedlings classroom; one being the new winter wardrobe. For a two year old, dressing in this winter wardrobe can be an extremely challenging task. A few of our friends have mastered the “flip” to get their coats on themselves, but adding snow pants makes it all the more challenging. We teach the “flip” early in the school year; the child lays their coat on the floor and stands behind it with their feet

At a recent second circle, the kindergarten class participated in a fun activity meant to strengthen hands and improve fine motor skills: popping bubble wrap! Children gathered around the tables and each received a large strip of bubble wrap. Giggling and other sounds of excitement could be heard throughout the room. Then…POP, POP, POP sounds filled the air! Some kids chose a methodical method of popping one bubble at a time while others tried to see how many they could pop a

The first snowflakes fell from the sky recently. Children ran to the windows to watch, others rushed to nearby teachers, calling out “Look! The snow! Snow!” The majority of the classroom took a moment and gazed out the window at the beauty of the first snowfall. Three days a week, a small group of 7 or 8 Pre-Primary children have an extra half hour of play in the pine grove or in the courtyard during work time. Each child has the opportunity for this time once a week. O

On Wednesday we had our first French Lesson with Madame Denise. After our work period and snack time we gathered on the carpet and waited patiently for our new visitor. Our French lesson began at 10 am and lasted around 10 minutes, just long enough to hold the children’s attention and briefly expose them to this new language. The children are always in awe when Madame Denise enters the classroom. She comes carrying her bag full of goodies and the children are mesmerized by th

We have many artists in the Pre-Primary classroom this year, twenty-two artists to be precise. Each child creates images, designs, sculptures and structures in his/her own way, putting his/her hands on the many materials in both the Art Appreciation area and the Art Studio area. Dahlov Ipcar was introduced recently at circle as not only an artist, but also as a children’s book illustrator and as a Mainer. Currently, one of the works in the Art Appreciation area is collage w

As a Montessori school director, I come into contact with many families new to Montessori education. Those families usually fall into one of two camps: “I’ve heard that Montessori classrooms are a free-for-all and that children are allowed to do whatever they want to do” and the other, opposite view “I’ve heard that Montessori schools are so strict and offer a child no room for creativity.” Neither one could be further from the truth. Maria Montessori used the term “freedo

An important component of Montessori education is our peace curriculum. Maria Montessori believed that by teaching young children how to be peaceful within themselves, with others and toward nature we could create a better world. At our most recent peace circle, the children gathered to hear a story about friendship and inclusivity entitled Little Beaver and the Echo. This simple story teaches the concept of making friends and the importance of letting others join a group. Ou

After seeing a new pre-handwriting material presented during morning circle, a child was observed choosing it as her first work of the day. She carried the work to a table, filled the tiny pitcher with water, poured the water into a shallow dish and was ready to practice some wet finger writing. She drew smiley faces and a variety of shapes by using her wet finger on a small chalkboard. She practiced controlling her hand and correct posture as she sat up straight in her chair