by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast I remember the first month of my first year of teaching. I was at a school that was not only new to me but a new school altogether. We had two modest classrooms that were located in a church, with the hopes of one day being […]
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The Tired Teacher
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast At the time of this writing, it is springtime in parts of the world, which often tends to be an extra-tired time for teachers. However, even if you are in the Southern Hemisphere and are entering into the fall months, it doesnāt necessarily mean that youāre […]
What Does Building Relationships with an Elementary-Aged Child Look Like?
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast Throughout the history of education, there are initiatives, movements, and even sayings that come and go. Some of them stick and become interwoven within the fabric of education, and some fizzle out after a while. Examples of recent buzzword terms and concepts that have been all […]
Human Tendencies as Witnessed in the Elementary Child
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast Maria Montessori observed that human beings did not possess the same kind of instinctual behavior that other animals do. Instead, she observed in people from various cultures throughout the world what came to be referred to as Human Tendencies. These Human Tendencies are a driving force that […]
Balancing Freedom and Responsibility in the Elementary Classroom
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast One of the hardest aspects of guiding a Montessori classroom is helping the children understand how to balance freedom with responsibility. In fact, this very concept is often woefully misunderstood! It often is the tendency that beginning teachers will veer in one direction or another favoring […]
How to Ensure Students are Repeating Math Materials and Concepts to Attain Proficiency
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast When considering both the hallmarks and benefits of the Montessori elementary classroom, one of the first things that generally comes to mind is the idea of freedom to choose work. This is one of the aspects of a Montessori environment that sets us apart from other pedagogies […]
How to Spark Further Interest in Writing in the Montessori Elementary Classroom
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast While many teacher training programs do a brilliant job at introducing the Montessori materials, it can often be the case that whatever is offered as the approach to writing with elementary children isnāt as robust or comprehensive. As a result, teachers often enter the class not […]
The Montessori Elementary Environment is Different from the Early Childhood Environmentā¦and There Are Reasons For That!
by Letty Rising When the topic of Montessori education comes up with people who know a little bit about it, often what is described is a 3-6 classroom. After all, this is the age of development where Maria Montessori started her work with the children in Rome when she was fresh out of medical […]
Going Beyond the Montessori Elementary Albums
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast When fresh out of Montessori teacher training, you have at your handy disposal at least two armfuls of curriculum binders, often called āalbumsā which hold the entirety of the Cosmic Curriculum for you to present to your students. Whether you wrote your own albums composed of […]
Get Ready to Dust Off Those History Question Charts!
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast Do you have History Question Charts on your shelf in your elementary environment? If so, are they being taken out and used regularly by students in your class? Do you not know where to begin, or how to keep the interest in this valuable tool alive? […]
How Do We Know When It’s Time to Present the Next Lesson?
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast Most Montessori elementary training programs offer a plethora of information and resources to equip the emerging teacher with lessons to deliver, the philosophy behind āwhyā we do as we do. After all, this isnāt called Cosmic Education for nothing! We are introducing our students […]
We’re Hiring: Tech VA
Part-Time Tech VA We are in need of some assistance behind the scenes at Trillium and we would love to see some applications from BIPOC candidates for this role! This is a part-time, 1099 role, approximately 5-10 hours/week. You will be supporting our operations manager, Candace Barnard, with a variety of behind-the-scenes tasks such […]
Is it Okay to Interrupt an Elementary Child at Work?
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast This is a question that comes up all the time with elementary teachers! It is a Montessori truism that we protect the childās work cycle from interruptions. We talk with our colleagues about resisting the urge to do the following: Pulling children out of […]
How Do We Know When Elementary Students are Ready for Abstraction?
