Posts by Westshore Montessori School
Creating Montessori At Home
One of the most helpful things you can do for your child during this time is to create familiar Montessori routines and environments in your own space at home. The Johnson family has this beautiful setup to share with the Westshore community: Do you have any lessons or quarantine creations that you are proud of?…
Read MoreCommunity Over Competition
Written by Directress Monica Dieter The Montessori Method works to maximize the individual child’s academic potential. At Westshore, our classrooms are authentic Montessori environments designed to facilitate child-directed learning experiences. By engaging with materials that are accessible, inviting, and self-correcting, students develop independence, curiosity, and confidence. As students build a strong sense of self, they…
Read MoreDeveloping Our Skills Artfully
Reflections on creating a class-wide project for the Gala, written by Directress Cindy Genin and Assistant Jessica Hrytzik
Read MoreMaking Choices
The essence of independence is to be able to do something for oneself. Maria Montessori Several weeks ago I had a conversation with my daughter who is a senior in college. She told me that she had to make a choice whether or not to go to some events, and was having a hard time…
Read More‘Montessori-Inspired’ Is Not the Same as Montessori: Please Don’t Pretend That It Is.
Published in The 74 Million on Oct. 21, 2019 Sept. 13 marked the first anniversary of the announcement that Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos had pledged $2 billion to create and operate the Bezos Day One Fund. Part of it, the Day 1 Academies Fund, will create a network of full-scholarship Montessori-inspired preschools…
Read MoreA Surprising Favorite Game: Learning Geometric Solids
Written by Directress Cindy Genin Do any of you remember the game, Guess Who? It was one of my favorite games when I was younger. How about the game Headbands? This is a game that is fun for the whole family. In all of our classrooms, we have two very similar works on the shelves; the Mystery Bag and Guessing Game. The Sensorial…
Read MoreSound Games Come First in Montessori
Written by Directress Monica Dieter Contrary to popular belief, a child’s knowledge of letter-sound relationship is far more important than his or her ability to name letters or recite the alphabet. A child can easily memorize the names of objects or letter symbols, but that does not mean they can use that information to later…
Read MoreCelebrating Holidays in the Montessori Classroom
Written by Directress Denise Pawlukiewicz Our school community is made up of diverse cultures, ethnicities and traditions. With that in mind, our approach to holiday celebrations is very simple. We prepare our room in advance of the holiday, talk to the children about the event, and then celebrate in a manner appropriate for a toddler.…
Read MoreWork and Play in Montessori
“The children in our schools have proved to us that their real wish is to be always at work —a thing never before suspected. Just as no one had ever before noticed the child’s power of choosing his work spontaneously. Following an inner guide, the children busied themselves with something (different for each)which gave them…
Read More7 Key Phrases Montessori Teachers Use, and Why We Should, Too
by Christina Clemer Montessori can be hard to sum up in just a few words—it is a philosophy on education and child development that runs deep. It’s a way of seeing the world. I think one of the easiest ways to get an idea for what Montessori means is to listen to the language that…
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