When is it safe for my child to return to preschool? When talking with parents about their readiness to return their child to school, by far the most common response I hear is “we’re watching the numbers to decide when it’s safe to return…”. Being located in the Silicon Valley, the parents in our school community are well educated professionals so this comment confounds me. As an owner of multiple Montessori preschools I assure you that no one has been watching the numbers more closely since early March than our leadership team. What I have

Now Your 5 year-old is a Leader By the third year of their cycle, Montessori Kindergarten children have been waiting two years to become one 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 learning. Beyond Academic Achievement Kinders

Year Round Outside Play Occasionally parents express their concern that outdoor time takes away from “learning”.  But children learn a tremendous amount through the type of physical activity they get from year round outside play. Living in California – particularly here in the Bay Area – the weather is generally mild, not too hot, not too cold. It is just right. Even so, parents are always concerned about the weather and their child playing outside. Short periods of outdoor activity in weather-appropriate clothing provides fresh air to a child’s lungs that increases oxygen flow to the

What do Montessori Guides mean when they talk about intrinsic vs extrinsic rewards? When a child accomplishes a task or finally figure something out, we want to hear: “I did it!” Children are born with an innate curiosity to learn.  The early years are crucial for establishing intrinsic motivations.  In the Montessori environment, guides focus on strengthening this motivation in children. Many times, this is used by parents and educators for compliance.  Achieving compliance is easier than getting engagement.  Compliance however, is short lived. Extrinsic Motivators Extrinsic motivators are influences from the outside:  rewards like stickers, stars and M&M’s. 

In Part 1 of our “All Day Montessori: Enrichment Studios” series, we provided an overview of our All Day Montessori programs and the role of Enrichment Studios within those programs. In Part 2, we reviewed the individual Studio Enrichment Programs that are part of the curriculum at the Montessori School of Silicon Valley: Art, Cooking & Gardening. In Part 3, we will focus on the Studio Opening event where the children are able to showcase their projects for their family and friends. The Enrichment Studio Opening After every 12-week session, the children prepare for the “Opening”. 

In Part 1 of our “All Day Montessori: Enrichment Studios” series, we provided an overview of our All Day Montessori programs and the role of Enrichment Studios within those programs. In Part 2, we will provide an overview of each of the individual Studio Enrichment Programs: Art, Cooking & Gardening. The Enrichment Studio Cart First off, each studio lead has a mobile “Studio Cart”.  This allows the Studio Guide to have all supplies ready that are necessary for the studio. “Cart Work” This is the studio work that is only available during “studio time”.  For the

“If we try to think back to the dim and distant past… what is it that helps us reconstruct those times, and to picture the lives of those who lived in them?  it is their art… It is thanks to the hand, the companion of the mind, that civilization has arisen.”  All Day Montessori Enrichment Studios Dr. Maria Montessori A lot of forethought went into creating a program that would meet the needs of young children and their full-time working parents. All Day Montessori Enrichment Studio In the bay area where the majority of families have two

Having been in the Montessori community for well over 20 years now, I have seen first-hand the evolution of parent communication tools. We have come a long way from handwritten notes, long forms, unnecessary repetition, photocopying and other time-consuming low value-add activity.  Things improved some as we evolved from paper updates to email and websites. The last several years have brought further evolution in the form of education centric systems and most recently systems with deep subject matter expertise such as Montessori Compass. At the Montessori School of Silicon Valley, we began our

Techniques for Getting Preschoolers to Talk to Parents We know you are eager to know how your child’s day went.  Techniques for Getting Preschoolers to Talk to Parents 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

Block the Sun, Not the Fun! At the Montessori School of Silicon Valley, the children love to play outside, especially in the summer time 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 of from us 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 and