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast One of the most inviting aspects of the Montessori approach is our beautiful materials. Other than the idea of following the child, the enticing materials are one of the main reasons why people are drawn to Montessori environments. And, how could anyone refuse these beautiful, […]
What to Do When Your Lesson Falls Flat
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast If youāve been teaching in a classroom for any length of time, you will know that even the best laid plans sometimes yield cringeworthy results. In Montessori training, we see our teacher trainers modeling how to present these interesting and fascinating lessons that […]
Time for a Reset! Revisiting Systems, Routines, and Agreements
by Letty Rising Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast When coming back from a long school break, it is often the case that any progress that has been made to normalize has gone out the window. It might in fact be the case that a part or all of the classroom community […]
2021: Year in Review
Well here we are, at the end of another year. Are you ready to take stock of this year and step into the new one? Are you feeling optimistic about what lies ahead… or not so much? If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it might be a good idea to pause and reflect on the past 12 […]
Rebuilding the Elementary Environment During Late Stage Pandemic Times
by Letty Rising The Hope At the time of this writing, it is the Fall of 2021, and the hope has been that THIS is the year when we collectively bounce back from the worldwide Covid 19 pandemic. Children will be returning to school, reuniting with old friends, and will have the opportunity to […]
Diversity and Inclusion Resources
To support all members in our learning communities, it’s important to intentionally promote diversity and inclusion. Inclusive practices help build strong communities and communicate to learners and community members that their perspectives are valid and important. In this post, we’ve collected a wide range of resources for supporting diversity and inclusion in learning communities. Trillium […]
Why we opted NOT to make the P2P Summit free
Hello Everyone, We are really looking forward to sharing the expertise of this year’s P2P Summit speakers with you! I was going to start this email by saying that Tammy and I thought long and hard about whether to make this year’s Summit free. But that’s not true. This decision speaks to one of our […]
Behind the Scenes at Trillium: It Finally Happened
Y’all…. …I had to make some big decisions a couple of months ago. BIG. Like, the-future-of-Trillium big. Many of you have been following along on my Trillium journey for many years, some of you since way back in 2013 (love you!) You know that I closed my school in 2018 to live a semi-retired life […]
2020 Year In Review
It’s finally time to say goodbye to 2020. What a seismic year to live through. I have been so inspired and moved by the courage and determination I have seen in the Montessori community this year. You have rolled with the challenges of overhauling how you work with and educate children, closing schools and losing […]
Gender Creativity and Following the Child: A Montessori Connection
by Ashley McLean Connecting the two concepts of gender creativity and following the child should come easily to us as Montessorians. For me, it took my born-male-child asking to wear a skirt to jump start my journey of understanding the link. The Gender Journey My gender education started when Ben (name has been changed for […]
Let’s Get Ready for the Start of School
A Free Ebook by Angie Ma As many of us head back to a school year like no other, our children will likely need some extra reassurance that everything will be fine. This sweet, hand illustrated social story by Angie Ma is just what you need right now. It’s free to use. Simply click the […]
Facing Racial Inequality: A Call for Courage
Sometimes being an educator takes courage. In order to show up as the guides our children need us to be, we have to find the strength to look at the things about ourselves and our environments that make us uncomfortable. The things that make us question what we’ve always taken for granted. The things that […]
Distance Learning in Times of Disaster: Restoration and Renewal
A downloadable PDF of this article is available here. Read Part 1 here: Distance Learning in Times of Disaster: Phases of Responding to a Disaster By Elizabeth Slade Spring is making its way across the country reminding us all about the cycles of life ā the earth as a great reminder of how to endure […]
Building Distance Learning around the Psychological Characteristics of the Elementary Child
A downloadable PDF of this article is available newsletter subscribers here. by Letty Rising As Montessori education moves forward on the path of distance learning while people all over the world are navigating life through a global pandemic, there is much to consider and still so much to learn. And it is not only the […]
Do you need a three-hour work cycle at home?
“Education is not something which a teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment.”M. Montessori, pg 3 The Absorbent Mind. Recently, I spoke with a parent who […]
Montessori Lessons in Interdependence: Greater Relevance Than Ever
By Margaret Whitley Our elementary childrenās imagination is immense. So too is their adaptability and resilience when honored. Todayās unusual pandemic reality calls on adults to be and talk to our children directly, both parents and teacher, balancing any possible fear in our elementary age children with understanding. One place we can turn which could […]
Ten Little Rocks
By Sara Bloomberg How many times have you casually cleaned out your child’s pockets or lunch bags and found a vast collection of rocks which your children have meticulously hunted? For most 3-6-year-old children, rocks are the stuff of dreams. To children, rocks are often more valuable than the most precious metals. Each rock holds […]
Learning About Germs and Hygiene
Talking to young children about the concept of “germs” can be quite challenging! Preschoolers have a hard time conceptualizing things that they cannot experience through their senses. However, in this era when lives have been turned topsy turvy because of a global pandemic, the conversation about germs is difficult to put off! The Germs […]
Distance Learning in Times of Disaster
By Letty Rising and Elizabeth Slade A downloadable PDF of this article is available in the Trillium Resource Library. Sign up for the free Elementary Newsletter to access. Read part 2 here: Distance Learning in Times of Disaster: Restoration and Renewal Without warning, children across the country have experienced a dramatic shift in how they […]
Mr. Rogers and the Montessori Prepared Environment
By Letty Rising Thereās a world of difference between insisting on someoneās doing something and establishing an atmosphere in which that person can grow into wanting to do it.ā –Mr. Rogers I’ve come across this quote a few times in recent weeks, and it makes me smile every time. Mr. Rogers is one of my […]
Simple Snack Setup for Home
By Sara Bloomberg Creating opportunities for your 3-6-year-old (and maybe even your older children too) to help you with the preparation of their daily snack can be incredibly rewarding for your child. Successful snack prep can help grow your child’s self-esteem as well as help develop and strengthen their hand-eye coordination, the muscles in their […]
You Still Need to Set Boundaries During the Quarantine
By Sara Bloomberg “The liberty of the child ought to have as its limits the collective interest of the community in which s/he moves ā¦.” Maria Montessori, Discovery of the Child By now, I am sure that everyone you know (possibly even you) has either mentioned, created or tweaked their family schedule a million times. […]
What Makes the Montessori Method Different?
