Elements are the ingredients that make up everything. Do you know where those elements come from? Explaining a concept like nuclear fusion and the creation of all the ingredients of the cosmos might sound a little daunting for a homeschool parent (let alone for the elementary child). However I’m here to tell you it’s not…
Whenever someone asks me how to begin homeschooling an elementary-aged child in the Montessori pedagogy, I tell them it all starts with the Great Lessons. What are the Great Lessons, who are they for, and how do you implement them? Why do they matter so much? Consider this a crash course into the five impressionistic…
Are you familiar with this wonderful book by Michael Dorer (all his books are wonderful by the way)? Hatching the Cosmic Egg is an illustrated journey through all 5 of the Montessori Great Lessons. A perfect reading companion for elementary school kids whether they’ve just first heard the stories or retold them many times through…
The Montessori Great Lessons are a series of stories that tell the single cosmic tale of the Earth from its creation to the marvelous interconnectedness of mankind. They’re the framework all of Montessori elementary is based on; these stories inspire the kids to want to learn math, science, language and more. For the third cosmic…
Last week we introduced Montessori’s Second Great Lesson: the Coming of Life. The Great Lessons are a series of stories designed to spark the fire of curiosity surrounding science, history, communication, numbers, geography and more. These stories along with key lessons serve as a framework for further explorations throughout the year. Materials With the 2nd…
Second week of homeschooling is in the books. I’m not sure how that happened so fast. We’ve been focusing on our Great Lessons work (we are doing one per week the first five weeks, you can read more about them here). I figure our first five weeks back are kinda a jumpstart and transition period after…
We started a small Montessori Great Lessons co-op with friends this school year. In a Montessori elementary classroom, these are presented to the group as a jumping off place for all kinds of science explorations. Because the lower elementary plane is based on cooperative work, it’s great to be able to share our lessons together! Here’s…
Here’s a quick peek at our science shelves for October. We’re still covering the first Great Lesson, and this is largely a space unit: Solar system, cosmic address, stars and constellations, phases of the moon and the seasons.
We have a big trip to Disney planned soon, and with the Great Lessons on my mind, it’s no surprise that I’m seeing Montessori homeschool lessons everywhere. Epcot is particularly wonderful for homeschool experiences. Specifically — I think it’s entirely possible — that Epcot presents to the masses the first four Montessori Great Lessons each day….
I’ve been prepping for the Great Lessons for a while. The Great Lessons are five stories told over the year ( and repeated yearly) meant to inspire the child to take on their academic work — to inspire a purpose for it all. To me these lessons mark the transition from primary to lower elementary work. All…
