Montessori Nurseries

[magicknickers]

My DD turns two in March and I'm thinking that it might be good for her to do one or two afternoon sessions per week at nursery. I don't really know much about nurseries but there are two Montessori ones nearby. Does anyone have any experience of these? Are they any good?

DS went to one and it was a very good experience for him. Clean, tidy, ordered environment, good child-centred teaching, really excellent. Now DD is going to a "usual" nursery and I can't say I can see a huge difference between them TBH. It seemed v important to choose that for DS but now I think I'm more relaxed and I know DD is enjoying her time at nursery even if it hasn't a distinct philosophy like Montessori.

Ds is at a montessori nursery. Usually the full montessori curriculum does not start until the child is 3. On the whole Montessori nurseries tend to be lovely nurturing environments. They focus very much on the needs of the child as an individual and there are a lot of one-to-one activities.

Have a look at www.montessori.org.uk

two of mine went to a Montessori, the other would have gone but we moved- we're a bit sad about that,a s the Nursery was so lovely.

In terms of ethos, Montessori's are about developing the individual child and allowing them to explore their abilities in a supported environmenta t their own pace- adults tend to allow time for the child to work on their own ona ctivities, albeit always closely watched. In terms of nursery however you need to go along and see the vibe you get- ours was one of the warmest, kindest palces I have ever experienced, but that is as much under the control of the person who runs the Nursery as the educational philosophy, iyswim.

personally, I would love to have been able to send sds3 to a MOntessori, and if you have the chance certainly i would recommend you explore it further- see how it suits you as a family.

HTH

Thank you all for this. Must admit that I like the sound of it and am going along to check it out next week. The other nurseries round here look a bit grotty, so I have high hopes for this one!