I have been teaching about Montessori classrooms to early childhood educators for the past 5 years. Nearly every semester, I get teachers asking me about the difference between Montessori and other alternative early childhood methods like the Reggio Emilia and Waldorf-Steiner approaches. There is much more that unites these approaches than divides them. Perhaps […]
Work at Home Montessori Parent
The Work-at-Home Parent Conundrum For so many of you, working from home while caring for your children will undoubtedly bring challenges. While I cannot promise it will always be comfortable, I can say that if we focus on modifying some key points, you can manage. One up- one down If there are two of you […]
Montessori in the Kitchen
Space, the first frontierā¦ in your home Ok, so first things first. We need to help you set up space in your house. There are so many ways we will work on modifying rooms in your home, and the most accessible place to start is the kitchen. Because you are in […]
Consistency and RoutineĀ for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners at Home During Coronavirus
Some schools have already been out for a while, but for much of the US, this week has seen the start of a lot of extended school closures. If you are faced with having your children at home for an extended school closure, consistent routines will help you settle into patterns of existing in this […]
Pearls of Wisdom: Working with elementary aged children
I recently returned from the AMI Elementary Refresher Course, and I enjoyed it so much that over the course of the two days I took 25 pages of notes! Alison Awes, the presenter and a Montessori trainer, was a very inspiring and engaging speaker, breathing fresh life into some familiar concepts, lessons, and theories, while […]
Why are we afraid of big numbers?
A second-grade teacher in a public school environment is well aware that, by the end of the school year, their students should be able to add and subtract fluently with numbers less than 100. However, in a Montessori environment, children begin to learn place-value into the thousands beginning in the 3-6 childrenās house. At the […]
Choice in the Elementary Classroom
Understanding how to facilitate, organize, and prepare an environment that fosters student choice is one of the most challenging aspects of being a Montessori elementary teacher. But it can be done and done well. Students can have choices in their work and still develop the skills needed to master standards. Follow the Trillium Montessori Talks podcast […]
How to Guide the Young Elementary Child
The youngest elementary childrenā¦the beginning of a new cycle. When the 6 or 7-year-old child enters into the elementary classroom, teachers sometimes struggle with understanding this newly emerging second plane child. When I was teaching and had the benefit of observing my students in their primary classroom environment before they transitioned into elementary, it was […]
Is it a Request for Help or a Bid for Connection?
Identifying the True Need Under the Request Throughout my years of teaching and leading schools, I have witnessed certain personality characteristics surface and resurface again. Thereās a particular one that I want to address and that has cropped up a few times during my career in education. Though the children are different, the script is […]
7 Ways to Enhance Your Storytelling Skills
Telling a Story vs. Giving a Lecture in the Elementary Classroom Environment Have you ever been spellbound by a captivating storyteller spinning a thrilling tale that had you propped at the edge of your seat, eagerly awaiting the next piece of colorful imagery to pique your curiosity and tantalize your imagination? If so, you likely […]
Cosmic Education and its Role in the Elementary Classroom
I am pleased to welcome Sharmeen Niazi of MOM_tessori_Guide to Trillium! Sharmeen is a Montessori Elementary guide at the Archgate Montessori Academy in Dallas, TX. Today she is sharing with us some insights about the role of cosmic education in the Elementary classroom. Keeping into consideration the inquisitive minds during the second plane of development, […]
The 6 Year Old: The Age Of TattlingĀ
If you have taught elementary, you surely have noticed that your youngest community members have a tendency to tell on one another, otherwise known as ātattling.ā I remember when I was a teacher, I always had at least a couple of 6-year-olds who tattled frequently, and I also clearly recall feeling some annoyance with this […]
Montessori Professional Development Plan
Tammy Oesting speaks to Daneen Goncalves of Nido Marketing about how and why to create a professional development plan for your staff. For affordable monthly staff development, please join Montessori Principles to Practice. You can find a variety of online workshops for your Montessori professional development needs on the Trillium Montessori Courses site.
