Montessori Children's House - Grand Traverse

Dr. Montessori’s vision of education inspires us.

“We discovered that education is not something which the teacher does but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words but by virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment. The teacher’s task is to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for children.”
—Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind

A physician and educational philosopher Montessori’s work during the first half of the 20th century is supported by current neurological research and evidence.

“…educational approaches that embed learning in activity and make deliberate use of the social and physical context are more in line with the understanding of learning and cognition that are emerging from research” —Lepper and Henderlong 2000.

Dr. Montessori developed a comprehensive model based upon the following principles:

Each child is a unique learner born with the fortitude needed to reach their fullest potential Children learn with confidence when well-trained thoughtful loving adults offer them instruction with developmentally appropriate beautiful didactic materials With the necessary balance of guidance from the adult and freedom to explore in an orderly environment children focus upon what they need to know and learn with joy

The Children’s House classrooms toddler through upper elementary utilize the developmental learning (didactic) materials created by Dr. Montessori to inspire the child’s curiosity and to help them find answers. The Children’s House also carefully employs the results of current research in the field of developmental education to meet the needs of the 21st century child. The school building and the 8 acre campus completed in 2003 are specifically designed to support our philosophy of education.