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Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children. —Walter Elias Disney Going on a family vacation is an exciting prospect, especially when the destination promises to be the “happiest place on earth.” When planning a visit to a theme park like Disneyland, remember to think of the trip from your child’s perspective. It is a thrilling, high-energy, and stimulating experience — and a very different environment than your Montessori child is accustomed to at home or school. Consider how you can make your theme-park adventure fun for everyone in a Montessori way. Here are some tips to get you started, using Disneyland as an example. Montessori Away From Home: Family Theme Park Vacation — Following the Montessori Child at Disneyland Adjust your pace. You may have a detailed and down-to-the-minute plan on how to ride every ride in the park, but your child might decide that the carousel is the only ride he wants to try. Stop and look at the experience through your child’s eyes. The th...

Lately I have been hearing about parents worried about “summer brain drain.” Their worry seems compounded by the plethora of advertising on the web, marketing ploys aimed at keeping children constantly learning. I have also seen signs on telephone poles for all sorts of learning camps, and even the local library’s summer reading series is focusing on retention. From the media, it appears that as soon as students walk out of school on the last day, their brains instantly turn off and the flow of information stops and even regresses. Summer learning loss is a real phenomenon, more often effecting children who are from lower income families. On average, however, the regression is not significant and equals about a month of learning. (Raulerson, 2013) Without formal instruction, mathematics tends to suffer more than reading. (Raulerson, 2013) This makes sense as it is easier for most parents and students to pick up a book than specfically work on math skills. Incorporating Montessori Learn...

We discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 8. I was recently talking to a friend of mine who has three children under the age of seven.  She told me she had been planning a quiet summer with a daily swim at the pool, a few trips to the library, and maybe a few play dates.  She was felt overwhelmed, then, when her seven year old said that sounded fine, but what he was really looking forward to was doing summer homeschool! Ideas for Parents for Montessori Summer Learning - Follow the Child! What Do I Do? Parents often think that our children need some quiet down-time in the summer to rest and renew themselves after a long school year. But we need to remember that they are in their sensitive period for learning! Adults can turn their brains on and off – I work 8–5, Monday through Friday; I learn when I take specific classes; I res...