Montessori: What is it?
Montessori education, a revolutionary approach to learning developed by Dr. Maria Montessori over a century ago, stands out for its unique focus on the individual child’s natural development. Characterized by self-directed activities within a prepared environment and guided by specially trained teachers, this method nurtures children’s innate curiosity and desire to learn, fostering both academic […]
How to Set Up a Classroom in 48 Hours
This week’s Classroom Showcase post is not a tour of a classroom but the (brief) story of how I had to set up my space in under 48 hours when we moved to our current location. These pictures are from 2010. Step 1: Get Some Efficient Movers Friday Aug 20th 7pm (in the garage) […]
Stop Wasting Your Time & Start Hiring SMART
When I first became a leader at a Montessori school I was immediately tasked with the job of hiring new teachers. It was a large school with seventeen classrooms and over fifty employees working in the building each day. It was also a school in crisis and employee turnover could officially be classified as “bananas”. […]
Classroom Tours: Lauren Marques
Welcome to Part 2 of the tour of Lauren’s class at Creo Montessori in Arizona.  Last week we saw pictures of her outdoor environment.  Today, we get to see the inside!  Thank you, Lauren, for sharing your lovely space with the rest of us. Practical Life Sensorial Language Math Cultural About Lauren Marques My name is […]
Lauren’s Montessori Classroom: The Outdoors
For this week’s Montessori Classroom Showcase Series, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Lauren from the Creo School in Arizona. I have been admiring her photographs in the Montessori teachers Facebook group for the past year and I am so happy that she has agreed to share them on our blog! Lauren has been […]
Classroom Tours: April Waxler
This is the second post in our Montessori Classroom Showcase Series. Today I’m delighted to introduce you to April Waxler from the Bloomington Montessori School in Indiana. About April I have been a Montessori teacher for twenty years and I have yet to have a boring day. Bloomington Montessori School (in Bloomington, Indiana) has been […]
Montessori Art Trays for Toddlers
Setting up art trays for your child is a fabulous way to introduce different mediums to your child, encourage creativity, build independence, and allow repetition. Let me show you the art trays we have out at the moment in our classroom for children from 16 months to 3 years. You will see that: 1. The […]
Classroom Tours: Miss Stephanie
This is the very first post is our Montessori Classroom Showcase series. I’m very excited about sharing with you Montessori classrooms from around the world! I’ve been in the classroom for over 15 years now and I still don’t get tired of looking at how Montessori teachers have arranged their shelves. I always get a […]
Phonetic Books for Beginning Readers
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 (unfortunately, these are no longer available). Each story is set in a Montessori classroom and shows how the children prevent or resolve a […]
DIY Montessori Eye-Hand Coordination Activities for Toddlers
by Rachel Wilsey Some of the biggest hits in my house have been toys that I put together from stuff we had around the house. The two below are easy to make and promote eye-hand coordination as well as concentration. Domino Boxâa Take on the Coin Box The domino box is our take on the […]
The Montessori Blue Series for Reading
A few months ago we were gifted a box of treasures by a former Montessori teacher who also happens to be the grandmother of one of our students. Even after a decade and a half in the classroom, I still love this stuff! All that organizing put me in the mood to take photos […]
So You Want to Get Montessori Training
I often get questions from people who are interested in getting Montessori training but have no idea where to start. Even though Montessori has been around for a long time, it is just recently coming into mainstream awareness. You have to dig a little bit to find the information you need. Hopefully the overview […]
How Developmentally Appropriate is Sharing?
By Pauline Meert A few months ago, I read an article on sharing that led to a lot of discussions and thinking. The article âSome Parenting Rules are Meant to be Brokenâ by Beth W. from Very Bloggy over on sunnyskyz.com discusses her experience with âsharingâ. Through examples of two experiences, one in a park where a child expects […]
Montessori Golden Beads
by Jessica RenĂ©e 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?
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 âheavy dutyâ work with three letter short vowel words. As I visit schools and support […]
Big Nature Connections in Small Spaces
I’m honored to have Kelly Johnson on our blog today. Kelly is a talented Montessori teacher, artist, and author. She is passionate about expanding children’s experiences with nature. If you’re a Montessori professional, you may have heard her speak at a Montessori conference, attended her recent AMS webinar, or read her articles in Montessori Life […]
An Introduction to the Baric Tablets- A Montessori Sensorial Activity
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 Day in the Life of a Montessori Toddler
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A MONTESSORI TODDLER by Simone Davies It is so fun to be back guest blogging here for Trillium Montessori. Thanks for having me visit, Seemi. I always say that Montessori is not just an educational philosophy but a way of life. So I thought it would be fun to […]
The Connected Family
I’m so excited to introduce you to my friend Kim Hughes today!  Kim has been a master teacher, mentor and leader for many many years.  Although she’s not a Montessorian, her approach to discipline works very well with Montessori.  She is a certified Conscious Discipline Ÿ Loving Guidance Associate, personally trained by Dr. Becky Bailey. -Seemi by […]
A Montessori Lesson
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 childrenâs […]
A Tour of a Montessori Toddler Classroom in Amsterdam
It is my pleasure to introduce you to Simone Davies from Jacaranda Tree Montessori. Simone runs a lovely Montessori playgroup in Amsterdam. She is treating us today with a detailed tour of her beautiful space. I am in love with her design aesthetic and gorgeous light in her room! Enjoy the tour and be sure to […]