Storing and Saving Kids Art Work

All three of my bigger children could sit and do art for days, and days, and days. They seriously love to create. And, I love that about them. Their creative little minds and souls bring so much beauty into this world. However, with all this creation comes a lot of product - a book, a poster of cut up and glued scraps of paper, comic strips, and paintings. You take that times three or four kids and suddenly you have a huge pile of art. ...

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Shelf Help S2 Ep 17 - Navigating Sibling Relationships

It can be so beautiful watching your children develop relationships with one another as they grow. However, it's not always a peaceful process. In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy discuss how Montessori influences their parenting decisions when it comes to sibling conflict, and challenges. We discuss how we strike a balance between giving them space and intervening. ...

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Hands Hands, Baby

Penelope has made a very important discovery this week. One that will change her life forever. Her hands! Over the years, as a Montessori parent, I've learned that some of the most important work I can do is observe my children's hands. From their first movements and reflective grasps to nimble little fingers sewing, the hands can give us so many clues about the kinds of work that our children need and want....

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Scavenger and Find It Games

My children could play board games all day, every day. There are very few days that go by where we aren't playing something. But lately, Gus has been getting into another type of game - I Spy. He's very family with the format of looking games after his experience with sound games at home and at school. But lately, he's really upped his game. ...

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Supporting the Montessori Fifth Great Lesson

Growing up I had a love/hate relationship with maths. In elementary school, I remember resenting the topic, being bored and uninterested. I can still remember the tears that came along with long sessions of drilling multiplication facts in preparation for a math test. Why was this important? How was this relevant to the world? Why should I care? None of these questions were ever answered for me. As I grew, I came to realize I liked the order and rules that math was structured around. That didn't make me any good at the subject, but at least it made sense. ...

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Montessori Babies: Growth Is Slow

For my last three Montessori babies, I've been writing these weekly Montessori baby updates. I share a bit about what's on my mind, and give a little picture of what it looks like to use Montessori from birth at home in real life. I love being able to share our story and what Montessori feels like for me. But, in writing these updates, I also feel like I need to clarify something - growth is slow. ...

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Four for Spring: Favorites to Wear, Play, Read, and Learn

The calendar says that it's finally spring. But, here in Minnesota, the snow is still flying more than I would like. But, we are solidly dreaming of spring, and thinking about all the warmer weather that is to come. But, I know for lots of you spring is here and in full force. And, with the season change comes new and different opportunities for us and for our children. I thought I would share some of what I'm looking forward to this spring in four categories: wear, read, play, and learn. ...

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