Outdoor Activities

Pretending The Montessori approach to supporting the development of imagination and creativity   Pretending “Imagination is the essence of the human mind which builds and constructs. Imagination does not develop from what the child hears, but from his own efforts in the natural world.” Pretending From infancy, children show us …

Easy as One On the development of foundational mathematical skills and concepts, why the mainstream notion of math education fails most students, and what can we do about it as parents and educators. Amongst the many radical things we believe in Montessori, one of the most eyebrow-raising ones is this: …

  Talking About Mental Health January 28 is Bell Let’s Talk Day in Canada, a campaign that encourages dialogue about mental health and raises funds for mental health initiatives. Established 11 years ago, Bell Let’s Talk is now the world’s largest conversation about mental health. The more we talk openly about …

For young children, every bush is a forest, every rivulet a waterway, and every unfamiliar adult environment a trip to the moon! This year, consider skipping the exotic locale and long travel time. Your family can find plenty of summer fun right in the neighborhood. Even the most mundane locations …

In 1914 Maria Montessori wrote a succinct guide to her discoveries, Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook. According to Nancy Rambusch’s introduction, Montessori aimed to deliver “a practical message of Montessori to the American home,” offering parents the means for understanding and applying basic Montessori themes in the home. Of course, Montessori could …

Maria Montessori? Not this time. This insight into the young child’s relationship with the everyday world comes to us from Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder(published in 2005). Many Montessorians heard Louv speak at the NAMTA conference in Atlanta (January, 2006). What …

Maria Montessori urged us to “give the child a vision of the whole universe…” so that children might better understand Earth’s place in the cosmos. Books, card materials, and star charts take children only so far – no photograph can replace the awe-inspiring vision of millions of diamond-bright stars twinkling …

From A. A. Milne’s immortalization of “Poohsticks” to the popularity of today’s urban water slides, water play remains a fascinating and nearly universal childhood pastime. You may think of puddle-stomping as strictly a summer sport, but water in all its forms offers opportunities for play all year. But It’s Wet …

Children can plant a seed now and nurture the seedling for next year. Planting an Arbor Day tree they’ve grown from a seed can be even more rewarding for children than planting a store-bought sapling. As with most gardening activities, planting and watering a tree seedling is purposeful work that …

Ah, summer… When magic words like “sleep-over” and “camping trip” nudge the older child’s inclination to stretch beyond their immediate circles… When younger children clamor to explore their immediate outdoors… When parents juggle schedules to make outdoor experiences available to all their children… immediately! Explore top resources for family backyard …