The Montessori Notebook podcast :: a Montessori parenting podcast with Simone Davies

Hello there! I'm popping into your podcast feed with a catch up on what has been happening the last 2.5 years since the last podcast episode, including the launch of The Montessori Child book. The book picks up where The Montessori Toddler leaves off, covering how to bring Montessori into your home with 3-12 year olds, including a bonus chapter on adolescence. At the end of the epidsode, I also answer a listener question about talking to our children about war. Links from the episode The Montessori Child bookherePerfect daysAnatomy of a FallSummer Fishing in LaplandKlara and the SunBraiding SweetgrassThe Best Weapon for Peace: Maria Montessori, Education, and Children's RightsHow to talk to children about what is happeningTalking to our children about warheresign up

Welcome to the last episode of Season 2. And it’s a good one. Today I get to chat to Montessori educator and a nationally recognised anti-bias educator in the US, Britt Hawthorne. She’s all about creating inclusive and equitable environments for all learners and understandably her work has been recognized by none other than PBS, Drew Barrymore, Google Edu, Association Montessori Internationale, and more. I have learned so much from Britt over the last year and a half, yes, about being an anti-racist parent and educator but also just how you can raise critically thinking children, children who can advocate for themselves, recognise injustice, call it out and do something about it. We all need people like this that raise their children in a way that shows us what is possible. Links from the show websiteinstagramCollective LiberationDr Kira Banksfundamental needsAnti-Bias Education for Young Children and OurselvesDr Rudine Sims Bishopbookshop.org/shop/britthawthorneKeres Children's Learning CenterSankofa Learning Centerpyramid of accountability“If you’re tired, rest don’t quit”8 ABAR goals to set for 2021insta postblog postspindle boxtourheresign upListener question Maeg asks “I’m really having a hard time preparing work cycles for two daughters with totally #1 different interests. They are 3 & 1. Also my 3 year old is so focused and loves doing things all by herself (even when she was just a baby) however the 1 year old loves to join her older sister. Another factor is a very small apartment. We only have one low shelf that could fit the room so most of the time for the 1 year old were prepared in the shelf. What should I do. We’ll live in this apartment for the next five years before having our third baby."

I have not just one amazing guest but two for a conversation about Montessori at home. I invited Jeanne-Marie Paynel, Your Parenting Mentor, and Pilar Bewley from Mainly Montessori to look at how we can apply Montessori principles in our homes whether we are homeschooling our child, they go to a Montessori school or not and we want to apply Montessori at home. We cover children from 0 to 12 in this conversation, how Montessori can be done on a budget, Montessori and minimalism, Montessori training and a whole lot more. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. Links from the show websiteinstagramThe Art of Parenting podcastwebsiteinstagramSecond Plane Montessori Facebook groupThe Brave LearnerSetting up your home Montessori-styleListener question "How should someone decorate their Montessori classroom? I like minimalist but just wanting to make sure I'm not decorating too much." - anonymous

Hi everyone and welcome to another episode of The Montessori Notebook podcast. Today I'm talking with Hannah Baynham from Collaborative Montessori about some of the big picture principles in Montessori. Hannah is a teacher educator who is passionate about issues of social justice, sustainability and the spiritual preparation of the guide. Having worked in schools around the world, she has a unique view of the importance of Cosmic Education in our early years environments. Don’t know what cosmic education is? Then you’ve come to the right place as Hannah will guide us through it all and I hope you’ll leave feeling as inspired as I did. Links from the show websiteinstagramfacebook groupMontessori Movement Unitesyoutubeep 4ep 2Child of the RedwoodsListener question Ruth asks, "I'm a mother of a 9 month old baby. I knew about Montessori before becoming a mother but dove into learning more once our baby was born. I am passionate about the Montessori approach to development, especially the principles like follow the child, the prepared environment and prepared parent, building peace, and being in nature. Lately I find myself getting too focused on the "stuff", or materials. It feels like consumerism, waste, and endless activities are the visuals of Montessori that I see online all the time. Expensive wooden toys and materials, perfectly clean spaces. I know this isn't what is about, but I still feel some pressure to meet all my baby's developmental needs with the right "thing" at the right time. I'd love to hear a discussion about this and how I can reset my focus on the bigger picture. I love following you and Aubrey from child the redwoods, you always help to keep it real and de-centre the stuff. I guess this isn't really a question, but maybe an idea for discussion. I feel Montessori must be accessible and inclusive and I don't want to lose sight of that. Thanks! "

