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Hi everyone,

How are you? It''s lovely to be back with my regular monthly letter. It''s been a big month ??.

Today is a very special day - it''s Dr Montessori''s 150th birthday - and we have been celebrating (more below). Then last week my Montessori playgroup in Amsterdam reopened (we were so delighted to be back together - at a safe distance with windows wide open!). Junnifa and I are also deep in book editing mode for The Montessori Baby book (due out in March 2021) and writing for The Montessori Child (due out in March 2022). And tonight I''m giving a workshop in Dutch (first time) online for a Dr Montessori celebration. It all seems to happen at once, right?

So today I wanted to share with you a little of the birthday celebrations, how we are building community in pandemic times, and some homeschooling suggestions (as y''all keep asking me!).

Let''s get started!

Happy 150th birthday Dr Montessori!
 

Yesterday we celebrated Dr Montessori''s birthday a day early with over 6,500 Montessori parents, educators, schools and training organisations in the most AMAZING 12-hour global online event, Montessori Everywhere and raised $20,000 for the Black Montessori Education Fund. I''ve been working for the last month with some friends to make this happen and it was such a day of community connected by Zoom rooms, Youtube and Facebook Live''s and a closing ceremony getting to sit with so many humans I admire.

I highly recommend watching the recordings (free to all) - you will learn, laugh and be touched.

0900 Opening ceremony
1000 Panel discussion #1: The Environment
1100 Connection cafes - this was when we hang out in breakout rooms in Zoom and connected with people from all around the world

1200 The Montessori Musical

1300 Panel discussion #2: The Adult

1400 Connection cafes

1500 Make and take - an hour of activities

1600 Panel discussion #3: The Community

1700 Connection cafes

1800 Montessori Around the World

1900 Panel discussion #4: The Child

2000 Connection cafes

2100 Closing ceremony - even if you don''t watch it, reading the comments alone filled my heart

To continue the celebrations and because Dr Montessori''s birthday is actually today, I''m doing a giveaway over on Facebook and Instagram where you can win a copy of The Montessori Toddler in English, Dutch, Norwegian, Czech, Italian, Indonesian or Korean - just a few of the languages the book has been translated to.

To enter, pop over to Instagram here or Facebook here

Homeschooling resources

With many schools not going back in person, many people have reached out to ask about homeschooling resources, particularly homeschool curriculums. And to be honest I''m reluctant to give too many suggestions. For me, if I was homeschooling my children in a Montessori way, it would be more focused on discovery, following my child''s interests, including them in daily life, growing vegetables, exploring in nature, walking around the block, helping in the community, and getting to museums and galleries (as much as COVID allows).

Here are some of my suggestions:

1. Trillium Montessori 3-6 Homeschooling
2. Trillium Montessori  6-12 Homeschooling
3. For toddlers, can I self-promote and suggest all you need is The Montessori Toddler book?
4. Susan Stephenson (one of the most experienced Montessori teachers) has just released a new book Montessori Homeschooling: One Family''s Story
5. Eloise Rickman''s Extraordinary Parenting has some wonderful guidance on how she homeschools her daughter Frida by going slow and creating a beautiful childhood for her
6. And keep an eye on @ibelieveinmontessori and @welcometomommyhood who I''ve heard are working on a Homeschooling Summit coming soon

Back to school

Here in Amsterdam, we made the brave decision to reopen our playgroup classes. This has not been an easy decision, but do you know why we decided to go ahead. Because of our community. In speaking with parents from my classes over the last months, they told me that it wasn''t just my responsibility to keep them safe. We would all work together.

Children under 4 here in The Netherlands do not need to keep a distance, so the parents and I are working together to make sure the adults in the space keep our 1.5m distance as the children explore. We have fixed chairs for the adults. And we wipe down the toys between use. The windows and doors are flung open to allow lots of ventilation (and we''ll just add jackets in the cooler months).

And, do you know what? The children are working as if nothing has changed. The parents are slowing down and sitting back on their chairs, gently wiping an activity as their child begins the next. And even I find myself slowing down, making sure to sit and observe as I also wipe an activity, and loving being back in community with the children and their parents in person.

So we are hoping to continue this way. And hope you will be back in community soon wherever you are.

This month''s workshop

Just as Maya Angelou would say, I''m all about doing better once we know better. So I''m delighted that Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell will be hosting the next online workshop this Saturday all about creating an anti-bias anti-racist (ABAR) home. You are not going to want to miss it. All funds from this course will go to them and their work. They are both Montessori educators who have been deep in this work and are recognised ABAR trainers. Tiffany is also the author of the book, This Book Is Antiracist.

Details

Date: Saturday 5 September

Time: 8pm - 10pm (including Q&A) Amsterdam time//2pm ET

Cost: US$29

Location: via Zoom

To register: Click HERE

If you can''t attend live

You can still sign up and everyone will receive a recording as soon as it''s available. You have unlimited time to watch the recording so you can also come back to it as your child grows.

That''s it for now! Hope you are feeling inspired and ready to get back to school too. And hope to see you on Saturday (5 September) at Britt and Tiffany''s workshop.

PSSST we have a bonus workshop in September all about food and Montessori with Sarah Moudry. I''ll pop back later in September with all the details.

Keep well and I''ll be back soon with more Montessori inspiration. Til then.

Much love,

Hi everyone,

It''s lovely to be popping into your inbox with this month''s newsletter. Here in the Netherlands we are on summer break - it feels like a strange one with very little travel, we are still largely at home as we have been for the last few months, and it''s raining Dutch-style. I hope that wherever you are, you are keeping well and safe with your family and friends.

It''s been busy behind the scenes here. I''ve been busy studying - I did the AMI Assistants training from MMI in London for 3-6 and 6-12, a couple of homeschooling courses and P2P summit via Trillium Montessori, as well as a handful of seminars per week to keep learning and unlearning about racial and social injustice - I finished a big cleanse in the classroom storeroom, and I''ve been writing for The Montessori Baby (due in March 2021) and The Montessori Child books (due in March 2022). Plus working on some upcoming events (see below) and this month''s workshop coming up this Sunday!
 

So let''s dive right in with a big dose of Montessori inspiration for you. I''ve a book review of Tiffany Jewell''s amazing book, my favourite books on diversity and inclusion for young children, and Montessori activities for 18 to 21 month olds. Enjoy!

Book review: This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell

I couldn't be more excited that Tiffany Jewell - a Black bi-racial Montessori educator - is a #1 New York Times bestseller for her book "This Book is Anti-Racist." I bought two copies - one for my home and one for my classroom. Because even though this book was written for young adults, it's a book that every adult will learn something from too.

I definitely did.

So here are 5 of my takeaways from this book. And there are so many more. So buy yourself a copy and one for a friend. Let's support this book and make it mandatory reading for all.

1. Learning about language

One thing I'm sure of is that I'm never going to get it all right or say exactly the right thing. But it's super helpful when you have a guidebook to help you along the way.

The author's note on page 3 already has some gems. Did you know that "folx" can be used instead of "folks" to make it gender neutral? That we can capitalise Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Colour to centre their voices where they have so often been silenced? That instead of using "minority," the truth is they are the Folx of the Global Majority?

I also learned the difference between calling people in and calling people out. There's an excerpt from the book here to learn more.

2. Getting out of the imaginary box

I love these two quotes from the book:

"Many others will try to get you to fit into an imaginary box"
"You have the right to be seen and understood without having to compromise who you are."

The book starts with understanding our own identity. So much of the time we are trying to fit in.  When we understand ourselves, we are more able to see others as they are, and through the book we learn how we can use any privilege we have to open doors for others.

