Summertime! The word brims with promise, even as it conjures memories of lakes and ballparks, beaches and campsites, hours, weekends, sometimes entire weeks away from the day-to-day with the ones we love. As I write this, the winter snows are just beginning to melt in our garden. But summertime is just around the corner.

 

At Maria’s House, summertime is very similar to our fall-spring developmental program, offering children the chance to explore our full array of Montessori works with seasoned guides, interns, and Montessori Master Teachers. That said, we avail ourselves of the increased availability of a number of our adjunct specialists and educational partner sites as we fully enjoy our playground, gardens and beautiful grounds of our Doylestown campus. Our staff have developed a unique set of Integrated Studies, working with regional and national experts to create age-appropriate Montessori approaches to everything from golf swings to fencing, gardening to pizza making, with equestrian studies, cricket and large-scale chess thrown in for fun. Ok, and rocketry. And did I mention our Lenni Lenape encampment? The list goes on and on.

 

The most noticeable difference about the summer program (Ponte Montessori, or “Montessori Bridge”) at Maria’s House is that we offer registrations a week at a time. Admittedly, this is unusual in the Montessori world, where transition to the rhythm and style of the method takes its own time. Still, my faculty and I are excited to welcome the children (and families) of our area to the House, to share a taste of the remarkable early childhood approach that we dearly love.

 

No, Ponte Montessori isn’t a camp. In our morning and afternoon sessions, our young explorers will have the chance to immerse themselves in the areas (Montessori calls them “works”) that call to them, deepening their knowledge with our guides preparing the way. Anyone who has experienced a true Montessori environment can tell you firsthand how quickly and instinctively our 3 to 8 year-olds gain mastery of things that might initially seem beyond them. They’re hardwired to learn, ready to absorb the next thing, waiting to be guided. We love this work.

 

I hope you’ll consider joining us on the Bridge for a week or two (or more) this summer. This packet will give you an idea of the structure and content of each of our six weeks, along with some of the minds behind the works. After you review it, please feel free to contact us by phone (610-290-5019) or email (Explore@MariasHouseMontessori.com). I look forward to answering any additional questions you might have, and scheduling a time for you to visit the House and meet our staff. In the meantime, I wish you and your young explorer all the best. These truly are exciting years.

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Sincerely,

Laine Walker, MA, NBCT
Executive Director