Our insider series about Montessori in the home environment is wrapping up with only a post or two left. But don’t worry, I have such a fantastic post today! I’m excited to share an interview with Kylie of How We Montessori.
I have been a longtime reader of Kylie’s fabulous blog happily absorbing her beautiful Montessori-inspired environments and ideas. I absolutely love how she has shared her children’s growth and interests over the years. She always recommends the best learning materials. I’ve been curious about what drew her to Montessori, so I’m really pleased to share her story now.
Please introduce yourself, how many children you have, any background information or social media you’d like to share:
My name is Kylie D’Alton, and I have three children. Caspar is twelve years old and is at high school. Otis is nine and is in year four. My toddler, Otto is around 2.5 years old. We live in Sydney, Australia. I blog at How we Montessori.
Do you homeschool your children? If not how does Montessori fit into your home environment and routine?
I once homeschooled my children for a term. We were moving and the school terms between states didn’t line up well so we decided to keep them at home. Honestly it wasn’t Montessori homeschooling; it looked more like unschooling. We took a very casual and haphazard approach.
Since Caspar was around six months old we’ve lived in a way that is very well-aligned with the Montessori at home approach. We’ve used the Montessori way of doing things for everything from toilet learning to learning to read and write.
It’s what makes sense for our family and has happened organically and naturally.
What drew you to Montessori?
It makes sense. I am a very ordered person. I like logic. Montessori appeals to me in that it gives me very real and practical ways to approach childhood development. It’s tangible. I can read the theory; I can read the research and then apply it in my own home. It doesn’t matter where we live, how big our house is or how much money we have, Montessori is there. It also works. I can see it in my twelve year old as much as I can see it in my two year old. What keeps me interested in Montessori is that you never know it all. I’m always learning.
So well said! I wholeheartedly agree. Montessori is tangible, and it works and is applicable for any family — and there’s always more to discover. Yes!!
Do you have any dedicated Montessori spaces? Why or why not?
I feel like our entire home is Montessori. We have a Montessori home! The Montessori aspects are more obvious in our toddler spaces as access and independence are important. My toddler is home with me all day where as my older two children are at school. So we have more space dedicated to toddler activities like a snack area, work shelves, work table and art shelves. Overall I hope that our home is a secure, respectful and creative place for our children to live and grow.
How has Montessori helped you grow as a parent?
Montessori continually asks us to observe and assess our child’s needs and development. We never switch off from doing that. As I’ve had more children and grown older I feel like I am better at observing and meeting my children’s needs. My capacity for observing and understanding my children has grown. I’ve been a parent for twelve years but I am still learning so much.
There are times that Montessori asks use to dig deep. In times of stress where parenting has been difficult, parenting in a Montessori and respectful way can be so much harder. Montessori is of course very child-led, and this can be confronting and difficult for parents who like control, are adverse to risk, or for new parents who are perfectionist. We have to let go of so much to make it work. In these ways Montessori parenting has challenged me as a person.
I’ve also grown so much as a parent as I’ve connected with Montessori mentors around the world. Without Montessori I would not have connected with so many diverse women who support and challenge me almost daily. It is through these women that my knowledge and application of Montessori has grown. I love to hear another opinion or to be questioned about Montessori and this continuous assessment, this continuous questioning helps us all grow! There are topics like the use of screens and social media that Maria Montessori didn’t write about so we have ask some of the hard questions, and we can do this together.
Kylie, thank you so very much for participating in my series about Montessori in the home. I agree so much with everything said about the method inspiring not only growth in the children but in us as parents too. I speak as a perfectionist & recovering control-freak — Montessori has reshaped me as a parent for sure! 😉
And such a wonderful online community to be part of too!
Again thank you to Kylie! Be sure to check out her beautiful blog How We Montessori.
For more inspiring interviews in the Montessori Homeschooling Insider Series click here.