There are powerful exercises to do - even for us adults - to understand who we are, what is the dominant culture, and what is personal and institutionalised racism. When we understand it, we can see it, and help to undo it.

3. Understanding our history

Tiffany makes the history of racism accessible to all folx. And uses examples from all over the world. There is the history from colonisation to assimilation (indoctrinating Indigenous folx through the coloniser's educational system) to the current education system, and the history of resistance too.

A lot of this history has been new to me as I've starting digging in since George Floyd's death and the current uprising. History I never learned or which was taught in a dominant culture way, for example that getting Indigenous populations to assimilate was a good thing. And what is most shocking is that much of it is in recent history and still playing out today.

It's not a level playing field. Whilst there are certainly success stories in the Black community like Oprah and Obama, this is not the reality for many Folx of the Global Majority. The book includes some startling statistics including these about popular culture: "About 7% of all new YA and children's books are written by Authors of the Global Majority. Black, Indigenous, Asian and Latinx folx are still greatly under-represented in movies; close to 75% of speaking roles in films and television are given to white actors." Representation matters.

4. What you can do if there is injustice

This is a book of action - the subtitle is no less, "20 lessons on how to wake up, take action and do the work." It's empowering to know how to respond to racism.

When we see an injustice, Tiffany offers examples like asking an adult to intervene, recording on our telephones, offering help, being a witness, or asking others to stop and be witnesses too.

One example I love is that Tiffany describes herself as an interrupter and encourages us to interrupt where we see injustice. "I can say, "That's not okay!""

5. How to spend our privilege - working in solidarity

Some of us may think that we are doing enough. Tiffany calls us to see how we can use any privilege we have to help others.

We can recognise where we do have influence and disrupt there.

We can look at redistributing resources to support BIPOC.

We can acknowledge our mistakes and learn from them.

We can read more books from BIPOC authors.

We can stand up to police brutality.

We can call out micro-aggressions.

And so much more.

You'll just have to buy the book and learn more from Tiffany.

And if you didn't already realise I love this book, I also think the illustrations in the book are genius, done by Aur?lia Durand.

Here's a link to Tiffany's bookshop.org list so you can buy straight from her. And be sure to check out her interview with Layla F. Saad on the Good Ancestor Podcast that I really enjoyed, as well as her Patreon here.

Montessori activities for 18 to 21 months

I don't know about you, but the older my children got the more excited I was for all the new things they were discovering. I don't know if I have an absolute favourite age, but around 18 months would come close for me.

They are working hard to master:

1. Eye-hand coordination - they are getting more accurate with their hand movements, the pincer is more controlled, and they may begin sorting objects by colour (although it may be some time before they are able to name the colours - no need to keep testing them, we can simply give the names again and again).
2. Language - their language often starts exploding around 18 months. Single word vocabulary grows in number and they may start to put two words together to make a short sentence "mama go" as mama is leaving, or "more swing" if they don't want to stop on the swing. We can continue to give them rich language, real names of everything around them, perhaps have some classified language baskets, look into their eyes when we listen to them and allow them time to talk, read books, sings songs, and simple poetry can also be introduced.
3. Gross motor movement - Once they are walking steadily, we'll see them looking for new challenges. Climbing, running and maximum effort become important. Maximum effort is when children like to carry the heaviest objects they can find. Do you have some heavy shopping to carry? Some cans or heavy bottles?
4. Practical life activities - we can continue to offer simple one step activities like pouring a glass of water or wiping a spill. And add more steps as they gain mastery.
5. Social development - still largely doing parallel play with children of the same age, they are becoming more aware of others around them, and enjoy collaborating with us at home.
6. Order - knowing where things are and what comes next becomes super important around 18 months old. So if we haven't already, we can set up a shelf for their activities in trays and baskets, a place to hang their bag and coat by the entrance, and a place for everything (with everything in its place). Regular daily rhythms give our 18 - 21 month olds a feeling of security and safety.
7. Repetition - when they find the activity they are working to master, they'll repeat again and again.

Here are 6 of my favourite Montessori activities for these 18 to 21 month olds. Remember that the ages here are to give guidelines only - we can observe so we can follow our own child and their interests.

Stack and sort board (similar here) - It's not about the numbers here. The children love to place the rings onto the pegs and might begin to sort the rings by colour.

Posting box (this one from MontiKids) - Toddlers love posting objects into smaller and smaller slots. I love my coin box but this is a lovely alternative. The lid is easy for them to remove and replace so they can repeat again and again.

Ball hammering (this one by Melissa & Doug) - Ball hammering can be used for younger babies. This one is harder to hammer the balls through so is suitable for young toddlers. Gives them practice at hammering and using their larger movements. Offers a lot of opportunity for repetition too.

Opening and closing activity - Honestly I could (and probably will) include this for most toddler age groups. I love that they are working their hands to manipulate the smallest fastenings from a zipper to a snap etc. By changing the purses from time to time and hiding new objects inside they delight in finding what's inside.

Nuts and bolts (similar here) - There are different type of nuts and bolts activities available but this simple wooden one is great for young toddlers.

Tips:
1. For an 18 to 21 month old, we can keep the nut on the bolt for them to be able to unscrew it. It can be too hard for them to screw it on independently.
2. When showing them how to turn the bolt, slow down, don't talk, say "look" then break your movements into very slow steps, eg, placing fingers on, turning them half way, lifting fingers up, replacing them on the bolt to repeat.

Colour sorting - I'm really excited for the toddlers to try this new sorting set from Plan Toys. The quality is so beautiful and having the bowls match the colours exactly will make sorting easier for young toddlers. The set has five colours but I have simplified it for the primary colours. We can add more colours and more coins as they gain skill with sorting.

Wanting more activities?

• 3 - 6 months
• 6 - 9 months
• 9 - 12 months
• 12-15 months
• 15 - 18 months
• 18 - 21 months

Check back for more activities by age coming soon. You can also download a free 42-page pdf of Montessori activities by age (0 to 4 years) from my website.

My favourite Montessori books for diversity and inclusion for young children

During the break, I've been looking through the books in our classroom and admit there is a lack of diversity in the books. Children need to be able to see themselves represented in books, art and media around them.

So these are some of the books I've found that are as much as possible by BIPOC authors, with beautiful illustrations of children of different skin colours, with different family types, children in wheelchairs and showing the diversity of the world around us so we can all see ourselves.

There is a brilliant guide here by Social Justice Books for choosing books for young children, for example, to look for and avoid stereotypes.

I also love the suggestions here from Raising Yannis and on instagram Diverse Reads, Here Wee Read, The Tutu Teacher, and Multi Cultural Kids Books. I also write down any book suggested by Tiffany Jewell and Britt Hawthorne who are both Montessori and anti bias educators.

1. Saturday by Oge Mora - Spending Saturdays together are the best
2. Another by Christian Robinson - A book without words, illustrations of a child and their cat, and representation of diversity in other children. A little whimsical.
3. Antiracist Baby by Imran X Kendi - Gives messages that we see all colours and stand up for justice for all
4. Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats - Also "Snowy day" and "Letter for Amy." Beautiful everyday stories with Black children.
5. Little You by Richard van Camp - A book of love and acceptance
6. Global babies - Babies love to see pictures of other babies and these are beautiful babies from around the world.
7. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox - A sweet rhyming stories with babies of many skin tones.
8. IntersectionAllies by Chelsea Johnson - This is a book for older children 3-6 years with beautiful stories of children from all countries, all backgrounds and all abilities and how we help each other.

