The Montessori prepared environment can truly be a place of magic! By providing  the child with order, beauty and opportunities for  independence you can unlock the magic of the Montessori goal of  the child who is independent and thus happy! Confident! Self aware!This week I share with you the magic of the prepared environment i.e. the classroom, how to achieve this and what to do when things don't seem to be going how you planned. I hope you tune in, follow and find me on instagram! I am so happy you're here! “The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult.”— Maria Montessori

“When a child is given a little leeway, he will at once shout, ’I want to do it!’ But in our schools, which have an environment adapted to children’s needs, they say, ‘Help me to do it alone.’”—The Secret of ChildhoodThis week I will share with you the importance of escaping once in a while and some tips for setting up the Montessori classroom environment and when to switch your materials. It is important to remember that you don’t have to have ALL of the things in order to have an environment that works for your child(ren).  Tune in to hear the foundation of setting up an environment that will truly support your child. Have a wonderful week and thank you for tuning in!

Welcome Back! I am so excited to bring you a brand new episode and a new season of the LTF Podcast!This episode explores some of the lessons I have learned in my many years of new school years! I will share my top three pieces of advice  for how to begin a new school year, setting your children and yourself up for a beautiful year of learning and growing together. I promise that “at the beginning is a good place to be”. 

This week’s episode is a bit of insight into what led me to start my own school and my Montessori journey. I will share with you why I ended up on this path, how I even started my school and some answers to the question of is it necessary to begin your own school.I will share with you some of my struggles and triumphs and maybe even inspire you on your own journey. As always, thank you for tuning in! Please email me with any questions!

This week's episode is very dear to me and one that I truly cannot believe actually happened. This week I was able to sit down with a person who absolutely changed my life.  My friend Danica Allen, or Dani to those who know and love her, is one of those people you meet in life who not only change the entire trajectory of your life, give you wisdom and hope but also literal help. She hauled boxes, built furniture, polished floors, painted walls, taught children alongside me, enrolled families, chatted with inspectors and picked me up when I felt I just couldn’t keep going. Along with all of her physical and emotional support, I have been even more fortunate in my chance meeting of Dani. She has stuck with me for all of these years, even though we have lived thousands of miles, oceans and even continents apart. Dani has helped me build two schools, she has inspired me with her experience and knowledge in education, Montessori, parenting and now Special Education. This episode has everything: friendship, heart, advice on how to build a school, teaching in all kinds of schools, homeschooling,  military life, the GED, surviving trauma, loving and supporting your children through change and the challenges of diagnosis... and on and on… There is SO MUCH HERE! I just know you’ll be inspired! Oh, and this episode is extra special because Dani and her family are currently living in Germany and they were able to come and visit me in Idaho, and this summer is the ten year anniversary of our journey to build CHMS! As always, thank you for listening! Thank you for your support and thank you for helping me to build this community. Please reach out to me via email at [email protected] if you have any questions for myself or Dani. Here are just a few of the things Dani mentions:“Giving a child choice and voice does not take away your power… it makes you a better human.”“Neuro divergent children should be supported to exist within the society...but not forced to change who they are in order to fit in.” Podcast: Bright and Quirky

In this episode I share with you why traveling with children is so important. It is something to be enjoyed and not dreaded. I will share some ideas for how to make travel more enjoyable for your child and you. I truly believe that by sharing the world with our children we will help them to become citizens of the world, making the world a better place for all. 

Hello Podcast Friends!Welcome to another episode! In this episode I share with you some of my ideas and experience with making summer fun for everyone. This episode is almost like a part two to Episode 16, so if you haven't listened to that episode, you want might to give it a listen! I will share with you why routine remains important, even in the summer, even for your older child and why you don't have to have perfect activities to engage your child every day. I will also share with you the most important activities you can do with your child all summer to prevent the dreaded summer slide in their progress. So join me for a short and sweet summer episode! Make sure to find me on instagram and email me with any questions at:[email protected] Thank you!

Hello Podcast Friends! This week I share with you some harsh truth about Montessori: IT ISN'T PERFECT!What you might say!?! The reality is that sometimes Montessori is messy, imperfect and not how we planned.. Sometimes as parents and educators we say and do the wrong thing. I share with you some of my experiences and some ideas on how we can settle in, let go and not allow ourselves to become bogged down in the myth of perfection. As always, thank you for tuning in!

Hello listeners! This week I share with you  my message, which is Dr. Montessori's message that peace can come through education. I will share with you ideas on how to incorporate education for peace within your home and classroom. I'll give you a little hint on one of my ideas... it begins with BOOKS! Reading truly does help. I believe so much in building a community through this podcast and I want to encourage you to keep going in this vital work, you matter as an educator, parent and guide. You have a gift before you in the life of the child(ren) and an opportunity to help to make the world a better place, even when it seems an impossible feat. As always, thank you for listening and I wish you a wonderful week ahead. 

Hello LTF Listeners!This episode is all about how to have those difficult conversations with parents. I will share with you how to conduct a meeting, send a message and why it is vital that you do not avoid these conversations and how by speaking up you will truly be helping the child in need. I also share with you a whole lot of gratitude and reminders to set boundaries for yourself as you build your school and classroom community.