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 cover our garden. For our directors and board, though, summertime is just around the corner.

 

At Maria’s House, summer session is very similar to our fall-spring developmental program, offering children the chance to explore our full array of Montessori works with seasoned guides, residents, and Montessori Master Teachers. We also happily enjoy the summer availability of a number of our adjunct specialists and educational partner sites as we fully enjoy our yard, gardens and beautiful grounds of our Doylestown campus. We continue to develop 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 pasta making, with equestrian studies, cricket and large-scale chess thrown in for fun. Ok, and folk dancing. And did I mention geology, pottery making, and immersive anthropology? The list goes on and on.

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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.

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No, Ponte Montessori isn’t a camp. Through each morning and afternoon sessions, our young explorers have the chance to immerse themselves in the areas (Montessori calls them “works”) that speak to them, deepening their knowledge as our guides prepare their 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.

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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 seven weeks. After you review it, please feel free to contact us through our website at your convenience. I look forward to welcoming your family to campus for a visit. 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