OP, there are also plenty of schools that pick and chose the Montessori stuff within a more traditional play based school. Ours is one. They have Montessori trained teachers and allow the kids to move from station to station, aren't pressuring them to meet specific achievement levels, but they also encourage dress up and imaginary play.

Keep looking at many schools - you will find the right fit.

I found there is a lot of variation within "Montessori" schools. IIRC there are at least two certifying organizations, and a lot of schools that don't belong to either one.

I was inclined to look for Montessori but in the end the school that was convenient to us did not seem like a happy place, and we decided that a lot of extra time in the car going somewhere else would not make us a happy family so we found somewhere else.

Well said, pp. Montessori method teaches that there is only one correct way to do a task. I want my child to be encouraged to explore and be creative. BTW, as more research is done on the benefits of outdoor play, any goud school will allow lots of time for that activity. That is not only happening in Montessori schools.

The more I investigated the Montessori Method, the more convinced I became that it wasn't right for my child. There is no pretend play at Montessori schools because it is not allowed. Maria Montessori found that instead of having a play kitchen or playing house, 100 YEARS ago, the kids liked to serve real food, or complete real household tasks like polishing or washing. Instead of evolving and realizing the importance of engaging in sustained pretend play, the Montessori method is stuck in the past. If a child at a montessori pre-school wants to pretend they are feeding a lion and are a zookeeper or wants to pick up a block and pretend they are phoning the fire department, it is not allowed. More and more research is finding that kids who engage in sustained, purposeful pretend play develop better executive functioning than other kids.

Anonymous wrote:If she wants to paint all day long, she can. If she wants to make seventeen bead necklasses, she can.

The real world and public school don't work like that though

Anonymous wrote:She also learns to be industrious and to take pride in her work - for instance, she loves to clean up at home - to put her plate in the sink after dinner and to getthe broom out. These are small things, i realize, but its nice that school teaches them to take pridein stuff that is oridnary.

These are simple to teach in the home.

OP here....

I'm not saying Montessori doesn't teach social skills. When we have toured schools the kids seem to be playing alone and quiet most of the time unless they are outside.

What's the name of the school sends kids outside 4 times a day from 9-12??

I do love that many Montessori programs have a focus on being outside and nature.

I'm also curious to hear how kids transition from Montessori to public school

It's all to get more money from the parents.

OP, I also didn't feel that Montessori was a good fit for any of my kids. I most recently considered it for my youngest - first at preschool level and again when she finished pre-k but was told enough for kindergarten. I can't exactly put my finger on it other than I think my kids need to be pushed in a way that Montessori doesn't push. Mine just wouldn't have thrived and learned if they could spend all day painting or making necklaces, though I can see for some kids the idea would be successful So, I didn't choose it and all of my kids are very successful in school.

I never heard from any of the Montessori schools that I visited that they take kids outside four times in a six hour school day. Honestly that wouldn't be a selling point for me. When you add lunch, nap and all the time it takes to get ready to go out and clean up after coming in, it seems excessive. Regardless, all of the preschools my kids went to had twice a day outside periods and a third during aftercare. I was good with that. It's not until you hit public school that the outside time drops.

Anonymous wrote:I am not a fan of Montessori. Those schools do not encourage social skills which is what I am looking for. If your gut says Montessori is not right for your child, don't do it. There are many play based schools around. That is where I would start looking.

Huh? You clearly don't know much about "those schools" if you think they don't encourage social skills. For us our son's quantum leaps in social skills was one of the reasons we loved his Montessori school.

Oh, one other thing: there is a hUGE empahsis on playing outside, on fresh air, and on working out their energy. I think they go out 4 times per day from 9-3. Its really lovely. I love their emphasis on growing the mind and body.

i love love love our montessori. and i have no idea what PP is talking about whne she says they don't encourage social skills; she might not be very familar with true montessori methods.

in addition to the traditional mont curriculum, all children take nature class (hikes in the woods once per week), ballet and tap (once per week), music (once per week), and spanish.

My dd has thrived socially (she started in the 2s class and is now 4). Her nature is to be indepedent and creative and montessori truly fosters bother of those things. If she wants to paint all day long, she can. If she wants to make seventeen bead necklasses, she can.

She also learns to be industrious and to take pride in her work - for instance, she loves to clean up at home - to put her plate in the sink after dinner and to getthe broom out. These are small things, i realize, but its nice that school teaches them to take pridein stuff that is oridnary.

Additionally, our classrooms are not quiet. There is no enforced silence, but children are taught to respect others and if one child is loud enough to be distrubing others, other children are encouraged to ask the child to lower thier voice.

I am not a fan of Montessori. Those schools do not encourage social skills which is what I am looking for. If your gut says Montessori is not right for your child, don't do it. There are many play based schools around. That is where I would start looking.

Thanks for the super helpful comments 12:23, but "what are the benefits of Montessori" was not my only question. In fact, I didn't even ask that. I'm well aware of what Montessori is and why it is deemed beneficial. I'm curious about people's direct experiences with Montessori and if anyone also also feels it isn't a good fit for them.

I'm quite familiar with the search feature. Perhaps instead of slamming me with pure snark you could be helpful and point me to the thread you are referencing? You know, the one that answers ALL of the questions I posed in my OP. I guess everyone isn't a search wizard like you must be.

they have this feature on forums which assist you in finding information which has already been posted by others - its called SEARCH. There are probably 10 threads on here already dealing with the relative benefits of Montessori

We're looking at Preschools for my 2 year old to start next fall (she will be 3). The general consensus of the advice I'm getting is: "If you can afford Montessori, DO IT!"

We can afford it. But I'm touring these schools and Montessori just doesn't seem like a good fit for my DD. Am I the only one that feels this way? Why are parents made to feel like they aren't giving their child the best if they can't do Montessori? The schools we have toured seem stuffy and elitist. The kids almost always seem to be playing/learning solo and they are all so QUIET. There seems to be a lack of art/music/pretend play in Montessori (not to say that it is non existent, just not as focused on as the more traditional schools).

Can someone give some insight? Did you choose Montessori? What about it drew you in the most? What are the biggest shortcomings of Montessori? Do the benefits out weight the shortcomings?

Can anyone recommend a less stuffy/elitist or less strictly montessori program in Northern Montgomery County?