1. An ABC of Equality by Chana Ginelle Ewing - for older children 3-6 years, a beautiful ABC book based on ideas around equity. (via Tiffany Jewell)

2. Love makes a family by Sophie Beer - it's hard to find toddler-friendly books about different families. You see a great variety of types of families doing every day things.

3. Heather has two Mommies by Leslea Newman - Heather has to answer a lot of questions about having two mommies when she starts school.

4. Stella brings the family by Miriam B Schiffer - When it's mother's day, Stella is not sure what to do. She has two daddies, so she comes up with a good solution.

5. Counting on community by Innosanto Nagara - an original counting book all about working in community with one another. (via Tiffany Jewell)

6. Different Differenter by Jyoti Gupta - A beautiful workbook for older children about skin colour (via Britt Hawthorne)

7. I Got the Christmas Spirit by  Connie Schofield-Morrison - A sweet story about the spirit of Christmas with beautiful illustrations

8. Lola's Sint (nearly out of stock) by Kristina G Langarika - Beautiful handcut illustrations by a Jacaranda Tree Montessori parent who couldn't find a book about Sinterklaas where her Black daughter was represented.

I've added links so you can view the books easily but please try to buy from Black bookstores, your local bookseller or via Tiffany or Britt's Bookshop.org stores.

This month''s workshop - Working with toddlers without power struggles

I''m super excited to announce our guest presenter this month - Nichole Holtvluwer of Radicle Beginnings. I''ll be sending out the invite tonight. But you can already take a sneak peek here and be the first to register. 

Details:

Date: Sunday 2 August, 11am PST // 8pm Amsterdam time
Length: 2 hour seminar + Q&A
Cost: US$29
To register: Click HERE

It''s open to everyone but in particular Montessori teachers working with toddlers, people wanting to bring Montessori into a traditional setting or as a caregiver, Montessori teachers trained 3-6 or 6-12 who want to learn more about toddlers, and also for parents or grandparents wanting to know how teachers handle 12 toddlers at a time when you might be struggling with just one. 

It''s going to be fun and you will leave the workshop confident and understanding the toddler''s needs and how to meet them without power struggles.

Coming soon!

Save the date for two exciting upcoming events. Keep your eye out for next month''s newsletter for more details.

• Sunday 30 August - a global event to celebrate Dr Montessori''s 150th birthday with all funds raised to go to the Black Montessori Education Fund
• Saturday 5 September, 8pm Amsterdam time//11am PST, US$29
  Anti-bias for Parents workshop with Tiffany Jewell and Britt Hawthorne

That''s all for now. I hope you got lots of Montessori inspiration. Have a lovely month, keep well, keep safe, keep doing your best.

Much love,

Hi everyone!

What a lot of emails you''ve had from me. Busy times! An extra email today with more details about this Saturday''s workshop. 

Anti-bias anti-racist parenting workshop (for caregivers with children 0-6 years)

WITH BRITT HAWTHORNE AND TIFFANY JEWELL, US$29

I am delighted to be hosting this online workshop run by Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell, both Montessori educators and the best anti-bias/anti-racist educators you can find.

* How can we talk to our youngest children about race?
* Want to find out how you can be anti-racist in your family and get more language around it?
* Curious about the anti-bias education framework and how you can use it at home?
* Finding that you've diversified your feed, now what?

This workshop is perfect for parents and caregivers looking to begin the journey in becoming anti-racist parents. Britt and Tiffany will be using the "Anti-bias education" framework to help us learn activities to help our children build their own identity, respect others, identify injustice, and show them what they can do if they see it. And we''ll learn some anti-racist language to feel confident in responding to our children's questions.

To register

This will be live online workshop. If you can't make it live, you can still sign up now and everyone will receive the recording as soon as it is ready.

Date: Saturday 5 September
Time: 8pm Amsterdam time/11am PT
Length: 2 hour live workshop including Q&A
Cost: US$29
To register: Click HERE

Payment is possible by Paypal or credit card. Upon registration, you will be sent a link to join the workshop.

You will also receive a workbook and a recording after the workshop which you can access for unlimited time so you can come back to it as your child grows.

Testimonials

"I have attended the anti-bias at home webinar twice now and consider it essential viewing for everyone - it's something you can work on, reflect on and then return to." - Emily Lockwood, Parent of 1 and 4 yr olds

"I am so grateful to have found Tiffany Jewell and Britt Hawthorne. They have become two of my go-to sources for me to define terminology and think about how to bring anti-bias anti-racist action into my home and my children's school." - Sarah Platt (she/her), Parent of 8 and 6 yr olds
 

About Tiffany's book, This book is antiracist: "In this book, the author and illustrator do something incredible; take an incredibly complex topic to navigate and break it down in a way that allows all who read it to push themselves further on an anti-racist journey." - P. Ripp

About the trainers

Britt Hawthorne (she/her) is a nationally recognised anti-bias/anti-racist teacher-educator. Britt partners with action-orientated educators, helping them to plan their next steps for creating classroom environments that are inclusive and equitable for all learners. Her work seeks to move justice from being an idea to the accepted culture. Britt graduated from Rockford University where she studied Elementary Education and English as a Second Language. She is also certified in Lower and Upper Elementary Montessori from the American Montessori Society. Additionally, Britt sought her anti-racism training from CrossRoads Organizing and Training Center and continues her practice with Embracing Equity and Overcoming Racism. Britt is also the co-creator of the Instagram #antiracistbookclub. Website: britthawthorne.com

Tiffany Jewell (she/her) is a Black biracial writer, twin, first-generation American, cisgender woman, an antiracist educator and consultant, and a mama. She spends her time drinking tea, baking bread, donuts, and macarons, building LEGOS, watching British detective shows, and dreaming up how she can dismantle white supremacy. Tiffany currently resides on the traditional unceded land of the Pocumtuc and the Nipmuck with her two young activists, her partner, and a turtle she's had since she was nine years old. Her favourite books are the Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley and Caucasia by Danzy Senna. She is in her 15th year as a Montessori educator and nearing two decades of work in schools with young folks, families, and educators. She wrote her first (and definitely not her last) book, This Book Is Anti-Racist, which was published in January 2020. Follow her on social media @tiffanymjewell.

I hope you are able to join us!

All the best,

Simone

Hi everyone!

A bonus email this month to invite you to the biggest birthday party for Dr Montessori - she''d be turning 150 at the end of August.

So this Sunday (30 August) I''ve been helping to create a 12-hour global event called Montessori Everywhere. The idea is that we celebrate Dr Montessori''s birthday, challenge ourselves to do better, and connect with other Montessori parents, educators, administrators, training organisations, and anyone interested in Montessori from all around the world. And we will be asking people to donate generously to the Black Montessori Education Fund.

There will be amazing panel discussions, Zoom rooms to connect with others by topic or age group, and celebration hours featuring Montessori schools and children from so many parts of the globe.

Details

Date: Sunday 30 August

Time: 12 hours of fun kicking off at 9am Amsterdam time//3am ET and running until 9pm Amsterdam time//3pm ET

Cost: Free for everyone

To register: click HERE to sign up

And there''s just one day left if you''d like to submit a birthday message too. Upload yours via Dropbox using this LINK and we''ll try to include as many as possible on the day. Here''s mine.

Can''t wait to see you all there!

I''ll be back next week with your regular letter filled with lots of Montessori inspiration and an invitation to our next monthly workshop. (For those that can''t wait for their invitation, I''ve just opened registration HERE for the Anti-bias Parenting workshop with - yes! - both Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell. It''s going to be amazing. I''ve learned so much for them and am delighted we can have them teach us how to be anti-racist families.)

