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Water Week

The United Nations celebrate World Water day on the 22nd March.  This year, World Water Day 2020 is about water and climate change – and how the 2 are inextricably linked.  The campaign shows how our use of water will help reduce floods, droughts, scarcity and pollution and will help fight climate change itself.

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The Practical Life Environment

The Practical Life Environment

The simple, daily activities using objects that are familiar and recognisable to a child, make up the work of the Practical Life activities.  Children are naturally curious, and if left to explore their environment naturally, they will become independent, self-reliant and have the tools necessary to function in society.

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The Weaving Loom

The Weaving Loom

Childrens House presents a new Practical Life activity for you.  Needlework exercises are fantastic for developing small muscles, which are honed during the 3 to 6-year age group. In addition, the Child is learning a skill that dates back to the beginning of civilization.

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Maria Montessori

Casa Dei Bambini – San Lorenzo

The first Montessori environment was opened on the 6 January 1907 in San Lorenzo, Rome, Italy, by Dr Maria Montessori. Through Dr Montessori’s observations and work with these children she discovered their astonishing, almost effortless ability to learn.

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Follow the Child

Following the Child

In a Montessori school, the Child does not follow a strict curriculum, where every child learns the same things every day. In a classroom of 20, there could be 20 differing levels of work taking place and monitored by the Guide every day. Why? Because the Montessori Guide believes that the Child instinctively knows what (s)he needs to do. The Child may struggle with an activity, attempting to master it. Instinctively returning to it over time; until they have mastered it and can feel that inner “glow” of personal satisfaction in accomplishing a task well.

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Let Us Celebrate Our Teachers

Let Us Celebrate Teachers

Teachers are renowned for their patience, dedication and love of teaching.  However, if you walked into a Montessori classroom, you may be a little taken a back. The teachers are not “teaching”.  Instead, they are facilitating, guiding and overall, observing.

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International Literacy Week

Literacy Week

This year, International Literacy Day will be celebrated across the world under the theme of “Literacy in a digital world”.  40 years ago, UNESCO declared that every year, on the 8th September, the international community should remember that literacy is a human right and the foundation of all learning.

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This Featured image displays Maria Montessori in an A4 Framed Photo. The frame sits on a table, or can be hung on the wall. The framed photograph is sold by Childrens House. Every Montessori classroom needs a photograph of Maria Montessori.

Maria Montessori – A Woman of our Time

Imagine not being allowed to go to school or to only be allowed to read a bible and poetry and not much more?  You are not allowed to hold anything more than the “Pin Money” that a man gives you for fun!  And you are considered a belonging, an attachment not an independent human being responsible for your own actions and deeds. This was the patriarchal world that Maria Montessori was born into on 31 August 1870, in Chiaravalle, near Ancona, Italy.  Instead of bending to the will of others, or whining and moaning, she took control of her life. 

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Sensorial 1 Shelves

Freedom of Choice and Discipline

When some people mention Montessori Schools, they refer to ‘those schools where the children can do what they want and where there is no discipline’.  Yet when they observe a classroom in action, in a Montessori School, they are amazed at how organized everything is.

Children are working individually or in small groups.  Some are choosing their own work or observing others at work.  The facilitator might be presenting an activity to a child.  The environment suits the needs of the child.  The facilitator will ensure that it is well organized and suitable material laid out on the shelf, thus enabling the child to concentrate.  By choosing their own work, they are more likely to focus.

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How To Use Child-Size Masterpieces

The Appreciation of Beauty

When the Child is in an environment that they can understand, all is order, in it’s place, quiet and beautiful and they are able to work at their own pace, they are then able to take their experiences to the next level.  How perfect this would be if we could recognise this state and allow them unfettered access to the more cultural aspects of life.

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Fun with Fractions

Fun with Fractions

The opportunities for children to experience fractions is boundless!  Whether cutting up apples, making a simple finger puzzle by folding a square of paper into halves, then quarters and eighths or even a clock! Childrens House are also able to offer interesting and differently featured products for this week’s specials- fun with fractions.  For example the Large Fraction Skittles are designed for small hands to grip them and put them together or take them apart.  

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Centisimal Frame Instrument for Measuring Angles

Moving from the Concrete to the Abstract

Dr Maria Montessori claims that it is through movement and manipulation of the senses that children would gain knowledge of language, abstract thought, critically thinking and problem solving skills, math skills, independence, practical life skills, and discipline. If students only learn how to manipulate the environment without learning how to understand the meaning of their senses, we as educators, “…have only led these children to adapt themselves to a low order of life (almost a vegetable existence)…[need to lead] the idiot from the vegetative to the intellectual life, ‘from the education of the senses to general notions, from general notions to abstract thought, from abstract thought to morality” Montessori Method pg 41

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Mountains are there for Exploring

Mountains are there for Exploring

Childrens House is so lucky to operate out of one of the most beautiful places in the world, surrounded by mountains.   You may ask why does that matter?  Well, Parts of a Mountain are our featured new range of Classified Cards this week.

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The Montessori Colour Wheel

Montessorians had great fun spinning our Colour Wheel at the SAMA conference last weekend, so we have decided to keep it going during the month of May for all in-store purchases over R1000. There are some great prizes available – so come and visit – our offices are open 09h00 to 16h30

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This image features the Giant Trinomial Cube, which children can make

Giant Trinomial Cube

A lot of fun was had at the SAMA conference held last weekend at Generation School Imhoff. One of the highlights, was the Childrens House Giant Trinomial Cube. A number of delegates of the conference rolled up their sleeves and got to work!   Some of us new to Montessori

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XCurricula Integrated Activities are here!

XCurricula Integrated Activities are here!

Childrens House at the SAMA Conference We look forward to seeing everyone at the SAMA conference this weekend (27 and 28 April), hosted at Generation Imhoff in Cape Town. Exciting new products will be show cast, including our newly developed XCurricula (cross curricula) Integrated Activities & task cards.  XCurricula is

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Fine Motor Skills

Developing the muscles used in fine motor skills are essential for learning to write.   The Allen Key and Bolt Set helps with hand-eye coordination and small muscle development.

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Geography is Not Just 1 Subject

Geography is Not Just 1 Subject

How do you implement your knowledge of Geography while at the same time incorporating the study of civilizations, ecology, and climate?  This is possible if you take advantage of this weeks’ Childrens House Weekly Deal of the ETC® Map Game. When Maria Montessori returned from India after World War II,

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Peeling Eggs

The Classroom is also My House

Providing an environment that enhances the attitude that “The Classroom is also My House” engenders a feeling of respect and peace in the Child.  This gives the Child the confidence to use their natural gifts of enthusiasm and their personality to learn and work with others in peace and harmony.

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Dressing Frame - Buckling

Flex those Fine Motor Muscles

This week we look at some of the different ways the child absorbs information.  This may be through training their fine motor muscles as they begin to grasp the intricate movements required to buckle and unbuckle a dressing frame, or studying the 21 days of the Honey Bee’s life-cycle as

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What's Under the Sea?

What’s Under the Sea?

Summer has arrived and with it thoughts about playing in the waves, diving to find what’s under the sea.  There are so many things to be found in the ocean and now it is time to allow children to explore the depths and shallows of the ocean with out weekly

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Food Production

Every year on the 24th October we celebrate National Food Day.   The emphasis of this day is to make us think of “real” food (unprocessed food). Childrens House is focussing this week’s Weekly Deals on various vital and important aspects of food production;  the Growth Process in puzzle format,  with

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