Feed Your Brain!

Half Price Books is hosting a summer reading program: Feed Your Brain.

And here is their list of 40 Books Every Child Should Read.

What are the benefits of a Montessori education?

Many parents have this question, especially when available Montessori options are tuition-based. The American Montessori Society (AMS) has put together a nice answer on their blog here:

http://www.amshq.org/Montessori-Education/Introduction-to-Montessori/Benefits-of-Montessori.aspx

The attributes listed above are going to be of primary importance to a credentialed Montessori program. They are at the heart of the program we're developing here at Mariposa. Most importantly, they are at the heart of a love of learning. Students who are recognized as individuals, allowed to proceed at their own pace and warmly welcomed into a diverse community of learners will thrive.

Sir Ken Robinson, one of my inspirations, put it this way: Education needs to be personalized rather than standardized and we should be nurturing the spirit as well as the mind.

For the Classroom!

Alongside all of the Montessori materials, one of the things I love in an elementary classroom is simply all the fun stuff that kids love to explore and work on. Today, I purchased a few examples:

When it's raining outside, or when the kids need a little break in their day, puzzles, zentangles, building sets, games, and more keep them engaged but are also just downright fun.