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 didn’t? Fast forward to the present moment and think of your own children. […]

By Virginia Lozuke A couple of years ago I started approaching parent teacher conferences a little differently.  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 […]

by Maria Burke I like to think of Montessori education as a tree. The roots, which support the tree and keep it strong and steady, are concentration, coordination, order, and independence. As these are the basis to the environment, it is important for a child to work towards having this strong basis in order for […]

Simone Davies from The Montessori Notebook is working on a fantastic book about raising toddlers in a Montessori way.  You can get all the details on her Kickstarter page and pre-order a copy for yourself too! Here’s Simone on a recent FB Live explaining her project Simone has graciously offered to give away a copy […]

Mom: “It’s time to put away the blocks now.  We’re going to work with some letters! It’ll be fun!” Jamie (age 2): “No!” *runs and hides behind the couch* Has something like this happened at your house?  Probably. But don’t worry. If it has, you’re not alone! As parents and caregivers, we are sometimes so eager […]

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 […]

“What can we do at home?” This is the question that every parent at our school asks and it is a question that we love to be asked! The answer is simple… but perhaps not very easy.  It’s simple because the best thing parents can do at home with their children is involve them in […]

I’ve “met” a lot of amazing and inspirational people online over the past few years, but I confess, Renae Eddy tops the list.  I first discovered Renae through her free printables and educational activity ideas on Every Star is Different.  Wow, what a treasure trove!  It took a little while before I realized that her […]

By the time our children reach the Elementary level, it’s easy for us to get hyper focused on the academics.  But, believe it or not, Practical Life is just as important a part of the Montessori elementary curriculum as it is of the primary curriculum. It is through practical life activities that children really integrate their […]

I am so honored to have Bess Wuertz as one of the presenters in the 2017 Trillium Montessori Homeschool Summit. Bess is the Montessori columnist for Practical Homeschooling Magazine. She is also the founder of the Montessori Homeschooling Facebook Group which has over 17,000 members. Bess fell in love with the Montessori Method over eight years ago, shortly […]

If you haven’t heard about the concept of the inner preparation of the adult in Montessori, then you haven’t really heard about Montessori.  That’s a bold statement. But, the inner preparation of the adult is one the foundational pieces of the Montessori method.  Without it, the rest falls apart. So, if you think Montessori is about […]

  Are you on Facebook?  If you’re not, then you are missing out on some of the best Montessori conversations happening in the world!  Listed below are my favorite Montessori groups. But first, a little primer on Facebook terminology: Facebook Profile: This is your personal profile where you can share posts and photos about your […]

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 in 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 […]

I’m delighted to introduce you to Keri today.  I came across some of Keri’s work in the Montessori 101 Facebook group and thought she had some fabulous Montessori DIY ideas.  I’m sure you’ll be inspired by her amazing work! -Seemi     Hello! I’m Keri, mom to two boys, ages 3.5 years and nearly 7 months […]

I was thrilled a few weeks ago to receive a review copy of the book “Maria Montessori” by Paula Sharpe.  I was surprised that I hadn’t come across this book before.  What a treasure!   I know so many teachers who want a child-friendly book about Montessori for their students.  Well friends, this is the […]

  I am honored to welcome Maren Schmidt to the Trillium Montessori blog today!  If you’ve been living under a rock and don’t already know Maren, she is the author of Building Cathedrals Not Walls and Understanding Montessori: A Guide for Parents.  She also writes the very popular column Kids Talk and leads a wide […]

Today, I am delighted to introduce you to my good friend Virginia Lozuke.  Virginia is the head of school and lead teacher at the Montessori Farm School in Durham, NC.  She was inspired to write this post as she enjoyed some time at the beach this summer.  You can follow her awesome school on Facebook. […]

by Rachel Wilsey from Bread and Roses 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 Box—a Take on the Coin Box The domino box is […]

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 […]

By Pauline Meert A few months ago, I read an article on sharing that lead to a lot of discussions and thinking.  The article “Some Parenting Rules are Meant to be Broken” by Beth W. from Very Bloggy over on sunnyskyz.com discusses her experience with “sharing”. Through examples of two experiences, one in a park where a child expects […]

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 […]

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 ® Loving Guidance Associate, personally trained by Dr. Becky Bailey. -Seemi by […]

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 books, […]

Montessori At Home Mondays with Marie Mack Small Space Montessori Setup Wow! Our last post in our Montessori At Home Monday’s series. I’m so excited to share with you all and thank you, again, Seemi! Did you miss the previous posts? Check them out here: Small Space: Introduction and Entryway Small Space: Living Room Small Space: […]

Montessori At Home Mondays with Marie Mack Small Space Montessori Setup I am excited to be back for part four of our Montessori At Home Monday’s series. Did you miss the previous posts? Check them out here: Small Space: Introduction and Entryway Small Space: Living Room Small Space: Bedroom and Closet The Bathroom We all […]

Montessori At Home Mondays with Marie Mack Small Space Montessori Setup I am excited to be back for part three of our Montessori At Home Monday’s series. You can view part one and part two to catch up if you missed them! The Children’s Room Our children have shared a room since our daughter was […]

This week I’d like to introduce you to the talented Nicole Kavanaugh.  I first found Nicole when I was looking for resources to share with the parents at our school about how to set up their homes in a Montessori friendly way.  I loved how she had her bathroom set up to help her little […]

Montessori At Home Mondays with Marie Mack Montessori Setup in a Small Space Thank you, Seemi, for having me back for part two of our Montessori At Home Monday’s series. If you missed part one, check it out here! I would love to show you around our living room next. We used this space for […]

Today I’m honored to share with you a guest post written by my friend, Heidi Walker.  Heidi is a mother to three children and a certified Parent Effectiveness Training instructor.  We’ve had the pleasure of having her come and speak at our school and share her wisdom with our parents in the past and are looking forward […]

I’m excited to introduce you today to my friend Marie.  Marie has a passion for incorporating Montessori principles into day to day life with her two adorable children.  She has graciously agreed to write a series of articles for us, focusing on setting up your home in a Montessori friendly way when you live in […]

There are many ingredients that go into making a Montessori class magical.  I think one of the more important ones is the attention we pay to grace and courtesy. What is Grace and Courtesy? This is the term we use to describe manners and learning what it means to be polite. Greeting a new student […]

We had our first Parent Education Workshop of the year last week.  We talked about things that can be done at home to support what the children are doing at school.  All of our tips and suggestions center around helping the child become more independent.  Here are some examples of ways parents can organize their […]

I’m excited to share our very first guest post with you!   Heidi Walker will be coming over to Trillium next month to conduct our April Parent Workshop.  I had a great time chatting with her recently and I am sure you will all get a TON out of her presentation!  Read more about Heidi […]