It is important to the well-being of our children for us to understand the difference between fantasy, imagination and creativity. Our confusion of these abilities can be detrimental to their progress:   Fantasy: a retreat from the real world through mental conception of unreal images Imagination: a way of mentally visualizing what one has learned of reality Creativity: imagined (real) facts are presented in an original way   Thus the exercise of a child’s imagination, expressed in role playing (such

This month, most of us have had an opportunity to talk about war heroes, and honor them for the sacrifices they made, so that we could have a free and peaceful country to live in. Along the same line of thought, consider talking to your children about collecting their own heroes.   An aspect to focus on for this month could be the courage it takes to live life fully, no matter how difficult the circumstances. Talk about the courage

When children, however young, are included in the family decision making process, they begin to see themselves as active rather than passive members of the family. They begin to problem-solve and think beyond just their own immediate needs. As this process continues, they begin to see themselves as creators of change rather than victims of society. This leads to giving them a better sense of their purpose in the family, in the community and in the Universe.   In the

As the new school year begins, it warms our hearts to observe our new little ones gradually relaxing in their new environment, as they feel safe and loved.   Actually I observe a tangible difference in comfort levels between many of today’s children and those who first entered our school in 1985.  There seems to be a general increase in anxiety and a wariness of what could cause them harm.  It is vitally important to their well-being that we do

Graduation 2022   What a busy and interesting year! We as a faculty team have been saying that we cannot believe we are at end of the school year already. And what a year it has been, full of many great moments as we evolved out of the pandemic, needing to be cautious along the way. Throughout, we have held to our Montessori vision of providing the very best for all the children, following each individual child, encouraging and holding up a

Dayguards (childcare workers) in Finland built a “forest floor” and changed children’s immune systems.   Within 30 days of playing in forest soil and leaf garbage, Finnish preschoolers had increased the number of T-cells and much more varied intestinal bacteria. In a fascinating experiment, Finnish researchers have recreated the environment on a forest base on the playgrounds of four urban day care homes. Understanding the importance of nature, they covered the playgrounds with forest soil, moss, meadow grass, dwarf moose,

Montessori schools have a strong Peace Curriculum and all around the world embrace the UNITED NATION’S INTERNATIONAL PEACE DAY on September 21st.  This year, our class will also give this a focus as it assists us all in understanding how to come together as a community and work together in the same classroom peacefully and cooperatively.  On Peace Day, we lit a candle for peace between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. to give an example of how the Light of Peace

Dear Parents,   This week’s news weighs heavy on our heart, as information unfolds about the sad and tragic discovery at the former residential school in Kamloops. Roots and Wings Montessori acknowledges the immense hurt and trauma this has caused to the Tk‘emlups te Secwepemc people and to all Canadians. While many have been regretfully aware of this knowledge for some time, the recent discovery has brought it to the forefront of thought. This means we need to consider our

To understand our philosophy on the need for a natural environment for your children, we recommend three essential books:  Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv;   Nurturing the Spirit in the Non-Sectarian Classroom, by Aline Wolf; and Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy.   We know our earth is in rough shape – that without our extreme care, pollution, global warming, garbage overload, the imbalance of obesity and hunger, weather extremes and so on, will continue to destroy our natural life space and

The Absorbent Mind was Maria Montessori’s most in-depth work on her educational theory, based on decades of scientific observation of children. Anyone looking to better understand what’s happening in the minds of our budding babies will enjoy this read. https://archive.org/…/absorbentmind031…/page/n7/mode/2up