Spotlight Montessori Gym
June 27, 2019This interview is with Barbara from Montessori Gym. A quick note on the story behind Montessori Gym: My husband and I are Montessori parents who dedicate their professional life to sports performance analysis and training. →
100 Favorites
June 6, 2019The Zine is hitting a milestone -- 100 issues! To celebrate, we’re sharing one hundred of our favorites (in no particular order). Enjoy! Our Team Creativity Podcasts Our mascot, London Mr. Rogers Big conversations Uno →
Almost Free Summer Fun
June 3, 2019When we’re thinking about how to make summer special, those dollar signs sure can fly by! While we all wish we could give our children the world, summer doesn’t need to be expensive. Here are →
Observing Without Judgement
May 30, 2019For a podcast of this post, scroll to the bottom of this page or subscribe on iTunes. Recently, we published on the blog a post about Observation, beautifully written by Amanda Boerger. If you haven’t →
Observation: A Method for Seeing Each Child
May 29, 2019Observation : Really Seeing Each Child Observation is a valuable tool that grants deeper understanding of the activities, behaviors, and personalities of children within a Montessori classroom. Because the Montessori method is so individualized in →
Summer with Children
May 16, 2019Earlier this school year, around the winter holidays, we shared two podcasts and posts about holidays and travel with children. Well, it’s here again -- SUMMER! Some of us look forward to this season with →
How To Grow Independence
May 13, 2019Montessori is known for independence. It’s more than a buzzword, it’s a way of life. We’re constantly striving for independence, though it is a rather fraught word. We think of independence as “I don’t need →
They’re Called “Guides”
May 6, 2019There’s this beautiful quote from Dr. Montessori’s Words of Advice to Teachers, published 95 years ago. [quote]She must give her lesson, plant the seed and then disappear; observing and waiting, but not touching.[/quote] May 6th →
Interview with Zoe Paul
May 2, 2019Zoe Paul is the incredible mind behind Sage Montessori and Studio Montessori. She shared her story previously in this Spotlight interview. Studio Montessori can also be found here and on Facebook.
The Small Things Are The Big Things
April 29, 2019There’s a fast food chain in the Midwest. When you order, they give you a number. When your order is ready, they come find you and bring you your food. They don’t yell, “forty seven” →
Why Do We Have Plants In The Classroom?
April 25, 2019A quick glance into many Montessori classrooms will showcase not just students, guide, materials, and furniture, but also often plants. Why is that? Does the teacher just like ferns, or is there a reason? As →
Celebrating Earth Day with Children
April 18, 2019It’s natural Earth Day falls on April 22nd. Around the world, it’s a time of change! In the northern hemisphere, we’re starting to see Spring buds emerging, forgotten plants returning, the weather slowly but surely →
Order in Montessori
April 15, 2019There’s a well-known trope that children are chaotic. Busy, screaming, messy. We can’t wait for them to grow up because then we’ll have some sense of order back in our lives. However, anyone who has →
The Slippery Slope of “More”
April 8, 2019It’s so natural to want to have Montessori materials at home. After all, parents often don’t come in the classroom, so it’s hard to imagine what a child is doing without actually seeing it. More →
Dressing for Success
April 4, 2019For a podcast of this post, scroll to the bottom of this page or subscribe on iTunes. Children’s clothes, puppies, anything with a gnome on it. A list of things that are unanimously considered cute. →
It’s Not Fair
April 1, 2019At some point in childhood, “fair” comes up. “It’s not fair,” comes from an adult or from a child, and we’re met with this difficult dilemma. “Life’s not fair,” isn’t a very palatable response, but →
Montessori Encyclopedia: The Decanomial Square
March 28, 2019How do you use this material? This is one of the most beautiful materials in the classroom, and it requires a high level of patience, attention to detail, and logic. First a child gets out →
Learning Takes Courage
March 25, 2019Oh wow. She took out the Trinomial Cube (a 27-piece cube puzzle that is a challenge for adults but a fun and challenging work for children in the Montessori Children’s House) AND a blindfold. Woah. →
Montessori & Minimalism
March 21, 2019For a podcast of this post, scroll to the bottom of this page or subscribe on iTunes. Montessori and Minimalism so naturally go together. Minimalism is becoming increasingly popular, with "The Life Changing Magic of →
A Peer Group
March 18, 2019At some point, we all yearn for peers. We want to move beyond the cozy intimacy of family life and find our “something more.” The children at the playground are oh so appealing. We bounce →
Spotlight Making Montessori
March 15, 2019Katie and Leticia are the brains behind Making Montessori. Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Your background, your interests, your dreams? Katie: I grew up in Northern California in a musical →
In Montessori, Help is Always Nearby
March 11, 2019Sometimes we just need a bit of a nudge. A little assistance. A reminder of how something works. In the Montessori classroom, help is always nearby. It’s one of the best gifts of a mixed-age →
Trusting the Inner Voice
March 7, 2019For a podcast of this post, scroll to the bottom of this page or subscribe on iTunes. At Baan Dek, we feel we have a two-fold mandate: Guiding children Supporting families Families have trusted us →
Learning to Learn
March 4, 2019Traditionally, Kindergarten is a time when children “learn to learn.” You have at least 12 years of education ahead of you, and we need to get certain skills in place first. So much of our →
