Confessions of a Montessori Mom

Let's chat about bedtime routines! Are you having problems at bedtime? Then this post is for you! I have some YouTube videos for you to watch AFTER you listen to my 10-minute bedtime routine chat about my son's bedtime routines between the ages of six months and fourteen--what worked, what didn't! Again, please listen to my podcast episode FIRST! 1. Listen to my 10-minute podcast episode, first. 2. Next, watch these YouTube videos: "Morning and Bedtime Routine Tips for Strong-Willed...

In this episode I chat about five MG novels--by unique and diverse authors--I highly recommend (book links to Goodreads): Ways to Make SunshineBee Fearless: Dream Like a KidHealer of the Water MonsterBen Yokoyama and the Cookie of DoomLast Gate of the EmperorWere there any common themes, you ask, why yes! Yes, there were: heart, magic, mystery, humor, and charm. I rejected the MG novels that were sad, tragic, controversial, and or too heavy. I just felt like WE ALL needed a little heart,...

Today I chat about this amazing book that dives into math and number sense, "working memory," the effects of stress on the brain of youngsters, and a lot more: The Learning Brain, Memory and Brain Development in Children by Torkel Klingberg, MD Ph.D. (This is not an interview, FYI.) ~Lisa Nolan ABOUT: "Despite all our highly publicized efforts to improve our schools, the United States is still falling behind. We recently ranked 15th in the world in reading, math, and science. Clearly, more...

What are winter micro spaces? Are they "Montessori"? And should you have them? Listen and find out! ~Lisa Nolan Photo by donnierayjones on Foter. Intro outro music owned and licensed by Kevin MacLeod. Key words: Montessori, home, environment, preschoolers, toddlers, children, winter.

Today I am sharing some "calming" gross motor activities to do indoors with your kids! ~Lisa Nolan Photo by AiyaHMPH on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

The Self-Compassionate Teen: mindfulness & compassion skills to conquer your critical inner voice by Dr. Karen Bluth, a book chat Listen as I chat about and share passages from this amazing book for teens (and tweens)! It was originally posted on my private membership website, but in response to the recent tragedy that occurred at Robb Elementary School in Texas, I wanted to share it with the general public. If you have a tween or a teen, work with 11 to 18-year-olds, GET THIS...

In part two I continue to dig deep into the remaining four Montessori-friendly articles on how to organize. Find links to these four articles below. (Please excuse the not-so-great quality, this was one of my earliest podcast episodes before I did my own editing.) Creating Learning Spaces at HomeEnvironmental Set-Up for Homeschool, Childcare, and ECE ClassroomsFive Easy Ideas for Making Your Home More Kid-FriendlyKids Room Organization: Teach Them to do it Themselves UPDATE Lastly, this...

Organizing your Montessori home environment is a perfect project for starting off the new year, when you are spring cleaning, whenever you are in a "nesting" mood, or whenever you move to a new home! In this podcast episode (part one) I dig deep into seven Montessori-friendly articles on how to organize. Links to the Montessori-friendly articles on organization that I shared in this episode: Kids' Clutter is Visual NoiseTen Genius Toy Storage Solutions Every Mom NeedsOrganizing Kids Clothes...

Given the past two years of living with COVID in the age of social media, I decided to re-post Maria Montessori's "The Mind of the 12 to 18-Year-Old" and her "Prepared Environment for 12 to 18-Year-Olds: the Erkinder (Earth Children)." Why? Because of how living with the realities of COVID--and the overuse of social media--might be affecting our teenagers: anxiety, anger, depression, trauma, eating disorders, drug use, isolation, loneliness, suicidal thoughts; and what makes 12 to...

Are Montessori (home) school zones appropriate for infants, tots, and toddlers? (And what is a homeschool zone?) Listen and find out! ~Lisa Nolan Photo by angelina_koh on Foter.com / CC BY-NC

This podcast episode was based on a short and sweet blog post I wrote a while back, read it below! My son cries when I drop him off at his Montessori school, can you help?! ~Catherine Hi Catherine! It can happen at age three when preschool starts! It can even happen at age five when Kindergarten starts! Children are attached to their mommies, but they also copy other tots, toddlers, and preschoolers who cry when they are dropped off. My son went through that type of phase. He started a...