Ayelet Montessori

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...

If your child goes to a Montessori school, you would know, one thing which sets them apart is their independent streak. One of the most common question parents at Ayelet ask “How to ensure we don’t kill that spirit of independence?”  Some parents also complain that children are too independent and don’t understand when parents are in a hurry.  The 2 nd  situation only arises when parents are in a rush.  Let’s deal with the 2 nd situation first, if you know you’re in a hurry tell your children so, that’ll help them prepare in advance. Young children don’t understand rush/hurrying.  Fostering independence in children is something we work at Ayelet every single day, as parents there are a few things you can involve children as young as toddlers/preschoolers with:    Let them set their own table for meals, once finished keep their own dish back in the kitchen. After play, children can clean up their rooms.   Involv...

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 ...

Ours is a land of diversity and that is the beauty of our country. The harmony and love with which a large part of our society lives, embracing all the uniqueness and differences is what makes India truly amazing. We have so many customs, festivals and rituals in our country. We should should help our child be a part of these celebrations.  Montessori is a method which is extremely adaptable and embraces all rituals.  In a Montessori, festivals and holidays form an integral part of our cultural curriculum. For us, festivals are cultural celebrations and not religious. Children focus on traditions and rituals while celebrating. When we celebrate a festival, its about the customs, the clothes and the traditional food. As a Montessori school, Ayelet believes in celebrating all holidays with equal enthusiasm. We try to avoid accepting one and ignoring another important festival. All festivals hold equal importance for us.  We share stories and ev...

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...

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 ...