Welcome to another episode of The Montessori Notebook podcast. Today’s conversation is a little different as we transport ourselves to Nigeria and get to see how Montessori looks there. This conversation is with Ochuko Prudence Daniels, the founder of Momahill Montessori who found Montessori through her children and, as you’ll hear, she didn’t choose to become a Montessori teacher. It just happened. You’ll learn so much from Pru as we talk about how they apply Montessori in their home and in her school. What I love most is how passionate she is about bringing Montessori to her country and to any and every child and when you listen to her talk, you’ll have little doubt that she will make it happen. She even says that she brought in friends to her school, to the training and she’d go up to people on the street to tell them to respect their child because she’s just that passionate and she does it all with a warm heart, a big smile and a lot of grace. Links from the episode Advanced Montessori Method Vol 1websiteinstagramListener question "How can parents work with Montessori schools when kids who are hitting when upset? Do you give feedback on the spot and how to deal with consequences " - Crystal

So lovely to learn more about Theresa from Montessori In Real Life who we all love following on Instagram. She shares so much in this episode from how she gets her children to pack away, to what they are loving outdoors, organising spaces with siblings, their favourite practical life, her own anti-bias journey and so much more. Links from the show WebsiteInstagramhere4 week course2 hour workshophereherehereblog postinsta reelinsta reelinsta postblog postblog postinsta postblog postTheresa's Montessori guidesWhole Brain ChildListener question Hi! I am just discovering Montessori and I have a 3…almost 4 year old. She has developed a fear of bugs so much that she cries when it’s time to go outside. I’m a working mom so I try to get her outside as much as I can. I do let her hold my hand and I let her know that she is safe. We talk about bugs that are okay to observe close up vs bugs that we want to observe at a distance. Basically, how do I navigate through this time? We are in Michigan so it’s quite buggy right now and the summer months are upon us. My husband and I loooove being outside (camping, gardening, etc) but now she’s so afraid that we are finding ourselves inside a lot to respect her emotions. - Scarlett

Something I get asked a lot about is how to do Montessori with twins. I loved this conversation with Ana-Kay of Pickneys at Play who shared with us everything from eating and toileting with two, when they copy each other doing something that's not safe, some travelling tips and how they incorporated their religion and Jamaican culture into their home. Links from the show InstagramFrom Childhood to Adolescencestand up diaper changelanguage matching activitygiving them access in the kitchendressing areatravel tipsDIY oversized object permanence boxDIY chalkboardDIY placematbooks from and about the CaribbeanThis week's listener question "Hi Simone, My daughter (recently turned 2) is really into counting at the moment. She had a beautiful abacus that she uses all the time. She, of course, gets the order wrong most of the time en generally counts one.. two.. eight, nine, ten! I want to help her slowly get the hang of it, but don’t want to say “no, you’re doing it wrong, counting goes like this”. I try to do this by counting out loud when possible (for example the coops of coffee when she helps making coffee or the number of tomatoes for dinner). But I’m an insecure about how I can help her best when she is counting for herself. Should I just leave her to it, correct her and, for example, count together, or what would be the ‘Montessori way’ to help her? Love to have your take on this!" - Eva

I said last week I’d have to do a podcast soon all about babies, and after our book launch Zoom party for The Montessori Baby last week where Junnifa and I were talking all about our love for babies, I decided it could be fun to share the recording from the book launch party for this week’s podcast. We talked about how we show respect for babies in the Montessori approach, we give you a virtual tour of the book, and even some of the people featured in the book were live on the call and able to talk about how it’s been for them to apply Montessori in their lives. And the most fun is Dr Ayize Sabater of the Black Montessori Education Fund. He kindly agreed to host the event and you can just feel his joy and his passion for Montessori. Enjoy... Links from the show Instagramblackmontessorieducationfund.orgInstagramMontessori ChaptersMontessorian by heartThe Kavanaugh ReportMainly MontessoriRaising YannisForest MontessoriMontessori in Real LifeMontessori like a MotherKarin SlabaughYouTube videoTilt ParentingBilingual Families: A Practical Language Planning GuideRaising Bilingual & Multilingual children A Parents' and Teachers' Guide to BilingualismThis week's listener question I'd love to hear more about your journey incorporating Montessori and bilingualism, Simone. Where we are moving next (in the US), we'll have to choose between one or the other for schooling (a Montessori school or an immersion school). The second language is not my first language, but we'd still like to introduce a second language. How did you navigate this or do you have any tips or resources you recommend? Thank you! - Sarah

In this episode, Barbara and Ferne share so much wisdom from years of Montessori teaching, Montessori parenting and being a Montessori grandparent. By the end of the episode, you'll want to adopt both of them as surrogate grandparents in your home too! Links from the show Montessori EuropeMontessori Musings Montessori GrannyMy Montessori Life podcastThe Independent ChildInstagramThe book you wish your parents had read The ProphetWhat is the research into Montessori?A group for Montessori grandparentsThis week's listener question My son is 7 months old, I have been following all the Montessori principles that i can find and using it with my son. I live in Kathmandu and the concept is there in a very superficial way. Schools are called Montessori but they don't follow the principles. So my question is regarding my son visiting his peers / friends who live in a mountain of electronic toys. How will my son deal with an environment where no one is vaguely following the method. All his toys are wooden Montessori toys and his friends have just plastic and battery operated toys. What can i expect from his interactions with his peers. And what will the difference be between him and his friends when they are older?

This episode about Marvin Reyes and sustainability Such a fun conversation today with Marvin of Vincerola nurseries & preschools in Cologne, Germany. We were planning to interview some of the children but with 4 and 5 year olds whose native language isn't English, well, you'll have to listen to hear how that went. Keeping it real. Then I got to ask Marvin all about their sustainability projects in their Montessori school. We talked about building bee hotels, nature visits and how they are making children conscious of how much trash they make in a week. Listen to the episode for more! Links from the show register to join our free virtual book tour eventsthe book10 ways we can show respect to our childUnconditional Parenting5 reasons to stop saying good jobwebsiteYouTubeThe Earth ProjectListener question Today's listener question is from Eve-Marie: "Hi Simone, thank you so much for all the resources you have put into the world. I listen to the podcast regularly and read the Montessori Toddler while on maternity leave. My 2.5 year old son attends a lovely AMI Montessori School full time here in Canada, and my husband and I try our best to follow the Montessori method at home, although we were both raised in a very different way. His teachers report that our little guy is easy and affable at school, but at home he has lately started to push up on limits very strongly. Although I understand this is exactly what he should be doing, I often don't know what to do after I feel like I appropriately responded to his behavior and he persists in it. For an example: the first nice warm day of Spring on our commute home from school (I was walking and pulling him in his wagon as usual) we saw another family eating ice cream cones. He started asking for ice cream, repeating the request more and more urgently. I pulled the wagon off the side walk, crouched down to his level to look him in the eye. I calmly explained that I understood that he wanted ice cream, ice cream was delicious and I wished we could have some too. But today we were not going to have ice cream. I couldn't buy him ice cream today (this was true, I hadn't brought my wallet), which was hard, because I understood the he wanted some very much. Today was not the day to have ice cream. Today was that family's turn to eat ice cream and it would be our tun to have ice cream on a different day. Today we were going to the park!. I felt like we had connected and he understood, but as soon as we started walking again he resumed yelling and repeating his demand for ice cream. What to do in this instance? Ignoring him didn't feel very respectful, but I was at a loss how else to move on and ended up diverting him with the slide when we arrived at the playground. This is an example of something that is happening a lot. I feel like I am communicating that I understand his wishes, explain the limit, and validate his feelings towards the limit. But then when he continues to test that limit (which I understand) what is the best way to respond?"

