Author: gabarker

Most children begin reading at some point during their primary years in the Montessori classroom. This usually starts after the child knows all of the sounds of the alphabet- (thank you sandpaper letters). We have found that it is easiest to show the child a few sounds at a time- naming the sound and then…

We had our Winter Family Social at The Little Gym in Lake Oswego this year.  This is an event  that the whole family participates in; parents, grandparents and siblings.  I wanted the children to be able to be in a safe, fun environment with some free time as well as a portion of more structured…

Four years ago when I was getting ready to open Community Montessori I structured the program around two things: the Montessori philosophy, and offering a flexible schedule.  I had been in the Montessori world for 10 years at this point, every school I worked at, or even knew of, only offered 5 day schedules.  I…

Preparations. We know that all young children have a lot of knowledge they need to acquire.  In a Montessori school learning is self-driven and is done effortlessly.  When the child is young they busy themselves with washing tables, polishing brass, stringing beads, moving cylinders in and out of blocks, matching colors, dishwashing and even making…

A young child is bombarded by many, many things to learn.  Thankfully they are born with the gift of an “absorbent mind”.  Maria Montessori, (founder of the Montessori Method), uses this term consistently in her observations of children.  She uncovered the fact that a childs’ brain is like a sponge. We have all seen this…

The first time I walked into a Montessori classroom I was 20 years old looking for a ‘job with children”.  I had held many jobs prior, all related to kids, but NOTHING like this.  As I walked up to the “school” I marveled at the 2 cottages that had been turned into classrooms. It looked…