Kaleidoscope Montessori Collaborative

Creating a Montessori Home Tip 3: Help your child sharpen the skills of slowing down, breathing deeply, and observing clearly by offering them an outdoor journal and making a habit of taking the journal along each time you go outside. They can draw, write, or even slip natural treasures between the pages of their journal, helping them to practice mindfulness and being present.

Want more ideas? Join us online for our Creating a Montessori Home virtual workshop on Sat, June 27th from 1-4pm EDT: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/109832814906

Creating a Montessori Home Tip 2: Get out those 3M hooks or simply stand a few pieces on a low shelf to display art at your child's eye level. Send them the message to them that they are important and that you want them to see the beautiful art you have in your home!

What's the philosophy behind designing interiors from the point of view of the child? Find out in our online workshop on June 27th from 1-4pm EDT!: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/109832814906

Creating a Montessori Home Tip 1: Delineate space when cooking and baking with kids! Rather than spreading a baking activity across the entire counter or table, place all ingredients on one tray or cookie sheet before you start.

Want to know more? Join us for our workshop on June 27th 1-4pm EDT: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/creating-a-montessori-home-tickets-109832814906

Wouldn't you love to have a more Montessori-inspired home...especially now that you are spending so much time there!?!

Join Autumn Wilson for Creating a Montessori Home (a 3-part virtual workshop) beginning Tuesday, May 5, 7-9pm.

https://www.kaleidoscopemontessoricollaborative.com/parent-workshops

With all this Corona Distance Learning, screen time challenges are just growing for families. Here are some helpful hints for managing your children’s time in front of screens. Look for a video tomorrow, too, on how to help prevent the momentous melt-down each time screen time ends! Hang in there, folks!

Tips for making screen time less of a battle and helping your children find balance...

*Make a clear daily schedule that sets strict parameters on times in front of a screen. It is also helpful to write out what type of screen time each section allows (i.e. entertainment, online math, language app, etc.) For young children, draw a little analogue clock next to screen time that shows them exactly what the hands will look like when the screen goes on and exactly what the hands will look like when the screen goes off. (It doesn’t have to look like it came from Pinterest! Just draw a little clock.)

*Keep times in front of the screen short to protect your children’s vision, posture, etc. Take regular breaks (write them on the schedule!) to stretch, go outside and look far into the distance (natural light is incredibly important to their eyesight), hydrate, and connect with another human being.

*Set a timer. Even with the fixed schedule and pictures of clocks, many children need the beeping timer to wake them from the screen stupor. You might even want to set a timer that gives the 1-2-minute warning so they have time to save their work, put their pony to sleep, or whatever other strange ritual they require before shutting down.

*Make whatever happens after screen time fun! It is not ideal to go straight from screen time to chores or handwriting practice. Neither of those things will seem half as entertaining as that screen content that hundreds of adults worked to make incredibly addictive to your child’s brain. So, play tag, dance to a great song, eat a tasty snack, or whatever else feels like a delightful treat in your family.

Keep up the good work, parents! It’s hard now, but managing your children’s time in front of the screen well will be worth it in the end. Keep your eye on the prize of healthier development, greater capacity for attention, better eyesight, and more!

We still have a few spaces left in our "Creating a Montessori Home" workshop this Saturday, March 7, from 9am - 12:30pm in Cheverly, MD. Read more about the workshop and register here! https://www.kaleidoscopemontessoricollaborative.com/parent-workshops

We're working diligently on our next blog post and newsletter! Who would you like us to interview next? Is there a specialist from a certain field that you have questions for? (If you haven't read our interview with occupational therapist Mya Zavaleta Ford, you can find it here: https://www.kaleidoscopemontessoricollaborative.com/blog)

Registration is filling up for our "Montessori Basics for Parents" Tuesday evening workshop series! Starting this Tues, Feb. 25, and continuing Mar 3 & Mar 10, the workshops are held from 7-9 pm in Takoma, DC. Let us know you're interested! https://www.kaleidoscopemontessoricollaborative.com/contact

Have you read our February Collaborator Interview yet? Mya Zavaleta Ford shares her passion for occupational therapy, as well as her tips and tricks parents and guides: https://www.kaleidoscopemontessoricollaborative.com/blog

Stop by and say hello to Autumn if you are at the Refresher Course....

Our February newsletter is out! An occupational therapist's advice for parents and guides, plus details about our upcoming workshops: https://mailchi.mp/kaleidoscopemontessoricollaborative.com/hello

Sign up now for our first parent workshop this spring! https://www.kaleidoscopemontessoricollaborative.com/parent-workshops

Whether or not your child attends a Montessori school, gaining a basic understanding of Montessori philosophy and pedagogy will empower you as a parent. In this interactive, inspiring workshop, we will explore themes of independence, freedom and responsibility, observation, concentration, sensorial exploration, and the role of the adult, all through the lens of Montessori philosophy. Together we will develop potential Montessori-aligned solutions to many common difficulties, from getting out the door in the morning to bedtime battles.