Ayelet Montessori

When we work in an authentic Montessori environment, we see magic in front of our eyes every single day. We not only see these children grow taller, more confident, loose their first tooth; the best part is to see them evolve into individuals with their distinct moods, personality traits, behaviour… in short seeing their entire self develop in front of us. It’s amazing to see little Ayeletians become such an integral part of the Ayelet community in their journey spanning over more than 3 years.  During the time they spend at Ayelet, they take up different roles. From being unsure little toddlers to being confident, caring, aware leaders.  They work, play, help, celebrate, support, share, talk, analyse, understand together as a community. Working together and learning from one another.  The time they spend at Ayelet Montessori, they spend being together as one big community. The care, compassion, love they share for one another...

What do you think of your child’s first day of school? Dreadful, sad, full of tears, anxiety? As a parent, you start feeling anxious the moment it dawns upon you that your little one will be in another environment without you.  If you are a first-time parent, the feeling is worse. Well, one thing we need to understand is that these are normal feelings. Here are a few tips which might help you to deal with those dreadful initial days.  Discuss it with your child and treat those initial days as a fun ride. Plan your day ahead, develop a fun routine around it, which belongs to you and your child. A walk from school to home, discussing about what s/he will wear, etc.  Plan and go with the plan, the person who drops the child to school ideally should be someone who the child isn’t the closest to. Say a quick good bye, develop your own quick drop off routine and leave. Your child might cry, try to cling on to you, but try and not hang around there where you...

If you have heard about the Montessori method of education, you must’ve heard about  Grace & Courtesy.  Some of you might have an idea about what actually is grace & courtesy all about; most of you might be wondering what exactly it is.  When we meet prospective parents at Ayelet, when they tour the environment; one question always comes up around grace and courtesy, like; “How do these children work so quietly in the environment without disturbing others?” or “How do these children know how to wait for their turn?”  At times, parents get intimidated, whether their child will be able to adjust in such an environment. As generally people expect 3-4-year-old children being loud and ones who don’t follow rules. Frankly, we don’t have a magic wand which makes these little people behave like this. A lot of work and patience as well as consistency goes into this.  As a Montessori House of Children, we at Ayelet, treat children with utm...

Come June, Ayelet will be ready to welcome many new children. The first few days, weeks and at times, even months bring a huge change in the little one’s life. Imagine, a 2-3 year old, leaving the comforts of his/her home, entering an unknown world, with unknown faces. In this post, we would try to tell you how to ease your child’s transition and how to deal with separation anxiety.  Before school starts: The initial days for your child will go into acclamatizing to the environment, becoming comfortable with adults and other children, All we need to do is treat this period with a little patience and help the child transition. These steps might help: Before the school begins, try to help your child mingle with other children his/her age. Leaving the child with a trusted one for some time, grandparents, relatives, close friend; playdates help. Don’t push or force your child, take it slowly, one step at a time.  Talk about Ayelet, speak about going there, you might...

The summer vacations are going on, and the one thing I miss is the opportunity to see children work peacefully in the environment. When I see children happily engaged in their work, that is the most amazing sight for me. It makes my belief in the Montessori method stronger, and makes me work harder to take Ayelet places.  Last year, getting a few children and seeing them engrossed in individual and group activities was the most satisfying experience. When I saw a child concentrating and carefully washing his hands, another little one trying to figure out the relationship between two sensorial materials… A little girl trying to build the brown stairs differently, or one of them not wanting to give up working with the World Map… There are so many instances every single day, which brings a big smile on my face.  After seeing these sights on a daily basis when I go back home, I feel inspired, content and absolutely blessed abou...

We, at Ayelet work closely with our parent community and we intend to grow in the same direction. We are blessed to start our Montessori journey, with parents who genuinely care for their child's education. We believe it is essential for parents and  Montessori adults/guides to form a partnership of sorts, which works best for the child. We try to keep our parent communication extremely open. Our parent meet is an important step in this direction. A week back, we had our first parent meet; and what an experience it was. Parents and older siblings took a back seat and saw their children work independently. Since, right now, we have a small group of parents, we hosted the meet together with both the parents attending the same. From next year, we plan to host a separate parent night for mums and dads. We started with the circle time, our guests loved our welcome song and the weather song (which is a favourite with the children as well). We took the parents around. And then, just like ...