Hope to see you all this Sunday at Montessori Everywhere! You are coming, right? I''ll see you there.

All the best,

Hi everyone,

I hope you are well. We have just finished a week of school holidays ???? and are back in class with masks on, at a safe distance, and meticulously cleaning the activities. So far so good. The children are exploring the classroom as if there was no pandemic, a few of the older children are asking "why" when it comes to the adults wearing masks, it's fun to see some of the children take ownership of the cleaning too to wipe down their activity when they are finished (and we surreptitiously give it an extra clean when they are done), and we are practising a lot of hand washing. And I'm smiling extra hard with my eyes to give expression to my face. Seems to be working.

Today's newsletter was inspired by a conversation with two parents in class who were asking me about siblings fighting at home. Let me tell you one word will change everything. The word is "neutral" - read below for more and lots of links for siblings if you are struggling right now or just wanting to prepare yourself.

I've also collected some fun links to check out and you are not going to want to miss this month's workshop all about parenting on the same page which could apply as easily to parenting with a partner, getting grandparents on board, or co-parenting.

I''d also like to honour Grazia Honegger Fresco who passed in her sleep on 30 September 2020. I never knew her personally but she worked alongside Dr Montessori and Adele Costa Gnocchi to develop much of the Montessori work for 0-3 year olds. You can find out a lot more about her work from Karin Slabaugh''s blog here. Karin had the pleasure to work closely with her and Grazia worked right up until her last days on this important work. She made such a contribution to helping to be the voice of the young child. We are eternally grateful for her passion and dedication.

Staying neutral

You know the scene. Two children both want the same thing. Or one of them is hurting the other. Or they are complaining and nagging each other.

We can't help ourselves, we come to the rescue. "Why don't you go first and then the other one can have a turn next?" "Why are you always picking on your brother?" "Why can't you two just leave each other alone."

When we step in like this we actually make things worse. The children start to get irritated at us, they think that we take sides (usually in favour of the younger child), and the fighting can often escalate as the children are getting our attention even if it is negative attention.

So what can we do instead?

We can be the mediator rather than judge and jury. A mediator listens to both sides but stays neutral.

"It looks like you were playing with that and (to the other child) you'd really like a turn too."

"You seem really upset. Will you each tell me what's going on for you?"

Then, do nothing. PAUSE. See if the children can work it out. Perhaps remind them of a rule, "We share by taking turns. It will be available soon." But stop yourself from solving the problem for them.

And what if there is a young baby? You'd be surprised at the solutions they come up with. I often give the example of Oliver and Emma both wanting to play with the same vehicle. Oliver would have been under 2 and Emma was just crawling. I stated something like, "Two kids and one vehicle. I wonder how you'll solve the problem," and then PAUSED. I proceeded to watch quietly as Oliver took the front wheels off the vehicle to give to Emma and they both played with half each. A far more creative solution than I would have come up with and they solved the problem themselves.

And if they are hurting each other. We can still step in without blaming either of them. We can separate them - "you go this side and you come to the other side" and, once they are calm, they can solve the problem with us as a neutral mediator if needed.

Give it a try for a week and see how you go:

1. be neutral

2. let them be heard

3. PAUSE to see if they can solve the problem

Would love to hear if you have any success stories, so drop me a note if you do try it.

More on siblings
* 10 tips for dealing with siblings

* a summary of the book Siblings without Rivalry

* my podcast episode with Nicole Kavanaugh about raising 4 children and a dog 

* my podcast with Junnifa Uzodike about building trust with her three children

* and if you need more, I also have a 2-hour workshop "Raising Peaceful Siblings" here, US$29

Lifting up Montessori voices

I've had the pleasure of running some Instagram takeovers on my IG stories the last two weekends as part of an 8-week series to uplift and amplify voices of the Montessori community.

If you didn't get to see them, I''d love to introduce you to:

Zainab from @themontessoristudio
I love following her and her family as she shares their Montessori life in a way that feels accessible, personal, warm and - above all - fun. "I am half South African ????, half Libyan ????, my husband is from Pakistan???? and we are raising our multi-cultural family in London ????. My children are 4 and 2, Alhamdulillah. As a Muslim, mixed race family, we live a London life and navigate this from an Islamic, Montessori, and natural parenting point of view...and we have a lot of FUN." I've saved the IG stories here.

India and Raye from @montessori_melaninmamas

India and Rae describe themselves as two melanin mamas sharing their Montessori journeys at home. You can feel their warmth as they show us that Montessori does not have to be exclusive and can be done on a budget too. "I wanted to start the page because I didn't see much representation of mamas that looked like me in the Montessori community. The lack of representation discouraged me from starting Montessori while King was an infant." - Raye ".we felt as though Montessori wasn't inclusive. But it definitely is though!" - India

They have only been on Instagram for a month and already have 3,000+ followers so you can see that there is a need for everyone to see themselves represented and to be listening to others. Check out their IG stories here for tips on Montessori on a budget, what Montessori looks like in their homes, and what Montessori is to them.

I hope you enjoy all of the IG takeovers and follow them. We need to keep listening, learning, uplifting and amplifying.

This month's workshop: Parenting on the same page

WITH SIMONE DAVIES & FERNE VAN ZYL
US$29

After people learn about the Montessori approach and begin using it in their homes, their next question is how they can get others on board with the ideas. This might be their partner, the grandparents, a co-parent, or other.

* Is that you?
* Do you find yourself constantly arguing with your partner or parents about getting them to use Montessori ideas?
* Or find yourself correcting them and they get upset?
* Or you have people in your life that just don''t get it?

Then this workshop is for you! Ferne and I have put together this 2-hour workshop to help you to start parenting on the same page with these important people. We want to bring back the joy to parenting our children together with others.

The workshop will explore:
1. Our role as parent
2. Getting a clear vision of our family values
3. The habits of effective parents
4. Communicating in ways we can be heard by others
5. Specific language we can use in these conversations
6. Getting others on board
7. Working with others
and more...

To register

This will be a live online workshop. If you can''t make it, you can still sign up and you will receive the recording as soon as it is ready.

Date: Sunday, 25 October 2020
Time: 10am Amsterdam time // 4am ET // 8pm Sydney time
(important: change your clocks for daylight savings!)
Length: 2 hour live seminar + Q&A
Cost: US$29
To register: Click HERE

Payment is possible by Paypal or credit card. Upon registration, you will be sent a link to join the call. Everyone will receive a recording as soon as it''s available and you will have access for unlimited time.

Apologies for those that will be sleeping - you can still sign up to receive the recording automatically once it's ready!

Some links to check out

* a tip here from Rachael (thank you!) for clothing that is easy for the child to put on and off themselves

* a discussion on IG here about moving to a toddler bed from 15 months
* sharing on IG here about how I'm falling in love with language activities all over again

* if you are interested in social justice and Montessori, I'm really enjoying the Montessori in action podcast from Public Montessori
* I get so many questions about dropping off toddlers to day care. I love this article by Laura LeClair.
* I was very lucky to visit Seton Montesssori in Chicago last year (back in the days of travel!) and loved seeing this peek into their day.

Other upcoming events

* Raising Toddlers Conference, 21- 25 October, free to join - this is the online conference all about toddlers. So many brilliant speakers including Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, Dr Laura Markham, Charnaie Gordon (Diversity & Inclusion Expert), Nicole Kavanaugh and Holly Daniels (both Montessori educators). And it's free!

