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The Five Great Lessons are thought to be the catalyst of the Montessori elementary cultural curriculum. From the origins of the universe to the story of human communication, the Five Great Lessons provide the keys to learning about science, history, geography, and economics in the Montessori elementary environment. If these lessons are so important, why then, do we often rush to get through them? A Case of Semantics Perhaps a name means more than we think. In modern educational terms, a lesson is finite. It has a beginning and end, with the purpose of instructing. In short, a lesson is the amount of learning done at one time. If this is our definition of a lesson, then it is logical to think that the Five Great Lessons should be told quickly so that we can move on to more important activities. Some Montessorians call all presentations “lessons.” NAMC intentionally uses the term “activities” instead, to indicate that children are actively participating in their learning rather than pass...

“Oh, I know you!” Those were the very first words I said to my newborn son, just moments after giving birth to him almost 22 years ago. I held him in my arms, looked him in the eye, and realized that I really did already know this beautiful tiny baby. Throughout our two days in the hospital, I found myself talking to him: asking if he was hungry, singing a nonsense made-up on the spot song when I changed his diaper, telling him how his little clothes were presents from his grandpa and grandma, and reassuring him that I was there with him when he was crying. Talking to him just came naturally. He had heard the sound of my voice for nine months, so I knew that he knew me, too. When and How to Talk to Babies Some people wonder when and how to talk to babies. The answer is simply to talk to babies as you would talk to anyone else. Even if the conversation is one sided, your baby is listening and absorbing your words, your actions, and your tone of voice. There are everyday tasks such as fe...

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...

NAMC is happy to welcome a guest writer for this edition of our blog. Ashley Taylor is a freelance writer, photographer, and advocate for people with disabilities. She created DisabledParents.org to provide information and resources to other parents with disabilities. When she isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. Congratulations! You are having a baby. It’s exciting and wonderful — and a little bit scary, too. Don’t worry, because every new parent feels that way. The fact is, at least 4 million Americans with disabilities are raising children (Through the Looking Glass). Whether your disability is visible or invisible, it is going to impact your parenting, and you are going to have questions and concerns — but put your fears to rest, because you will be an excellent parent no matter your circumstances. What to Expect When You Are Disabled and Expecting People are going to ask rude and intrusive questions. This actually isn’t limited to disabled pa...

In our previous blog, we discussed the importance of having consistent, predictable rules and limits in order for children to feel safe and secure. We also spoke about the fact that it is the environment and not the adult that presents these limits to the children. In this article, we discuss the importance of positive statements. How we speak to children has a lot to do with how they will hear us. In the previous blog, we discussed setting expectations ahead of time so that children know the limits and follow the rules. For example, to prevent children taking work off the shelves before receiving presentations you could say, “We only use materials after I have shown you how to use them.” Notice that this is a positive statement that tells the children when they can use the materials. They are not told that they cannot use the work. Dr. Silvia Dubovoy (Dubovoy, 2017) uses the phrase “In this place, …” to let children know “Yes, I know there are other rules for you elsewhere, but in thi...

To let the child do as he likes when he has not yet developed any power of control is to betray the idea of freedom. —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind. Dr. Montessori was very clear: we should not grant children freedom until they have learned to follow the rules. But many Montessori teachers and parents are at a loss at how to set or enforce those rules. After all, aren’t we supposed to follow the child? Following the child does not mean allowing the child to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants. When a young child is unable to control her impulses and doesn’t know what she wants, or how to do what she wants, disorder and disruptive behavior occur. This usually happens because an adult was overly permissive and didn’t establish boundaries or rules. And there are rules in the Montessori environment. Stop and think about the Montessori environments you have observed. What rules of society did you see? Children walk in the classroom. We talk with quiet voices. Chairs are tucked i...

“… the first thing his education demands is the provision of an environment in which he can develop the powers given him by nature. This does not mean just to amuse him and let him do what he likes. But it does mean that we have to adjust our minds to doing a work of collaboration with nature, to being obedient to one of her laws, the law which decrees that development comes from environmental experience. —Maria Montessori The Advanced Montessori Method, p. 89. Children in the second plane of development (ages 6–12) are in a period when they are fascinated by knowledge understanding, and moral understanding, or what Montessori referred to as “culture.” (Grazzini) Their independence matures from “I can do it myself,” which predominates the first plane, to “I can think for myself.” Being able to think for oneself is the very basis of developing one’s own personal moral code of conduct. As the elementary-age child learns to think for himself, he seeks to understand the natural world aro...