Bringing the Montessori Research Method Home

Many children find the work their parents are doing interesting and engaging. By working with your child/ren with these tasks, you are sharing time and skills. You may just find that there is a topic that could be explored and investigated which can extend their interests into the classroom. Researching the reason that forests do not have anyone who rakes the leaves but all of our neighbors do can lead to deeper appreciation. I remember a time when a child came in from a weekend of planting fall bulbs and wanted to do research about the reason some seeds are sewn in different times of the year. This then spread throughout the classroom with others researching plants that only germinate in unique ways like after a forest fire and so on. The beauty of the Montessori method is that the children learn how  to investigate their interests and explore more.

As parents, we have countless opportunities to support this work at home. It can begin with a simple, “That seems like a really interesting thing to research…” or “I’m not sure, let’s look it up and find out more.”

When our children were first beginning to learn to speak, they were always asking: “This?” or “That?” We can continue to support their inquisitive nature by extending beyond the simple answer—we can ponder with them the why? of life.

You may frequently hear about the research the children are doing in their classroom. This is particularly true in the elementary ages. Even on the first day of school, children tend to come into their classrooms ready to explore something they encountered over the summer or on the walk in. Research in the Montessori classroom is a jumping off point for our children. They are driven to find out more. They are excited to learn something that is new. They are proud when sharing their knowledge with friends and family.

For these reasons, I wanted to share with you how you can support this work at home. Depending on the skill levels of your child/ren, the depth and complexity of the product will vary but the overall process is the same.

1. Research begins with an observation and/or question (the how? )

For example,  “I see less birds in the fall and winter months than I do in the spring and summer. I wonder why?”  or “What is the fastest animal in Colorado?”

This is often a point where a parent on the run might say something like:

“I don’t know, now it’s time to go to___” or  “Birds migrate to the south during the winter.”

The answers to these questions are often times short and too detailed or not enough to satisfy the interest. Either response can unintentionally discourage further searching.

2. Meeting the child’s question

In the Montessori classroom, the questions children come to us with are met with “That is a wonderful question. I wonder where we can find out the answer?” or, “I’m sure there is a book/resource available that we can help you find out.”

3. Dive in and explore ( the why? )

Teachers introduce children to concepts to support research, determining the validity of sources:

4. Organize the information into a product ( the what? )

1.  Start with maintaining an open and inquisitive mind towards the world around us. Everything we encounter each day has the potential for deeper exploration and discovery. Practice looking for the how? or what?  in your daily life.

2.  Sit back and explore with your child/ren.

3.  The process does not have to be exhaustive.  If your child finds the answer that is satisfactory, let them stop and move on to something else.

4.  Enjoy the time you are spending.

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