Guidepost Montessori at Herndon

“… in every child is the seed that will mature into an adult.” —The Theosophist

Sometimes we need to relax with a good book and a smile!

Cutting with Scissors

What is it?
Blunt-ended scissors; thin strips of paper; mini envelopes for the clippings. Child is taught to carefully snip pieces off a strip of paper and into a bowl; then collect the pieces and place in a mini envelope to take home.

Why do we do it?
To learn how to use scissors; to aid in the refinement of eye-hand coordination; to develop specialized movements.

How to help at home?
Give your child opportunities to work with child-sized scissors at home.

One of the biggest themes throughout all of our program offerings is independence. Read more about it below!

Ramadan Kareem to those in our community who celebrate!

We love to paint!

Setting The Table:

What is it?
We encourage children to participate in setting the table with real dishes and utensils, offering, serving, and passing food as a community, and clearing and cleaning the table once they are finished eating. Often, one or two children may be given the responsibility of setting the table for the class for a full week or other period of time.

Why do we do it?
To support the child in developing independence with the meal time routine; to give the child a sense of ownership and pride in participating in community life; to aid in the development of functional independence

How to help at home?
Have your child participate in setting or clearing the table at home. Present meals family style, and invite your child to serve himself from the shared serving bowl. (Participating in preparing and serving food is also a good technique to use with picky eaters, who are more likely to try food they helped to make or serve.)

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You will hear us refer to our teachers as "Guides". Our Guides are one of the three pillars of the Montessori classroom: Guide, Child, Environment.

Just wanted to share some smiles this Sunday!

What's better than a good book and some friends?

Children's House is a scientifically designed program for children ages 3 to 6 years old. Students direct their own activities, building knowledge, confidence and social skills along the way. Teachers empower children to use all the materials available to them, which range from practical life activities to geography to mathematics.

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Early childhood years are the most critical time in your child's development. These years are foundational in shaping your child's future health, well-being, and happiness at school and home. Montessori education provides your child with the tools to navigate lifelong learning.

“Watching a child makes it obvious that the development of his mind comes through his movements.” - Maria Montessori

Grace and Courtesy is a big topic in our classrooms. We teach many lessons from how to wait your turn and how to interact with others.

Spring is here!

Children are born with an eagerness to explore the world, learning through all of their senses. The Montessori classroom offers your child the opportunity to explore, to act independently, and to follow one's own interests. With mastery of each new skill, your child's confidence grows.

Montessori describes the child’s message to the adult: “Help me to do it by myself!”

Happy St. Patricks Day! We hope you find luck today 🍀

In Montessori, children learn that cleaning up after themselves is a part of their work. They learn from an early age to roll up their mats, push in their chairs, and return the material to the shelf where they first found it before choosing another work.

Slicing a Banana:

What is it?
An special food preparation tray set up to allow children to choose a half-banana, and use the implements on the food preparation tray to peel and slice the banana, then use tongs to place the sections in a serving vessel. Sometimes food preparation might be done by the child as a contribution to a shared community meal; sometimes the activity might be done to prepare an individual snack that the child eats himself.

Why do we do it?
To support the child in developing independence with preparing food; to give the child a sense of ownership and pride in participating in community life; to give the child a sense of pride in caring for his own needs; to aid in the development of functional independence

How to help at home?
Have your child participate in preparing meals at home. (Participating in preparing and serving food is also a good technique to use with picky eaters, who are more likely to try food they helped to make or serve.)

All authentic Montessori materials will have a control of error. A great example of this is a puzzle. If you start a puzzle and put a piece in the incorrect spot, eventually you will see the last piece does not fit in the last spot. Control of error helps teach a child to self-correct their work.

Practical life lessons inspire the child with real-world, purposeful tasks and tools, helping them to see themselves, correctly, as capable and competent.

Maria Montessori says, “A child who has become master of his acts through long and repeated exercises, and who has been encouraged by the pleasant and interesting activities in which he has been engaged, is a child filled with health and joy and remarkable for his calmness and discipline.” — The Discovery of the Child

"A marvelous fact is that this absorbent mind never feels fatigue. It is just like a camera: it clicks, and everything is there all of a sudden." - Maria Montessori

Curious about Montessori? RSVP at https://bit.ly/3Mi4YV3 for an Open House!

Drop by during that time to visit our classrooms, meet our staff, and learn more about our amazing programs including preschool and kindergarten.

“Discipline is born when the child concentrates his attention on some object that attracts him and which provides him not only with a useful exercise but with a control of error. Thanks to these exercises … the child becomes calm, radiantly happy, busy, forgetful of himself and, in consequence, indifferent to prizes or material rewards.” — Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

Rolling a Work Rug

What is it?
We first show the child how to carry the rug carefully without allowing it to unroll to where it’s going to be used. Then we set it down carefully and show the child specific, simple motions to carefully unroll the rug. After, we show them how to roll it evenly and tightly and carry it back to where it belongs.

Why do we do it?
Control and coordination of movement
Development of equilibrium
Adaptation to the environment
Development of order through a sequence of actions

How to help at home?
Allow your child to help fold laundry or roll clean socks and put them away.
If you have placemats that can be rolled, allow your child to practice on them. Or even, keep them rolled when they’re put away and give your child this job when cleaning up from a meal.