Recently while walking to the car, my older son pointed excitedly, “Mummy, see a pied crow on that roof like the one in Gambia.” Another day it was a laughing dove and yet another it was a yellow alder. This was a plant which caught our attention in Gambia because when Read more…
It was Dr. Montessori’s birthday yesterday. Encountering her work has changed my life and I am constantly seeking to understand more. I want to share a beautiful passage by Renilde Montessori that I read at the Educateurs sans Frontieres assembly in Hyderabad. It speaks to Dr Montessori’s personality which can be Read more…
This is the second interview in the Exploring the Essence of Montessori series. If you missed it, you can read the first interview with Paije. Today I would like to introduce you to Kaitlin Luksa! I connected with Kaitlin over Social media and have enjoyed following her parenting journey. Tell Read more…
As a trained Montessori teacher, I find myself frequently thinking of what activities Solu might already have been presented with if he was in a toddler community. I especially miss the big practical life activities like table and cloth washing. It is tempting to set them all up and convert Read more…
Choose a pant from the top basket. Sit down and put it on. Then stand up and pull it up by wriggling just so and just so. Decide you don’t want to wear underpants today and take it off. Choose shorts from the middle basket. Repeat process with even Read more…
” The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth” – M. Montessori
This is another favorite quote of mine. Montessori believed that education must begin from birth since the child begins the work of constructing his intellect and personality the moment he is born. I actually think the greatness of the human personality begins at conception but that’s another story. Today’s post is going to talk about brain formation and why I agree with the thought that education should begin at birth. This topic is a little scientific but I’ll try to make it as simple as I can.
The Short and Simple Version
A large part of brain development (which is linked to intelligence) happens between birth and the second year of life. Brain development slows down significantly after the second year. Therefore, education is very important in the first two years of life. The education that I refer to here is not necessarily putting the child in school i.e. education as we know it. The next post in this series will discuss the practical side of education from birth.
“And if education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped for from it in the bettering of man’s Nigeria’s future. For what is the use of transmitting knowledge if the individual’s total development lags behind? Read more…