Guidepost Montessori at Birmingham

Grades don't work. Find out why, and what we use instead, in our newsletter — comment "GRADES" and we will send a copy right to your DMs!

This week's newsletter covers how to take these principles from the classroom and bring them into your home.

Comment "NEWSLETTER" and we'll send you a DM with a link!

Ms Shannon and Ms Patti are at the Valleydale Farmer’s Market. Come by and see us!

Toddler 2 class harvested their potatoes last week. Today they washed, cut, seasoned and roasted them. What a great snack they made!!

Thank you Taco Mama, Hwy. 119, for partnering with us! When visiting them with your child, be on the lookout for our awesome interactive placemats for children! 🖍️

A lot of harvest coming soon! 🥔 🍅 🫑

You don't have to accept a status quo education. Want to learn more? Comment "NEWSLETTER" and we will DM you the full newsletter about how Montessori works for older kids.

To download the guide, comment "PACK" and we'll send it right to your DMs!

We put together a whole summer’s worth of Montessori-inspired activities — that kids will love doing, with materials you already have at home.

We’ve included modifications for all age groups, which means kids of any age (and siblings and friends) can get involved, too.

By back-to-school season, your child will have:

• Honed their skills

• Developed new ones

• Gained some wonderful summer memories

Today we welcomed our youngest member of the GP Birmingham family! Say hello to Mary Kate and all her cuteness!🥰

May Day, Play Day! Welcome Summer! 😎🍉🌊

Saying “goodbye” to May and “hello” to June with a fun packed May Day! After bending under the Limbo bar, sliding into a pool of water, tic-tac-toeing and so much more, we shall all sleep well tonight!

Comment "NEWSLETTER", and we'll send the full newsletter right to your DMs!

If it's hard to motivate your child, a role model can be a game-changer — they can show your child an example not just of the type of job they might do someday, but the kind of person they could become.

Finding role models isn't always easy, though, which is why we wrote our latest newsletter all about what to look for and where to find them.

We appreciate Goldfish Swim School teaching us about water safety today. Bubbles was an absolute favorite! 🐡

Please join us and invite friends!

First day vibes! 😎😁💙

To read the full newsletter on why we don't force kids to apologize (and what we do instead!), comment "NEWSLETTER" below and we'll send the link right to your DMs.

Beautiful, priceless photo… This is one of our oldest students guiding one of our youngest at the hand-washing station. 🫶🏻

We love our mothers at GP in Birmingham! 🌷♥️🫶🏻

Turns out, the airport might just be the best place to practice letting your kids exercise their agency.

Find out why we do this, and how to try it with your little ones, in our latest Substack (link in bio!)

Bad weather? No problem! Our oldest toddlers baked lemon bread! They are blessed to have guides who enjoy baking with them! 🍋 🍞

What do we do when the weather is not particularly nice? We roll out some dough, add some sauce, then top it off with cheese. Pizza party! These young toddlers are capable and are learning how to be independent with food prep. 🍕

Our youngest toddlers learning life-long skills. These students are sorting, matching, identifying shapes, and completing puzzles. They are so capable! 🏆😊🫶🏻

Our last visit with Ms Christy until fall. Thank you North Shelby Library for sharing our favorite storyteller with us! We can’t wait for fall with more stories and songs!! 📚 🎵

Kids don’t need to believe in themselves before they can do things. Doing things is what makes them believe in themselves.

When you realize this, you realize that opportunities to build your child's self-esteem are everywhere.

We can turn the daily chores and activities that we take for granted into opportunities for our children to become more confident.

You don't think twice about sorting silverware, but a toddler who can do it successfully gets a huge confidence boost.

And you might totally zone out at the grocery store, but the teen who can buy all the groceries by themselves gets the thrill of tasting independence.

Raising confident kids is all about giving them chances to witness just how capable they are — and there are plenty of chances to do just that all around us!

A special shout out to Lee Tibbetts, better known as Lizzy’s dad, for bringing Thunder to meet us! Thunder literally stole the show!! 👮 🚓 🐕

We are so thankful to North Shelby Fire for coming out to meet our students. They were so gracious to let our children climb up in the fire truck and they explained all the apparatus on their fire truck. 🚒

There’s a lot of world out there and we’re learning about it! 🌎

Rinsing berries….never too young to start learning in the kitchen!

Comment “KITCHEN” below, and we’ll DM you the link to our latest newsletter filled with dozens of age-appropriate activities to try in the kitchen with your kids, whether they’re babies, toddlers, or teens.

Letting your kids help takes a little patience at first, but it’s so worth it in the long run — not just because it’ll give you a helping hand, but because it’ll give them the gift of independence!

World Penguin Day! Student enjoyed stories, poems and songs about penguins during class time. They also had a great time coloring and constructing penguins during extended day! We also learned it was Pretzel Day!! Ms. Aeirian treated us all to pretzels and all were ecstatic! 🐧🥨

The child uses this alphabet to form words (and later sentences). It is useful because the child can identify the shapes that go with the alphabet sounds, but may not be able to form the shape with their hand yet. So the Movable Alphabet serves as a first step toward writing – it allows them to compose without having to hand write their composition.
Later, as their hand develops, the child is encouraged to copy their writing with the movable alphabet on paper. And yes, those are manuscript and cursive letters! 🔤🔠

What better way to spend Earth Day than getting your hands dirty and plant? In our planters, we sowed flower seeds and planted various plants. Soon we will have peppers, strawberries and tomatoes! In addition, students planted pine cones. We will water them daily and see if we can grow our own trees to plant.

Optimism has become a lost art, and our kids are becoming cynics — but the way we teach history can change that.

We can raise a generation who believe the problems of the world are solvable, a generation who has hope for the future.

To find out how, check out our latest newsletter — comment "HISTORY" and we'll send the link right to your DMs.

Flower arranging is a practical life skill our older students participate in occasionally. This activity fosters fine motor skills, sensory development, and an appreciation for nature. A special thank you to the Maddox family for the gorgeous flowers! 🌹

Often we are asked what is different or special about Guidepost Montessori of Birmingham in comparison to other schools. This picture exudes our why. We are a cohesive family unit. All of our students know and care for each other and their guides. Here, our precious Sanad was away for several days. His classmates were very excited to welcome him “home”. 🫶🏻

From the youngest to the oldest….watching children learn and grow will always be fulfilling. “The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.” - Dr. Maria Montessori

If you're deciding between sending your kids to kindergarten or doing the third year of Children's House, this week's issue of the Parenting Guide is for you.

Check out our newsletter (see the link in our bio!) to learn more. 📖

It’s National Pet Day! Our students and guides love our pets! Today, students brought in pictures of their pets or their favorite stuffed animals for show and tell. Mr. Nate brought in Kodak for a quick visit in Children’s House. The students loved having Kodak with us for a short time and Kodak seemed to enjoy them too! 🐶💙

Isn’t this a beautiful photograph? Na’im is practicing standing and walking on the incline to strengthen his legs. Our youngest students have a desire to move. The classroom environment is prepared so that the infants feel safe to explore, build strength, and learn to walk.