Welcome to the Encyclopedia
Welcome to the encyclopedia, a great place to learn about the famous Montessori activities, materials and philosophy, through explanatory photographs, introductory videos and written explanations.
Our ambition with the encyclopedia is to make the magic of Montessori come alive, in an easy and accessible way. We wish nothing more than to pull back the veil on what sometimes feels mysterious, by showcasing the brilliance of Montessori.
We hope to help make this personalized approach to learning more accessible, by illuminating what makes it so unique, and dispelling some of the many misunderstandings that accompany this one hundred year old approach to education. We truly believe that Montessori is for everyone.
As a scientist, physician and educator, Maria Montessori was a great taxonomist. She believed in the power of observation, the care and organization of thought, and the courage to share her discoveries with the rest of the world. She also knew that she would have to prove any hypothesis that she made.
Montessori’s fundamental insight into early childhood education was that children are born naturally inquisitive. As adults, we don’t have to force children to learn. We only need to provide them with the right environment in which to explore their interests.
Here’s Ms. Wood, to provide a quick overview of the 4 areas of the Montessori classroom: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, and Math.
The Montessori classroom is a special place: a place designed specifically for children, where literally the only thing that is out of place is the adults. With neatly ordered materials, carefully placed in sequential order on their respective shelves, children set out on a daily adventure.
With this encyclopedia, we’re hoping to catalogue in a similarly sequential way the materials of the Montessori classroom. Search by area, such as language or math materials, or just scroll through on an adventure of your own. However you choose to explore it, we hope you enjoy this Montessori Encyclopedia, and encourage you to come back as often as you like.