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Start With What You Have: Practical Life for Montessori Homeschoolers
Practical Life is so much more than pouring and food prep. It's foundational — laying the groundwork for all the learning to come. It supports independence and helps children learn to follow a logical sequence of action. No matter what age you begin implementing Montessori at home, Practical Life is the place to start.
I was not a Montessori child, and by the time my parents discovered it, I was already too old for Primary. But when I look back, I realize how many opportunities
Who Taught Wyatt to Write?
Peter and Margaret had heard that children in Montessori schools were precocious learners. Their neighbor's five-year old daughter, Jenny began to read and write while she attended the local Montessori school. They didn’t know much about the method, but when the time came to enroll their three-year old son Wyatt in a pre-school, they decided to give Montessori a chance.
Five Things I Wish I Knew when I Started Homeschooling
My kids and I began homeschooling halfway through the school year when I left my Montessori teaching job, and at first I invested all my energy into re-creating a small classroom in my living room. I had visions of my children happily engaging in my inspiring lessons. But instead of harmony and joyful learning, there was apathy and avoidance of anything that remotely resembled what they knew as school.
On Being "The Older child"
After 10 weeks of lockdown-schooling, when June 1st arrived and parts of our city reopened, I called for a homeschooling break. My kids agreed, and we spent three lazy weeks picnicking in the park, reading, and playing.
My children have always been creative, and they have plenty of LEGOs and art supplies to stay busy and engaged, but by the end of those three weeks I sensed a certain restless energy - a need for a project and a goal much bigger than what their emerging imaginations could envision.
Homeschool 101
"I'm not telling you it's going to be easy - I'm telling you it's going to be worth it."
- Art Williams
Maybe you're just starting to homeschool...Or perhaps you've been a home educator for years. Either way, the road can be bumpy and the journey can be daunting. I hope these suggestions empower, reassure, and inspire you to keep going. Use them as a jumping-off point or as a way to re-calibrate your compass. And remember that in homeschooling, change is the only constant, because we're working with young humans who grow and evolve daily.
Essentials of Practical Life
Practical Life is essential to the development and work of the child. This area is considered to be the most important area in the primary environment though the value of Practical Life extends far into and beyond the elementary years.
Practical Life allows the child to become more aware of himself through his actions in his care of himself and care of the environment. The work in Practical Life also lays a solid foundation for work in Language and Math.
Prepared Environments: Home Edition
As you get started or continue along your Montessori journey, considering how you prepare your space to meet the needs of your child is a huge piece of the Montessori puzzle.
In Montessori training, we can see the interconnected relationship between the child, the prepared adult and the prepared learning environment by using a triangle (as illustrated).
Practical Tips for Preparing Practical Life at Home
Practical Life can be easy to implement using what you have available at home.
There are some specific characteristics of Practical Life materials to keep in mind.
The materials should be:
Familiar and adaptable
Promote beauty and simplicity
Appropriately proportioned physically and psychologically
Arranged in an organized way
Realistic and functional
Not gender specific
How to Montessori Your Home: Toddler Edition
Welcome! Come on in... I'm Zach and this is my home. I was born in my parents' bedroom upstairs and have spent my entire life - a whopping 16 months - living here. I love what my parents have done with the place and I want to share my favorite spots with you.
Unschooling: Soap Bubble Edition
Sometimes learning is what happens while you're busy decluttering the back patio...
My four-year-old found an old bubble wand and asked if we could make bubbles, so I googled this recipe and we set to work. She had a great time measuring, pouring and stirring, and she got to experience sugar disappearing in water to make a solution (yay, science and vocabulary!).
Growth Mindset: Harnessing the Power of "Yet"
Have you ever heard your child say, “I can’t do it!” Or “I’m not smart enough!” Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear instead, “I can’t do it yet and I’m going to keep trying.” Or “I know my brain can grow and learn new things. I will try again.”
The Puzzle-Child
Over the years of working in Montessori classrooms I've met many children who are eager to attend lessons, engage in follow-up work, and share their new knowledge. And then there are the occasional "puzzles" (as my son's Primary guide once referred to him). How do you know if you live or work with a puzzle-child?
Opting Outside
“Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning as it wakes every living creature that divides its day between waking and sleeping. When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength.”
~ Dr. Maria Montessori, Discovery of the Child
Exploring the Sensitive Periods
What are the Sensitive Periods?
The Sensitive Periods are times in which the child has crucial, sensitive and critical periods of growth that encompasses both physiological and psychological growth and they occur from birth to age six. In The Secret of Childhood, Dr. Montessori writes:
Building Skills in the Kitchen: Benefits of Baking at Home
Baking is a fantastic Practical Life activity that can be enjoyed by children from the toddler stage through upper elementary and beyond. It helps children develop important skills such as independence, concentration, coordination, and the ability to follow a logical sequence of action. As they work through the baking process, children also build stamina and strengthen the muscles they’ll need for writing, especially when mixing ingredients.
Seeing the World Through Play: Exploring Schemas
Have you ever noticed how children of similar ages tend to play in the same ways? This behavior is called a schema. Even though schemas are not a part of Montessori training, they mesh well with Montessori theory and principles. Schemas naturally emerge during the child’s development and connect to Montessori’s Sensitive Periods and Absorbent Mind.