The crowd was ALL smiles in the sunshine yesterday (April 7th, 2013) for the official groundbreaking ceremony for two new cottages at MCHF. After a few words from Gillian Willis and Drury Stith, Paster Alex Joyner gave a blessing and everyone in reach of a shovel got the project off to a good start.

The children present were very enthusiastic and  took their shoveling duties seriously.

Montessori Children’s House of Franktown has been featured in the local press recently:

Montessori open house is March 28 in Franktown, Eastern Shore News, March 11th, 2013

Montessori builds foundations for learning, Eastern Shore News, March 18th, 2013

Jasmine and Carrie working to uncover some spelling words.

Thanks to everyone who place an order with Montessori Children’s House of Franktown for Christmas greens!

We will be distributing the trees and wreathes this coming Saturday, December 1st from the hours of 9am to 1pm behind the Franktown United Methodist Church.  We will have volunteers on hand to help with your order.

If you have any additional questions or cannot make the Saturday pick-up time, please feel free to call Kari Rapine at (757) 442-1231 or email her at karirapine@yahoo.com.

Again, a big thanks from the MCHF children for your support!

Today’s tip on how Montessori prepares our children for life comes from MariaMontessori.com and gives some insight into how ”the early introduction of matches, needles and knives prepare our children for the responsibility of car keys at sixteen?” read on…

Big THANKS to everyone who helped out with or attended our “Raising the Roof” event on Saturday. The food was delicious, the auction was inspired, and the band rocked! We’re looking forward to making this an annual event.

Special thanks to our hosts, Chatham Vineyards, and to ALL of the very generous LOCAL businesses who donated food, supplies, and time. Please make an effort to spend locally whenever possible and let these businesses know you appreciate their support!

For the fourth year, MCHF is pleased to be selling beautiful Christmas trees, wreaths and roping at competitive prices.  Sales have begun and will continue through October. Contact anyone in the Montessori family to order OR use PayPal.  We will receive/deliver trees in early December.  

For any special size request or questions, please contact Kari Rapine at (757) 442-1231 or by email: karirapine@yahoo.com

It’s back to school time! Google celebrated Maria Montessori’s 142nd birthday today with this search page graphic. Google’s two founders became friends in college recognizing the Montessori mindset in each other.

Of course we love these (increasingly frequent) articles on the positive effects of Montessori on business innovation and creative thinking.

Read on!

The Globe and Mail “Maria Montessori: guru for a new generation of business innovators” by James Martin.

While parenting Montessori children, here’s a new twist to praise and building “self-esteem”.  Count how many times a day you say “Good Job!” to your children… then read this:

How Can We Help Our Children Avoid the “Self-Esteem Trap?” written by Mary Caroline Parker at the Barbara Gordon Montessori School

Better things to say:

1. nothing
2. a non-judgmental statement of the facts  ex. You cut up the fruit for our lunch.
3. praise the process, not the person  ex. It looks like you worked really hard on that.
4. comment on how the child’s actions have affected others  ex. I bet your brother appreciated that.
5. ask an open ended question  ex. Tell me, why did you chose those colors?

Self-esteem and self-confidence come from SELF, not from Mom and Dad!

Check out this Facebook page on “Stuff Montessori Kids Say”…. there are some hysterical stories!

http://www.facebook.com/StuffMontessoriKidsSay