Today I’m thrilled to share an interview with one of our exceptional Children’s House guides, Melissa Long. There are some common misconceptions about Montessori circulating around social media or parent conversations, such as, “Montessori is too rigid and young children just need open-ended play”. Or maybe you’ve heard, “Isn’t Montessori where children get to do whatever they want without any accountability?” We decided to tackle some of these and other misconceptions about Montessori to help clear up what exactly are the needs of the young child and how does Montessori address those. Melissa uses her vast experience in both YCC (toddlers) and Primary (3-6 years old) environments to bring clarity to this topic of balancing freedom and responsibility in the Montessori classroom.  Make sure to catch the end where we discuss why Montessori introduces reading at a younger age than most traditional schools and why this matters. We’d love to hear from you if there are other misconceptions you’ve heard that we should cover in a future episode. If you enjoyed listening, please leave us a positive review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share us with your friends. Thank you for listening. We hope you have a wonderful day! 

To learn more about Montessori and Villa di Maria, check out our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

In this episode, I spoke with Villa di Maria's reading specialist, Grace Beermann, about what kind of books are best for the young, elementary (ages 6-12) reader. Many children are interested in graphic novels, and there are so many great ones out there, but is this the best type of book to develop new readers? Grace draws on her training in children’s literature and her experience as a Children’s House guide and as a children’s book reviewer to tackle this topic and shares multiple studies to support her thoughts. Be sure to check out this episode if you’re wanting to support your emerging reader, to help them enjoy reading. If you’d like to learn more about this topic, you can reach out to Grace at her email, [email protected]. Below, you'll find some of her book recommendations and sources. As always, we appreciate when you leave us a positive review and share us with friends. Thank you!

Sources for good books:

The Hornbook

School Library Journal

American Library Association List of Book Awards

Betsy Bird Fuse 8 Productions blog on SLJ 

Recommended Authors and Illustrators:

Julie Fogliano “My Best Friend”

Christian Robertson “Last Stop on Market Street”, “Another”

Julie Flett

Emily Jenkins (a.k.a. E. Lockhart) 

Neil Gaiman

Kate Messner for all ages (great nonfiction picture book series called “Over and Under…”)

Jason Reynolds (for older kids)

Christina Soontornvat for middle grade and early elementary novels

Lauren Wolk has wonderful domestic/historical American fiction

Steve Sheinkin for high quality nonfiction

Meg Medina for all ages

To learn more about Montessori and Villa di Maria, check out our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

In this latest episode of the Villa di Maria podcast, we get to hear from a lovely Villa guide who leads one of our Young Children’s Communities, serving ages 14 months to 3 years old. Lauren Begley is an experienced YCC guide who joined the VdM staff last fall. We are so lucky to have her expertise and warm guidance in our Redbud classroom. In this interview, Lauren shares how she discovered her passion for Montessori, what she loves about working with this age group, and how a Montessori toddler environment is unique from a typical daycare. Lauren touches on the rigorous training undergone by each Montessori guide, which includes in-depth study of the particular developmental stage of the classroom in which they'll be working as well as that age group's developmental needs. This episode is a great one for understanding the toddlers in your life and why we think a Montessori approach can make all the difference in these formative years. If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a positive review and share with your friends. Thank you for listening and have a wonderful day!

To learn more about Montessori and Villa di Maria, check out our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

Listen in on my conversation with Villa’s Wellness Coordinator, Sophie Argyres. Sophie is working on her Masters in social work at Washington University here in St. Louis and we are so fortunate to have her interning here at our school this year. She works with children one-on-one and in small groups teaching mindfulness, breathing techniques, and emotional literacy. One of her goals is to help children become aware of and learn to regulate their minds and bodies in the classroom to promote a peaceful and productive learning environment. Sophie provides wellness support for staff as well, offering yoga sessions and meditation moments throughout the week. I loved hearing about Sophie’s background and how she discovered mindfulness as a helpful tool for herself. She offers useful tips for parents that seek to foster a positive, calm environment at home as well. Be sure to listen through to the end to learn some calming breathing techniques for you and your family to practice (links below).