Today I have an amazing conversation to share with Gabriel Salomão of Lar Montessori in Brazil. His native language is Portuguese and yet speaks so eloquently, gently and respectfully about the Montessori approach. I always learn something from our conversations and am so happy to be able to share this conversation with you on the podcast today. Lar Montessori: Website / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube Gabriel works with families and schools in Brazil and abroad, including training Montessori educators. He went to Montessori school himself until he was 14 and came back to Montessori when he was graduating in Literature in search of tools to become a better teacher. "One night, I found a small little book by Maria Montessori online and started to read, without pretensions. When I finished, it was dawn, and my life was transformed." Quotes - Gabriel asked a child "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The child responded, "An adult." - "To obey is hard, it's a skill and you learn that." - "Step into the wilderness of silence" - "Love is very much silent" Links from the episode Dignity: a new gift for children8 principles of silent educationA Path for the Exploration of Any Language Leading to Writing and Reading@whatdaddidJoinListener question Hi, Simone! I want to thank you so much for this podcast & your book. It has helped me immensely in my personal interactions with my 20-month old and I have already seen a change in her demeanour at home. My question is regarding my spouse. He tells me to ""lead the way"" indicating that he wants me to learn all I can to incorporate Montessori principles at home. He is supportive in my research, but rarely listens to parts of your podcast that I share or reads blog posts that I recommend for him. He often interrupts our daughter's activities that I spend time planning, or constantly ""quizzes"" her to see what she has learned. He is well-intentioned and loves her so much. How do I gently guide him, or really guide all of our family, to let her lead and stop interrupting her or constantly asking her questions? Thank you so much for helping me in this situation! Submit your listener question here

Mars (Instagram/website) was a Montessori educator and owned her own school and now homeschools her daughter Cara. I asked Mars if I could interview her daughter Cara about their Montessori homeschooling and we spoke for over an hour! I'm sure you'll enjoy this conversation as much as I did. At the end Mars also talks about how she supports Cara's learning and what "successful" homeschooling looks like to them. Links from the episode How to Save a PlanetGardener of the Sea: A Story About Nida CalumpongCharlotte MasonFor Nature Stories for Young Readers, we have the Animal Life. Nature Stories for Young Readers: Animal Life by Florence BassShell, Beak, TuskHow to clean a hippopotamus bookSleeping queensRainbow KnightsCuBirdsTrellisBitesJurassic SnackThe Magic LabyrinthSecret SevenFamous FivephotoMontessori trainingThe Montessori BabyListener question My question for you is do you have any recommendations regarding resources or training for educators who do not intend on working in a Montessori school but would still like to approach teaching in a Montessori way? I work as a teacher in a public elementary school in Canada and would love to have a better understanding of the Montessori approach to early numeracy and literacy learning. I am specifically looking for resources for students in the 3-6 range. Thanks!

Hi everyone! Simone here and I'm super excited to be back with another season of The Montessori Notebook podcast. Today I'll be talking with Nusaibah Macadam from Rumi Montessori. It was a beautiful conversation covering: Listener question I have a 3 year old son who has been raised in a Spanish environment even though we live in the US. I have never wanted to label him as a shy person, but I think that’s one of the descriptions that the rest of the people that gets to know him say about him. So, how do you work with persons that are shy or have some personality trails of shyness?, how do you help this people to succeed? And what can I do as a parent to encourage in my child to be more open to others and to play and work with others? - Carolina Links from the show websiteinstagramThe Montessori Baby