* Raised Good Summit, 22 - 26 October, free to join - this is a brand new online conference all about natural parenting. I was honoured to be interviewed as part of this series and rather blessed to be in company with Dr. Shefali Tsabury, Maggie Dent, Kim John Payne and many more. I hope you enjoy the conversations.
* Parenting on the same page workshop, 25 October, US$29, with myself and Ferne van Zyl

That's all for today. I hope you got lots of Montessori inspiration and I'll be back next month with lots more. And in the meantime, feel free to follow along on Instagram, follow an online course, re-listen to the podcast (I'll start working on Season 2 soon!), or pick up a copy of my book.

Keep well everyone.

Much love,

Hi everyone,

So so excited for this month''s workshop with both myself and the lovely Ferne van Zyl - it''s all about getting on the same parenting page. Hope you can join us!

Parenting on the same page workshop

WITH SIMONE DAVIES & FERNE VAN ZYL
US$29

After people learn about the Montessori approach and begin using it in their homes, their next question is how they can get others on board with the ideas. This might be their partner, the grandparents, a co-parent, or other.

* Is that you?
* Do you find yourself constantly arguing with your partner or parents about getting them to use Montessori ideas?
* Or find yourself correcting them and they get upset?
* Or you have people in your life that just don''t get it?

Then this workshop is for you! Ferne and I have put together this 2-hour workshop to help you to start parenting on the same page with these important people. We want to bring back the joy to parenting our children together with others.

The workshop will explore:
1. Our role as parent
2. Getting a clear vision of our family values
3. The habits of effective parents
4. Communicating in ways we can be heard by others
5. Specific language we can use in these conversations
6. Getting others on board
7. Working with others
and more...

To register

This will be a live online workshop. If you can''t make it, you can still sign up and you will receive the recording as soon as it is ready.

Date: Sunday, 25 October 2020
Time: 10am Amsterdam time // 4am ET // 8pm Sydney time
(important: change your clocks for daylight savings!)
Location: via Zoom
Length: 2 hour live seminar + Q&A
Cost: US$29
To register: Click HERE

Payment is possible by Paypal or credit card. Upon registration, you will be sent a link to join the call. Everyone will receive a recording as soon as it''s available and you will have access for unlimited time.

If you can''t join live

Apologies for those that will be sleeping - you can still sign up to receive the recording automatically once it's ready!

About the trainers

I am honoured to be running this workshop with Ferne as she was my children's very first Montessori teacher and in 2004 I worked for Ferne as her assistant at Down Under Three parent-child program, my very first experience working in a Montessori environment.
 

Ferne van Zyl is a Montessori educator who has over 30 years experience with babies and toddlers and has 4 grown children. She has provided training and support for hundreds of families on setting up environments for independence, effective communication skills and practical strategies for dealing with challenging behaviour.

And you can find more about me, Simone Davies, here.

Hope you can join us and you''ll walk away ready to get on the same page as your parenting team.

See you there!

All the best,

Hello and happy to meet you!

I''m Simone Davies, a Montessori teacher and parent, and I love making Montessori accessible to everyone. 

Thanks so much for signing up for my free routine cards, designed by Hiyoko Imai for my book The Montessori Toddler.

How to use the cards

When you find yourself struggling with the morning or evening routine, use the cards to help your child feel more in control of the process.

1. Sit down at a quiet time (not during the mad morning rush or evening routine)
2. Let your child help choose the things that will need to happen in the morning/evening
3. Decide how to hang them up - pegged up on a line looks attractive and the order can be easily changed. You can laminate them or add velcro or magnets to the back too

More free resources

Would you like even more free Montessori resources? Check out the free resources tab on my website, including a 44-page pdf download of Montessori activities. 

My monthly newsletter

And every month I will send you my newsletter filled with lots of Montessori inspiration and keep you updated about any upcoming online workshops, projects and more.

So I''ll be back soon with lots of Montessori inspiration. Til then...

All the best,

Simone

Hi everyone!

So lovely to be back in your inbox with lots of Montessori inspiration - there is something for everybody today from families with older children, some Montessori activities for 21 to 24 months, and lots of exciting events coming up which I can''t wait to tell you about.

But first, how are you?

I for one can''t believe it''s the first official day of Autumn here in The Netherlands ????, we are already up to Week 5 of classes(!), the end of September seems to be coming too fast ??, and other days I''m left wondering can 2020 already be over please?! With the loss of Ken Robinson who was one of the educators I always admired (and his TED talk from 2006 is still one of my favourites) and then this weekend the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (who I so admired after watching the documentary RBG and still highly recommend), to add to everything else. It''s a lot. 
 

So if you are feeling it all, you are not alone. I''m keeping things pretty simple here, enjoying the small things (like visiting my son at university and eating picnic food in their little outside space), practising some gratitude, and remembering to breathe. I''ve also just randomly started practising pilates for 30 minutes on YouTube every morning and it makes me feel a little like I''ve stretched out my spine each day. Every little bit helps.

I''ve been working on my boundaries and deleting emails that I just don''t get time to respond to any more. I read all your kind emails but I just cannot answer everyone''s individual questions any more. I say thank you for your emails and then practising using my "delete" finger. I''m prioritising my Montessori playgroup classes here in Amsterdam, my monthly online workshops, writing more books, and resting with my friends and family. I hope you all understand. And I guess I just mention it in case it helps you to give yourselves permission to do the same.

But enough from me. Let''s get started with our Montessori inspiration!

This month''s workshop all about Montessori and food

I''m super excited about this workshop as I get so many questions about food and Sarah Moudry is bringing her 20+ years of Montessori experience as educator and parent to help guide us on an easier path around food for our children.

Food can be so tricky with young children. We bring our own attitudes to food and it can become a battleground either bribing our children to finish everything on their plate or finding ourselves chasing them around the house trying to get them to eat another spoonful.

It doesn't have to be so difficult.

In this workshop, Sarah will share Montessori principles around food with young children and show us how to:

1. Establish good habits and attitudes around food in our homes
2. Avoid picky eaters
3. Get children involved in the kitchen without it being stressful
4. Build our children's independence around preparing food, mealtimes, and eating
5. Creating enjoyable family meals

To register

This is a live workshop with Sarah Moudry and hosted by Simone Davies to be held via Zoom.

Date: Saturday, 26 September
Time: 8pm (Amsterdam time)/11am PT
Length: 2 hour live workshop including Q&A
Cost: US$29

If you can''t attend live

Don''t worry, you can still register and everyone will receive the recording as soon as it's ready. You will have unlimited access to the recording so you can watch it in your own time and come back to it as your child grows.

I hope you can join us. It''s going to be a lot of fun and you are sure to walk away with lots of ideas how to have more calm around mealtimes, as well as keen helpers in the kitchen!

Some Montessori ideas for the 6-12 child

One of the courses I followed while we were in lockdown was the 6-12 AMI Assistants training. Dr Montessori spoke of children going through four planes of development: 0-6, 6-12, 12-18, and 18-24. In these planes of development, you can see similarities in children of this age. Yet Dr Montessori described it as "a series of rebirths" as when they move from one plane of development into another, it's like you have a new child.

I already have a lot of experience helping families and friends with older children, from my Montessori training, and raising my own two children (now 18 and 19 years old), but I still found it to be such a valuable overview of the child in this new stage, the second plane of development.

One of our assignments was a 500 word essay on how the child differs as they become 6-12 years old. As I seem to be answering lots of questions about this age, I thought I'd include my assignment here in case it's helpful and it will help you understand your child better at this age. They are no longer only a sensorial learner; they are seeking mental independence. Fun times! I hope it's helpful.

