The Montessori Field School

It’s really true, we’re always better when we’re together!! Our 2025-2026 school year ( #4!) is off to a brilliant start. The primary children are jumping right in with new Montessori lessons and old favorites, welcoming new small friends, building interpersonal skills in the mud kitchen, and tapping into their sense of adventure during hiking explorations. Elementary is acquainting themselves with a new Montessori classroom and new friends, art and song, digging right into lessons, and building community through big outdoor adventures, games, and activities. It’s such a joy to see a group of children absolutely delighted about coming back to school! Childhood doesn’t end when school begins. ❤️

February, you were cold and full of joy. At their latest tea ceremony, our elementary children shared what they love about our school community. “When someone falls, everyone helps them up.” “We are able to be free.” “Everyone is my friend.” “I love the lessons at this school.” “Group games and field trips.” We don’t have to sit in a desk all day.” As we emerge from the most intense winter we’ve had in a good long while, we’re still full of gratitude for our school!! Excited to see what spring will bring.

Often, Montessori classrooms include a model environment to practice functions of words. This is traditionally a farm or perhaps a dollhouse. Children can play many language games to learn parts of speech and basic literacy. At our school, our model environment is Mount Saint Francis! See the lake, water tower, forest, fields, and variety of wildlife? 😍 Even when we’re indoors we’re dreaming of being out on the trails.

Today our elementary children honored Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a field trip to the Muhammad Ali Center. There they saw Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and reflected on their role in bringing more unity to our world. While Dr. King and Muhammad Ali had many different viewpoints during the Civil Rights Movement, they were friends and great illustrators of seeing past their differences to each other’s humanity. We are honored to be able to learn “in the field” on this day, before returning to Base Camp and basking in this invigorating winter air! 🥶😊

Interested in an MFS education for your child? Here are 4 tips to give you your best shot at enrollment. With such outstanding community demand, we have opened applications through the 2027-2028 school year for those of you planning way ahead! We are also accepting applications for 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. Families will be notified about enrollment status the February before the school year they applied for. Apply online at www.themontessorifieldschool.org.

We don’t get snow like this in Southern Indiana often, and you better believe we’re soaking in every beautiful minute! While all other schools in the area are closed, MFS welcomed anyone who could safely travel to school to be with friends in this winter wonderland. Our warm yurt and exceptional outdoor gear will keep us safe and cozy all day long, while having a ton of fun! Core memories in the making. We love our school!!!

The magic of winter solstice at MFS. Last night, families came together to make lanterns and take a magical hike around the pond. We broke bread together, enjoyed each other’s company around the fire, and watched the sweetest shadow puppet show courtesy of our elementary children. Each child found their handmade ornament on the tree, and we parted ways with wishes of peaceful, joyful holidays. We reconvene in a new year that has so much promise. Each change of seasons reminds us just how special it is to be able to do life together. ❄️✨

New school swag!! Our primary guides are nice and cozy in our new staff winter parkas, and we love these long sleeve tees that feature our favorite local businesses!! They were so generous to support us for our Bids & Brunch fall fundraising event…go support them!

We have so much to be grateful for. ❤️ Today our children are coming together for a Friendship Feast! Primary has worked all week to prepare vegetables for stew and make homemade butter for bread. Elementary is hiking out to make their feast over the fire (which they will start with a bow drill!). Everyday we pinch ourselves, careful to never take for granted this precious opportunity we’ve been allowed. We cherish 1) gorgeous fall photos by , 2) mud kitchen creations, 3) running barefoot in the grass, 4) child-led morning baseball games, 5) moments of deep concentration, 6) laughter with friends, 7) our village of exceptional teachers and loving families, and most of all 8) these remarkable children who offer as many gifts to us each day as we’re able to reciprocate. What a life.

We are excited to announce a new opportunity to join our incredible staff for the 2025-2026 school year! Kris and Pablo, our elementary guides, are looking for a third Montessori teacher to round out their dynamic team. As part of our elementary teaching team, you will present Montessori lessons, spend each day outdoors, go on weekly field trips, help nurture a strong and supportive community, and share your own unique gifts with the children. Email [email protected] to submit your resume. We look forward to bringing another passionate, talented guide into our school community!

In the spirit of honoring for ourselves what we believe is important for children, we haven’t had much of a social media presence lately. However, we’ve still been doing the good work and are having an incredible school year! Here are some glimpses… Special shout out to our incredible parent association who raised $16,500 to support programming for our school!!! Interested in joining us? Applications are open for 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. Get yours in soon!

We are so excited for our first annual Brunch & Bids silent auction event! This is our school’s primary fundraiser and 100% of proceeds directly support the children enrolled at The Montessori Field School. If you’d like to get involved by being a sponsor, please reach out!