Happy to be back with another Q&A episode. So many valuable questions, it was hard to choose! I've selected the most commonly asked questions as well as a few less often asked but useful to answer as I haven't seen them often discussed elsewhere. In this episode I answer your questions about: So many fun questions, right? I hope you all find some useful answers to your Montessori questions. Sadly this episode of the podcast is the last of Season 1. That went by so quick! I don't yet have a date for Season 2, but if you'd like to be kept up to date, be sure to subscribe here to receive my regular e-newsletter with the latest news and always packed full of Montessori inspiration. And in the meantime, there are also lots of podcast episodes in this season to listen to or revisit, you can follow me on Instagram, check out the blog and free resources, and there are lots of online courses to explore too. Til Season 2! Watch this space... Links from this episode Click here for full show notes: https://www.themontessorinotebook.com/your-montessori-questions-answered-2/ Want even more Montessori inspiration? - website: themontessorinotebook.com/the-montessori-notebook-podcast - instagram: instagram.com/themontessorinotebook - facebook: facebook.com/themontessorinotebook - my online courses: themontessorinoteb

I love it when Montessori teachers share their secrets and today's conversation with Nichole Holtvluwer of Radicle Beginnings is just like that. Nichole talks us through why children need boundaries, and we can set these limits in a calm and clear way from a child hitting to a fussy eater. Nichole is so respectful in how she communicates with children right down to making intentional word choices and how she speaks with them to keep them curious about the world around them. She is an expert with Montessori for toddlers, but her advice is relevant for any age child. In the episode, I also give you lots of tips for setting up your home in a Montessori way and answer a listener question about sharing. For full show notes, click here: www.themontessorinotebook.com/children-need-boundaries Want even more Montessori inspiration? - website: themontessorinotebook.com/the-montessori-notebook-podcast - instagram: instagram.com/themontessorinotebook - facebook: facebook.com/themontessorinotebook - my online courses: themontessorinotebook.com/online-courses/ The Montessori Notebook podcast is hosted by Simone Davies. Edited by Luke Davies of Filmprov Media. Podcast art by Hiyoko Imai.

This week I have a beautiful conversation with Junnifa all the way over in Nigeria. You may know Junnifa from her blog, Nduoma or instagram or her school, Fruitful Orchard Montessori. You'll leave this episode feeling inspired to either parent in a more Montessori way, maybe take a Montessori training, or simply to be more calm and present in whatever role you are taking on right now. In our conversation we cover: 🌿how she juggles running a Montessori school, her Montessori trainings, being a member of the AMI board, and raising 3 young children 🌿the importance of soft hands and how to talk with babies 🌿some special Montessori moments in her family 🌿building trust with her children including teaching them about telling the truth 🌿observing empathy in her two-year-old 🌿siblings - helping them take responsibility for each other and what to do if they interfere with each other's activity 🌿using baby signs with babies 🌿how we can help children build trust in self and their environment 🌿observing when there are sleeping problems 🌿favourite parts of her 3-6 classroom 🌿the brilliance of Montessori elementary including deriving your own formulas 🌿the importance of understanding the characteristics of different ages 🌿what to do when they are having a hard time 🌿AND a big announcement about a secret project we've been working on - yes, The Montessori Baby book and The Montessori Chid book! Coming soon...in Spring 2021 and 2022. I also talk about what we can do to keep our children's love of learning alive. And answer a listener question about why Montessori children seem to be very strong-willed. For full show notes, click here: www.themontessorinotebook.com/building-trust-in-children Want even more Montessori inspiration? - website: themontessorinotebook.com/the-montessori-notebook-podcast - instagram: instagram.com/themontessorinotebook - facebook: facebook.com/themontessorinotebook - my online courses: themontessorinotebook.com/online-courses/ The Montessori Notebook podcast is hosted by Simone Davies. Edited by Luke Davies of Filmprov Media. Podcast art by Hiyoko Imai.