I'll also answer a question after the essay that I was asked this week, about how you then get them to do other things now that they are no longer so busy "playing with toys."

Assignment: The 6-12 child by Simone Davies

I have a lot of compassion for primary-aged children. We think of them as rude, disorderly, and unkempt. They judge, criticise and answer back. They push away their family in favour of friends. Yet they report their friends' wrongdoings to adults, while remaining loyal to their group even if they have been wronged. It's simply a different stage and one we need to support differently. The primary-aged child is now driven by reason, imagination, and developing moral values. And they are attracted to working in, being in, and belonging to a group that isn't family.

Reason and the logic of things are paramount to the primary-aged child. They now show interest in the how and why (not just the what). We can't just tell them something, there needs to be a reason - even if they don't agree with it. Dr Montessori wrote, they "want to understand for themselves, not content with accepting mere facts." This is a big change from the absorbent mind of the first 6 years taking in everything without exclusion. Their supposed rudeness is them moving away from the family, exercising this independence of thought.

They are now busy with their inner world and that of others, not only the external environment. A big part of this work is to develop their conscience, morals and values - working out what is right and wrong. They look to the action of others and ask adults if they are behaving in an acceptable way and why. In this way they can adopt their own values, then those of the group. They have an enormous sense of justice - they want to make things as equal as possible for everyone. As they thrive on law and order, we can get them to help create rules for the home, which they will be happy to uphold and enforce.

They naturally work in groups with different roles to take on. They learn how to be a member of the group, explore the idea of fairness, learn how others think, develop empathy for others, and how to look after the "weaker" one/s. They admire members of the group and have hero worship - so we can provide suitable role models for this. And have an interest in secret languages (again to move away from family).

They are capable of big work at this age - work that is purposeful, with and for the group, and driven by their interests. It is the "intellectual plane" and we can give them the universe to explore - the interconnected and cosmic task of everything in the universe. We start to see the imagination activating, no longer only exploring with their senses, but using their imagination to understand other cultures, environments, and things that aren't physically in front of them.

They move towards abstraction, learning first with concrete objects and then discovering patterns and logic; not satisfied with learning from their teacher/parents but from their own activities. They repeat to understand if given variety, no longer repeating in the same way as they did in the first 6 years. And at home, we offer the same - ways they can work with their hands, meet their social needs, appeal to their reasoning mind, and give them access to meaningful ways to support the family and community.

Reassuring to parents, they are healthier with less physical changes. They lose their baby teeth and become more adventurous and daring, recounting their feats. They want to dress like their peers, so we find a way to make this happen that works with the family. Yet they are no longer so neat and we can offer a mirror when needed. We accept that they may be messier, yet they are able to still find a way that is acceptable to the family.

So, rather than seeing this as the age of rudeness, I love to observe how the primary-aged child's increase in social interest leads to service to others, faith in the adults supporting them, and lays the foundation for them to grow into contributing adults of society

Bibliography

Montessori, Maria. "The Child at the Age of Seven," AMI Communications, 1977, 2. 
Montessori, Maria. To Educate the Human Potential.
Montessori, Maria. From Childhood to Adolescence.
Montessori, Maria. The Advanced Montessori Method, Vol. I. Chapter IX: Imagination. 
Montessori, Maria. "The Second Plane of Education," AMI Communications, 1975, 1.

So how do you then get them to do other things now that they are no longer so busy "playing with toys."

 Here are 10 things that we can start with:

1. Look to the environment - are we providing interesting invitations based on their interests to explore?
2. Invitations should be limited in this plane of development so that they want to "go out" to explore something further. They might want to visit the library (not just Google), make an appointment with an expert, or interview someone in the community that knows more about this topic.
3. They need big ideas and big work at this age even at home - not academics at home but we can keep them interested in the world around them; give them space to try things out; lots of paper, raw materials, wood, hammers and nails.
4. Let them be bored - put away the screens and let them make discoveries by using what they have. My kids always had a stack of paper, pens, staplers, rulers and they would make magazines about characters from The Famous Five, rules and signs for secret clubs, and invent their own board games.
5. Allow them to feel in control - they are starting to want more independence. We might need to let control of what their room looks like, what they want to wear, the order they get ready in the morning. If they want to "go out", let them make the arrangements, look up the timetable, and you can simply be the supervisor for safety. Let them get on the wrong bus and work it out. As long as they are safe there is no need to step in.
6. External order is not as important for them yet they live in a family - agree how things should be put away when they are finished. Having mess spread out while they are playing/working will be very normal at this age, but they do know how to care for their things (but may need some small reminders).
7. Let them schedule when they want to do things. Jane Nelson from the Positive Discipline books talks about making times like 4:53pm for when they want to make a card for their friend. Then when it's 4:53 we can say, "It's 4:53" and even if they push back, we can simply say (without any eye-rolling!), "It's 4:53 and you asked me to remind you that you wanted to make the card now."
8. If you need them to clear out their room, they'll need a little help and give them a reason. And "because I said so" is not good enough. Instead of telling them they need to get rid of things, I love the advice of Kim John-Payne of Simplicity Parenting that we can tell them "Let's make some more space." And Marie-Kondo would say that we need to model clearing things out and looking after our own things first.
9. Get them cooking and baking! At the age of 10, Oliver would be the cook every Sunday evening. He'd choose a recipe, we'd buy the ingredients, and I'd be his "sous-chef" giving him a little guidance if there was something new in the recipe. And these skills pay off in the long run - Emma has been cooking twice a week since lockdown for her and I, choosing lots of new vegan recipes, getting the groceries, cooking and I just transfer the money back to her at the end. Lucky mama.
10. Other ideas - board games, visiting art galleries, being detectives, heading outside, playing hide and seek and tag with friends, collecting snails, walking in the woods, digging a moat at the beach, making a dam with sand by the water pump in the playground, lego, nature collections, nature art, making mandalas..You get the idea?

Hope this was a helpful insight into the coming years. Junnifa and I are working on The Montessori Child book for parents of children from 3 to 12 years, but it only comes out in 2022 so we''ll try to do a workshop in the meantime too!

Things to share

So many things I''m excited about right now:

1. The Montessori Show this Friday, 25 September with Jeanne-Marie Paynel - it''s from 8-9pm Amsterdam time//11am - 12noon PT and is free to join. We''ll be answering your questions on parenting in challenging times. You can sign up here and we''ll send you the link during the week to join the call: https://www.themontessorinotebook.com/liveshow/
2. Montessori and Food workshop, US$29, this Saturday, 26 September with Sarah Moudry and myself. More information here: https://www.themontessorinotebook.com/montessori-and-food-workshop/
3. Montessori homeschooling summit, US$68, 5-9 October. All my favourite homeschooling experts in one place. There''s D Ann and Ashley on representation in homeschooling, Aubrey on making your homeschooling plan, so many wise Montessori friends like Pamela Green, Jeanne-Marie Paynel, Tammy Oesting and people I want to be friends with like Letty Rising, Jackie Grundberg and Spramani Elaun (Montessori art extraordinaire). I got a sneak peek and it''s incredible. Each day you''ll get 4 or 5 new workshops. And you get 3 months to watch the videos. This would be great for parents with children 3+ years. More information here: https://bit.ly/Montessorihomeschooling
4. AMS In Focus Infant Toddler, US$150, 10-17 October. I''m excited to be part of this new, in-depth, virtual seminar for Montessori infant and toddler teachers. There are on-demand workshops and live, interactive sessions led by Montessori experts for 0-3 years. More information here: https://amshq.org/Educators/Events/In-Focus
5. Raising Toddlers Conference, free to join, 21-25 October. And this one is great for parents of toddlers! There''s Dr Tina Payne Bryson and Dr Laura Markham through to Montessori favourites like Nicole Kavanaugh and Holly Daniel. Save your free space here: http://bit.ly/toddlersconference

Montessori activities for 21 to 24 months

And to end this newsletter, I''ll admit it. I can be superficial. Nothing like a gorgeous #Montessorishelfie to start the week. These Montessori activities are for 21 to 24 months.

