The Practical Life curriculum is designed to give children the skills they need to function independently in the world. The activities within practical life are guided by the following general principles: Children should be active participants in family and community life.   Children want to feel purposeful and included. Children crave independence. Autonomy breeds self-confidence. The skills of concentration and self-regulation are best attained by activities that ground children in reality. These skills are prerequisites for academic success. Individual lessons in practical life also target foundational academic skills. Many practical life activities include an emphasis on: Refinement of hand movements in preparation for writing Exposure to early mathematical concepts Experience with sequencing Parents frequently ask what they can do to support the work that is taking place in the classroom. For your child to be truly successful in a Montessori learning en...

For the next several weeks, we will focus on the importance of social and emotional education. This week we will discuss current research and theory on social-emotional development, how Abintra embodies this knowledge, and how guides execute this type of learning in the early childhood program. Next week we will outline the stages of play and social interaction, and provide suggestions for how you can support your child's social-emotional development. The development of social skills is a life-long process that is affected by many factors such as individual temperament, sense of security, and level of autonomy. At Abintra, guides are sensitive to each child's strengths and weaknesses, and we work with them to become competent and empathetic community members. This guidance is the most profound influence that we can have on an individual child; this is an influence that extends far beyond our classrooms, or even our campus. Take a closer look at Abintra...

The students in Early Childhood are having a very smooth transition to the new school year, enjoying the carline process, meeting new friends, and exploring the dynamics of new friendships. All of these activities require the children to develop self-regulation to succeed.  Students quietly observe a friend.   Self-regulation is the ability to control one's own behavior. When we have an impulse to jump or shout, to eat too much, to run across the street, or to strike out at something or someone, our self-regulation enables us to make a good choice about whether it is best to follow the impulse. Our impulses are based in emotion, and our self-regulation is based in cognition. The foundation of self-regulation is developed in the first five years of life, and continues to develop over time as children grow and develop cognitively, socially, and emotionally. In our early childhood classrooms, all of the children are working on their self-regulation skill...

Casey Nathan ECC Lead Guide Casey was a lead guide at Abintra between 1999 and 2006, after which she relocated to teach at New Gate Montessori in Sarasota, FL. When she returned to Nashville several years later, she was eager to reconnect with Abintra. She enjoyed serving on the board of trustees last year, and was thrilled when Sherry offered her the opportunity to be the lead guide in ECC. She is truly honored to again be a member of Abintra's educational team! Casey holds her Montessori certification for Birth to Three Years, and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in psychology. Carmen Sanchez ECC Assistant and Spanish Guide Born in Mexico City, Carmen studied in Philosophy at the Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM). In the final months of her university studies, she moved to a little village in the State of Chiapas in the South of Mexico, where she lived until she moved to the US with her three children....

On Friday, May 2nd, Ethan Swiggart, MTSU Science graduate and arborist, gave a tree climbing demonstration to the Early Childhood students on the upper playground.  He explained the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees: deciduous trees lose their leaves during the winter and evergreen trees stay green all year round.  He described how trees make energy when leaves absorb light from the sun. Ethan explained that the leaves act like small solar panels that absorb the light and then convert that to energy for the tree.   Being a skilled arborist, Ethan demonstrated how an arborist climbs safely with a rope and harness to prune trees.  The children observed him  intently, asked good questions, and commented on their favorite trees!

We had many lessons about money in the Early Childhood classrooms during the month of March because of the Sylvie Stewart Coin Drive! The students were curious about the coins, so we presented the concept of money and discussed what we use money for. The children were invited to study each side of the coins, and also to notice the differences between pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.  They learned the value that each coin represents, and also observed the art on each coin. The students repeatedly practiced sorting the coins and counting them by 1s, 5s, 10s, and 25s.  Many different lessons were given.  The children really enjoyed understanding the purpose of money and the Sylvie Stewart Coin Drive!

A young Early Childhood student works with the Knobbless Cylinders, a Montessori material that allows the child to distinguish size, depth, height, and width, and prepares him/her for base 10 numeration.