On today's podcast I had so much fun chatting to Nicole Kavanaugh of The Kavanaugh Report, mother of four children (and a dog), raising four children in a Montessori way. So if you've ever thought it might be easy to raise children in a Montessori way with one child, but struggled once there were some siblings involved, this episode will help you breathe a sigh of relief and give you an insight into how it can be a more relaxing way to parent, even in larger families. We cover so much in this conversation including: I also talk about how I use Ayurveda to support being a Montessori teacher and parent and give an introduction to Ayurvedic principles. As well as answer a listener question about when a child throws, hits and laughs. For full show notes, click here: https://www.themontessorinotebook.com/raising-four-children-in-a-montessori-way/ Want even more Montessori inspiration? - website: themontessorinotebook.com/the-montessori-notebook-podcast - instagram: instagram.com/themontessorinotebook - facebook: facebook.com/themontessorinotebook - my online courses: themontessorinotebook.com/online-courses/ The Montessori Notebook podcast is hosted by Simone Davies. Edited by Luke Davies of Filmprov Media. Podcast art by Hiyoko Imai.

Today I share my conversation with Bill Conway which is a little different to others in the series where we zoom out and look at the big picture of Montessori. Bill is the Head of School at Montessori East in Sydney, Australia and I loved getting to ask him the tough questions like "does Montessori prepare children for the real world?", asking him if Montessori is still relevant in today's modern world, and how they deal with conflict in the classroom and bullying. We also cover: I also talk about kids who don't want to be told what to do and answer a listener question about listening to podcasts in front of your children (!). For full show notes, click here: https://www.themontessorinotebook.com/dealing-with-conflict-in-the-classroom Want even more Montessori inspiration? - website: themontessorinotebook.com/the-montessori-notebook-podcast - instagram: instagram.com/themontessorinotebook - facebook: facebook.com/themontessorinotebook - my online courses: themontessorinotebook.com/online-courses/ The Montessori Notebook podcast is hosted by Simone Davies. Edited by Luke Davies of Filmprov Media. Podcast art by Hiyoko Imai.

I had so much fun in this episode catching up with Heleen who used to come to my Montessori playgroup here in Amsterdam with her daughter Josie. We hear all about the Montessori principles they still use in their home now that Josie is 6 and even though Josie doesn't go to a Montessori school. We have a beautiful conversation covering: I also loved talking about how I'm not a perfect Montessori teacher or parent. I'm making mistakes still, reflecting on them, seeing if I can do better, and just keep doing my best. And I answer another listener question. For full show notes, click here: https://www.themontessorinotebook.com/montessori-at-home/ Want even more Montessori inspiration? - website: themontessorinotebook.com/the-montessori-notebook-podcast - instagram: instagram.com/themontessorinotebook - facebook: facebook.com/themontessorinotebook - my online courses: themontessorinotebook.com/online-courses/ The Montessori Notebook podcast is hosted by Simone Davies. Edited by Luke Davies of Filmprov Media. Podcast art by Hiyoko Imai.

I loved putting together this episode of the podcast. So many great questions have been submitted about the Montessori approach and today I spend the whole episode answering lots of them. Hope it will be super useful to all of you no matter where you are on your Montessori journey. Topics we cover in today’s episode include: See? So many interesting topics. Let me know what you think and if you enjoy these Q&A episodes. For full show notes, click here: https://www.themontessorinotebook.com/your-montessori-questions-answered/ Want even more Montessori inspiration? - website: themontessorinotebook.com/the-montessori-notebook-podcast - instagram: instagram.com/themontessorinotebook - facebook: facebook.com/themontessorinotebook - my online courses: themontessorinotebook.com/online-courses/ The Montessori Notebook podcast is hosted by Simone Davies. Edited by Luke Davies of Filmprov Media. Podcast art by Hiyoko Imai. Episode is Live Published: Feb. 28, 2020 @ 7AM Edit Unpublish Amplify this Episode Add Chapter Markers Transcribe this Episode Promote this Episode Create a Video Soundbite Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Email Link to Episode Direct Link to MP3