Sunny Hollow Montessori - 16 months to 8th grade

Sunny Hollow Montessori - 16 months to 8th grade Email [email protected] to schedule a tour and receive more details about enrollment!

At our Community Coffee on Friday, many parents remarked that one reason they appreciate their child's Sunny Hollow educ...
09/13/2026

At our Community Coffee on Friday, many parents remarked that one reason they appreciate their child's Sunny Hollow education is because we are a no-/low-tech school.

It's true.

Sunny Hollow is, for the bulk of a child’s years here, a screen-free learning environment. This is not a nostalgic position or a reaction against technology. It is a considered, developmental commitment grounded in more than a century of observation about how children actually learn.

Young children learn through direct physical engagement with the world. Real materials, glass that can break, water that can spill, wood with genuine weight and texture, offer resistance, consequence, and sensory information that a screen cannot replicate.

They demand a quality of attention that a touchscreen does not.

They build, through repeated hands-on use, the neurological and physical foundations that underlie reading, writing, mathematical thinking, and sustained concentration.

And the screen just can't provide that.

Read more on our website. Check out our blog "Designed for Discovery: What an Authentic Montessori Classroom Actually Looks Like" on our Resources page at SunnyHollow.org

09/10/2026

With the first week of school nearly complete, we've been reflecting on our Montessori 101 experience on the first day. We discussed the principle of a "prepared environment" and how the children learn to choose their work and move about the classroom.

If you didn't attend Montessori or haven't observed it, it can sound...chaotic. In fact, it's the exact opposite.

There are no rows of desks or teacher-centered lectures; students move freely through the space, choosing where to work and how to engage with materials.

This freedom supports physical development, focus and a sense of urgency. It also promotes peace and calm in every class as students seek quiet or social engagement.

Montessori grants children freedom—but always within clear, consistent boundaries and in environments where they will be safe. With respectful guidance from faculty, students learn to make responsible choices, manage their time and care for themselves and their community. All on their own, but never alone.

• Want to keep the learning flowing? 📖 •
Read our blog “Montessori Freedom Within Limits: Structure, Independence, and Self-Regulation”
https://sunnyhollow.org/2026/08/montessori-freedom-within-limits/

Welcome Back! First day of school is upon us. Check Parent Square for all the details. See your smiling face soooooon!
09/07/2026

Welcome Back!

First day of school is upon us. Check Parent Square for all the details. See your smiling face soooooon!

FIRST DAY NERVESIf drop-off sometimes ends in tears, you're not doing anything wrong, and neither is your child. Separat...
09/07/2026

FIRST DAY NERVES

If drop-off sometimes ends in tears, you're not doing anything wrong, and neither is your child. Separation is real work for little ones, and tears are simply how that work sometimes shows up.

In our Montessori classrooms, we see this as part of your child's growing independence, not a setback from it. A few things that help:

• Name the feeling •
A simple "You feel sad to say goodbye right now" does more than distraction or reassurance ever could. Let the emotion be okay; it doesn't need to be scolded away or rushed past.

• Stay regulated •
Children borrow our nervous systems, so a calm, certain goodbye lands better than a lingering one. A warm hug, a clear "I'll see you after lunch," and then go.

• Express your authentic trust in your child's school and guide •
Tell your child plainly: "I trust your guide. You are safe here, and you'll be well taken care of." Hearing your confidence in the school helps them borrow that confidence for themselves.

• Create a goodbye ritual •
A special handshake, a wave, the same few words each day. Predictability is deeply comforting, and it's a rhythm Montessori classrooms lean into everywhere.

Know that your guide will be ready with a welcoming gesture and a small, grounding task to ease the shift. And, know, too, that this phase passes. What your child is learning underneath the tears is something big: that they can handle hard moments, and that you'll always come back.

That's independence in the making.

• • • • • • • • •
We're looking forward to seeing you all sooooooon.

09/06/2026

When we watch a child at work, it can sometimes look simple, even ordinary. A child carefully pouring water from one pitcher to another. Arranging triangular puzzle pieces. Tracing a sandpaper letter with her finger.

But Dr. Montessori understood something important about the way children learn: the mind is always preparing for what comes next.

Through the child’s natural interest in an activity, deeper abilities are forming, often long before anyone names them.

A young child might spend time fitting together triangular puzzle pieces simply because it is satisfying work. She is not thinking about angles or geometry. Yet through that experience, her mind is quietly becoming familiar with shapes and spatial relationships that will make geometry feel natural later on.

Or consider the practical life activity of pouring water. To an adult it may seem like a small task. But, in that moment, the child is developing coordination, concentration, control of movement, and independence. These are abilities he will rely on when writing, solving problems, or working with complex materials later.

Dr. Montessori sometimes called this Indirect preparation, recognizing that the deeper purpose of an activity may not appear until much later.

Much of Montessori education works this way: the child is preparing today for understanding that will unfold tomorrow.

p.s.,
See you soon 💕

09/06/2026

👀 This is what hands-on learning actually means.

Not crafts. Not play that happens to involve counting. But carefully sequenced, purposefully designed materials that meet children exactly where they are--and move them, steadily and joyfully, toward mastery.

It is also, unmistakably, school.

The Casa years (3-6 year olds) is school. This is where the foundation is built... bead by bead, letter by letter by children who are working harder than most people realize, in the way that children this age work best.

With their hands. With their whole selves. On work that is worthy of them.

LEARN MORE….Read our blog, “Designed for Discovery: What an Authentic Montessori Classroom Actually Looks Like” on our Resource Hub (sunnyhollow.org/resources)

https://sunnyhollow.org/2026/06/designed-for-discovery-what-an-authentic-montessori-classroom-actually-looks-like-and-what-makes-sunny-hollow-different/

The bulk of this post comes from Angeline Lillard’s work. Read Lillard's article and more evidence-based research at our...
09/03/2026

The bulk of this post comes from Angeline Lillard’s work.

Read Lillard's article and more evidence-based research at our RESOURCES HUB at SUNNYHOLLOW.ORG

https://sunnyhollow.org/resources/

08/28/2026

Check your Shappenings and Parent Square for all the details about upcoming BTS events and info. In the meantime, grab some swag and enjoy the last bit of summer.

08/28/2026

Throwback Thursday

Remember when Psychology Today gave us the TL;DR on a in-depth scientific review published by Campbell Corporation? Here's the summary...

Researchers reviewed 32 high-quality studies comparing Montessori education with traditional education across eight countries.

The result?

Montessori students showed:
• stronger academic outcomes, particularly in language and math
• stronger executive function, including self-control and working memory
• a more positive experience of school

By sixth grade, Montessori students were, on average, about a full school year ahead academically.

And there’s an important caveat: not every school that calls itself Montessori actually implements Montessori in the same way. The researchers note that schools following authentic Montessori principles—and using appropriately trained teachers—are particularly important to consider when interpreting the research.

We're proud to offer an authentic Montessori education for kiddos 16 months through 8th grade.

Address

636 Mississippi River Boulevard S
Saint Paul, MN
55116

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 7:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+16516902307

Website

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