It has only been a few days since we have been out of school because of COVID-19 and as a parent and an educator it feels like a lifetime!  Trying to figure out what your new normal is as a family has been a struggle for our family.  Setting a schedule so that the kids understand that this is NOT summer vacation is proving to be more of a challenge than I thought.  Although my children no longer attend Brooksfield I still approached the planning of our day as if they were.   When planning out how I wanted this extended break from school to go Dr. Maria Montessori’s quote, “ To assist a child, we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop”,  was reverberating in my head.   How do we create an environment that allows the child to be successful and still lets the adult accomplish what they need to...

The Importance Of Reading To Your Child In honor of Read Across America last week I wanted to talk about the benefits of reading to your child(ren) daily!  We all know reading to your child increases their vocabulary, helps to improve comprehension and to develop better listening skills as well as increase their language development.    We often forget in our hectic daily life to connect creatively with our child(ren).  Reading aloud to your child opens the door to conversation!  Learning about how their day went or discussing something that happened in the book you just read together allows your child to express themselves.  Listening to their imaginations soar as they try to come up with a different ending or explain why a character behaved the way they did helps the parent, grandparent, relative and TEACHER understand the child more.  As adults, our days are busy juggling work, family and crazy sport or activity schedules.  Taking the time each...

Choosing a preschool is an exciting and scary time for any parent! Suddenly, you will be leaving your child with someone else and trusting that institution to teach and mentor your child. The situation is extremely stressful, not to mention having to decide what preschool is right for your child. With such a big decision, it is understandable that you might feel overwhelmed by trying to pick the perfect preschool. You are probably thinking about the school’s security, the qualifications of the teachers, the quality of the food, how far the school is from your house, what the other preschoolers will be like, how you will get along with the teacher, and so much more. There is a multitude of factors that go into choosing a preschool for your child, and we want to guide you through navigating this process. Choosing a preschool is not difficult once you have assessed all...

“The greatest sign of success for a teacher….is to be able to say…The children are now working as if I did not exist” – Maria Montessori Giving a tour of the toddler classroom in the springtime is a sight to be seen.  Toddlers are that much bigger, showing their independence and choosing their own work.  They are carrying trays with little glass bowls on them, rolling out their own work rugs and navigating the classroom with confidence and respect.   They have grown leaps and bounds since the first day of school; their vocabulary has blossomed and they are much more verbal with their needs and wants.  It is an amazing sight to behold!   In the toddler  classroom we emphasize routine, care of self, care of environment  and care of each other. Through grace and courtesy lessons, each child is taught how to approach each other with kindness and respect. We create activities that assist...

Our students thrive at the Brooksfield Montessori Pre-School . When parents enroll their pre-school students at the Brooksfield School, they are placing their children in a safe and nurturing environment that will foster a love of learning for the rest of their lives. Our school emphasizes learning and creativity by combining play and social interactions. This focus is attributable to the Montessori Method, and our main goal is to set all of our students on the right path to transition into higher grades. We achieve this goal by introducing our students to new concepts and ensuring they have the skills to discover and understand new ideas on their own. We know our successes with our students are based on a methodology that creates not only good students, but great people. Read for more information about the Montessori Method, and how we use it to great success in our pre-school environment at...

At the Brooksfield School, we understand that our responsibility as educators extends to aspects of our students’ lives that take place outside of our classrooms. We do all we can to make sure our methodology is flexible for both parents and students. After all, as Montessori educators, we know that education is more than just imparting knowledge; it’s growing a person. Therefore, it’s our responsibility as early childhood educators to be aware of the many different choices, concerns, and issues that parents face during their young student’s early education journey. Ensuring our young students have access to quality after-school care is as important to us as it is for our parents.   Due to the difficulty of synching weekday work and school schedules, managing pickup and dropoff times for students can be a rather imposing responsibility for parents. As an assist in this regard, we assembled an after-school care program, known as...

The Montessori philosophy focuses on improving children’s’ hands-on experiences, academic skills, ethics, and social skills, creativity, and independence. To help further these abilities for your child, use the Montessori method at home! Your home should be consistent with the learning environment they have at school! Below are some quick and easy ways to incorporate the unique child-centered Montessori philosophy. 1. Educational Games Letter matching involves letter identification. This can be your child’s first step to reading! To play this game, start with 52 squares of cardboard. Split these squares up into 2 piles (26 in each) and make sure to paint each letter on 2 squares. Your child can then try to match each letter by grouping the identical pairs together! As they do this, make sure to remind your child of each letter’s name and sound. Sorting is also an important skill that can be taught using a game! It...

Every year, parents of five year old Montessori preschool  children are faced with the decision of sending their children to kindergarten or to the third year of Montessori education.  Many send them back, but a few opt for kindergarten.  The latter decision may work out well on the face of it for a number of reasons.  After two years in a Montessori school a child is generally well-adjusted, alert, broadly stimulated intellectually, muscularly coordinated and has refined sensory perception.  Such a child is adaptable and, thus, performs well wherever he finds himself. This is, of course, quite pleasing to teachers and parents, and makes the child feel good. What is completely overlooked is that the child misses the fulfilling completion of the three-year cycle in a Montessori  program.  During the third year everything he has been doing for the past two years comes to maturity, resulting in exciting leaps in reading,...

Kindergarten is an important milestone in every child's life. Not only is it where they learn many of the basic skills that will provide a foundation for the rest of their educations, they'll also begin to develop their attitude about school, their view of learning, and their desire to perform well in school.  Montessori kindergarten schools  will give your child a great start; but in order to ensure the best possible start, you need to give your child the rest of the foundation they need. There are several skills that your child should have before entering kindergarten--but they might not be what you think. Following Instructions Does your child refuse to respond when you issue simple instructions? Make a major production out of the smallest task? If this sounds like your child, you need to work on following multi-step instructions before kindergarten begins. Even in a Montessori classroom, it's necessary for...

Deciding where your children will receive their education is one of the most important decisions you will make as a parent. As the school choice movement continues to gain momentum, parents have more options today than in years past. One of those options — a Montessori approach to education — is growing in popularity across the country. Yet, there are also many myths associated with Montessori schools. Let's consider six of the most persistent Montessori myths — and the truth behind the misconceptions. Montessori Myth 1: Montessori classrooms have no structure Montessori education is a child-centered approach to learning where independence and freedom within limits are emphasized. A casual observer who is accustomed to traditional schools might initially view a Montessori classroom as unstructured, but that's simply not the case. Montessori classrooms are thoughtfully prepared with developmentally appropriate learning materials. The belief is that when children are given the flexibility and independence to...