Ramadan Activities for Preschool
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar, which means that the months follow the cycles of the moon. This also means that the months do not correspond to the western calendar months. Each year, Ramadan is approximately 11 days earlier than the year before. As the […]
Cosmic Nesting Dolls
āLet us give the children a vision of the universe.” Maria Montessori in To Educate the Human Potential. Update: The Cosmic Nesting Dolls in the video were originally available from Where Am I? but sadly it seems they are no longer making them. If you would like to try your hand at DIYing the […]
A Tour of Erin’s Montessori Classroom
I recently had the opportunity to visit my friend Erin Roberts in Asheville, NC. I’ve known Erin for about 14 years. We worked together at the Montessori School of Syracuse and she is one of the small handful of people I’ve met who seem to have been born with an intuitive understanding of Montessori. A […]
10 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Do Chores
by Gabrielle Nussbaumer Did you grow up with Saturday morning or afternoon chores? Maybe you had Saturday all day chores!? Did that question make you groan as you remembered the list of things you had to accomplish and the consequences if you didnāt? Fast forward to the present moment and think of your own children. […]
What We Want For Our Children
By Virginia Lozuke A couple of years ago I started approaching parent teacher conferences a little differently. Ā Before I compiled all my observations, notes, recordkeeping, and pictures, I went back to my files and pulled out the original application that parents filled out prior to enrolling at our school. The answers to those questions are […]
Rocks Observation and Discussion
Walkinā N Rockin’ A beginning-of-the-year lesson plan by Claudia Mann If my Facebook āteacherā groups are any indication, this is a pretty exciting time of year for most of you who are called to this profession. Photo posts of prepared classrooms almost shout the anticipation of teachers who are ready to get those little ones […]
Handwork in the Montessori EnvironmentĀ
In Montessori environments, we pride ourselves on having a culture of self-lead work. We inspire children to be mathematicians, writers, discoverers and researchers. We also teach children the value of the ability to work with our hands. How to Create a Culture of Handwork in Your Montessori Environment By Carol Palmer Handwork, the creative, constructive […]
Filtering Out Hiring Bias
I am dripping with bias. So are you. From affinity bias to confirmation bias, we are all prone to filtering our decisions through the lens of our personal biases. It is normalā¦and it is not okay in a hiring process. In the United States, hiring bias is significant. The rates of several measures of hiring […]
Montessori Resources for Learning About Birds
We always enjoy learning about birds! From eggs, to feathers, to nests, there is a lot to explore. One of our readers, Dagmar Brumovska shared this fantastic bird egg activity with us… including a free printable! You can find this printable in Dagmar’s brand new TpT store HERE. (While Dagmar’s egg printable makes a fun […]
Learning About Frogs and Amphibians
Did you know that amphibians are the only vertebrates capable of breathing through their skin? Itās true! In this blog post, weāll share a variety of engaging resources for a lesson or unit study focused on frogs and amphibians. Weāve pulled together a range of books, crafts, printables, and hands-on activities perfect for students interested […]
Montessori Resources for Learning About Europe
Learning About Europe | Trillium Montessori These are some of the activities we’ve enjoyed while learning about Europe at my school. Europe Printable Packs | Trillium Montessori Shop Be sure to check out the Europe themed printables in my shop. Unit: Europe | Pinterest Find more learning ideas and resources on my Europe Pinterest Board […]
A Tour of Pine Cottage
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 […]
Learning About the Festival of Diwali
I am delighted to welcome Amruta Ram to the Trillium Montessori blog! Amruta lives in India and is passionate about early learning. She is the mom of a toddler who she is raising using Montessori principles. In this guest post, Amruta shares some of the activities she has created for her child as they get […]
Care of Self for Montessori Teachers
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, […]
Pumpkin Patch Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
We will be taking a field trip to the pumpkin patch in a couple of weeks. To prepare, our classroom is starting to fill up with “pumpkiny” activities. If you haven’t already downloaded my free October Seasonal Guide for the Classroom with pictures of our seasonal activities for the month, you can get all the details in the […]
Resources for Talking to Children About Race and Racism
We are living in pivotal times. Issues of race and racism are not new. Ā Modern day America was created after a clash of epic proportions over this issue. Ā A world war has been fought over this. Ā Many of us thought that we, as a species, had put the worst behind us and were headed in […]
