Maitripa Tara School

Why is the environment so important in development, education and life?

Every biological structure develops within and interacts with its environment, both inner and outer...

When we grow and care for plants we do this, we observe it, give it water, light and soil, we cater and adjust the conditions in the outer environment in order to provide the possibility and increase the likelihood of sustaining life and encouraging it to thrive. We don't make the plant grow, develop and flourish, but we can support it or not.

What about children? Do we do this for them?...

What do children need to grow? To develop? To evolve? To acquire the characteristics, skills and experiences they deserve...

A Montessori prepared environment is a response to this question, a response to the child's developmental needs and specifically adapted to the particular stage of development.

May all children and sentient beings be able to grow and develop within an environment that supports them and does not place challenges or obstacles in their path... May all beings be happy!

With spring just around the corner the perception of rebirth is tangible for us all. In Montessori education we connect the child to the natural world through real life experiences and interactions with the natural world as well as exposure to the life cycles of living beings as a way to experience the evolution and flow of life.

As we share time with children and use a mindful approach to connect to the present moment we can be inspired by the seasons and nature. Notice the small changes, marvel at the process and admire the resilience and adaptability around us...

From a budding tree, a sprouting bean, a baby lamb or a nest full of hungry chicks. Enjoying these experiences bring us closer to the understanding of the phases and transitory elements of living beings, as well as developing awareness of the richness and bounty of the natural world.

May you connect with nature and share the experience with the children in your life!

Music, Children and Development: What are the benefits of bringing music to children?

The auditory sense continues to develop through childhood and it is present and awake as early as pregancy. Music refines and develops this sense. Music brings a complex stimuli, teaching a child to understand different qualities of sound: colour, volume, tone.

Other aspects of brain development are also enhanced by the child’s experience with music. Language and communication skills, as well as mathematical thinking are awakened and stimulated. Music can be the window into a multilingual experience and culture. All humans recognise and can learn to appreciate music, this form of expression can be enjoyed by all. Music can build a bridge between each other and a shared vibration and dancing also creates bonds.

Creating music, whether through singing or instrument play, also integrates the mind and body and enriches motor skills. From simple clapping, percussion instruments to a grand piano or violin, there is a musical instrument for e everyone including our voice and body.

Of course, music is much more than just knowledge and skill, it brings beauty, communicates emotion, and carries culture. When children come to enjoy music of a particular time and place, they enrich their experience of humanity. Learning about different instruments and how they are played brings children into contact with their culture and history.

May children and families share the joys of music with their children and eachother!

The Montessori Primary (Preschool) classroom contains children from two and a half to six years old. The Human Tendency for Order as Dr. Montessori observed, is essential to a child's development.

External order brings about and stimulates internal order. This need for order peaks in the first 3 years of life and is "programmed, patterned" by age six.

Order is essential for a healthy happy life. We need order to communicate, organise and complete tasks, make sense and orient in an environment. We also require order to make good choices and for healthy social interactions.

One of the gifts of order for the child is this sense of freedom and autonomy it gifts the developing mind.

“It is a deep comfort to children to discover that their feelings are a normal part of the human experience. There is no better way to convey that than to understand them...” ― Haim G. Ginott, Between Parent and Child: Revised and Updated

We are interconnected in our world, life and experience. Children need adults to grow, develop and learn. Parenting requires skills and a humble honesty bound with deep love and a desire to offer our best to the child. May we allow their feelings to be expressed, so that the small humans in our care feel Safe, Seen, Soothed and Secure.

Maitripa Tara School wishes you a very happy new year!
May 2024 bring harmony, peace and loving kindness into each one of us and may we infuse these energies and states of being back into the world creating an endless ever increasing cycle of happiness and liberation for all sentient beings.

Happy Solstice to all! As the light in the world increases heading towards the up coming New Year, let us be reminded of the special potentiality in each and everyone of us and especially the children.

"As each child’s inner light shines, it will surely brighten the world." - Phil Mitchell

"Love is more than the electricity which lightens our darkness,
more than the etheric waves that transmit our voices across space,
more than any of the energies that man has discovered and learned to use. Of all things love is the most potent."

Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, Page 269

Have you ever wondered how to teach an attitude of gratitude to a child?

Well children under 6 years of age have a special kind of mind, Dr. Montessori called it the Absorbent Mind. During this developmental stage children are open and very sensitive to their environment including both Human and Physical. For a children to capture and integrate certain aspects of the environment together with their inner self they have to actively participate and experience it.

So, we the adults in their life must model that which we wish to see in the child. We must live ourselves by these principles and embody them. Thus, children will have this opportunity of experiencing and practicing. Through this modelling and living life together, the child becomes...

May we model with mindfulness the best of humanity. May all beings be happy!

“Just as we take for granted the need to acquire proficiency in the basic academic subjects, I am hopeful that a time will come when we can take it for granted that children will learn, as part of their school curriculum, the indispensability of inner values such as love, compassion, justice, and forgiveness.”
THE DALAI LAMA, Beyond Religion

This awareness and skills open the door for us all to connect and live in a more harmonious way with ourselves, others and the environment. At Maitripa Tara School we place great focus on this Education of the Heart.

kind·ness = Kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, rendering assistance, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. Kindness is a topic of interest in philosophy, religion, and psychology.

Children are naturally curious and caring, they are also naturally self-centred during the early years as they are fulfilling the task of self construction. Adults can model kindness, through the interaction with other adults and also through the interactions with children during daily life. This all important skill opens the possibility of peace, harmony and connection.

Let's be inspired to be kind!
Notice and feel gratitude for the all kindness we receive...