Meeting parents on a regular basis, has given us a little insight on what goes on in the heads of a the parent when they come to seek admission in Ayelet Montessori (or any Montessori for that matter). They might not ask us directly, but we can see they have some queries, and one of the most common issues is 'Why does my 3 year has to work in a class with 5-6 year olds?' Globally, Montessori classrooms have children across 3 years, be it primary (3-6 years), lower elementary (6-9 years old) or upper elementary (9-12 years old). Here is what Dr. Montessori says about the multi-age setup: “Our schools have shown how children of different ages help one another. The younger ones watch what the older ones are doing and ask all kinds of questions, and the older ones explain. This is really useful teaching, for the way that a five year old interprets and explains things is so much nearer than ours to the mind of a child of three that the little ones learns easily, where...

If you’ve chosen the Montessori method of schooling for your pre-schooler but are wondering which would be an appropriate school, you’ve come to the right place. Tucked away in a cozy nook of Mico Layout is Ayelet Montessori founded by an experienced educator and a passionate advocate of the Montessori pedagogy, Falak Randerian. What makes Ayelet Montessori stand out from the rest of the Montessori schools? 1. Education and care right next door Toddler-hood is when your little ones first step out of their protected environs of home to gain knowledge in a formal space. It is natural for parents to wish for a preschool that is closer to home. They also need one in which their precious ones feel welcomed and loved. Ayelet Montessori is situated in the midst of a residential sector in South Bangalore making it extremely convenient for children to commute. 2. A non-commercial institution Small set-ups exude a feeling of warmth, have a flat hierarchy and are thus able to mainta...

When we envisioned our Montessori, even before we decided on the name, we knew we wanted a place where children can experience a 'TRUE MONTESSORI'. We wanted to give little children, who enter a new world, a place which will be their little home away from home. A place where they explore, learn, feel safe and more than anything a place which helps them shine. We wanted to choose a name that gives away just that and more. Ayelet is a word we chose after going through a lot of names. It is a Hebrew word, which means ‘Brightest Morning Star’. 'Ayelet' defines our goal to create a safe, bright, rich, stimulating school environment for children, which will stay with them for life. Ayelet aims at fostering a community of children, educators and families, to support the optimum development of the child for life. At Ayelet, we are super happy with what we have created. And we would love to reach out to as many young children (and parents) as possible.  ...

When I decided that I will start my own House of Children in 2013, I knew how I wanted it to be; but reality is different. When I launched Ayelet few weeks back, I realized that I have achieved what I wanted to, not exactly but close to what I wanted. The realization didn’t sink in completely and I got busy with ‘spreading around the word’, that is the toughest part of the journey till date. As I wait for those parent tours and registrations, I still know,soon, this place will be buzzing with little ones. What I set out to create? I set out to create a ‘Montessori House of Children’ in the true sense of the word. A warm space where each child gets a respectful, nurturing, joyful, creative, safe, exciting and inspiring environment.  When I meet some parents who do not have any knowledge about Montessori education, I try to show them the various aspects of Montessori education, which make the method so beautiful. It isn’t an easy task, but it is challenging. Then I mee...

Choosing the Right Montessori for your Child It is an extremely daunting task to choose the right Montessori for your child. Fortunately, Bangalore is buzzing with Montessori Houses of Children around the city. There are a few problems associated with the same as well. The term “Montessori” has now become an adjective to attract parents. There are some great Montessori schools out there and a few which have attached the term Montessori for namesake.  Before you decide you’d be choosing a Montessori, you will have to do two things: You have to ask yourself a question: Is the Montessori Method right for you and your family? As Montessori is a way of life, you have to be certain you understand and agree with the same. The first step wouldn’t be complete if you don’t understand the method, hence you have to take out sometime and understand the Montessori Method. To choose the right Montessori you have to 'e xperience it' and then take your decision. You can lo...

Montessori Method is a globally accepted method, and India not only welcomed it with open arms, but made the Montessori Method of education its own. Namma Bengaluru can easily be crowned as the Montessori Hub of India (along with Chennai maybe). The place is buzzing with old and new Montessori House of Children, thanks to the increased awareness about the method among parents.  When parents look at the impact of Montessori Method in the long run, they obviously get attracted to the method. With this rise in the interest of parents in the method, many Montessori schools are now looking at offering elementary Montessori education as well. Thanks to the people in Bangalore who are ready to accept an approach which promises to be the best for their children, Bangalore has Montessori House of Children spread across the city. As parents, we need to be extremely careful when we choose a Montessori for our child. Do check our post on Choosing the Right Montessori for your ...