Montessori Home Tour: Creating A Montessori-Friendly Children's Bedroom

Hey friends,

What does a Montessori-friendly bedroom for older children look like? I've shared a little bit about what our toddler room looks like in this house here, and hope to share some snaps of the nursery one of these days, as well.

Catholic Montessori: Free to Choose

Recently I was listening to an episode on the podcast Montessori Education. In this episode, Jesse McCarthy recalls going to a Montessori classroom and finding a little boy crying under a table while the teacher, and the rest of the classroom, ignored him. From his observations that day, Jesse came to the conclusion that the teacher had no empathy, and he had determined to give her a piece of his mind.

When he went to confront her, he was stunned by her response.

Why didn't you help that crying boy?
What makes you think he needed my help?
He was crying. Surely you heard that, no?

Montessori Toddler - Works at Two-Years-Old

Tharin built a beautiful shelf in our schoolroom and I have been filling it up with work for the kids. As I observe our toddler and what he is drawn to at almost two years old, I thought I would write up a quick blog post sharing his favourites.

* This post includes affiliate links at no cost to you. The Fishies in a Row earns a small commission on products purchased through these links and are so thankful for your support. 

Montessori Simplified: Preparing the Environment

As I begin to set up the spaces in our new home and prepare the environment for my children, I am considering the principles for preparing the environment from a Montessori perspective.

While reading the Secret of Childhood, I was really moved by the importance of considering our children when preparing our homes from this excerpt:

Suppose that we should find ourselves among a race of giants, with legs immensely long and bodies enormously large in comparison with ours, and also with powers of rapid movement infinitely greater than ours, people extraordinarily agile and intelligent compared with ourselves.

We should want to go into their houses … the steps would be each as high as our needs; we should want to sit down, but the seats would be almost as high as our shoulders. 

If we knew that these giants had been expecting us, we should be obliged to say: they have made no preparation for receiving us, or for making our lives among them more agreeable.

Montessori Simplified: Why Use Breakable Dishes

We've officially moved into our new home, and among so many things to get used to, there are ceramic tile floors in the kitchen and dining area. Which has resulted in two broken dishes within the last day.

Though our toddler has used glass dishes and real silverware ever since he started eating solids, this ceramic floor introduces a whole new level of difficulty for him, and for our dishes. I've quickly realized we need to reinforce the lessons required for using glass dishes with him.

Ten Ways You May Already Be Using Montessori In Your Family (Or Some Good Places to Start!)

The other day I was thinking about how overwhelmed many of my friends and acquaintances seem by just the idea of Montessori. And it's true when you start hearing about all the works, when you type Montessori into Pinterest, even when you read one of Maria Montessori's books, it can seem like a lot. Maybe too much for an average family.

But I don't believe that is true.

At its core, Montessori adheres to some core beliefs that are very attainable for every family, many of which these families naturally practice.

So I thought I would pull together ten ways I think many families are already implementing core Montessori values and practices in their homes.

Potty Learning with Montessori | The Distinction between Potty Learning and Potty Training

In the our potty learning 2.0 series, following our son's progress as he has learned to use the potty on his own, I have discussed signs of readiness, what we do to start, how to have a no pressure attitude and why praise and rewards are not recommended.

And to read how to approach Montessori potty learning from start to finish go here.

Next, I wanted to talk about the difference between potty learning and potty training.

First of all, if you are trying to get your child using the potty by a set timeline, like the start of preschool, before a new sibling is born, or by a certain age, Montessori potty learning likely will not

Unlike the mainstream advice on potty training promising to have your child trained in three days or on a similar timeline, Montessori potty learning is about following your child's learning process. This process will look wildly different based on the child, taking anywhere from a week to a year for the child to understand from start to finish.

* This post includes affiliate links at no cost to you. The Fishies in a Row earns a small commission on products purchased through these links and are so thankful for your support. 

Teaching Our Children To Be Productively Bored

The other day at the doctor's office, with all three kids, the doctor joked, what do you do in your spare time?

I just laughed his comment off, but it has had me thinking.

Meet the Dad: Interview with my Montessori Husband

I have had a lot of questions about how Tharin came to be involved and supportive about Montessori and homeschooling, so I thought I would put together an interview with him, answering some of these questions.

Resources to Read When First Learning About Montessori

I first started seeing Montessori on Pinterest when I was searching for ways to fill my days with our oldest when he was quite young. 

Where to Start with Practical Life in the Kitchen

I have talked before about how having your kids help in the kitchen is important, as it is so full of natural practical life activities.  But where do you start?

It most definitely is not with cracking eggs, in fact, I never would have guessed our oldest was ready for this task - it was Tharin who first gave him this particular opportunity.

It is important to follow your child, and it is equally important to follow yourself. If you aren't comfortable with something, or a certain task stresses you out, try something different instead.

Love and Need for Order in the {Montessori} Child

In Montessori, the sensitive period for order is recognized from birth to around the age of five.

As with every sensitive period, this too, serves an important purpose.

Some Simple Ways Help Your Child Learn to Speak Well

Have you ever thought about how remarkable the acquisition of language is? How complex it is for an adult to learn a new language, and even then, how impossible it is to master this new language?

To think that babies all over the world learn the language of their cultures and families, within the first three years of their lives, with a perfection and ease that can never be replicated.

Doing Montessori Justice, Without all the Stuff

In my last post I talked about feeling the need to have all the materials of Montessori in order to do the method justice in my home.

Today I wanted to go into detail about how saying no to this misconception is reshaping the way I view Montessori in the home.