Guidepost Montessori at Sterling

Aww! 🥰 Thank you so much at for the cookies!

Children in a Montessori environment learn to write first, before they learn to read. This approach is organic, as children are able to put the letters for the sounds they know together into a word before they are ready to interpret and string together the sounds of a word on a page. Children begin learning the letter sounds using sandpaper letters, which incorporate the sense of touch to further reinforce learning. While the child learns the letter sound, they trace the letter with their fingers on a textured sandpaper inscription of the letter, learning the strokes used eventually to write that letter on paper.

Sibling Love 💛💛💛

"The greatest gift we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence .” Maria Montessori.

And the Summer photo challenge continues

Fridays are for Guidepost swagg😜💙

Instinct Motivation: In a normalized state, children are motivated by an inner drive rather than external rewards. They work because they enjoy the process and the learning that comes with it, not because they are seeking praise or rewards.

Weekend vibes on! 🌞

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you a boat, a whirligig, and macaroni, you’ve got the makings of a very interesting afternoon.

Guidepost Sterling at:

Lake Michigan

Montessori education was specifically designed to develop the child’s ability to concentrate deeply. With concentration, not only are children more successful in their tasks and skill development, they also become more aware of (and empathetic to) those around them.

“The first essential for the child’s development is concentration. It lays the whole basis for his character and social behavior.”
- Maria Montessori

Chasing the sun and having fun, summer vibes!

In our learning environments, we have a “Hand Washing Table” equipped with a basin, soap dish, pitcher, and bucket. We demonstrate a detailed hand-washing method: first the palm, then the back of the hand, each finger, the wrist, and finally drying. This thorough process fosters good self-care habits, independence, and helps develop equilibrium & coordinated movement💧✨

Children use the Sound Cylinders to enhance their auditory sense through matching and sequencing activities. The cylinders offer a range of sounds, from soft to loud, capturing children’s interest. The use of both hands is required, which helps develop fine motor skills and coordination, essential for writing and reading. Additionally, children employ cognitive reasoning to organize the materials, evaluate each sound, and determine the next step.

🇺🇸 Happy Fourth of July 🇺🇸
We hope everyone enjoys a day filled with family, fun, and great food! Stay safe and celebrate with joy!

In our Children’s House environments, children learn to differentiate between different weights by using their tactile sense. This hands-on experience is done with special equipment called Baric tablets in our classrooms. Children can continue to experiment at home by weighing objects using their hands to experience lighter and heavier objects.

Showing some Guidepost love ❤️ from Bethany Beach.

In our learning environments, the teacher or guide observe each child closely to understand their developmental needs and progress. They offer individual or small group presentations to connect children with materials, build vocabulary, and assess their progress.

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!

Our commitment to providing high-quality education and a nurturing environment for children is recognized by our accreditation.

This achievement along with being an approved vendor and accepting child care assistance through Virginia & military subsidy programs makes our school the ONLY Montessori program in Sterling and one of only a handful in Loudoun County with both of these distinctions.

These initiatives are part of our ongoing efforts to make high-quality early educational services accessible to all families in the Sterling community.

💦 Water Day Fun! 💦

Nothing quite like splashing around on a hot day with bubbles and playing in our special unicorn sprinkler! 🦄✨ Thank you,

DullesMoms.com

Come and join us on June 29 at 2:pm Joe's Restaurant 🍕🍕🍕

Loudoun County Virginia Community Group

Come and join us on June 29 at 2:pm Joe's Restaurant 🍕🍕🍕

Come and join us on June 29 at 2:pm Joe's Restaurant 🍕🍕🍕

Puzzle maps are the child’s introduction to the world we live in. 🌎

Starting with the map of the world and progressing through continents and then countries, the puzzle maps showcase the difference between land and water, and help to develop an appreciation for spatial awareness. How far is Asia from South America? Is South America closer to Europe, or Oceania? ✈️

After the Map of the World, a child might engage with Asia, Europe, Oceania, South America, North America, or Africa. These continent maps include pegged pieces to represent every country on that continent. After taking the pieces out and putting them back together, a natural control of error occurs if the pieces don’t all fit correctly! 🧩

The pegged puzzle pieces, which are used in most Montessori classrooms, have a secondary purpose as well. When a child grips the pegs, it’s actually preparing his or her hand to use a pencil. The pegs help to refine a child’s fine motor control, and will make the transition to holding a pencil that much smoother. 📌

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!

Creative expression can take many forms, encompassing various activities that allow individuals to express their thoughts, emotions, and ideas.

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

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.

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.

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!)

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!

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!

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.

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. 📖