Last updated 6 days ago
When people think about children’s education, they typically concern themselves with teachers, curriculums, and activities. While these are all important considerations, the physical space in which children learn also has a great effect on the quality of their education. Here are several ways in which the environment affects learning:
Safety
It’s crucial that your child’s learning environment be safe and well-suited to children. Environments should be soft and yielding to allow children to play without serious risk of danger, and the items with which children interact should be flexible and resilient. The learning environment should also be handicap-accessible to accommodate children with special needs.
Functionality
Children’s spaces should be designed with their functions in mind. The environment should be carefully organized to create different spaces with different functions: some for play, some for reading, some for art, and some for rest. It is often necessary to interact with children individually, so learning environments should contain private places. However, socialization is one of the most important parts of early childhood education, so these environments should also encourage interaction between children.
Philosophy
Children are constantly learning from each other and from adults, and they notice both what we do and don’t do. A thoughtfully designed, attractive, and organized space conveys subtle, philosophical information. Children spend a significant portion of their lives in early education environments. When these environments are attractive and neat, they internalize these traits as virtues, helping them understand the value of organization and simple, functional aesthetics.
To put your child in the best possible environment for learning, enroll him or her in a Montessori School. Starwood Montessori in Frisco, Texas believes that children should be encouraged to learn and develop skills such as self-reliance, creativity, honesty, and organization. To learn more about our early-childhood education programs, contact us at (972) 464-2597.
Last updated 7 days ago
Hope you have a sweet day with your loved ones.
Last updated 12 days ago
Montessori education was initially developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, the first female doctor to graduate from the University of Rome. She applied her scientific studies to early childhood development, which formed the foundation of her educational method.
The Montessori Method is rooted in a respect for children’s abilities and a concern for the encouragement of a full life, not just academic achievement. By caring for children holistically, Montessori programs help children to become the best people they can be—well-rounded in their backgrounds, cognizant of their weaknesses, and fervent in their passions.
To learn more about Montessori programs in Texas, contact Starwood Montessori at (972) 464-2597. Our Frisco-area educators can help your child become a well-rounded individual.
Last updated 19 days ago
Children are naturally creative. However, the rigid, authoritarian structures that characterize many traditional forms of early childhood education are not conducive to creativity. In order to help your child exercise his or her creativity and learn to find innovative and artistic solutions, it’s important to encourage creativity in all aspects of life. Here are three easy ways to support your child’s natural creative ability:
Offer Encouragement
When your child makes art, sings a song, tells a story, or thinks of a new way to solve a problem, you should offer praise and congratulations. It’s important for your child to feel as though his or her creative endeavors are supported. When praising your child, it’s better to remark upon his or her hard work and dedication rather than innate skills. This will encourage him or her to persevere when faced with difficult problems.
Give Honest Feedback
Although you should encourage your child’s work, don’t just reflexively flatter everything he or she does. By engaging your child in reasonable criticism in addition to praise, you can help your child to think critically about what he or she is trying to do. This will also build trust between you and your child. If he or she knows that your praise is heartfelt, it will mean more.
Make Time for Play
Parents often perceive the world as becoming increasingly competitive and often feel as through their children have to be the best at everything to succeed. As a result, time dedicated to play has been drastically reduced in favor of organized sports, art classes, and other scheduled activities. However, research has begun to show that leaving children alone with no schedules, goals, or parental supervision is one of the best ways to encourage creativity. By leaving your child alone, you allow him or her to learn to become a unique individual.
If you want to ensure that your child’s natural creativity is encouraged and fostered, enroll him or her in Starwood Montessori. Montessori programs are designed to allow children to learn by taking advantage of their natural strengths and interests. To learn more about Montessori, contact Starwood Montessori of Frisco, Texas at (972) 464-2597.
Last updated 23 days ago
Starwood Montessori's Parent Education Night featured Dr. Minette Riordan and her presentation, Heart-Centered Parenting: How to Connect to Your Children By Listening to Their Feelings.
The talk emphasized the ways in which we shut down our children's feelings without even realizing it, how to learn to listen more constructively and build the foundations of a relationship that will last a lifetime. From the time our children are born, we can help them understand how to express their feelings in ways that are appropriate. By creating a loving, safe environment for our children, they will learn to thrive as independent, happy children in any setting.
A short bio of Dr. Riordan:
In 2006, Dr. Minette Riordan became certified as a Coach for Parents through the Academy for Parent Coaching International. In addition to her work with ACPI, Dr. Minette Riordan has successfully built a multi-media publishing company targeting families in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. Prior to starting her company, Minette was an educator who earned her Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1995. She has taught at the university and high school levels, as well as adult education and personal development workshops. She was named the 2009 Small Business Owner of the Year by the Plano Chamber of Commerce and received the 2007 Altrusa Outstanding Women of Today award. Her company, Scissortail Publishing has produced North Texas Kids for 9 years, a magazine targeting moms in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. In June of 2011, she is launching a second publication titled byDesign: Your Life, Your Business, targeting women business owners. Her passion and joy come from helping others find the information, tools and inspiration they need to succeed. Minette lives in Plano Texas with her husband, Brad and her two children, ages 12 and 9.
