Trillium Montessori

Early Childhood

Montessori Push Pinning Activities

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The Montessori pushpinning or pin punching activity is a practical life exercise designed to develop fine motor skills and concentration in young children. In this activity, a child uses a small pushpin or punch tool to create holes along the outline of a shape or pattern on a piece of paper. The child places the […]

Montessori Behavior Management

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In Montessori education, behavior management empowers children to self-regulate within a prepared environment. The prepared adult guides rather than enforces, fostering a classroom atmosphere where children learn to make positive choices and develop crucial social-emotional skills. This approach minimizes conflicts and encourages a peaceful, cooperative environment, helping children build the foundations for respectful and empathetic interactions.
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Classroom Administration: Behind the Scenes

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Effective Montessori classroom administration harmonizes the prepared environment with the prepared adult. This approach ensures that the physical space and the educator’s role complement each other, supporting children’s independence and growth. From classroom setup and maintaining records to fostering parent-teacher relations, these practices create a well-ordered and nurturing environment where children can thrive and reach their full potential.
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The Montessori Cultural Curriculum

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The Montessori approach is based on the belief that children learn best when they are given the opportunity to explore and discover the world around them. The Montessori cultural curriculum includes lessons on geography, botany, zoology, science, art, and music. In addition to helping children develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world around […]

Montessori Practical Life Activities

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Montessori ‘Practical Life’ activities focus on the care of the child’s own person (personal dressing and grooming), care of the environment (cleaning, caring for plants and pets, preparing food), development of fine and gross motor skills, and learning courteous behavior and conflict resolution. The Benefits of Practical Life Activities Independence, Confidence, and Self-Care The activities […]

Montessori Curriculum for Early Childhood

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The Montessori curriculum nurtures a child’s natural curiosity and independence across areas like Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, and Cultural studies. In a prepared environment, the prepared adult facilitates hands-on, self-directed learning, encouraging exploration and mastery of foundational skills. This holistic approach supports both academic growth and the development of social-emotional skills, laying the groundwork for lifelong learning.
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Montessori and Preschool Art Activities: An Overview

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Preschool Art Activities: Cutting Using hands and tools to change the shape of objects, especially paper Examples: Tearing Paper This is exactly what it sounds like: using fingers to tear paper into smaller pieces. This activity seems quite simple but contributes to the development of hand-eye coordination. Tearing paper also helps strengthen the hand muscles […]

Montessori Art

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In this category, we’ll explore the role of art in Montessori education, offer suggestions and resources for setting up a successful art space in a Montessori environment, share a list of common art activities found in Montessori primary programs, and discuss strategies for addressing common challenges in Montessori art activities.  Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian […]

Setting Up The Montessori Art Area

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When setting up a Montessori art area, ensure that materials for art activities are accessible to children with minimal adult intervention. If an art activity or technique has been presented, then the supplies for that activity should be made available for children to select freely. Montessori Shelves: Organized to Encourage Independence Many Montessori art activities […]

Montessori Art Curriculum

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The Montessori art curriculum plays a vital role in young children’s growth and development. Montessori art activities aid in the development of fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and cognitive abilities such as problem-solving and critical thinking. Montessori art activities also foster creativity and imagination, allowing children to express themselves freely and explore their ideas visually.  […]

Montessori Language: An Overview of the Materials and Curriculum

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The Montessori approach to language and literacy development in early childhood is grounded in the belief that children learn best through hands-on, experiential learning. In a Montessori classroom, children are encouraged to explore language and literacy through a variety of activities and materials.  Montessori schools place a strong emphasis on developing literacy skills in young […]

The 5 Components of Reading

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There are five components of reading: vocabulary, phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, and fluency. History of the 5 Components of Reading Instruction Reading instruction in the United States has undergone a lot of changes over the years. In the 1980s and 90s, educators were divided on the best way to teach children to read. The “reading […]

Phonological Awareness vs Phonemic Awareness

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Phonological awareness is about being able to hear and manipulate units of sound in spoken words, including syllables, onset, rime, and phonemes. Phonemic awareness is about being able to hear and manipulate the smallest unit of sound, a phoneme. Phonemic awareness is a part of phonological awareness, and they both focus on the sounds that […]

Big and Small Activities for Preschool

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Understanding the concepts of “big” and “small” is a fundamental step in a child’s cognitive development. For teachers and parents looking for quick and easy ways to impart these ideas, here’s a list of engaging “big and small activities” that will not only educate but also entertain young learners. The Pink Tower & The Montessori […]

Montessori Food Preparation

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Montessori food preparation teaches children practical life skills through the use of child-sized tools and age-appropriate activities. By allowing children to prepare their own snacks and meals, food prep activities promote independence, concentration, development of fine motor skills, and healthy eating habits. Montessori education is a child-centered approach to learning that emphasizes independence, hands-on learning, […]

