Stellenbosch Montessori Pre School

While knowledge is what we know, imagination opens endless possibilities. 🌍

✨ Read about myths about the uncreative child here: https://neurochild.com/library/the-myth-of-the-uncreative-child/

Nurturing a Love for Music in the Early Years

Maria Montessori observed that young children pass through a sensitive period for music development between the ages of 2 and 6. During this time, they are naturally drawn to rhythm, sound, and movement, making it an ideal opportunity to nurture a lifelong appreciation for music.

In the Montessori environment, musical experiences are woven into the child’s day through action songs, movement and dance, playing simple instruments, and exploring tone and pitch with the Montessori bells.

Engaging with music in these early years offers far-reaching benefits. It supports the development of mathematical and language skills, refines the senses, enhances concentration, and contributes to a positive emotional state. Most importantly, it nurtures confidence, creativity, and a deep appreciation for the arts.

The Montessori world and continent Puzzle Maps are tactile geography materials that offer children a beautiful, hands-on way to discover and connect with the world around them.

Through purposeful exploration, children are given the opportunity to learn about physical and cultural geography while developing important skills along the way.

Some of the benefits include:

• Strengthening the connection between the hand and the mind
• Developing independence and confidence through hands-on learning
• Fostering an appreciation and respect for different cultures and communities
• Refining concentration, focus, and coordination
• Learning the names and locations of countries, continents, oceans, and other geographical features

In the Montessori environment, geography is more than learning names and places. It is an invitation to explore, wonder, and develop a deeper understanding of the world and our place within it.

With each carefully placed puzzle piece, children are building knowledge, independence, and a sense of connection to the world around them.

Today we celebrate Dr. Maria Montessori’s legacy and honour every mother, educator, and woman in our community who prepares the environment for our children to blossom into confident, capable human beings.

Happy Women's Day!

Mandela Day | 18 July

Mandela Day reminds us that lasting change often begins with simple acts of kindness.

For the past three years, our Montessori community has supported a local food drive through our Jars of Hope initiative, and we look forward to continuing this meaningful tradition.

Next week, we invite families to send any of the following ingredients to school:
• ½ cup rice
• ½ cup soup mix
• ½ cup lentils
• 1 stock cube
• 1 packet of soup powder

Together with the children, we will assemble the jars at school as our contribution to the spirit of Mandela Day and its 67 minutes of goodwill.

Each completed jar provides a nourishing meal for a family of four.

Thank you for helping us teach our children that kindness is something we do—not just something we talk about.

Today my eldest turns 30…

Thirty years of unlocking the gate every morning.

Thirty years of little hands reaching for mine.

Thirty years of first-day tears, scraped knees, birthday cakes, hugs at the gate, and watching children grow into adults.

Our very first intake turns 33 this year. Some of those “little people” are still part of my life, and that is incredibly special. Along the way, many parents became dear friends who are still very much part of my journey today.

To every family who entrusted us with your children, thank you. Thank you for believing in Stellenbosch Montessori Pre School and for allowing us to share in those precious early years.

A very special thank you to my constant gardener… my husband, Bennie. Or, as we affectionately call him, our Hoof van Tuine en Terreine. While I was in the classroom, you quietly made sure the world outside was just as beautiful. Generations of children have run, rolled, played and dreamed on what I still believe is the best preschool lawn in Stellenbosch… perhaps even in the whole Western Cape. Thank you for standing beside me for 25 of these 30 years.

To Siobhan Henshilwood, thank you for opening the Montessori door for me all those years ago. You were my first mentor, and without you this journey would never have begun.

When I look back, I don’t only see a school. I see thousands of little footprints, countless hugs, laughter echoing through the playground, friendships that have stood the test of time, and a community that became family.

Thirty years…

What a privilege.
What a journey.
What a ride.

Happy 30th birthday, my eldest.

Happy Father’s Day

Today, we celebrate the fathers and father figures who nurture, encourage, and support children as they grow.

We also recognize the many caring adults who help children feel safe, valued, and loved each day—grandparents, uncles, foster parents, mentors, family friends, and caregivers whose presence makes a meaningful difference in a child’s life.

In the Montessori spirit, we honor those who guide with patience, respect, and trust, helping children become confident, capable, and connected members of their community.

Wishing a day of appreciation to all who walk alongside children on their journey.

Happy Mother’s Day

“Within every child is the seed of who they will become — and a mother’s love is often the first environment in which that growth begins.”
— Inspired by the philosophy of Maria Montessori

Today we celebrate the mothers, grandmothers, and caregivers who guide with patience, nurture with tenderness, and prepare the environment in which children flourish.

Thank you for the quiet moments, the steady hands, the encouragement, and the unconditional love that help children grow into capable, compassionate human beings.

Wishing all our families a beautiful and peaceful Mother’s Day.

Today, on Workers’ Day, we honour the dignity and value of meaningful work.
In a Montessori environment, we recognise that the child is not simply playing—they are working. Through purposeful activity, the child constructs themselves, developing concentration, independence, and a deep sense of satisfaction.
As Dr Maria Montessori so beautifully expressed:�“The child’s work is to create the person they will become.”
May we continue to respect and protect this important work, allowing each child the time, space, and freedom to grow.

Freedom Day reminds us of the importance of independence, dignity, and respect for all.
In a Montessori environment, we nurture this through “freedom within limits” — a principle introduced by Dr Maria Montessori. Children are given the freedom to choose, explore, and express themselves, while learning to do so with care, responsibility, and respect for others.
With great freedom comes great responsibility.
Today we honour our past, celebrate our present, and continue guiding our children toward a future rooted in kindness, self-discipline, and meaningful contribution.