Maria Montessori believed that books should be as realistic as possible, without animals that talk, blue elephants that fly, and of course, without monsters, witches, or Baba Yaga (in Russian folklore, the fearsome witch with iron teeth.) Young children sometimes do not perceive a distinctive "line" between imagination and reality.... Read more →

Autumn is our favorite season! We love the vibrancy of deciduous trees as foliage changes color from green to golden-yellow to red. We love watching the leaves dance in the air as they gracefully fall on the ground, offering children a playground heaven to jump into! We love the cool... Read more →

This wooden Alphabet Sound Puzzle "pronounces" the name of each letter and a corresponding object beginning with that letter when such letter is placed correctly. Julia loved to chew on wooden letters first (as you can see), then she enjoyed manipulating them as pieces are slightly raised above the puzzle... Read more →

In a Montessori Math curriculum, after introducing Number Rods (see a post here) at about two years of age, Sandpaper Numbers are generally introduced next (see a post here). The third math material is usually a Spindle Box (buy here), which teaches a child the difference between the numeral (a... Read more →

Starting at 34 months, Adrian began exhibiting an interest in jigsaw puzzles. The goal of a jigsaw puzzle is to fit pieces together to make a picture using anywhere from 4 to 1,000 pieces. Adrian has been enjoying the wooden zoology puzzles for a while now, like the parts of... Read more →

Although it is not officially Fall until September 21st, we can already feel the autumn in the air: the crisp morning air, the leaves graciously dancing as they fall in front of our windows, the earlier sunsets, the cooler temperatures. This Sunday morning, children were happily cuddling with Daddy on... Read more →

Food preparation is one of the areas of Practical Life Activities in Montessori education. Lessons in Practical Life teach a child the skills for practically everything in life. Child's quote "Teach me how to do it myself” is what Practical Life area is all about. Our role as an educator... Read more →

Today, Julia and Adrian are working with play-dough. They love it as they can "work" together; they learn to share tools as well as play-dough; they chat and laugh, and most importantly, this activity allows them to express themselves creatively, be innovative, refine their fine-motor skills and it is fun!... Read more →

Animals of the World puzzle (buy here) is an incredible 300 piece puzzle, featuring hundreds of animals from around the world in their native land. This 300 piece puzzle requires precise sorting, patience, and determination. The process is lengthy but so rewarding as the child learns geography, such as continents,... Read more →

This wooden number-to-quantity interlocking self-correcting Numbers Puzzle (buy similar here) is more abstract as a toddler is not actually holding any quantity to substantiate the value (like with Spindles or Numbers Rods), but rather matches a numeral (e.g. number 2) to the quantity shown on a picture (2 cows). This... Read more →

To continue our number exploration, we are making numbers from pipe-cleaners! Julia has made most of them, but Adrian noticed that 10 was missing, so he started to work on it right a way. And what about making numbers from play-dough? Julia really enjoyed making numbers from play-dough. She decorated... Read more →

Today, we are exploring Africa. First, we would read about Africa in a World Atlas book (buy here). We love using these animals as language objects during continent unit works as well as for zoology. But what about taking a trip to a real savanna in Africa to see all... Read more →

"If you can dream it, you can do it!" Walt Disney ... And it is so important to dream: to wish for impossible, to desire unachievable, to strive for inconceivable! Because all these concepts are relative - to our current knowledge, to current progress level, and to our evolutionary advancement.... Read more →

We are finally going to Disney! We had to cancel our last two trips, and we are so excited that the trip to a place "where dreams come true" is approaching at last! I printed and laminated the Disney character countdown calendar, and children made countdown rings. How do you... Read more →

July 28th was the birthday of my Grandfather (1926 -2012), who after living fully for 86 years had left this physical world to peacefully rejoice with the Higher Being, with God, with Love. Julia, almost 7 years old, has so many questions: Why does the body stop working? Can I... Read more →

Montessori World Map puzzle (buy here) is generally introduced after a child is comfortable with Colored 🌈 Continent 🌎Globe (read a presentation here). In a Montessori Geography curriculum, a child first learns that the Earth is a sphere by exploring the Globe. Then, the concepts of land (continent) vs. water... Read more →

In a Montessori geography curriculum, you begin with: STEP 1: Sandpaper Globe (buy here), which is one of the first geography materials to introduce to your child at around two years of age to explain the difference between land and water. The sandpaper globe is a concrete representation of our... Read more →

Today, we are trying the (4)th option: CAN YOU FIND A PAIR? from a Montessori Mystery Bag post. Usually, this activity is presented to an older child with Montessori paired geometric solids, but today, we are using pairs of similar items, with which Adrian is familiar, and ask him to... Read more →

I am loving this age: when my children work, play, read, and cook together! Today, Adrian and Julia are making "givech" - my favorite dish, which is a caviar of mixed vegetables (what ever you have in your refrigerator) sauteed with onions and garlic. This dish is really simple, very... Read more →

Today, children are making a special Father's Day card for Daddy. This craft idea was inspired by Guess How Much I Love You book (buy here), with a simple yet poignant message about an unconditional love of a Father Rabbit ~ about love that knows no boundaries, love that keeps... Read more →