Grace and Courtesy in Montessori

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Grace and Courtesy is a fundamental aspect of the Montessori curriculum. It is an essential part of Montessori philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of respect, empathy, and kindness. Grace and Courtesy lessons teach young children how to interact with others in a polite, respectful, and considerate manner. The Montessori Method of education recognizes that learning […]

A Tour of Pine Cottage

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I am delighted to feature Pine Cottage from the Montessori School of Syracuse (MSS) in our Classroom Showcase series this week! My Montessori spiritual roots lie at this school.  This was the school where I first discovered Montessori.  I found a job here as an assistant teacher right out of grad school.  I then went for […]

Care of Self for Montessori Teachers

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If you have Montessori training for the 0-6 year old levels, then you are familiar with the section in your Practical Life Album called “Care of Self”.  This section covers all kinds of exercises to help young children learn to take care of themselves such as dressing, blowing their nose, preparing a snack for themselves, […]

Cooking in the Montessori Classroom

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Food preparation and cooking are some of the most fun practical life activities in a Montessori environment! My personal preference is to create individualized food preparation activities that children can choose on their own, rather than group cooking activities that have to be done with a teacher.  I want to show the children how to […]

A Tour of Jennifer’s Montessori Language Shelves

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Jennifer Nichols’ gave us a tour of the materials on her Montessori Language shelves in the Trillium Community Facebook group a few weeks ago and I am delighted to feature her photos on the blog today!  Jennifer has a charming little Montessori school in her home, called Whole Child Montessori.  Affiliate links are used in this […]

A Tour of Audrey’s Montessori Classroom

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This week’s classroom showcase comes to you from Audrey Morrison of The Walden School in Pennsylvania.  Audrey shared these photos with us in the Trillium {Community} Facebook group and graciously answered lots of questions!  If you’re wondering about something you see on the shelves, you can find more details in this thread.  (You will need […]

Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: Science and Geography

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Thank you to Lauren Franchek for sharing her beautiful classroom with us! You can find links to explore the other areas of her classroom at the bottom of this page. This is the gorgeous special interest table aka “The Museum”. We rotate the objects to showcase various leaves, plants, animals, remains, etc. that the children find […]

Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: The Math Area

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Thank you to Lauren Franchek for sharing her beautiful classroom with us! You can find links to explore the other areas of her classroom at the bottom of this page. The first math shelf with the number rods, spindle boxes and other 0-10 work.   The Seguin Boards, Stamp Games, Dot Game, Hundred Board, Number Scroll […]

Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: Language Area

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Thank you to Lauren Franchek for sharing her beautiful classroom with us! Let’s take a closer look at her language area here. You can find links to explore the other areas of her classroom at the bottom of this page. Sandpaper letters (lowercase, capitals and phonograms) as well as Sandpaper letter boards   A large […]

Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: Sensorial Area

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Thank you to Lauren Franchek for sharing her beautiful classroom with us! You can find links to explore the other areas of her classroom at the bottom of this page. The pink tower on a special stand and the brown stair color boxes and the binomial and trinomial cubes the geometric cabinet and cards. Missing on […]

Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: Practical Life

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Thank you to Lauren Franchek for sharing her beautiful classroom with us! You can find links to explore the other areas of her classroom at the bottom of this page. This is the Practical Life area of her Montessori classroom.  Lauren has a great eye for selecting attractive and unique materials. One corner of the […]

Movement in the Montessori Music Room

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by Carolyn Lucento “Okay! Time for our musical movement activity… but how do I effectively manage the children?”  If you find yourself asking this question during Music circle, then check out these tips from Carolyn Lucento of the Magical Movement Company!  Carolyn is a long time Montessorian and trained Orff-Schulwerk music specialist.  She teaches music classes […]

9 Keys to Writing Effective Progress Reports

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I find it helpful to think of progress reports as just one of the components in my overall parent relations strategy.  Building a strong connection with parents is an essential piece of running a successful classroom and school. Keeping this in mind, we can structure our progress reports in a way that meets our overall goals […]

Disruptive Classroom Behavior

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By Pamela Green In my years of teaching I have had opportunities to be with children who seem to bring disruption to the classroom. These are the ones who tend to be louder in body and voice, take up more space, make themselves heard before being seen, and at times leave others quaking in their wake. The parents of […]

Social Stories

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I was introduced to the concept of Social Stories about 10 years ago by Pat Getz, the support services coordinator at the Montessori School of Syracuse.  The Social Stories technique, in my experience, works very well with Montessori Grace & Courtesy lessons. What are Montessori Grace & Courtesy Lessons?  “Grace and Courtesy” is the term […]

