Montessori Tots

20/06/2022

👌🏼

11/07/2021

'[I]n traditional school or in the old-fashioned mode of education as applied by the family, the child was merely a 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. They were seen as one who is to become, therefore of no account until they reached a state of adulthood... Within the family circle this error prevails as well. There again the constant preoccupation is always the tomorrow of the child, their future existence. The present is never taken into account' (Montessori, 2003, p.3,4)

Montessori, M. (2003) The Child. Amsterdam: AMI

Photo: 1914. Child welcomed to school by teacher at The Blackfriars School, Sydney, NSW.

Note: As per APA style, quotes have been modified to incorporate singular 'they' in line with inclusive scholarly practice.

24/06/2021

I recently got my hair cut. And I mean CUT cut. It was halfway down my back and now it’s just above […]

22/04/2021

🌟 PIKLER GIVEAWAY 🌟

14/04/2021

⭐️⭐️Like the page below and check it out for more details on an exciting Pikler triangle and ramp giveaway!!! ⭐️⭐️

Good morning! Its a beautiful fresh spring morning here. Sun shining through the window that is delicately laced with frost. All the animals are going nuts and the children seem feral. We're going to be spending today painting, much the same as the past 4 days. Loving listening to audiobooks whilst I work, so please hit me up some recommendations. We have a big order heading out this weekend and another following shortly after, so it's busy, busy!

We also have a giveaway coming up in the next few days. WE ARE GIVING AWAY A PIKLER AND RAMP BUNDLE!!!!

Before we launch the competition we need your help though please.... We would love to get to 500 likes on our page. Can you please tag us, share us or generally pimp us out there?? Can you tell your friends, or drop our name? You know you love it as much a we do.... less than 100 likes to get to the magic number and the competition will go live! Don't forget the Insta-thingy too. It's not my forte at all but it needs some love too .

Have a lovely day, whatever you're up to!

13/10/2020

More than most of the 'Greats' in education, Maria Montessori 'got' it. She got that the child's relationship with the Earth - skin to skin - is absolutely essential for the wellbeing of the child and the society she lives in. Check out the three great literacies of child development, with a focus on the second:

1. People Literacy: the skills to live harmoniously with other people.
This is the first - the baby learns the skills for getting along with people from how people behave both to the baby, and to each other.

2. Ecoliteracy: the skills to live harmoniously within the ecosystem we inhabit.
This is the second - the young child learns to live harmoniously with the creatures and plants, seasons and phenomena of the natural environment in the place-region where they live.

3. Cultural Literacy: the skills to participate in the achievements of the culture.
This is the third - the opportunity to enjoy the different expressions of culture: hearing the stories, reading and writing, though all of the arts, sports, recreation choices, sciences...

16/09/2020

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Am I Worthy of Imitation?
There are two ways to use personal power with other people. The one we are most familiar with is the one that underpins all of our culture, and almost every one of our cultural institutions including parenting and education. It is known as The Dynamic of Domination, or Power Over. We all do it because that’s the culture, so there’s no blame and no guilt (let’s get that out of the way first).

The Dynamic of Domination - Us and Them
We see it in our family lives and our work lives when we boss people around telling them what to do and how to do it. We find ourselves offering incentives and rewards to make ‘them’ do what 'we' want them to do. If the soft options fail, then we resort to various forms punishment which might include excluding, shaming, taking privileges away, force, and even violence - all in order to force ‘them’ do what 'we' want. Our common language use and language patterns not only support this dynamic, they work to keep it in existence.

The Dynamic of Partnership - We
As Mr Rogers says in his quote, there is a world of difference in establishing an environment where someone grows into WANTING to do the task and carry out the behaviours of The Dynamic of Partnership. Our mindfulness around the way we speak to and about our children is one sure way to bring about change. When you and I gain the skills for creating and maintaining successful partnering skills with those we love, we create heaven on earth. You only need to think of a teacher, a boss, a colleague who treated you as an equal human being and you can feel the difference. That’s what we are aiming for. That is spirituality in practice.

18/06/2020

Short online Montessori course for parents ❤️

Discover how can nurture children at home with our SHORT ONLINE COURSE for , , - course for 3-6 years stage starts 4 July and course for 0-3 years stage starts 19 Sept - https://www.mariamontessori.org/training/what-we-offer/short-courses/montessori-in-the-home/

15/06/2020

The wondrous life cycle of a blackberry 🌱♻️

07/05/2020

🥰 for all the homeschooling mamas ❤️

"A stirring is happening in mothers all over the world, a desire for a simpler way of living and raising our children. We want to save their childhoods. We want to reclaim what’s been lost over the past few decades.
Time in nature.
Time for childhood.
Time for exploration.
Time to learn at their own pace.
And time to pursue their own interests.
But in reclaiming childhood, we are reclaiming motherhood as well—trusting our instincts and doing what’s best for our children, rather than what society says is normal or expected." -Ainsley Arment

THIS! That last part especially. For too long we've been letting 'experts' dictate what we should be doing with our own children. Often male experts, let's be honest. With their rubbish ideas like leaving our children to cry it out, smacking them, punishing them, withholding love. But Mothers know. Our instincts tell us to keep our babies close, respond to them, comfort them when they cry for us. We KNOW how to Mother. We know how to educate our children too. We know them best and we care more about their education than any teacher ever will. We've just been taught that we're not good enough. Had that option taken away from us. By 'experts', by a society who values work over motherhood, by judgement and pressure from family and friends, sometimes by our own husbands. Homeschooling is definitely a reclaiming of Motherhood in a big way. Will you take it back?

28/04/2020

More than ever, this quote makes so much sense to me. ⁠
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Now it's time to allow our children to be flexible. Now it's time to let them learn and explore in their own way. Now it's time for soft skills and creativity.⁠
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We don't know what tomorrow's world will be but it's likely that our children will not have the choices we had or the jobs we could find, or a straightforward career path. ⁠
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I hope we are going to have a beautiful green world with direct democracy. I hope so many beautiful things for my children but all I can do now is to give them the tools to adapt. ⁠
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Nurturing their independence, their inquisitive mind, their reasoning skills, their creativity is what matters the most. ⁠
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I also encourage them to question everything and to do their own research. ⁠
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When Maria Montessori wrote those words, it was during the second world war or just after (as it's a quote from the Absorbent Mind) so she knew the world could be so different from one day to the next. ⁠
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So raise your child to become an amazing human being, no matter what our world is today.⁠
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Sending you all lots of love!❤️⁠
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