Wim Hof Breathing Technique

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Sophie's Email: [email protected]

To learn more about Montessori and Villa di Maria, check out our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

Today we’ll unpack another important aspect of the Montessori classroom, “Grace and Courtesy”. I’m joined by Children’s House guides, Heather Steinman and Jessie Braud to explain this Montessori verbiage and how they use these Grace and Courtesy lessons in their classrooms. Grace and Courtesy is part of the practical life area of the primary classroom (ages 3-6 years old). It is a framework or pattern for lessons that demonstrate to the child how to conduct themselves in the classroom, their family, society, and the world. Examples of these types of lessons are; “how to blow your nose”, “how to cough into your elbow crease”, “how to greet your teacher”, “how to give a compliment”, “how to receive a compliment”, and on and on. Grace and Courtesy is also used at the Elementary level (6-12 years old), but looks a bit different because of the child’s specific developmental needs at that age. Grace and Courtesy can be applied in a home setting as well. By the end of this episode, you’ll have the template and tools for implementing these helpful lessons in a way that fits your family and needs. Listen in and enjoy! 

Check out our latest blog post on this topic for a condensed and practical read! http://www.montessori-blog.org/

To learn more about Montessori and Villa di Maria, check out our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

I had the pleasure of sitting down with our Elementary Enrichment Coordinator, Brea Blaylock, to discuss her new role at Villa and the Montessori approach to reading and writing in general. How does the Montessori philosophy towards reading and writing differ from a traditional one? Is there evidence and research to support the choices Dr. Montessori made so many years ago? From cursive to spelling, this conversation covers many questions brought up by parents when they send their child to a Montessori school. Make sure to listen to the end for some helpful tips for parents to use at home to assist their kids in their reading journey.

Check out this past blog article which provides further details about Montessori language materials and lessons in the Children’s House, as well as practicing at home.  

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave us a positive review and share with your friends! 

To learn more about Montessori and Villa di Maria, check out our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

 Do you love origin stories? Well, today we get to hear the  origin story of our favorite place, Villa di Maria, from two women who lived it. I sat down with head of school, Laura Ceretti-Michelman and Children’s House guide (and Villa grad herself), Robyn Milos, to hear the stories of some of the incredible folks who made this school what it is today. How did VdM come to be in its current location and sprawling campus? Have you ever wondered how the tradition of Elementary hot lunch started? How has the school evolved in its over 50 years of existence while holding onto its roots? Hear the answers to these questions and more in this fascinating episode. Also, don't forget to leave us a positive review and share with friends! Thanks!!

To learn more about Montessori and Villa di Maria, check out our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

I can’t wait to share this lovely conversation with Villa parent, Han Zhao. Han’s daughter has been a member of one of our Children’s House communities for over a year. Han shares why she chose a Montessori school for her child and what drew her to Villa di Maria in particular. It was a pleasure to discuss with someone so thoughtful, the things we both love about this school and the Montessori approach in general; such as access to nature, respecting the child, hands-on materials, and educating the whole person. You will even hear how the Montessori approach informs her interactions with her child at home. If you’re considering a Montessori education for your child and want to learn more, this episode is for you! Don't forget to leave a positive review and share our podcast with others who might benefit from it. Thank you!

To learn more about Montessori and Villa di Maria, check out our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

Today we get to hear from more inspiring 6th year Villa students in the long-awaited conclusion of this two-part series on Montessori Model United Nations (or MMUN). The 6th years worked so hard this year to prepare for their conference in New York this past February. I know you’ll love getting to hear more stories of the fun they had, the friendships they forged, and the valuable life-lessons they learned. We couldn’t be more proud of their momentous work this year and the incredible humans they are. Make sure to listen to the end to find out whether they would recommend this experience to future students! 

If you want to learn more about MMUN, check out their website at montessori-mmun.org or look up the blog article written by our own Ms. Colleen on our website villadimaria.org. Thanks so much for listening and have a wonderful day! 

To learn more about Montessori and Villa di Maria, check out our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

It was  such a joy to interview some of our current 6th year students about their experience with Montessori Model United Nations or MMUN. MMUN is a gathering of students from around the world who strive to reach collaborative solutions to solve current world problems, much like the United Nations.  MMUN is a really neat organization and I recommend you look up their website to learn more about their founding and impact.

https://montessori-mun.org/

It is a beloved tradition for students in their final year at Villa to participate in this incredible experience throughout the year, culminating in a trip to NYC. In my conversation, I learned about all the preparation, writing, interviewing, and fundraising the students do for MMUN. I heard fun stories from their time together in NYC and how that time uniquely bonded their class together. It was inspiring to hear all the things they learned and the lessons and values that will continue on with them from this time. Because of the abundance of important conversations to be had, this episode turned into a two-parter, so stay tuned to hear from more lovely students in the weeks to come! 

If you want to learn more about MMUN and all that the students do to participate, Ms. Colleen wrote a wonderful blog post all about this topic. You can find that post and many more on our website at villadimaria.org. Thanks so much for listening and have a wonderful day! 

To learn more about Montessori and Villa di Maria, check out our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram!