Workshops and Courses

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Montessori History: We explore the early life of Maria Montessori, who drew upon her training as a medical doctor in her work with children. While she had no formal training as an educator, her observations and methodologies revealed to the world new possibilities for children. She discovered that children were capable of far more than anyone had imagined, & she dedicated the remainder of her life advocating for the rights of the child.

Montessori Ideas: The Montessori approach is founded on some key ideas uncovered by Dr. Montessori’s astute observations of children. These include the Four Planes of Development, Human Tendencies, the Absorbent Mind, Sensitive Periods and the importance of the Prepared Environment. We explore these concepts and narrow in on the characteristics of First Plane of Development, ages 0-6. We will unpack the “Montessori Equation,” & discuss how adults can support a child’s development by connecting the child to the purposeful activity within a prepared environment.

Introduction to the Prepared Environment: The Prepared Environment is an essential element of the Montessori approach. We discuss the concept and introduce the physical and non-physical aspects of the Prepared Environment. We dive deeper into the aspects we can see and touch, but also emphasize the importance of the invisible things, such as routines and expectations.

Setting up a Montessori Home Environment: We continue exploring the physical aspects of the Prepared Environment. We look at each area of a home environment and give examples of how each area of the home can be set up to support independence on the part of the child.

We will discuss how consistent routines feed a child’s sense of order and support overall development. We discuss the importance of routines, including the Montessori uninterrupted Work Period, the purposeful use of the materials and dive deeper into the role of the adult. We also discuss each building block of our day with children, including mealtimes, outdoor time, and sleep.

We will discuss when comparing a newborn to six-year-old, it is impossible not to see a completely transformed individual. We discuss the areas of the Montessori Curriculum from birth to age six, with a focus on Psychosensory Motor Development, Practical Life, Language, Sensorial, and Math.

We will discuss how to set children on the path towards self-discipline, starting with leading by example. First, we must build a trusting relationship with the child before anything else. Then we must give the child knowledge of the behavior we hope to see. Next, we connect children to the Prepared Environment, setting limits when necessary and reinforcing them consistently.

Here we will give real life examples of what it's like to implement Montessori within the home, the expectations that you should have on yourself and the child and why it is important to meet the child where they are at developmentally, we'll talk about the relationship dance and how important those steps are and even when you've set up the Prepared Environment, limits and have that trusting relationship, you will still find challenging situations!