“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
Continue Reading “Wise Home Design Details and Montessori Principles: A Beautiful Fit”
“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,
Continue Reading “The Child’s First and Greatest Teacher: The Hand”
Follow the Leader “Follow the child, but follow the child as his leader.” —Maria Montessori For most adults, it can be confusing to hear the recommendation, “Follow the child, but follow the child as his leader.” As the responsible adult, the expectation is to be the child’s “leader”. But leading is often based on our
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It’s been almost a year since you gave birth to your precious little one. Meanwhile, the stressful job of planning the perfect birthday celebration is dominating your daily thoughts. You’ve joined the ranks of late night Pinterest parents. You too are now pinning frantically to come up with the BEST birthday party board ideas EVER.
“Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and strength, use it to create.” — Maria Montessori Our now grown daughter just reminded me that she would spend hours playing in a laundry basket, pretending she was in a boat with her “blankie” as the sail. Thinking back, the laundry basket was
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