Continuing the Interview with Lakshmi Kripalani By Irene BakerIn the first part of our interview, Ms. Kripalani, now almost 93 years old, described her life growing up in India, her early teaching experiences, and taking the primary training course with Maria and Mario Montessori in 1946 in Karachi, India. In this second in... Read More

"Children at this stage are fascinated because this story [about early humans] concerns them personally."—Mario M. Montessori, Jr., Education for Human DevelopmentThe Hand Chart, a key lesson in the Montessori Elementary history curriculum, gives children a first look at the Story of Humans in a condensed form. This lesson ... Read More

"Now one day Pooh and Piglet and Rabbit and Roo were all playing Poohsticks together. They had dropped their sticks in when Rabbit said 'Go!' and then they hurried across to the other side of the bridge, and now they were all leaning over the edge waiting to see whose stick would come out first..."—A.A. Milne, House at Pooh... Read More

"Children will be smarter, better able to get along with others, healthier and happier when they have regular opportunities for free and unstructured play in the out-of-doors."—American Medical Association, 2005Were you told to "go out and play" when you were a child? Now, as a parent, do you give your children the same ins... Read More

"Even when helping and serving the children, she (the teacher) must not cease to observe them, because the birth of concentration in a child is as delicate a phenomenon as the bursting of a bud into bloom."—Maria Montessori, The Absorbent MindRecently I observed something marvelous in a primary classroom. A child of almost ... Read More

"The Montessori approach to celebrating special days is a gift to children as it expands their minds, their hearts, and their worlds."—Alex Chiu, Montessori MusingsThere is a wide range of opinions about whether or not to celebrate holidays in the classroom, and if so, which ones to honor. As part of their anti-bias curricu... Read More

"The plates are always of china, and the tumblers and water bottles of glass. Knives are always included in the table equipment."—Maria Montessori, Dr. Montessori's Own HandbookWhen children come to a Montessori school, they are delighted to be able to do all those kitchen tasks that are sometimes deemed "too dangerous" for... Read More

"We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry."—Maria Montessori, The Montessori MethodChildren naturally absorb the logic and the beauty of physical science as they interact with the environment: pushing a truck up an incline, observing light refl... Read More

"Spring came again to the northern garden and so did the bluebirds." —R. Bruce Horsfall Bluebirds Seven The dawn chorus of birds is a universal sign of spring, and you might listen for it with your early-rising children - even from inside your home. Morning is a perfect time to hear birds as they greet the rising sun. It's ... Read More

As a parent interested in the Montessori method, you may have heard about the three-period lesson, a hallmark of Montessori education that helps young children learn vocabulary and concepts.In simple terms, the three steps, or periods, are: 1. Naming (Introduction) "This is a dog." 2. Recognizing (Identification) "Show me... Read More