A blog about all the questions we have about raising our children but are too afraid to ask.
Tribe of Moms
Sometimes I wish we could rename Mother’s Day to Tribe of Moms Day. Or just make another day altogether to celebrate all of those women (and sometimes men) who mother us and our children throughout our lives. I have had dozens of mothers over the years. My first was of course my own mother, then read more…
Why Do YOU Appreciate Your Child’s Teacher?
Teacher Appreciation Week begins this Monday, so I wanted to dedicate this week’s blog post to all the teachers out there who make such an impact on us all. You know who I mean, right? Who is one of YOUR favorite teachers? Think back…Who made such a lasting impression that you can easily recall their read more…
What IS Montessori?
Want a super quick and basic explanation of what Montessori is? Then read this fast cheat sheet and you’ll be “in the know!” Montessori is a curriculum That’s the easiest explanation. There is what we call in the biz “traditional education” you will find in many elementary schools and daycares, which involves having children read more…
How to Get Your Child to SLEEPzzz…
Ah, sleep. It can be an elusive mistress when you’re a parent, which seems strange because your child is sleeping overall more than you, so you should be getting regular opportunities, right? If you’re still reading, then I suspect your child is not as solid of a sleeper as you would like. So let’s break read more…
How to Incorporate Montessori at Home
As a Montessori preschool owner, I am asked from time to time how someone can incorporate the Montessori philosophy at home. One of the main tenets of the Montessori curriculum is independence. Independence goes hand in hand with responsibility as well. Win win! Yet you can’t have an independent child if everything is set up read more…
Why Children Bite
What You Can Do After it Happens, and How to Prevent It One of the most DREADED behaviors my son, John, displayed while a toddler at Sunrise Montessori many moons ago was biting. Argh!?! How I hated hearing that he had bit another child! He did grow out of it, as all children do, but read more…
How Do We Attract and Retain Our Amazing Team Members?
There has been an interesting trend during tours the past few months. A sign of changing times! Our prospective families consistently ask, “How do you treat your teachers?” It’s a good question. Logic dictates that if they are treated well, they will likely do a better job. The average child care center has an incredibly read more…
Why We Shake Hands with our Students When they Leave for the Day
When I introduced my son a few months ago to a new friend, he unthinkingly stuck out his hand to shake theirs. John didn’t think much of it. It’s normal in his world, the world of a former Montessori student. But my friend was a little surprised and impressed. All because of a teenager spontaneously read more…
How to Prevent Temper Tantrums
Creating a title for this particular blog was difficult…should I call it How to Completely Avoid Temper Tantrums (not possible) or How to Handle Temper Tantrums (why would you want to handle them if you and your child don’t have to?) or maybe How to Breathe Calmly while your Child is Writhing and Screaming on read more…
How to Pick the Right Preschool
It can be as easy as 1-2-3! Back in 2005, my son, John, was one and a half and starting to get bored. My older and wiser sister told me to look for a Montessori preschool, so I toured six child care centers, some Montessori, some not, while on one of my long teacher breaks read more…