Making children say “sorry” As adults, caregivers, and parents alike, we begin to guide young children as they interact with other children. We want our children to be kind, empathetic and caring towards others. So, when your preschool or toddler walks over to another child, snatches their ball, and runs away. The other child begins to cry. What do you do? It is very natural for parents and caregivers to jump in and tell the child to “say they are sorry”. However, just saying “sorry” without follow-up teaches children that they can act

Block the Sun, Not the Fun! At the Montessori School of Silicon Valley, the children love to play outside, especially in the summertime, so we take summer sun safety very seriously. During the months of May through September sunscreen and sunscreen application becomes a part of our daily routine. Here are some ways we help to “block the sun, and still have fun”. What you can count on from us regarding Summer Sun Safety Staying hydrated is important. Children are encouraged to drink the filtered, cool and refreshing water that we make available all day both indoors

Our friends from our Primary program at Crescent Montessori want to share with you their favorite colors! Do you have a favorite color too?

MSOSV Spring Gardens are Open When I meet young adults, and they tell me they attended a Montessori School as a child, either in my school or another Montessori school, I ask them to share something they remember about the Montessori school. Answers are typically: “I remember peeling a carrot” “I remember making my own snack, spreading jam on a cracker, then getting to eat it” “I remember being with Ms. Colleen in the garden” “I remember this garden being so much bigger” While students in a fully implemented Montessori classroom are fully immersed in academic work,

The Montessori Road to Writing and Reading The Montessori environment is rich in language.  Whether through conversation or language games, the young child is surrounded by vocabulary on their path to writing and reading in the Montessori classroom. At the Montessori School of Silicon Valley, we use a phonetic approach to writing and reading.   Phonics is a method of teaching reading and writing by developing the ability to hear and identify sounds of the English language. Dr. Maria Montessori believed that writing comes before reading.  Her position was that writing is the thought

As we begin to wind down this very unique and unusual year, I would like to start by taking a look back. Before I begin, I would like it to be clear that what follows is my own personal experience. I am the founder and CEO of 4 Montessori preschools in the Bay Area of California. Before the pandemic we were flourishing with 300+ students and 60+ staff members in our schools. A Bit of History I started out in the year 2000, just after my youngest son was born. I had

We know you are eager to know how your child’s day went. What did they do? What did they learn? The challenge is that these questions might be too vague and not “interesting” enough to a child to get them talking. You’ll be surprised what you can learn about your children when you get them to start chatting about their day. Plus, if they are having difficulty or a problem at school hopefully they’ll open up a little more so you can figure out what’s going on. Does this sound familiar? You pick up your child

The Montessori School of Silicon Valley has four locations for your convenience. One in Santa Clara and three in Milpitas. Cabrillo Montessori School Calaveras Montessori School Crescent Montessori School Main Street Montessori School Come take a quick peek inside.

An advocate for outdoor learning, Dr. Montessori would say that with Spring right around the corner and Summer immediately following, there is no better time than now to open the outdoor classrooms and children’s gardens. “There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature; to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony and the beauty in nature.” Maria Montessori Children should have a place and ample time to learn about nature, or to simply enjoy their usual Montessori activities in an outdoor environment and be a part of the

When I drafted the initial version of this blog in late September, I set out to provide visibility to the data being reported by the State of California in regards to the actual number of confirmed cases of COVID19 in Childcare centers across the state. Based on the response and the subsequent wave of articles being published in various media that spans both sides of the political spectrum, I am more resolute than ever in my assertion that schools are safe, posing negligible risk to exposure of COVID, not to mention