Silent Journey and Discovery

Parents Experience Montessori through our "Silent Journeys" in Emeryville and San Mateo

Each fall, parents of children in either campus get to experience what it is like to be a child in the PRINTS program by signing up and participating in our "Silent Journey" workshop.

The Silent Journey takes place over two sessions each October: the first session is on a Friday, immediately after school at around 5:30 p.m., and then the second session is held the following morning, Saturday, starting at 9:00 a.m. and ending around noon. 

The Silent Journey is a very important part of the AMI Montessori parent education experience. As you might imagine from the name, during the first session (Friday), parents walk through each of the school's environments, from Nido through high school. They get to see and absorb in silence the beauty and scope of Montessori's vision. They are also able to decide which materials and activities seem most appealing to them, and plan to engage with those materials the following day.

Parents are instructed to reflect on what they have seen in each environment and to plan which materials they will try out and work with the following morning. This builds the anticipation and also leads to greater understanding. Montessori knew that learning happens through all of the senses, so starting with the eye's connection to the brain and then moving to be able to explore the material through touch, hearing, smell and sometimes tasting, all this adds to the layers of absorbent learning that set Montessori apart from other educational philosophies.

Below, read some of the comments and reactions from parents who enjoyed the workshop! If you were unable to join us this year, we hope to see you next fall!

"The logical, simple, beautiful materials make me want to touch them"

"This was truly eye-opening!"

"For someone who was not brought up in a Montessori environment, I found this so informative, uplifting and engaging."
"Wow! This was such an educational back-to-school event. It was so totally different from traditional education. I loved the richness and intuitive nature of the material."

"I really enjoyed learning about the activities my child spends her time working on each day. It helped me really understand her better."
"I was so curious. I love how everything is hands-on. I appreciate the time and effort put into the materials and the work of the guides. The experience was so unique!"

"I feel inspired to expand my own knowledge. I want to help broaden my children's exploration at home."

"The sand paper letters - the feel of them - and the cursive letter writing was my most memorable experience of the day."

"I am surprised and really pleased that the children are learning cursive in Children's House"

"The math lessons in Children's House were most memorable for me. So engaging!

"Studying math with the Montessori materials was the most memorable experience for me - that it is totally different than the traditional way."

"I love that the math approach is 'guide - then thought' - no need to memorize."

"I have a much deeper appreciation for the school, for the teachers, and for the style of learning."

"It was so beneficial to see the value of all the materials in the classrooms and how they facilitate curiosity, motor skills development, and the foundations of language and mathematics. I was amazed at the things that my son can obviously now do."

"Seeing the transitional 'building blocks' from each level was so memorable. The all-encompassing journey through each environment was engaging and thoughtful."

"I feel like I got to understand the child's experience when using this material and seeing self-discovery in formation."