In Children, Parenting on
April 28, 2019

Encouraging Children to Play Independently

“Children are as independent as you expect them to be.”

-Maria Montessori

Helping your child to be comfortable playing on their own will be one of the best gifts you ever give them. Not only will day to day life be easier for you and your children, but they will learn so much! They will learn to problem solve, get creative, independently make decisions, try new things and learn to be patient. Being comfortable being bored is SO good for them! Yes, moms and dads, I’m telling you that it’s OK for your child to be bored.

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In Children, Montessori Education, Montessori in the Home on
January 24, 2018

Supporting Your Child’s Montessori Education at Home

How to support…

Language Development and Communication

  • Help the child to develop communication skills by having conversations. Eat together as a family with no distractions (i.e. smart phones). Turn off the technology in the house; YOU are your child’s most effective learning tool!
  • Read books, talk about your day, and share jokes. In the car you can sing songs and recite poetry or rhymes.
  • Encourage spoken language when you know or feel that your child is capable. Don’t “give in” to pointing or whining.

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In Children, Parenting on
December 12, 2017

Benefits of Traditional Wooden Toys and a Low Technology Home for Young Children

No matter what lifestyle we choose to live, technology is everywhere. It’s part of our culture. But as parents, it’s up to you to decide how much technology and screen time you want to incorporate into your child’s life. My husband and I often find ourselves having to explain our choice to have a low technology home and only traditional toys made from natural materials. But the benefits for us are more than worth it! First, lets talk about why we have chosen not to use technology or plastic, light up toys with our daughter.

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In Children, Montessori in the Home, Parenting on
August 6, 2017

When & How to Potty Train Your Infant or Toddler

Culturally, this generation of parents tend to look at potty training, or toilet learning, as an extreme thing that has to be done to their child. When in reality, it is just a normal part of development and not a huge deal. In fact, it will MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER! Just think how nice it will be to not carry around a huge bag with all those diapers and wipes all the time.

Let’s look back on a little bit of history to see how diapering and toilet learning have changed. Disposable diapers were invented in 1948, however, it wasn’t until the 70’s that they became widely used and distributed. Before disposable diapers, families used cloth diapers and most children had complete toilet awareness by 18 months old. So why is it that many children are learning to use the toilet much later nowadays? Well… Read more

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In Parenting on
May 16, 2017

Importance of Outdoor Play | Discovering a Passion for Nature

In today’s world, it’s so easy to get caught up in technology and high pace life styles, leaving behind the basic beauty of Mother Nature. And this is true for all ages! When was the last time you stopped and listened to the birds? Gathered wild flowers? Admired an unfamiliar insect or plant? Or actually stopped to smell the roses? There is something about good ole’ fresh air that perks the body up and naturally makes you feel more alive and healthy. My fondest memories of childhood come from all the time that we spent outside. My brothers and I made crowns of dandelions, we raced our scooters and bikes up and down our street too many times to even count, we collected lightening bugs on warm summer nights, and we went sledding in our PJ’s on the first snow fall of the season…just to name a few. Now, imagine if our children were deprived of these experiences and how this would be reflected through their education, behavior and overall sense of being.

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In Montessori Education, Montessori in the Home, Parenting on
May 16, 2017

The Montessori Approach to Praising and What to Say Instead

Good Job! WOW! You’re such a good boy! You’re so smart! Super Job!

Despite how we may have grown up or what society says we should do, we actually do not have to tell our children how smart they are, what a great job they are doing, and how talented they are. And coincidently, continually praising children can actually cause the exact opposite effects than intended. Yikes!

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In Children, Parenting on
May 16, 2017

The Day We Found Out Our Daughter had a Congenital Heart Defect

Our beautiful, Raegan Rose, was born on February 25, 2015 at 6:23 am. She weighed a whopping 9 lbs 7 oz! She was so beautiful and perfect! While Raegan snuggled in and nursed the first 45 minutes after being born, the nurses did all the tests they needed to. They briefly mentioned that her oxygen levels weren’t matching up and that they would try again later. We thought nothing of it, they made it sound like no big deal. However, they were unable to match them up and our pediatrician requested that we take her to a cardiologist just to make sure everything was ok. We still worried very little about it. But we were extremely anxious to get out of the hospital, and we were discharged the next evening at 7:00pm. So Raegan was only 36.5 hours old. But we simply could not wait to get her home.

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In Montessori Education, Montessori in the Home on
May 16, 2017

What is Montessori Anyways?!

I am a small town girl who grew up not knowing that there were any alternative types of education. Montessori?! What is that? Like some super religious school for hippies and weirdos? Wrong Sam. Definitely wrong. However, I’m still fairly certain that half of my family and friends think I am one of those hippy weirdos – but hopefully they will find their way to this post!

Anywho…back to the question. What is Montessori?!?! Only weirdos send their children to Montessori school, right? WRONG.

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