Henry found a random chapter book in a Little Free Library, which was geared toward middle schoolers who are trying to overcome the habit of procrastination. Henry insisted that we read the whole thing.

After that, I decided to see if he was interested in reading another chapter book. We picked up Little House in the Big Woods from the library and loved reading it! I think we’ll take a break and read some picture books (they are good for building background knowledge) but after that we might pick up the second book in the series!

One of the things I love most about Montessori is the idea that children should do real work that involves real risk. For example, toddlers should be taught how to use knives, preschoolers should learn how to use needles, and elementary children should learn how to light matches. (You can read all about the philosophy here.)

The process of working with real tools that carry real risk conveys to children that they are capable of being careful. When they are trusted to be careful, they, in turn, learn to be careful. They also build their self-esteem and their sense of worth by receiving real trust and real respect from