Online Event: Monday, August 24, 2020 at 6 PM – 7:30 PM Ever heard of a ‘Montessori’ school and wonder what that meant? What exactly is ‘Montessori’ and how does it compare to other Early Childhood Education programs? Join us to learn more about the Montessori Method for Early Childhood Education from Spark Montessori’s Director […]
Sparks Blog
What is the Purpose of Practical Life Activities
For those people that have toured a Montessori school, you may have heard about the ‘Practical Life’ activities that the children work on throughout the day and wondered why so much time is focused on them. During this series of 3 blog posts, we will dig much deeper into why Practical Life activities are so […]
How Does Practical Life build the Foundation for the Future?
We’ve discussed in previous posts what Practical Life activities are, how they are designed, and their overall purpose. What we will now highlight is how these experiences with Practical Life activities are actually shaping the foundation of the child’s mind and character. A child under the age of six has what we call in Montessori […]
What Do Practical Life Activities Look Like?
In our last post we discussed how Practical Life activities aid the child in the development of independence, concentration, and control of movement. In this post, we will share insights on how Montessori Guides carefully prepare Practical Life activities to ensure they engage the child in the desired manner. The Organization of Practical Life Materials […]
Building the Mathematical Mind
In Montessori classrooms, children adore working with ‘big numbers’ and are quite capable when given the proper apparatus to utilize. When the child is allowed the time to explore and move through the curriculum naturally, their mathematical mind comes alive. They develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts and a love of math that can last a lifetime.
Outdoor Classroom
The choice to raise young children in a city environment like Chicago comes with many benefits: access to convenient amenities, robust cultural activities, close proximity to neighbors, a strong sense of community, diversity, and active commerce. And yet, the downside of this lifestyle is that children often lack the opportunity to spend time long stretches of time on a regular basis to connect with nature.