Montessori Home Tour by Bella’s Casa
Jae Jun from Bella’s Casa gives us a tour of her Montessori home. Montessori Home Tour by Jae Jun I have used 3 simple ideas to set up our home for my daughter Emily, age 3. Here are the 3 big ideas: Love of learning Less is More Independence Let’s take a look at a […]
Learning About North America
Here are the contents of our North America unit studies box. You can read more about how we store our unit studies supplies here. Of course, it would be VERY un-Montessori of us to give the box as-is to our students! Ah, much better! Here are the materials displayed neatly on the shelves so the […]
Preschool Activities for a Camping Theme
If you’re planning to do a camping theme in your summer program this year, here are some shelf activities you can add to the classroom: Spooning little bees We had this Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game lying around and used it for a color matching and fine motor activity. A little setup for pond life Gluing little […]
Asia Preschool Printables
Do you have our Asia Preschool Pack? Ā These printables can easily be added to your shelves during your study of Asia. Also be sure to check out our other posts about Asia! Learning About Asia: Introduction Learning About Asia: East Asia Learning About Asia: Middle East Learning About Asia: South Asia On the Art Shelf […]
Cooking in the Montessori Classroom
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 […]
Honey Bees: Cooking in the Montessori Children’s House
I am honored to share with you this simpleĀ food preparation activity from theĀ Cooking in the Childrenās HouseĀ series by Megan Ray Durkin. Ā Megan has a goal — to help children feel they are stewards of the earth and true citizens of the world. The projects from Cooking in the Childrenās House blend her appreciation for childrenās […]
Learning About Bees
Hands on activities for learning about bees in the preschool and Montessori classroom. When you’re working with preschoolers and young children, keep in mind that they need to have exposure to the real thing before working with abstract representations of it. This is particularly true for nature. Spend lots of time in nature. Get dirty, see […]
A Tour of Jennifer’s Montessori Language Shelves
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 […]
How I Started My Montessori School in Brazil
We have another Montessori startup story! This one comes from a mother and daughter team in Brazil. They opened their school, Ziriguidum, a few years ago as a music program and added Montessori classes last year. How did you discover Montessori and what made you fall in love with it? My mother worked with Montessori […]
A Tour of Audrey’s Montessori Classroom
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 […]
Spring Ideas for the Preschool Classroom
Spring is in the air and it’s the perfect time for all sorts of nature studies with your preschoolers! Go outside and get your hands dirty as much as you can! Every week, the members of the Trillium {Community} Facebook group share photos of their shelves and activities in our weekly “Shelfie Saturday” share thread. […]
Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: Science and Geography
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 akaĀ “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
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 firstĀ 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
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
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 standĀ 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
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. Ā Lauren has a great eye for selecting attractive and unique materials. One corner of the […]
A Tour of Lauren’s Montessori Classroom
I am so excited to bring you an updated tour of Lauren’s classroom! Ā A couple of years ago, Lauren shared photos of her beautiful Montessori environment as part of our Classroom Showcase Series. Ā You can see the original post here, and see her stunning outdoor space here. Lauren was kind enough to offer us a […]
Simple Ways To Bring More Diversity Into Your Classroom Materials
If youāre reading this, Iāll assume you already care about diversity in your classroom. And that you put in a conscious effort to make sure you avoid enforcing stereotypes and cultivating an atmosphere of tolerance and respect in your classroom. āPeaceā and āinclusionā are probably mainstays of your curriculum already. With that in mind, […]
An Open Door Promise
By Pamela Green I awoke this morning thinking of my Grandpa, my Motherās father, and of a lesson he had passed on to me many years ago. It was one of the moments upon waking when I could feel myself as a child, the ground beneath my body, looking into his eyes as we sat […]
What to do About Burned Out Teachers
Burned out teachers are an unfortunate reality. Last week we discussed four common signs of teacher burnout. This week we are focusing on what to do when we have a teacher showing signs of burnout. I know a lot of leaders who put their heads in the sand when a teacher shows signs of burnout. […]