1. Peg puzzle - they have been busy removing the pieces for months; now sometimes a piece will land back in its place. This puzzle was handed down to me years ago. The brand is Educo.

2. Posting sticks in cheese shaker - some of the best Montessori activities are not even toys.

3. Flower arranging - so flower arranging is a little tricky but they already love practising some of the first steps to fetch water in the small jug, pouring water, or putting a flower in and out of the vase.

4. Language basket with cards (tools from Toobs) - they are learning the names of the tools and are starting to associate the 2D image to a 3D object.

5. Threading wooden pieces on a thread - the stick on the end is great for this age. I''ve had this one for a couple of years already from Manine Montessori.

6. Chocolate mud homemade playdough - they love to make it too! Recipe in my book, The Montessori Toddler, or scroll back in my feed to the green playdough for the regular recipe. It''s similar but use 1/2 cup of cocoa. Smells amazing.

Please use these ages as a guideline only. Your child may be doing one or two steps or already have mastered these. Keep following your child, their timeline, and their interests.

Wanting more activities?

• 3 - 6 months
• 6 - 9 months
• 9 - 12 months
• 12-15 months
• 15 - 18 months
• 18 - 21 months

That''s it for today. Did you find this newsletter helpful? I hope you are feeling inspired and looking forward to bringing more Montessori in your home. 

And I''ll be back next month with more Montessori inspiration. Til then.

All the best,

FOLLOW ALONG ON INSTAGRAM, BUY AN ONLINE WORKSHOP, OR LISTEN TO MY PODCAST OR MY BOOK - THE MONTESSORI TODDLER- FREE ON SPOTIFY

Hi there!

I hope you are enjoying the free routine cards you signed up for. If you''ve not yet downloaded them, you can access them here.

As you are interested in the Montessori approach, here is my last newsletter filled with lots of Montessori inspiration. And I''ll be back again each month with another letter and workshop to keep you inspired and learning!

All the best, 

Hi everyone,

It''s lovely to be popping into your inbox with this month''s newsletter. Here in the Netherlands we are on summer break - it feels like a strange one with very little travel, we are still largely at home as we have been for the last few months, and it''s raining Dutch-style. I hope that wherever you are, you are keeping well and safe with your family and friends.

It''s been busy behind the scenes here. I''ve been busy studying - I did the AMI Assistants training from MMI in London for 3-6 and 6-12, a couple of homeschooling courses and P2P summit via Trillium Montessori, as well as a handful of seminars per week to keep learning and unlearning about racial and social injustice - I finished a big cleanse in the classroom storeroom, and I''ve been writing for The Montessori Baby (due in March 2021) and The Montessori Child books (due in March 2022). Plus working on some upcoming events (see below) and this month''s workshop coming up this Sunday!
 

So let''s dive right in with a big dose of Montessori inspiration for you. I''ve a book review of Tiffany Jewell''s amazing book, my favourite books on diversity and inclusion for young children, and Montessori activities for 18 to 21 month olds. Enjoy!

Book review: This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell

I couldn't be more excited that Tiffany Jewell - a Black bi-racial Montessori educator - is a #1 New York Times bestseller for her book "This Book is Anti-Racist." I bought two copies - one for my home and one for my classroom. Because even though this book was written for young adults, it's a book that every adult will learn something from too.

I definitely did.

So here are 5 of my takeaways from this book. And there are so many more. So buy yourself a copy and one for a friend. Let's support this book and make it mandatory reading for all.

1. Learning about language

One thing I'm sure of is that I'm never going to get it all right or say exactly the right thing. But it's super helpful when you have a guidebook to help you along the way.

The author's note on page 3 already has some gems. Did you know that "folx" can be used instead of "folks" to make it gender neutral? That we can capitalise Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Colour to centre their voices where they have so often been silenced? That instead of using "minority," the truth is they are the Folx of the Global Majority?

I also learned the difference between calling people in and calling people out. There's an excerpt from the book here to learn more.

2. Getting out of the imaginary box

I love these two quotes from the book:

"Many others will try to get you to fit into an imaginary box"
"You have the right to be seen and understood without having to compromise who you are."

The book starts with understanding our own identity. So much of the time we are trying to fit in.  When we understand ourselves, we are more able to see others as they are, and through the book we learn how we can use any privilege we have to open doors for others.

There are powerful exercises to do - even for us adults - to understand who we are, what is the dominant culture, and what is personal and institutionalised racism. When we understand it, we can see it, and help to undo it.

3. Understanding our history

Tiffany makes the history of racism accessible to all folx. And uses examples from all over the world. There is the history from colonisation to assimilation (indoctrinating Indigenous folx through the coloniser's educational system) to the current education system, and the history of resistance too.

A lot of this history has been new to me as I've starting digging in since George Floyd's death and the current uprising. History I never learned or which was taught in a dominant culture way, for example that getting Indigenous populations to assimilate was a good thing. And what is most shocking is that much of it is in recent history and still playing out today.

It's not a level playing field. Whilst there are certainly success stories in the Black community like Oprah and Obama, this is not the reality for many Folx of the Global Majority. The book includes some startling statistics including these about popular culture: "About 7% of all new YA and children's books are written by Authors of the Global Majority. Black, Indigenous, Asian and Latinx folx are still greatly under-represented in movies; close to 75% of speaking roles in films and television are given to white actors." Representation matters.

4. What you can do if there is injustice

This is a book of action - the subtitle is no less, "20 lessons on how to wake up, take action and do the work." It's empowering to know how to respond to racism.

When we see an injustice, Tiffany offers examples like asking an adult to intervene, recording on our telephones, offering help, being a witness, or asking others to stop and be witnesses too.

One example I love is that Tiffany describes herself as an interrupter and encourages us to interrupt where we see injustice. "I can say, "That's not okay!""

5. How to spend our privilege - working in solidarity

Some of us may think that we are doing enough. Tiffany calls us to see how we can use any privilege we have to help others.

We can recognise where we do have influence and disrupt there.

We can look at redistributing resources to support BIPOC.

We can acknowledge our mistakes and learn from them.

We can read more books from BIPOC authors.

We can stand up to police brutality.

We can call out micro-aggressions.

And so much more.

You'll just have to buy the book and learn more from Tiffany.

And if you didn't already realise I love this book, I also think the illustrations in the book are genius, done by Aur?lia Durand.

Here's a link to Tiffany's bookshop.org list so you can buy straight from her. And be sure to check out her interview with Layla F. Saad on the Good Ancestor Podcast that I really enjoyed, as well as her Patreon here.

Montessori activities for 18 to 21 months

I don't know about you, but the older my children got the more excited I was for all the new things they were discovering. I don't know if I have an absolute favourite age, but around 18 months would come close for me.

