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Confessions of a Montessori Mom Blog

Confessions of a Montessori Mom was created by Montessori-trained teacher Lisa Nolan 15 years ago so she could answer pressing questions about Montessori, homeschooling, and parenting.

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Where to Find Inexpensive Montessori Materials for the Home [In a Nutshell] by Teresa of Montessori by Mom

DIY Montessori Montessori home environment

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How to Create a "Calmer" Less Chaotic Playtime Outdoor Experience... Montessori Inspired (Podcast)

behavior and discipline Montessori methodology and philosophy outside and nature activities

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What's Next for Lisa Nolan of Confessions of a Montessori Mom?

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Montessori and Composting with Kids

Montessori lessons and activities outside and nature activities

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You know you have a Montessori child when...

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How many Montessori materials do you REALLY need in the home?

Montessori FAQs Montessori home environment

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Creating a Montessori Infant Home Environment FAQs

infants Montessori FAQs Montessori home environment

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Infants and Late or Not Crawling

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Montessori and Baby Sign Language Question

infants language Montessori FAQs tots

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Pulling Your Child Out of Montessori School

Montessori homeschool Montessori school

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Should Your Child Continue On In Montessori

language Montessori school

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Montessori and Potty Training Boys

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Which Montessori Lessons to Give a Tot?

Montessori FAQs tots

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Can You Give a Toddler a Montessori Lesson?

Montessori FAQs toddlers

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Confessions of a Montessori Mom is "a great blog that is fun, interesting and informative. Packed full of information on a range of topics. I love their sense of humor while they are providing well informed and thought out answers to your questions. All in all a great read for any parent!" ~Christine Howard.

Home
About
My Lessons
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Labels | Tags

Parenting FAQs17
behavior and discipline15
Montessori home environment13
toddlers12
Montessori FAQs11
DIY Montessori10
language8
three-year-olds8
tots7
infants6

my confessions6
special needs5
Montessori homeschool4
Montessori lessons and activities4
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book reviews4
Montessori methodology and philosophy3
outside and nature activities3
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Top 5 Posts

How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Simone Davies of Jacaranda Tree Montessori

How to talk with children is a lesson we all seem to need. Even as infants they learn from how and what we say to them. We are thrilled to have Simone Davies back with us to walk us through the How2Talk2Kids method of communicating with our children. It ’ s a pleasure to be back guest blogging here. I love the energy of this group and your passion and interest in incorporating Montessori into your homes. I ’ m exactly the same. When my children were born (already 12 and 13 years ago!), I wanted to learn a different way to be with them. I didn ’ t want to force learning on them; I wanted to discover and explore the world together and guide them along the way. But I found my communication skills lacking. A repertoire of “ good girl/good boy, ” “ what a great job, ” or “ don ’ t worry, it ’ s just a scratch ” came flowing out of my mouth in the same way we had been raised by our parents. The words I used just didn ’ t seem to be consistent with the way I wanted to raise

Where to Find Inexpensive Montessori Materials for the Home [In a Nutshell] by Teresa of Montessori by Mom

In the classroom, and while trying to use the Montessori method at home, keeping a child’s interest is critical. I found that I often had to change activities and find ways to keep them interesting. I didn’t have the budget to constantly buy things from big Montessori stores, so I got creative! But where to look? Well, I learned that there are many places available to find inexpensive materials for Montessori jobs, you just need to know where to look. Here’s a list of places where I’ve found treasures: 1. Dollar stores: Great for kitchen utensils, inexpensive trays, small bowls, seasonal items, and cheap crafting supplies. 2. Thrift stores: These places can be a goldmine! I’ve found lots of neat bowls, plates, baskets, vases, etc. One thing to remember- you won’t always find what you are looking for, so come with an open mind. 3. [World import/export] stores: Several of my favorite materials came from [world import/export] stores. My favorite one is World Market (also known as

A Montessori Teacher's Thoughts on Waldorf Education

As a Montessori 3-6 and 6-9 trained teacher, I have a lot of respect for Waldorf education, even though I was drawn to (fell in love with!) Montessori at a young age (23). And as a Montessori teacher, I have recommended it for a few children (usually two students per year) who were graduating from our 3-6 classroom, because I (we) felt it was a better choice for those particular children. Their interests, or should I say passions, were not with the Montessori materials, and certainly not academics like phonics and simple math, but instead, they loved arts, crafts, practical life, the outdoors, and botany. One of the attributes I like about Waldorf is its sensitivity to the development of the WHOLE child: mind, body, and spirit. Also, there is a lot of emphasis on fine motor (like weaving, knitting, sewing), nature, cooking, playing, arts and crafts, large motor play, storytelling, poetry, songs, critical thinking, and literature. Speaking of large motor, children really benefit f

Montessori Sewing Works by Aimee Fagan, author of Sewing in the Montessori Classroom: a practical life curriculum

If I had to pick just one type of work to stock my practical life shelves with, it would be sewing. I am NOT an accomplished sewer. Actually, I think it has been over a year since I pulled out my sewing machine, and then I prefer to make clothing with elasticized waists. But, when it comes to the classroom, I think nothing beats handwork. Maria Montessori stated that the activities of practical life should be meaningful, looking around my classroom, I wanted to find activities that still had meaning for today’s children. Polishing is great, but how many children really see their parents polishing the silver place settings? Spooning, tonging, pouring, and the like are quickly mastered when we leave the lessons simple and isolated on the tray. What materials could we use that would appeal to the 3-year-old and remain enticing through age 6 or beyond? Sewing. A child’s engagement with practical life materials is what prepares him for later success in the classroom. These handw

What's Next for Lisa Nolan of Confessions of a Montessori Mom?

But first... My public podcast: In the spring of 2023, I retired my Confessions of a Montessori Mom podcast (which I created in 2018 but then I took a years-long break and restarted it in 2022) where I chatted about Montessori and homeschooling and offered tips, advice, and reviews for parents, homeschoolers, and daycare providers. Next, my blog: My Confessions of a Montessori Mom blog was created in 2008 so I could answer pressing questions about Montessori, homeschooling, and parenting. It's now semi-archived (AKA I've been less active here since 2021 ). And my Montessori albums? My Montessori and homeschhol lessons and activities for birth to age nine are now available for free at my sister site MontessorifortheEarth.com . Yes, free! They grow up so fast! ) Lastly, my podcast club: I now hang out at my new Montessori & kid-lit podcast club at BMaC where members can access my podcast discussions and audio reviews of Montessori, homeschool, parenting, Waldorf, loose

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