Cedar Valley Montessori School

Are you looking for some incredible books that can assist you in traveling your Montessori journey? Here are five you can find within our very own Cedar Rapids Public Library system! Remember, you can always utilize our local Bookmobile to have books delivered right to your most immediate library–Hiawatha, Marion, downtown Cedar Rapids, you name it. What a perfect excuse to not only engage with our wider community, but learn more about the ever-extending branches of Montessori education and how it can benefit your life!

→ The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies (371.392 DAVIES)
→ The Montessori Child by Simone Davies and Junnifa Uzodike (CHILD CAREGIVE 649.1 DAVIES)
→ The Montessori Way: An Education for Life by Tim Seldin (371.392 SELDIN)
→ Maria Montessori (Little People, Big Dreams) by Maria Isabel (CHILD BIO MONTESS)
→ Peaceful Montessori Parenting by Haley Turner (649.1 TURNER)

What an excellent experience at the Palisades-Dows Preserve, or Eastern Iowa Observatory! A gracious thank you to all involved in making this field trip possible—CVMS is thrilled to have given the children such an enriching adventure! Our hosts split us into groups so that we could fully enjoy lessons on the cosmos in an intimate, engaging environment. At each station, the children were taught about the incredible telescope amenities of the facility, infrared light, and given the opportunity for a bit of a photoshoot against an astronaut backdrop. In addition, they were able to stroll about the room and observe displays containing pictures of the cosmos, diagrams, and models. They could not contain their smiles the entire time! The earth may spin due to inertia, but it truly goes around due to the hearts of people like Chris, John, and Sylvia! Another big thank you for opening your doors to us!

We are rounding out our digital tour of the prepared classroom with a Montessori Mondays about the Cosmic Area.

From the Webster’s New Pocket Dictionary: “Cosmic: (2) vast, huge.”

Our planet, and the beyond, is not only vast in size, but in cultural experience, science, geographical understanding, and the brushstrokes of humanity. The Cosmic Area of the prepared Montessori environment invites children to join in the exploration of that vastness. The children work their way from continents to cosmos, identifying countries, constellations, and planets. Units oscillate between curricular subjects such as the aforementioned, but a true Montessori guide may also incorporate lessons based on the enrolled students in their classroom–for instance, Cedar Valley’s own Redwood room collaborated with parents in our community for microunits on Hannukah, Ramadan, Eid, and the Lunar New Year!

The Cosmic Area is a magical place where all may find themselves reflected. It is the tie that brings the personality of the classroom together. It also serves as the perfect conclusion to our virtual prepared classroom tour! Next week, we will dive into the finer details–what is the work of the child? What purposes do these works serve?

Until then, here are a few resources you may utilize to expand your child's continuous cosmic understanding!

→ Cosmic Education from Association Montessori Internationale: https://montessori-ami.org/trainingvoices/cosmic-education
→ Montessori Philosophies: What is Cosmic Education in Montessori?: https://montessoriacademy.com.au/cosmic-education/
→ The Key to a Shared Direction and Common Goal from the American Montessori Society: https://amshq.org/blog/montessori-education/2024-10-23-montessori-cosmic-education-the-key-to-a-shared-direction-and-common-goal/

It’s International Day of Friendship! Watching friendships bloom and thrive here at Cedar Valley Montessori is one of the most magical experiences within our community. From siblings to schoolmates, there is somebody for everybody. We here at CVMS celebrate the various types of friendship alongside you, and want you to know how much we appreciate those precious, strong bonds!

❤️

This morning, July 31, 2026, Cedar Valley Montessori had the privilege of hosting music therapist Ms. Lisa from Music on the Move! Music on the Move may sound familiar for it being a studio program we proudly offer through CVMS during the academic year. If you are interested in registering your child, please pick up a flier from our front desk! The children got to shake maracas, belt sing-along-songs, and enjoy a bit of music education on this cozy, rainy day. Our gratitude is with you, Ms. Lisa! Thank you for always accompanying our community with such fervor!

*Parents, photographs from our Music on the Move visit may be found within our newsletter due to privacy concerns. Thank you!

Looking for something to do this weekend? As Cedar Rapids wanes out of July into August, here are five local activities to take the kiddos along with over our upcoming weekend!

→ August 1: Free Summer Admission at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art: https://www.crma.org/
→ August 1: Marion Farmer’s Market: https://www.cityofmarion.org/recreation/parks-recreation/parks/farmers-market
→ August 1: Camp Tanager Summer Jam: https://www.tanagerplace.org/event/summer-jam-at-camp-tanager/
→ August 1: Summer Harvest Fest at Bloomsbury Farm: https://tickets.bloomsburyfarm.com/2026-summer-harvest-party
→ August 2: Hiawatha Farmer’s Market: https://www.tourismcedarrapids.com/events-calendar/2026-hiawatha-farmers-market/

What an excellent performance put on by the exuberant Tom Pease! The children in our summer program were thrilled by such an engaging event. Cedar Valley Montessori sends its gratitude to the Cedar Rapids Public Library, which continues to provide incredible community resources, alongside courteous service (shoutout to Zoe!). We are appreciative to enjoy such amazing opportunities! Our parents and children were over the moon! Thank you!

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Happy Montessori Monday! In previous posts, we have progressed from Practical Life, to Sensorial, to Math, and now we are on Language!

Reaching the Language portion of the prepared environment is an exciting time for the children. Language is the tie that binds all other lessons together–particularly from Math and Cosmic. Language opens the doors wider for communication, understanding, and connection. In this area, guides will utilize starting materials, such as sandpaper letters, to underscore the beginnings of reading and writing. This process evolves into bridging sounds together, connecting objects to vocabulary words, and, eventually, reading full sentences.
At Cedar Valley Montessori, our classrooms are equipped with Language works spanning all the way into the third grade level. This allows the absorbent mind to continue onward without limitations!
Here are some suggestions for implementing Language learning outside of the classroom!
→ Drawing letters together using tactile objects, such as flour or sand.
→ Reading together, asking questions about the story when finished.
→ Using descriptive words rather than speaking in a shorthand that may be mistaken as “better understood” by the child.
→ Pointing out objects and naming them together.

To learn more about the Language area of the prepared environment, and to read more on ideas for home lessons, take a peek at these links:
→ Montessori Basics: The Language Curriculum: https://www.imamontessori.org/montessori-basics-the-language-curriculum
→ Montessori Language at Home: https://www.childrensworkshopmontessori.org/montessori-language-at-home

Sunday, July 26th is national Parents' Appreciation Day! We here at CVMS are incredibly lucky to know families from all walks of life, and we would like to express our appreciation for all the parents and caregivers we have come to know throughout the years! Thank you for everything you have done, and continue to do!