They are working hard to master:

1. Eye-hand coordination - they are getting more accurate with their hand movements, the pincer is more controlled, and they may begin sorting objects by colour (although it may be some time before they are able to name the colours - no need to keep testing them, we can simply give the names again and again).
2. Language - their language often starts exploding around 18 months. Single word vocabulary grows in number and they may start to put two words together to make a short sentence "mama go" as mama is leaving, or "more swing" if they don't want to stop on the swing. We can continue to give them rich language, real names of everything around them, perhaps have some classified language baskets, look into their eyes when we listen to them and allow them time to talk, read books, sings songs, and simple poetry can also be introduced.
3. Gross motor movement - Once they are walking steadily, we'll see them looking for new challenges. Climbing, running and maximum effort become important. Maximum effort is when children like to carry the heaviest objects they can find. Do you have some heavy shopping to carry? Some cans or heavy bottles?
4. Practical life activities - we can continue to offer simple one step activities like pouring a glass of water or wiping a spill. And add more steps as they gain mastery.
5. Social development - still largely doing parallel play with children of the same age, they are becoming more aware of others around them, and enjoy collaborating with us at home.
6. Order - knowing where things are and what comes next becomes super important around 18 months old. So if we haven't already, we can set up a shelf for their activities in trays and baskets, a place to hang their bag and coat by the entrance, and a place for everything (with everything in its place). Regular daily rhythms give our 18 - 21 month olds a feeling of security and safety.
7. Repetition - when they find the activity they are working to master, they'll repeat again and again.

Here are 6 of my favourite Montessori activities for these 18 to 21 month olds. Remember that the ages here are to give guidelines only - we can observe so we can follow our own child and their interests.

Stack and sort board (similar here) - It's not about the numbers here. The children love to place the rings onto the pegs and might begin to sort the rings by colour.

Posting box (this one from MontiKids) - Toddlers love posting objects into smaller and smaller slots. I love my coin box but this is a lovely alternative. The lid is easy for them to remove and replace so they can repeat again and again.

Ball hammering (this one by Melissa & Doug) - Ball hammering can be used for younger babies. This one is harder to hammer the balls through so is suitable for young toddlers. Gives them practice at hammering and using their larger movements. Offers a lot of opportunity for repetition too.

Opening and closing activity - Honestly I could (and probably will) include this for most toddler age groups. I love that they are working their hands to manipulate the smallest fastenings from a zipper to a snap etc. By changing the purses from time to time and hiding new objects inside they delight in finding what's inside.

Nuts and bolts (similar here) - There are different type of nuts and bolts activities available but this simple wooden one is great for young toddlers.

Tips:
1. For an 18 to 21 month old, we can keep the nut on the bolt for them to be able to unscrew it. It can be too hard for them to screw it on independently.
2. When showing them how to turn the bolt, slow down, don't talk, say "look" then break your movements into very slow steps, eg, placing fingers on, turning them half way, lifting fingers up, replacing them on the bolt to repeat.

Colour sorting - I'm really excited for the toddlers to try this new sorting set from Plan Toys. The quality is so beautiful and having the bowls match the colours exactly will make sorting easier for young toddlers. The set has five colours but I have simplified it for the primary colours. We can add more colours and more coins as they gain skill with sorting.

Wanting more activities?

• 3 - 6 months
• 6 - 9 months
• 9 - 12 months
• 12-15 months
• 15 - 18 months
• 18 - 21 months

Check back for more activities by age coming soon. You can also download a free 42-page pdf of Montessori activities by age (0 to 4 years) from my website.

My favourite Montessori books for diversity and inclusion for young children

During the break, I've been looking through the books in our classroom and admit there is a lack of diversity in the books. Children need to be able to see themselves represented in books, art and media around them.

So these are some of the books I've found that are as much as possible by BIPOC authors, with beautiful illustrations of children of different skin colours, with different family types, children in wheelchairs and showing the diversity of the world around us so we can all see ourselves.

There is a brilliant guide here by Social Justice Books for choosing books for young children, for example, to look for and avoid stereotypes.

I also love the suggestions here from Raising Yannis and on instagram Diverse Reads, Here Wee Read, The Tutu Teacher, and Multi Cultural Kids Books. I also write down any book suggested by Tiffany Jewell and Britt Hawthorne who are both Montessori and anti bias educators.

1. Saturday by Oge Mora - Spending Saturdays together are the best
2. Another by Christian Robinson - A book without words, illustrations of a child and their cat, and representation of diversity in other children. A little whimsical.
3. Antiracist Baby by Imran X Kendi - Gives messages that we see all colours and stand up for justice for all
4. Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats - Also "Snowy day" and "Letter for Amy." Beautiful everyday stories with Black children.
5. Little You by Richard van Camp - A book of love and acceptance
6. Global babies - Babies love to see pictures of other babies and these are beautiful babies from around the world.
7. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox - A sweet rhyming stories with babies of many skin tones.
8. IntersectionAllies by Chelsea Johnson - This is a book for older children 3-6 years with beautiful stories of children from all countries, all backgrounds and all abilities and how we help each other.

1. An ABC of Equality by Chana Ginelle Ewing - for older children 3-6 years, a beautiful ABC book based on ideas around equity. (via Tiffany Jewell)

2. Love makes a family by Sophie Beer - it's hard to find toddler-friendly books about different families. You see a great variety of types of families doing every day things.

3. Heather has two Mommies by Leslea Newman - Heather has to answer a lot of questions about having two mommies when she starts school.

4. Stella brings the family by Miriam B Schiffer - When it's mother's day, Stella is not sure what to do. She has two daddies, so she comes up with a good solution.

5. Counting on community by Innosanto Nagara - an original counting book all about working in community with one another. (via Tiffany Jewell)

6. Different Differenter by Jyoti Gupta - A beautiful workbook for older children about skin colour (via Britt Hawthorne)

7. I Got the Christmas Spirit by  Connie Schofield-Morrison - A sweet story about the spirit of Christmas with beautiful illustrations

8. Lola's Sint (nearly out of stock) by Kristina G Langarika - Beautiful handcut illustrations by a Jacaranda Tree Montessori parent who couldn't find a book about Sinterklaas where her Black daughter was represented.

I've added links so you can view the books easily but please try to buy from Black bookstores, your local bookseller or via Tiffany or Britt's Bookshop.org stores.

This month''s workshop - Working with toddlers without power struggles

I''m super excited to announce our guest presenter this month - Nichole Holtvluwer of Radicle Beginnings. I''ll be sending out the invite tonight. But you can already take a sneak peek here and be the first to register. 

Details:

Date: Sunday 2 August, 11am PST // 8pm Amsterdam time - if you miss it live, it will also be possible to purchase the recording via the same link
Length: 2 hour seminar + Q&A
Cost: US$29
To register: Click HERE

It''s open to everyone but in particular Montessori teachers working with toddlers, people wanting to bring Montessori into a traditional setting or as a caregiver, Montessori teachers trained 3-6 or 6-12 who want to learn more about toddlers, and also for parents or grandparents wanting to know how teachers handle 12 toddlers at a time when you might be struggling with just one. 

It''s going to be fun and you will leave the workshop confident and understanding the toddler''s needs and how to meet them without power struggles.

Coming soon!

Save the date for two exciting upcoming events. Keep your eye out for next month''s newsletter for more details.

• Sunday 30 August - a global event to celebrate Dr Montessori''s 150th birthday with all funds raised to go to the Black Montessori Education Fund
• Saturday 5 September, 8pm Amsterdam time//11am PST, US$29
  Anti-bias for Parents workshop with Tiffany Jewell and Britt Hawthorne

That''s all for now. I hope you got lots of Montessori inspiration. Have a lovely month, keep well, keep safe, keep doing your best.

Much love,