Category Archives: Parents

When Helping is not a Good Idea

Here’s a story that was told to me recently: in some store for small children, there’s a toddler trying to pull out a chair at a small table so as to be able to use something that’s on the table.  The toddler is struggling to pull the chair out… it’s a lot of work… finally […]

Montessori Myths

It is a given that anything that has been around for as long as the Montessori Method (over 108 years now) that it will at times be misunderstood, miscommunicated, criticized and poorly defined.  And so, over the years, many things have been said about the approach to developmental education that Dr. Maria Montessori pioneered in […]

Movement in Education

There is growing talk about the value and need of movement in schools. Bloggers write about it and research shows the relationship between movement and brain development. However, for conventional schools, they simply aren’t sure how to fit this in. More time outside? Regularly scheduled intervals for “movement”? Allow children to wander the classroom while […]

Why Is Stepping Stone Montessori School Different?

Why Is Stepping Stone Montessori School Different? 1. Stepping Stone Montessori School (SSMS) is beautiful, peaceful and organized. 2. There is mutual respect between teachers, staff, and the children. 3. SSMS Founders, Management, Teachers and other staff have a real passion for children and the many gifts that a Montessori education offers. 4. The uniqueness of […]

Giving From the Soul

Everyone wants their child to grow up to become a “nice” person: considerate, helpful respectful, honorable, empathetic, and so on. And surely the world needs more people like this. Dr. Maria Montessori, in her book “Education and Peace”, talked about how peaceful children, people, are created. She said that peace will not come about by […]

Learning is what Nature Does

This quote from Dr. Maria Montessori lays out the foundation of her approach to children and learning.  By saying that “education is a natural process” Dr. Montessori is relating the education of a person to the development of all living organisms: taking from the surrounding environment and building something up from that.  So education is […]

You Can’t Teach That

There are so many things that traditional schools try to “teach” that simply can’t be taught. You can’t “teach peace” or “tolerance”, for example.  You can develop a “curriculum unit” around these, have stories and talk about peace/tolerance, make cross-words and word-finds and other “fun tools” (yes, let’s never forget that it needs to be […]

Informed Parents Are the Best Parents

There is surely no lack of advice for parents. Books, websites and blogs about parenting exist in abundance and it’s often hard to find out where to focus.  Here are some fabulous resources that are highly regarded and respected within the Montessori community.  This means that they support a developmental approach to childhood, helping children […]