Day in the Life of an MSOSV Kindergarten Student By Colleen Noll   As with all MSOSV programs, the Kindergarten – 3rd year offers a unique, open environment that emphasizes your child’s natural interests and allows your child to set his or her own developmental pace. The Montessori educational journey all began with Dr. Maria Montessori. Through scientific observations, she determined students learn best at their own pace and given the choice of activities. The practical application of sensory-based and self-directed learning is the most important thread across all our programs including Kindergarten –

Now Your 5 year-old is a Leader By Colleen Noll   By the third year of their cycle, Montessori Kindergarten children have been waiting two years to become one of the older students in the class – they are now the “Leaders”. The Montessori Kinders naturally help the younger children do their work, even giving them lessons. Time and time again, research has shown that when one person is teaching another, the “teacher” often learns just as much, if not more, than the other student. Every day in the Montessori classroom we see it: Teaching reinforces

6 Tips to Avoid Tantrums at Montessori School and at Home  By Colleen Noll Pre Primary’s “Let me do it” Using the Montessori method at home while attending a fully implemented Montessori program is a good way to help eliminate tantrums and ultimately guide your child toward independence. With a few steps and consistent approach, you can help your child to feel more in control and have the capability to make decisions for themselves. While parents can always start implementing the Montessori method as early as infancy, Pre Primary is also a great

Signs of Readiness and Following the Child  Part 3 of a 3 Part Blog Series By Colleen Noll At MSOSV, we will work with you and your child to look for signs of “readiness”. By partnering together when the time is right, following the MSOSV toilet learning plan can be a rewarding experience for both child and family. Readiness Physical Readiness Child can stay dry for longer periods of time or overnight Child knows the feelings that signal he/she needs to use the bathroom Child can pull down own pants and pull them up Child can get him or

What, No Pull-Ups? Part 2 of a 3 Part Blog Series By Colleen Noll Regular Underwear. No pull-ups, no thick underwear, no plastic pants Why no pull-ups? Using pull ups to toilet learn during the day can hinder the process. A pull-up is really close to a diaper, with new designs meaning the absorbency is so good the child will feel wet for just a few seconds before it is magicked away. The trouble with this is, to the child nothing has changed. You’ve decided that potty training has begun, but if they’re still wearing what

Toilet Independence with Your 2-Year-Old Part 1 of a 3 Part Blog Series By Colleen Noll MSOSV Toilet Learning Approach In this 3-part blog series, we will discuss the MSOSV process working with your toddler and becoming independent on the toilet! With a little consistency, dedication and of course, some fun, we will work together with you to transition to underwear, allowing your child to use the toilet completely by themselves. While there are many ways to assist a child to becoming fully independent using the toilet, in this blog and at our school, we

Why Montessori For Your 2 Year Old By Colleen Noll Maria Montessori revolutionized childcare and early education with her ideas on how to best help children learn and grow. She developed her approach to early childhood education in the early 20th century, and since that time, the Montessori approach has continued to grow in popularity around the world. If you’re considering the Montessori approach for your 2-year-old, you are making a good choice. What makes the Montessori method so effective is that it is designed in recognition of the sensitive periods every child

The core values of every organization are experienced by members of its community, and the communities they serve. This is especially true for all those of us that serve children and their families. Your child’s preschool and early learning experiences help to shape who they are, and who they’ll become. That’s why Preschool Core Values are so important to us at the Montessori School of Silicon Valley. We work directly with our staff so that we live our values according to our exclusive CARING model. Community, Accountability, Respect, Integrity, Nurture, and

What Would Your Dad Say? By Colleen Noll Looking across the Montessori School of Silicon Valley (MSOSV) organization, you would notice that our leadership team is comprised of mostly young people. Almost all our guides and leaders started in the classroom, many as assistants – before rising through the ranks to eventually join our leadership team. Ms. Melissa started with MSOSV at the young age of twenty-four. She had completed her degree in Child Development and was excited to start her life in Montessori. Ms. Melissa’s career quickly took off with rapid acceleration. In

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