A Year of Early Language Shelves

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I love the early language development area of my classroom!  There is a lot of foundational work that comes before children are introduced to letters.  Today’s post is about the kinds of activities we have on our pre-literacy or early language Montessori shelves.   The Language Area This is a photo of the Language area […]

Classroom Tour: Amy N

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Today I am thrilled to feature my dear friend Amy’s room on the Classroom Showcase Series.  Amy and I worked together for many years.  She is one of the most peaceful, thoughtful, down to earth, and fun people I know! This is an all-day classroom for children ages 3-6 years old.  The room is open from 7:30-5:30 daily. The outdoor […]

Phonetic Books for Beginning Readers

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Finding decodable reading books for early readers can be quite a challenge!  Below are some of the books we have in our classroom. The Peacekeeper Series I absolutely love the Peacekeeper Series available on Montessori Services.  Each story is set in a Montessori classroom and shows how the children prevent or resolve a conflict.  The words are phonetically […]

Montessori Golden Beads

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by Jessica Renée A new visitor to a Montessori classroom will likely notice many unusual and intriguing materials, laid out on wooden shelves, as if calling out to be touched. This is exactly what happened recently at my dual-track school where some classes follow the traditional school model, and other classes follow the Montessori model. […]

Short Vowels: How Much is Enough Practice?

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By Cathie Perolman Read more about Cathie’s process for practicing letter sounds here: Are Sandpaper Letters Enough? The Letter Race Game Once a child has mastered some letters and is able to blend sounds into words he is ready for some “heavy duty” work with three letter short vowel words. As I visit schools and support […]

A Year of Montessori Fine Motor Shelves

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“Practical Life” is a huge area of the Montessori Curriculum.  It’s about giving children opportunities to engage in real everyday activities such as taking care of themselves and their surroundings, preparing food, cleaning up etc.  Real. Life. Stuff. Many Montessori teachers call their fine motor activities Practical Life activities.  I think of them more as […]

An Introduction to the Baric Tablets- A Montessori Sensorial Activity

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Today I’m excited to welcome Tanya Wright to the blog!  She is sharing some information about the Montessori Baric Tablets.  This is an elegant Montessori activity that you don’t hear about much, which is unfortunate because it’s an important part of the Montessori sensorial curriculum.   The senses are the child’s window to the world; […]

A Montessori Lesson

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Today I’d like to introduce you to Linda Karchmar.  Linda is a now retired Montessori Guide who owned her own school for 28 years, and taught for 32 years.  She has a wonderful online store where she is selling materials from her school, including lots of lovely Practical Life items! You can also find children’s […]

The Letter Race Game

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I’m excited to welcome Cathie Perolman back to the Trillium Montessori Blog!  Last time she was here, she gave us a wonderfully detailed look at many of her letter work activities.  Today she’s got a great letter sounds game to share with us.  This is perfect for students who are in the “second period” of […]

Preliminary Practical Life Exercises

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The Practical Life activities in a Montessori classroom are designed to be purposeful work that lead the child to an understanding of his environment and how it works.  These activities are appealing to the young child as they resemble everyday activities the child has seen adults complete.  The Practical Life Area of the classroom encompasses: […]

Introduction to Montessori Geography

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Introduction to Geography: A Montessori Approach The Montessori approach utilizes hands-on learning, independence, and exploration. When it comes to introducing young learners to geography, this method proves to be both engaging and effective, fostering a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world. Children are introduced to geography through tactile and visual experiences, such as […]

How to Start a New Class

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How to Start A New Class Today’s post is about  what we do during the first few days in our classroom.  This post ended up being a lot longer than I had originally planned.  It’s also coming a few weeks late since all of you are back to school already.  But, I hope it helps […]

Organizing Thematic Units and Seasonal Supplies

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Last month I wrote about how I use a unit studies approach to our “cultural” curriculum.  I love how it has simplified my organization system.  I used to keep my materials categorized by curriculum area.  For example, all the language materials were in one cabinet, all the practical life materials were in one spot, and […]

8 Tips for Organizing Practical Life Supplies

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 Woohoo!  Only a Montessori teacher can understand the rush of owning tiny bowls and pitchers and tongs.   In the early days, you think you can’t possibly ever have enough.  And then the day comes when you realize, by golly, you have to stop accumulating them because there’s no room left in the ~ahem~ fourth dimension. […]

The Evolution of My Montessori Record Keeping System

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I have been working and observing in Montessori classrooms for a good fifteen years now and I’ve seen dozens of different ways to keep track of the mountain of information generated on a daily basis.  I’m also a bit of an information junkie and I collect ideas like they’re about to run out (have you seen my Pinterest boards?!) […]

Working with the Easel

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We love everything about painting at the easel! Over the last few weeks we’ve been exploring tints. What happens to blue when you mix it with white? I love how this little guy left the top right quadrant of his paper blank and declared his painting finished. Check out some of these old videos of […]