It's officially the holiday season! With the upcoming holidays, Nicole and Amy are sharing their processes for thinking about gifts in their Montessori homes. We discuss how we observe our children, determine what types of materials might fit their needs and interests, and share some secrets to creating our own gift lists. Plus, we share some fun resources for inspiration on your own, and how this process evolves as children reach the second plane of development.  Show Notes: https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2022/10/Montessoriholidaygiftingpodcast.html

How We Choose Holiday Gifts - Season 3 Episode 3

Parenting is tough these days; it can feel even harder when you're doing it alone. That's why we're here - this is Shelf Help, where Montessori and parenting meet. Join Nicole Kavanaugh, Amy Dorsch, and friends to chat about Montessori, kids, mom life, and all the joy in between.

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The new year is here and for a lot of us that means a time of reset after a break from our regular routines. In this this week's episode, Nicole explores a couple of ways that she likes to reset her home and get back to Montessori roots following a time of disruption. 

Finding Center After a Break - Season 4 Episode 8

Have you ever felt a gut urge to just say "no" to your child without really stopping to think about why? In this episode, Nicole and Amy explore those feelings, what they mean for us for adults, and how to balance that need for control with our child's need to explore. Why do our children need to explore? How can we make that exploration possible while still balancing our own needs? This podcast dives deeply into exploration, control, and our response as prepared adults. 

Fighting the Urge to Say No - Season 4 Ep 7

As parents to multiple neurodivergent children, Nicole and Morgan discuss how parenting with Montessori influences neurodivergent kids. We discuss a shift in our expectations toward our children, how we advocate for our children in schools, with therapists, or doctors. We finish by answering some listener questions about how we deal with specific situations.   Show Notes:  https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2023/10/NeurodivergenceandMontessoriPodcast.html 

Parenting Neurodivergent Children - Season 4 Episode 6

Montessori classrooms are filled with beautiful materials to engage children and spark learning opportunities. But, if your children are going to school, do you really need to own these materials at home? In this week's episode, Nicole and Amy discuss some of the reasons you might consider owning Montessori materials and which to bring home. We also explore some reasons you might skip these materials altogether.   Show Notes:  https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2023/10/UsingMaterialsAtHomeMontessori.html 

Using Montessori Materials at Home - Season 4 Episode 5

How do sports and Montessori mix? How to we reconcile the competitive nature of some children's sports with our desire to respect our children's developmental needs? How do we give our children new experiences and avoid over scheduling? In this much asked for episode, Nicole and Amy dive into their experiences with children's sports - the good and the bad. As Montessori parents, we share how we try to follow our children's interests but still provide balance and respect.  Show Notes here:  https://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2023/10/Sports-and-Montessori.html 

How We Choose Holiday Gifts - Season 3 Episode 3

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