The Montessori Spark

✨ Opening 2026 in Virginia Beach ✨

I’m excited to share the beginning of a Montessori Learning Collective for elementary-aged children.

🌿 meaningful academic work
🌿 mindfulness & peace education
🌿 social-emotional learning
🌿 a calm, intentional daily rhythm

Created for families seeking a balanced, purposeful approach to education—one that nurtures both the mind and the heart.

📩 Interested in learning more?
Send me a DM or email: [email protected]

Working on ornaments and baking with my children reminds me how powerful working with our hands truly is.

These shared moments build connection, concentration, and a quiet sense of joy — for children and adults alike.
In Montessori, the hand is a gateway to learning, regulation, and belonging.

May the end of this year be filled with meaningful work and togetherness. 🩷

Hello December.
A new month, a slower pace, and a chance to reconnect with what matters most.
I spent Thanksgiving enjoying my family — cooking together, laughing, and being present. That was my gratitude practice.

In the Montessori classroom, we practice gratitude the same way — through everyday moments:
✨ caring for our environment
✨ appreciating the hands that help us
✨ showing kindness in small ways
✨ pausing to notice beauty around us

Gratitude isn’t a day on the calendar. It’s a daily way of seeing the world.
How do you welcome December with gratitude? 🤎

In Montessori, observation is one of our most powerful tools, for children and for us.

Sitting in silence, noticing nature, and using all our senses helps us return to the present moment. When we pause long enough to truly observe, we ground ourselves, reset our nervous system, and see more clearly what (and who) needs us.

Before this busy season begins, give yourself five minutes to slow down, breathe, and simply notice.

What changes when you observe with intention?

🌼✨ A little reminder from today’s walk.
I paused for a moment and noticed this small flower reaching toward the sun. Just quietly doing its thing: no rush, no noise, just presence.
It made me think about how often beauty shows up in simple, unexpected places when we slow down enough to see it. The cold wind on my face, the warmth of the sun, this bright yellow bloom… all tiny invitations to be here now.
I’m holding onto these moments as I keep moving forward with so many dreams and ideas forming behind the scenes. One step, one breath, one moment of noticing at a time.
If today feels busy or heavy, maybe this is your reminder too: pause for a second. Look for something small and beautiful. Let it anchor you. 🌿💛
I’m grateful you’re here with me.

“Everyone talks about peace but no one educates for peace. In this world, they educate for competition, and competition is the beginning of any war. When educating to cooperate and owe each other solidarity, that day we will be educating for peace.” M.M.

How are you celebrating peace day?

🕊️ The International Day of Peace is coming up on September 21! Typically, Montessori schools sing "Light a Candle for Peace" between 10 – 11am in each school's local time on the 21st. ⁠This year, the 21st is on Sunday, and I'd love to hear what schools are planning.
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It's a beautiful event, and I love seeing the videos of schools around the world singing "Light a Candle for Peace." I like to participate in our own way with my grandkids, and I plan to observe the tradition again this year. ⁠
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I have a link to this book in my blog post, although I found it easy to teach sign language to go with the "Light a Candle for Peace" song using directions from a YouTube video that's embedded in my blog post. Use whichever version works best for your children/class.⁠⠀⁠⁠
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You'll find resources to honor the day, including a link to a free download of the song and lyrics here: https://livingmontessorinow.com/lets-sing-peace-around-the-world-at-school-and-at-home/

Children don’t need all the answers.
They need tools, trust, and encouragement to explore.
They need space to wonder.

🌱 What signs of independence (or hesitation) do you notice in your own children or students?

Maria Montessori, the Italian educator and physician who created the Montessori Method, was born on this day in 1870. Montessori's educational philosophy of encouraging children's learning through discovery is now used in an estimated 20,000 schools worldwide.

Montessori grew up in Italy and enrolled in the University of Rome's school of medicine in 1893. As a woman, she faced hostility from both fellow students and professors, even being forced to perform dissections alone after hours as it was deemed inappropriate for her to attend classes with men in the presence of a naked cadaver. Despite the obstacles, she graduated in 1896 and set up a private practice.

Montessori rapidly became an advocate for both women's rights and the rights of children with disabilities. She regularly worked with children facing these challenges, and she was a major supporter of their right to access education. In 1901, she left her practice to engage in further study in psychology and educational philosophy, and began considering how to adapt the methods she used for general classroom use.

In 1906, Montessori was asked to oversee the education of children of working low-income parents in Rome. At first, it was outfitted like a standard classroom of the day, but as Montessori observed the children and provided them with the resources she had developed, she discovered that they preferred practical activities to toys and that, if they were given a free choice of activities, they would develop spontaneous self-discipline.

In response, Montessori decided to transform the traditional classroom: she replaced the large furniture with child-sized desks and chairs, put tools and activities on low, child-accessible shelving, and included more exercises that encouraged caring for the environment and the self, such as cooking, gymnastics, and care of pets, as well as practical activities such as sweeping, self-dressing, and hand washing. She also introduced literacy materials like moveable cutout letters and picture cards with labels, which resulted in her students becoming proficient in reading and writing far sooner than was expected with traditional methods.

Her Casa dei Bambini (Children's House) was a great success, and by 1907 another had been opened in Rome. The independence, concentration, and self-discipline of her students began attracting attention from journalists, politicians, and educators, and in 1909, Montessori held her first teacher training course. In 1911, Montessori methods had been adopted in Italian and Swiss public schools; by 1912, Montessori schools were being planned in places from Paris to India, and Montessori societies were founded in the US and UK.

By the time she died in 1952, Montessori had revolutionized the way educators and parents thought about child development. Her legacy is obvious in both public school systems and in the Montessori schools that can be found around the world today.

For several books by Maria Montessori that explore her educational philosophy, check out "The Montessori Method" (https://amzn.to/3BilWwq), "The Secret of Childhood" (https://amzn.to/3DtO9Ci), "The Absorbent Mind" (https://amzn.to/3jAXFMd), and "The Discovery of the Child" (https://amzn.to/3mLJDZW)

To introduce children to this inspiring role model, we highly recommend the Maria Montessori picture book for ages 5 to 8 at https://www.amightygirl.com/maria-montessori

Many of the toys featured A Mighty Girl's toy section were selected with a similar philosophy to Maria Montessori's in mind -- we've sought out high-quality toys that would help children to exercise their imagination while mastering basic skills and growing confident in their abilities to be self-directed learners.

If you're new to A Mighty Girl, mouse over the "Toys' button on our main menu bar to open our toy directory which is divided into six main categories: Toys/Games, Imaginative Play, Arts/Crafts, Outdoor Play, For Baby, and Kids' Gear. To start exploring our selection of over 2,000 girl-empowering toys, visit https://www.amightygirl.com/toys

When you walk into your classroom and are greeted with this message of love and support. A banner filled with tiny fingerprints and big gratitude—thank you to my wonderful assistant and students for this beautiful surprise.

Happy Teacher’s Week

Go out and explore!!