Four Common Signs of Teacher Burnout
The start of the school year is always so exciting. Classrooms are refreshed and beautiful. New ideas and plans are on the forefront. The children are as inspiring and delightful as ever. Teachers seem ready to dive in and make their magic happen. Then, sometime in October or November, some teachers hit a wall. I […]
Movement in the Montessori Music Room
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 […]
A Pun for Father’s Day
Here’s an easy Father’s Day craft if you need to throw something together at the last minute! Even the preschoolers got a chuckle out of this one! Ā “He’s cute!” Ā “He looks nothing like my dad!” “I love his nose!” We talked about how this was a “pun”. Ā “A pun is a kind of joke where […]
9 Keys to Writing Effective Progress Reports
I find it helpful to think of progress reports as just one of the componentsĀ in my overall parent relations strategy. Ā 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 […]
Integrating Cosmic Education into Everything
Today’s post comes to you from Lisa of Montessori Kiwi. Ā Lisa is a Montessori Elementary teacher from New Zealand. Ā She shares some simple and easyĀ ideasĀ to help you integrate the concept of Cosmic Education into your daily classrom practice. -Seemi Ā What Cosmic Education Isn’t What it is Since it has been … necessary to give […]
Earth Day Preschool Activities
Here are some of the activities we have on our Montessori preschool shelves while we celebrate Earth Day! On the Art Shelf Cutting Strips This is a great activity for who children who are just beginning to learn how to hold scissors properly. (Source: Earth Day Preschool Pack ) Cutting Lines Cutting on the […]
Disruptive Classroom Behavior
By Pamela Green In my years of teaching I have had opportunities to be withĀ children who seem to bring disruption to the classroom. TheseĀ are the ones who tend to be louder in body and voice, take upĀ more space, make themselves heard before being seen, and atĀ times leave others quaking in their wake. The parents of […]
Easter Preschool Activities
This week I’m honored to share with you some photos contributed by one of our long time readers, Dagmar Brumovska! She has a lot fun ideas that you can try on your preschool shelves for Easter. We also have photos of the printable cards included in the Trillium Montessori Easter Preschool Pack. Between the two, your […]
5 Simple Tips to Make Your Home More Montessori
by Jo Ebisujima One of the striking things about a Montessori School is the style of the classroom. One will often find beautiful objects upon the shelves, laid out inĀ a clean and uncluttered environment. The children are able to move freely and to access what they need. The environment is designed to promote independence. Montessori […]
How Rachel Started Her Montessori School
Starting a Montessori school isnāt childās play. You know that. It can be tough and it can challenge and change you in more ways than one. Rachel learnt that first hand when she made the transition from nannying and odd jobs to becoming the owner of a Montessori school. With a K-12 certification to teach […]
5 Crucial Steps to Firing a Teacher
Leadership is an opportunity to connect with people and help them realize their greatest potential. As leaders, we are in a position to inspire others and support them as they build their strengths and make our organizations stronger. Sometimes, we have the distinct privilege of seeing potential in someone who does not see it in […]
Free Printable: Penguin Life Cycle
We have a new free printable about the life cycle of a penguin on our subscriber page this week! Emperor penguins are one of the most fascinating and iconic birds in the world. Known for their striking black and white feathers and their incredible endurance, these penguins live in one of the harshest environments […]
How Lindsey Started Her Montessori School
A full-time job as a statistician. A thriving business creating and selling organic and natural creations such as soaps, massage bars, bath salts and childrenās aprons. Andā¦ starting a Montessori school, too. Yes, Lindsay Rymerson blew us away with her focus, dedication and passion for the Montessori methodology and her story about how to start […]
Social Stories
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 […]
Pamela’s Story: Growing a Montessori School
It was the year 1979 and Pamela Green was in college with a major in elementary education. Her Educational Theory course professor took the class to a small Montessori school to learn about and observe this philosophy of education. From the moment Pamela walked into that space, she was transformed. In her words, “This was […]
Chinese New Year Preschool Activities
Here are some of the activities we have on our Montessori preschool shelves in preparation for the Chinese New Year! On the Fine Motor Shelf We kept our fine motor shelf pretty simple. We just have a red theme with some rice and dishes from China. Pouring red water Pouring 3 Tonging 1 Tonging […]