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It is amazing to consider how much we can be grateful for when we think about the people around us and the experiences we share. If we try hard enough, we can even appreciate mistakes we’ve made, because they help us change and move forward. As a Montessorian, there are a number of things for which I am grateful. I am thankful for Dr. Montessori’s ground-breaking contributions to education. I also appreciate the staff at NAMC who make it their priority to support our schools, students, graduates, and homeschoolers. Most of all, I am grateful for the amazing and diverse Montessori community we have developed around the world. As part of NAMC’s anniversary celebration, I have been asked to share 20 lessons that stand out in my experience of providing Montessori teacher training programs worldwide over the past 20 years. We are happy to share the next tip in our series that we are presenting over the next few weeks. I hope you find some of these ideas helpful in your own Montessori journe...

Knowledge can be best given where there is eagerness to learn, so this is the period when the seed of everything can be sown, the child’s mind being like a fertile field, ready to receive what will germinate into culture. —Maria Montessori To Educate the Human Potential, p. 3. Studying the human body and investigating the different systems is fascinating for elementary students because they enjoy learning about topics that they can relate to personally. Students seem to especially like exploring the skeletal system and identifying all the bones in their body. They build a strong understanding of the human body and related abstract concepts by working on the many hands-on activities and extensions presented in the NAMC Lower Elementary Health Sciences manual. And they are especially drawn to the many practical extensions to the NAMC lesson on investigating the skeletal system. Along with presenting these activities, I make a point of engaging my students through the addition of a number...

The aim of the children who persevere in their work with an object is certainly not to “learn”; they are drawn to it by the needs of their inner life, which must be recognized and developed by its means. —Maria Montessori Spontaneous Activity in Education, p. 220. The hands-on Montessori chemistry activities always spark my students’ curiosity and excitement about the microscopic world of atoms and molecules. They are fascinated with the idea of miniscule parts and how they combine to form molecules with different properties, distinct from their properties as individual atoms. While completing the NAMC activities on the parts of the atom, learning about molecules, and investigating the periodic table, students always show great interest and enthusiasm as they create models of atoms and water molecules. Chemistry Ideas for the Montessori Lower Elementary Classroom To build on their enthusiasm for this topic, I set out activities for those interested to continue their explorations. One a...

Life in the open air, in the sunshine, and a diet high in nutritional content coming from the produce of neighbouring fields improve the physical health... —Maria Montessori From Childhood to Adolescence, p. 67. March is National Nutrition Month in Canada and the United States. This year’s theme is “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right,” which brings to mind some articles I read recently. Headlines such as “Kids who are time-crunched at school lunch toss more and eat less” (Godoy & Aubrey, 2015) and “These days, school lunch hours are more like 15 minutes” (Westerveldt, 2013) make me wonder how children possibly savor any flavor with only 10–15 minutes to eat. Montessori encourages adults to model the behaviors we wish to see in the child. We walk slowly, speak softly, and touch gently. What does it say, therefore, when we eat quickly? Modern eating habits have taken on a sense of urgency: breakfast is a rush as we try to get out the door; lunch is hurried so we have time to prepare af...

Community can take many forms. It can be your neighborhood, your professional association, your family and friends, or the Montessori environment. Contributing to your community makes it stronger. Each member of the community has a unique set of skills to offer, and as you work together on shared goals or ideas, you achieve a whole that is greater than anything an individual can achieve alone. As part of NAMC’s anniversary celebration, I have been asked to share 20 lessons that stand out in my experience of providing Montessori teacher training programs worldwide over the past 20 years. We are happy to share the next tip in our series that we are presenting over the next few weeks. I hope you find some of these ideas helpful in your own Montessori journey! — Dale Gausman, NAMC Program Director / Founder

Maria Montessori observed that when children were given freedom in an environment suited to their needs, they flourished and reached their full potential. She noted that after a period of intense concentration and the opportunity to work with materials that were fully engaging, children were refreshed and content; their inner discipline and sense of peace seemed to grow. Dr. Montessori described this unique process in a child’s development as “normalization,” and she referred to it as “ the most important single result of our whole work. ” ( The Absorbent Mind, p. 204 ) Normalization in Montessori Elementary: A Teacher's Perspective In my experience, every Montessori classroom reaches a period of normalization in a different time frame, unique to the individuals in the classroom. One factor that seems to affect the rate of reaching normalization is the environment’s ratio of returning students to new students. In my experience, when fewer than one-third of the children are new, you...

Sometimes when you are starting on a new venture, you need a little pep talk – some motivation to encourage you. One of the best ways of doing this is to consider how people you admire accomplished their goals. Dr. Montessori is a perfect example. Against all odds, she became the first woman in Italy to be certified as a medical doctor. When asked to care for the children in the slums of San Lorenzo, she used the position as an opportunity to develop her methodology. She was a visionary who was not deterred from her goals by any obstacles. And thanks to her dedication and drive, the Montessori method continues to grow around the world to this day. Let Dr. Montessori’s story spark your motivation as you blaze your own trail. As part of NAMC’s anniversary celebration, I have been asked to share 20 lessons that stand out in my experience of providing Montessori teacher training programs worldwide over the past 20 years. We are happy to share the next tip in our series that we are presenti...