Montessori Books
Montessori books are readily available; many are the work of Maria Montessori, and there are those offering information and the method and it’s application. This is wonderful, but I have found it challenging to find Montessori children’s books to support Lola’s education.
Here at Montessori Stories, I am very much about encouraging children to explore and learn. We use our travels at home and abroad to bring global education to others. As a travel writer and mother, this allows me to bring my profession together with my passion for education and literacy.
As well as this, I have in the back of my mind Maria Montessori’s view of adolescence. Although she passed away before she was able to share this fully, we do know that her belief was that Erdkinder was the next stage of preparing our children for their future.
In her work, she talks of farming, community living and of the children taking responsibility for running a micro-business, and although times have changed since then, there is no reason for us to avoid these ideas today. For us, it is a family effort to produce our Montessori books because we use travel, exploration and curiosity to inspire them. In fact, my daughter designed the logo and came up with the idea of using the colours of the moveable alphabet!
We frequently talk about the future and what she would like to do, and currently she is planning to design and make dresses in the attic of our Bed and Breakfast that we will be running. Keeping these dreams alive not only keeps me motivated, but shows her that anything is possible if you focus.
But how can I help to instil self-belief in your children?
The idea is to give your children the means to be published. I plan to publish a book each year which will be a collection of contributions from our members. There will be no age limit, if a small child of three has the desire to draw and explain their story to you, then let them do it!
For older children, allow them to follow their creative nose. We have to remember that every child learns at a different pace, and we want them to open up their imagination and let it flow. We can lead by example, and you can take what we do and use it for inspiration.
Our Book Club
Once we are in a position to launch, our membership will give you access to our books and the associated Montessori materials and activities.
Each month, we will let you know the topic and give you an idea, and if your child wants to do something else that is loosely related that’s fine too!
In fact, the whole point is that the older children take our resources and then start to ask their own questions. We do this at home using the Montessori Great Lessons as a starting point, then over a period of a couple of weeks she works on projects related to the lesson in question.
An example of this is our book, An Aqueduct Adventure, which is a story about about our visit to Pont du Gard, in France. This book aligns with Lola’s studies in the Great Lessons , and we illustrated and edited it together.
At the time, she was fascinated by the story of the founding of Rome, so she created a project about Romulus and Remus. On a daily basis she asks questions about the Romans and we seek the answers together. Combining travel and education is a wonderful way to learn, there is no doubt about it!
This first Montessori inspired book is now published, and available at Amazon. Lola’s artwork is on the cover, and she helped me choose the font and trim size too. I would love it if you could help me to demonstrate that anything is possible, so please pop over to take a look. Your child will not only get to see our photos of this amazing historic place, but will also be able to enjoy the educational and fun activities in part two. There is also a glossary of terms to help their vocabulary flourish.
This is the first of our Montessori books, and whilst it isn’t about the lady herself, it absolutely does embrace her ideas, and it is an example of how you can bring Montessori into your home and life. You don’t need to necessarily publish with your child, but you can definitely use storytelling as a means of underpinning the five great lessons which in turn enhances literacy. I personally believe that the best Montessori books are those that work for you and the children you teach, whether that be in a classroom or at home.
Literacy is a gift that enables us to share our experiences with others, and it’s one that should be embraced.
I have one final note on the subject of our books and membership, and that is to let you know that although I had planned to launch our club in April 2020, it has been delayed owing to the current global pandemic. We are in a position where I am unable to send out books from home, and I won’t be able to do so until it is safe. I hope that you understand that health has to come first during these challenging times.
With all that said, I’d love it if you signed up below to receive a digital copy of An Aqueduct Adventure. When this is all over, I look forward to inspiring curiosity and creativity with our Montessori books.
