Would just be interested to hear of experiences of others whose children attend Montessori Nurseries / Schools. Our son starts 2 short afternoon sessions a week in September and then when he is 2 1/2 will do 3 mornings a week. I have done quite a bit of reading up on the Montessori approach and like a lot of what they try and achieve. However, I have to confess that I am not feeling particularly enthusiastic about our local establishment.
The staff seem to be incredibly dictatorial in their approach and take themselves unbelievably seriously. At a parents evening last week, the headmistress solemnly instructed us that no child under 6 should be let near a computer and that she would also put television in the same category. One of the parents there said that with 3 children, she did sometimes need to resort to a video so she could get on with jobs etc. This was met with the response that they should consider moving in with another family in order to share childcare duties (!!!!). They made lots of other general pronouncements along these lines and I was left feeling a bit cross at what seemed like intrusion into people's parenting choices.
All in all, their programme sounds harmless enough but I can't help having some qualms about the place.