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So far Heather has created 61 blog entries.

The Montessori Method in Dementia Care

2023-10-04T09:53:00-05:00October 4th, 2023|Categories: Montessori|Tags: , , , |

Wondering about the different approaches to caring for people with dementia? Inspiration is everywhere - and there's some great evidence that shows that applying Montessori methods to dementia care can deliver some promising results. Published in Seniorly Resource Center, September 18, 2023 By Marlena del Hierro Reviewed by Nipun Chopra Bridging the worlds of gerontology and early education may seem an unlikely connection, but as a gerontologist with over a decade of experience, it's always exciting to see where practitioners are finding inspiration. Some of the most [...]

Raintree Chef Spotlight: Chris Rieke

2023-06-10T15:12:23-05:00April 23rd, 2023|Categories: Raintree|Tags: , |

As the chef at Raintree, I have the unique opportunity to utilize some of the base, organic processes of the school. Whether it’s Erdkinder students composting all of our useable food scraps or using fresh produce from the gardens – all of it comes down to supplying the students and staff with high quality food and creating as low an impact the environment as possible. During the peak of the season, I often go out to the classrooms’ gardens just outside our back doors with [...]

Spring Has Arrived!

2023-06-10T15:50:43-05:00March 26th, 2023|Categories: Early Childhood, Raintree|Tags: , |

Spring has arrived! As we look outside we see sprouting bits of green and blooms beginning to form. It is a time for new beginnings. As we transition from snow boots and gloves to rain boots and umbrellas, the children are bursting for outdoor adventures.  The South classroom children have spent this past week cleaning and prepping the outdoor space, splashing in rain puddles, petting the goats and soaking up each and every ray of sunshine.  Immersing ones-self into nature is an integral part of [...]

World Peace Game Reflections

2023-06-10T16:15:45-05:00February 19th, 2023|Categories: Adolescent, Elementary, Raintree|Tags: , , |

What affects one of us affects all of us. "My first impression was that my role was not important and I wouldn't be able to do much. After a while I realized that I could change the game and solve crises and at the end I was proud of myself." - Elise "Before, I believed peace was nearly impossible. Now, I have a achieved it, it could happen in the real world" - Ella "I feel that violence is something connected with humans. It will [...]

Animals of Raintree

2023-06-10T16:42:44-05:00January 26th, 2023|Categories: Early Childhood, Raintree|Tags: , , , , |

The longer I work at Raintree, the more I wonder about the stories that collect around these fourteen acres of land.  The tales that are told with the most joy and humor are those of the animals.  Some are woven into the Raintree quilt, the earliest threads of the school story.  Some are retold at staff gatherings or parent/teacher conferences.  All are cherished memories that remind us of our responsibility to the small and delicate life around us. The chickens are visited daily by children, [...]

What Is It Like to Be a Raintree Substitute (and also a Raintree Parent)?

2023-06-10T16:41:20-05:00December 18th, 2022|Categories: Early Childhood, Elementary, Montessori, Raintree|Tags: , , , |

Some names in the story have been changed. After making my way down to the Lower Far East toddler community, I find the children gathered around the tables joined by a few parents and/or guardians, having a cookie exchange. It’s the penultimate day before winter break and although the children may not have a full grasp of how much their routines are about to alter for the foreseeable future, they can certainly grasp the growing buzz around campus as the holiday spirit begins to take [...]

Raising Adults

2022-12-11T19:07:52-06:00December 11th, 2022|Categories: Parenting|Tags: , , , , , |

Raising Adults Last week I was listening to NPR and was quite touched by a short interview with Michelle Obama on her latest book, The Light We Carry. In this interview Obama talked about her mother and the way she was raised. Her mother “had a clear philosophy about parenting, which is unusual for somebody of her generation. She said, I'm not raising children, I'm raising adults.” It reminded me of Dr. Montessori’s writing, “The education of even a small child, therefore, does not aim at [...]

Montessori Language

2022-11-29T12:14:02-06:00November 29th, 2022|Categories: Early Childhood, Montessori|Tags: , , |

by Lisa Erber, Primary Guide in Upper Far West There are four schemes in preparing the language area of the Montessori primary. Dr. Montessori believed that you must prepare the hand to manipulate ever more refined, to guide the tool of writing to create symbols. When using tweezers to transfer materials, or removing the Knobbed Cylinders the Montessori Guide demonstrates the three-finger grasp. Fine motor control of the hand by repetition of the three-finger grasp develops strength in the pincer grip. Secondly, taking into consideration [...]

Montessori students exhibit a more richly connected semantic memory network

2022-05-15T20:09:24-05:00March 25th, 2022|Categories: Montessori|Tags: , , |

by Eric W. Dolan March 6, 2022 in Cognitive Science The type of education a child receives appears to influence how they represent knowledge in long-term memory, according to a new study published in the journal Science of Learning. The findings indicate that Montessori students tend to have a more richly connected network of semantic memories. “We are facing many changes, and education seems to be a crucial point to prepare young people to face these changes. However, we do not yet have an educational [...]

A Glimpse into the Primary Upper West

2022-05-15T20:17:01-05:00February 4th, 2022|Categories: Early Childhood, Montessori|Tags: , , , , |

By Laura Hosek, M.Ed., Primary Guide, Upper West It’s been a strange couple years for everyone, everywhere across the sphere we call home. Humans have been stretched and balled, left to rise, deflated, then molded into an adaptive new.  I’ve been baking a lot on the weekends— it’s fun and sets up a beautiful analogy... We, adults, are much like bread in the oven: while still a bit pliable and a few tricks can work to keep us changing in the direction we prefer, but [...]

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