“The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination. Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorise, but so to touch his imagination as to
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“Children have an anxious concern for living beings, and therefore the satisfaction of this instinct fills them with delight. It is therefore easy to interest them in taking care of plants and especially of animals.” ~ Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child Caring for plants, both indoors and outdoors, is part of our daily
“The child is a worker and a diligent observer. He looks straight at things; he stares at them for a long time; he is interested in learning all he can about his environment. Perhaps he is staring at a flower, absorbing its image. This work gives him happiness and peace because, in doing so, he
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“Respect all the reasonable forms of activity in which the child engages and try to understand them.” ~ Maria Montessori, The Child in the Family Children are born with innate urges to guide them as they gain control of their muscles and senses. Especially in the first three years of life, they are unconscious learners
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“On every teacher and every parent, I urge not great instruction, but humility and simplicity in dealing with small children. Their lives are fresh, without rivalry or external ambitions, it takes so little to make them happy, to let them work in their own way towards the normal development of the men and women they
Picky Eaters There are countless articles about picky eaters, food battles and how to get children to eat healthy foods. Many parents resort to sneaking vegetables into cakes and bribing children with toys and trips to the park. Tears and tantrums can be sparked over a single green bean placed on a primarily white food
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I’m sure Lesley Stahl’s peers are as she describes in The New York Times Opinion page today: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/opinion/sunday/grandbabies-the-great-reward-for-aging.html?ref=opinion. Most have plenty of money, time and interest in their grandkids. However, there’s a much larger percentage of grandparents that also love their grandchildren and are willing to help out as they can, but they do not
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Design Wise by Vern Yip Once Designer Vern Yip was confirmed as the guest speaker at a local Charleston museum fundraiser, I reserved my seat. My calendar was marked and I ordered a copy of his newest design book, Vern Yip’s Design Wise. Along with more than one hundred attendees, I listened intently as he shared
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“Respect all reasonable forms of activity in which the child engages and try to understand them.” — Maria Montessori Imagine that it’s a beautiful Saturday. Your child had spent the afternoon playing happily at his friend’s house and you’ve just arrived to take him home. From the look on your child’s face, you know he
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“He does it with his hands, by experience, first in play and then through work. The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence. “ — Maria Montessori As parents, milestone expectations are common concerns as children grow and develop. Within a relatively short time, helpless newborns gain control of their bodies and movements. Before long,
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