Handwriting is an important part of our Language curriculum, which supports speaking, writing, and reading. In Montessori, cursive is the first writing method taught to young children. It is the easiest to learn, presents words as blended sounds, and children don't have to switch to another method of writing. It also reinforces the left-to-right direction of reading. In a Montessori classroom, the act of writing letters is taught in conjunction with the lesson of the sound that letter makes.   The handwriting lessons in a Montessori environment are taught in steps. The first lesson, Sand Paper Letters, introduces the sound the individual letter makes while the child traces the sand paper letter with the first two fingers of his or her dominant hand.  This use of multiple senses helps the child connect the shape of the letter to its sound. After some practice, the child will create the same letter in a sand tray, then on a chalkboard. All of this prepar...

"The bicycle is a curious vehicle.  Its passenger is its engine."  - John Howard "Melancholy is incompatible with bicycling."  - James E. Starrs Our Early Childhood students are all smiles as they motor their vehicles on the front porch. Large motor skills, more commonly referred to as gross motor skills, refer to the ability to control the large muscles of the body. These are the muscles involved in activities such as running, jumping, lifting, and reaching, as well as maintaining proper posture and balance. Riding a tricycle is great for the development and exercise of those large muscles. Children on tricycles learn how to pedal and steer at the same time. The dual wheels in the back offer balance as the child learns the rhythm and coordination of feet pushing the pedals while steering the handlebars. This activity enhances bilateral motor coordination and spatial awareness. The need to travel safely, accelerating or decelerating as n...

A student helps empty the dishwasher in the classroom. We often have questions about how parents can provide reinforcement at home for the lessons the children are learning at school. The most effective lesson is to model the behavior we want to see and the language we want to hear. We demonstrate how to roll a rug, how to solve a problem with a friend, and how to eat lunch by sitting through the meal and being engaged listeners. We model how to hold a pencil and how to write. We reinforce our math and language work throughout the day in conversation. We count things to show relationships with numbers. For example, a guide may comment, "I have three children with me and I need six in my group, so I still need three more friends."  We model reading, storytelling, and having conversations with the children. We encourage the children to help in any way they can and to do for themselves what they can. The key to their success is making sure they h...

Self-regulation is the ability to control your own behavior.  When we have an impulse to jump or shout, to eat too much, to run across the street, or to strike out at something or someone, our self-regulation enables us to make a good choice about whether it is best to follow the impulse.  Our impulses are based in emotion, and our self-regulation is based in cognition. The foundation of self-regulation is developed in the first five years of life, and continues to develop over time as children grow and develop cognitively, socially, and emotionally. In our early childhood classrooms, all of the children are working on their self-regulation skills, whether through completing difficult work from the shelves, remembering not to throw too hard in play, or being patient when frustrated with a friend. When a child experiences challenges or frustrations, we see this as an opportunity to help the student learn.  The most powerful way we can help children learn self-regul...

A touching display of teamwork in the Montessori classroom. In this video, one early childhood student helps another student learn how to tie laces into bows.

Mindfulness, although it has ancient origins, is something that we are hearing more and more about. Mindfulness means being focused in present time and space. You are aware of what is happening in your environment, what you are doing now with your hands, your voice, your body. You are aware of things happening inside your body. When you are driving, are you lost in an endless stream of thought about what has happened in the past or what you are going to do in the future? That’s an example of how we often move through our days on autopilot, not mindfully. Maria Montessori discovered her own route to the practice of mindfulness, and its essence is embedded in the early childhood curriculum. As a scientist and observer, Dr. Montessori realized that children are naturally present in the moment. She also saw how important this acute attention is to learning. Many of the Montessori early childhood works are designed to sharpen the children’s skills of observation and help them focus on the...

Weighted eye masks help Early Childhood students mindfully calm their bodies after a yoga practice.

The foundation of self-regulation happens primarily in the first five years of life.  When a child experiences challenges or frustrations, we see this as an opportunity to help the student learn. The most powerful way we can help children learn self-regulation is by modeling and scaffolding it during ordinary activities. At Abintra, the Early Childhood program promotes self-regulation through providing choice and the opportunity to make decisions.  As children grow and learn, they internalize one behavior, then they move to learn self-regulation in a new area, always building on the self-regulation skills they began in infancy. As an infant, a child learns to self-soothe after basic needs are met. Toddlers learn to feed themselves. Young children learn to pour, cut, take turns, and interact with peers.  Regardless of the area of learning, we want the children to have the message that, even if something is difficult, they can complete it with concentrated effort. ...