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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

By Letty Rising There’s a world of difference between insisting on someone’s doing something and establishing an atmosphere in which that person can grow into wanting to do it.”  –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 […]

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 […]

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 ….” 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. […]

By Chris Drew Chris Drew is a university teacher based in Vancouver, BC. He specializes in play-based learning and the sociology of childhood. He writes on educational theories on his own blog at https://helpfulprofessor.com. What Makes the Montessori Method Different? I have been teaching about Montessori classrooms to early childhood educators for the past 5 […]

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 […]

Space, the first frontier… 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 […]

We will use this page as a repository of organized resources for Montessori families as they come available.  Click the thumbnails below to see all the coronavirus school closure resources we have available. We strongly encourage you to join one of the parent support groups we have set up specifically to help parents navigate the […]

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 […]

These are challenging times and your young child’s Montessori school or inspired day care may be closed for the month, or longer.  We know you are the expert on your child AND we know it’s so different to be in the house with the family for weeks on end and out of the regular routine […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated long term school closures around the globe.  Has your Montessori school been affected?  If so, you may be wondering how to continue meeting your preschoolers’ educational needs while staying aligned with Montessori principles and also juggling your own work demands. We are in uncharted waters here, but we can navigate […]

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 […]

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 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 […]