Parent-Child Course

It has been two and a half years since Guide Cab Yau first introduced her Parent-Child Course in the Villa di Maria fireplace room, and we are happy to report the next session is starting next week! Parents and caregivers around St. Louis bring their very young children (eight weeks to two years old) to Cab's course once or twice per week during the morning hours. The course offers a nurturing environment prepared especially to support their early development in movement and language.As their children explore, parents and caregivers freely discuss their questions or concerns with Cab and each other. They learn how to foster independence in their children and how to model behaviors and language and how to implement Montessori principles in the home. And they have an opportunity to connect with a community of other parents and caregivers.

Yes, the environment is set up for the children, but it's also set up for the adults in their lives. Adults are given the chance to observe, reflect, ask questions and fundamentally enter into more conscientious parenting. Parenting is no small feat, and it is best done in community.Cab Yau

If you would like to join this session of our Parent-Child Class, please visit this website to complete an application. We hope to see you there!

Lemons...

As the temperature dives and the windchill plunges, let's take a look at the joy and warmth in the prepared environment. Below is a glimpse into lemon squeezing in the Parent-Child community. This is great food preparation work to try at home!We can just imagine that this lemon juice is being made into lemonade to be enjoyed on a warm day... And here is another take on toddler lemon squeezing... and subsequent "sense exploration" (aka sneaking a taste). Special shout out (as always!) to Melinda Smith for sharing your photography skills with us. It was such a pleasure to have you join our class!

A Peek at Parent-Child Class...

Take a peek at Villa di Maria's Parent-Child class. This environment is set up to meet the needs of children aged 8-weeks to 2+years. Similar to a 3-year-old walking into the Children's House, a young child enters and knows that this space is theirs.In addition to all of the water work, the older children particularly enjoy our communal snack. Preparing food, setting the table, eating - they love it all.As glorious as these pictures are, they tell only half the story. The other half is made up of parents, nannies and grandparents coming together to build a community that supports them. Yes, the environment is set up for the children, but it's also set up for the adults in their lives. Adults are given the chance to observe, reflect, ask questions and fundamentally enter into more conscientious parenting. Parenting is no small feat, and it is best done in community.If you're interested in joining our community, the next block of classes begins the first week of November. You are also welcome to join our Parent-Child Open House at the end of October.  Email caroliney@villadimaria.org to find out more about classes or Open House.Many thanks to the parents of my class for sharing their pictures - special thanks to Ming Lee, Samantha Clarke and Rebecca and Jordan Lev.

Parent-Child Course: In Progress

I recently had the pleasure of sitting in on a portion of Cab Yau's Parent-Child Course , and what a treat it was! Take a look at these beautiful babies in their prepared environment and read a bit about the space and purpose for this age range, below. On this particular day, half of the class was home recovering from various illnesses that are so common around this time of year; therefore, the full age range of this course was not represented in these photos. These children are on the younger spectrum of the age range. Still, they navigated the space well, exploring all areas of the prepared environment.For children of this age, there is no need for lessons for the sake of learning; they are already absorbing everything in the environment around them. These two are in a stage where movement and language are of primary importance. They are constantly refining their movements as they crawl, scoot, touch, explore, chase, and search. Following a rolling object, bringing a toy to the mouth, physically manipulating a jar with a lid, and learning to support weight through assisted standing are a few examples.There is also, amazingly, the beginning of social interaction between these young children. Above, the child on the left purposefully drops a toy off the top of a the shelf. Below: the other child notices, makes eye contact, and returns the toy!The materials themselves are simple and beautiful, and arranged to sit on the edge of the shelf for easiest access to little hands.Another example of early social behavior: above, the child on the left observes the child on the right mouthing a silver rattle (note in the mirror that the child without the rattle is opening her mouth in imitation). Immediately after, she offers the baby another toy, placing it directly into her mouth!

A mother watches as her child navigates the shelving unit.

Cab offers a helping hand

After plenty of time playing while the adults discussed various parenting topics, it was time for a snack!On the menu for this class: peas!

Cab assists the child in holding the fork and spearing a pea.

When weather is permitting, the children and their caregivers also spend time outside exploring on the playground. There is so much going on - just observing this amazing time of development is astonishing. Thank you, Cab, for inviting us to peek in on your course!Though registration is currently closed for this session, there will be an opportunity to sign your 8-week to 2-year-old child up for the next session soon. Please contact Carrie Tallon, Director of Education (carriet@villadimaria.org) for more information.

Beginning Soon: The Parent-Child Course!

Villa di Maria is thrilled to introduce a new 5-week course which will be available for parents and their young children, ages 8 weeks to 2 years, to connect, share, observe, and learn in a supportive, nurturing environment. Parents will learn, among other things, how to observe and respect their young child's natural development, when to intervene, the importance language plays in parenting very young children, and most of all, how to support a child in his or her self formation. It is also an introduction to Montessori and how to implement its principles within the home. More on the program, and how to sign up, below.Sessions will be led by Cab Yau, who has received her Assistants to Infancy certification, and also happens to be a compassionate, approachable, knowledgeable mother of three children here at Villa di Maria. Her goal is to welcome parents into an environment that is set up for their young child. The class provides both an opportunity to observe and interact with their child in a way that respects and celebrates their development, and how to support this development.Cab shares, "The child at this very young age is constructing herself.  She is learning, absorbing really, what it means to be a human being - how we move through space, how we communicate (both through language acquisition and the art of communicating), how we treat each other.  By providing an environment that is prepared specifically to support the child's development and more crucially by providing support and information for the parent we hope to support the child's self-construction, so that hers is a solid foundation upon which she can build."

"I want to help parents see how capable their child is and to give them some extra tools to use at home," Cab continues.

Registration starts soon, as the course will begin mid-October, but be sure to sign up soon as space is limited to 10 children and their accompanying caregivers. This course is not only available for parents of current VdM students, but also to the public; you do not have to be a Montessori family to join! Please contact Carrie Tallon, Director of Education (carriet@villadimaria.org) for more information.We hope to see you there!