Preparing the Physical and Emotional Environment

Preparing an environment is often thought of as deciding which works to put out on the shelf, and although this is an important part of preparedness, it is just one piece in a process of creating readiness around the child, the educator, the parents, and the classroom. Our webinar will focus on preparing for a new school year, whether you are a parent or an educator, or both! We will go over several tools to help parents and students with this transition, which educators can pass directly over to the parents of their own students – covering tips for getting a child ready to start school in the weeks before class beings, the creation of quick videos that can help before and at the beginning of the year, using daily photos in the classroom (the how and the why), discussion topics to present to parents on after-school-restraint collapse and other behaviors at home, how to teach children to communicate about their day, how to share parenting advice easily, and what a child can expect to experience through their senses in the first weeks. We will cover what lessons are wonderful to present in the first days of school (when, how, and why), gentle management of triggering behaviors, materials to have on the shelf on the first days, and how to set limits (safety rules, procedural expectations, and boundaries through grade and courtesy). We will go over how to prepare yourself, as a human being, for the task of caring for children, from mindfulness to healthy habits, as well as understanding the child’s perspective on this incredibly exciting and sometimes nervous time in their lives. These are incredibly helpful and important aspects of preparing the environment! I cannot wait to share this time with you and place successful tools into your hands that you can turn around and implement tomorrow in your own homes and classrooms.

General registration, $45. Register HERE.

CGMS Alumni and Faculty, $35. Register HERE.

About Natalie Jean Carver-McNeil, M.Ed.

Natalie has been teaching for sixteen years and is a certified Montessori educator. Currently, she is a children’s house lead teacher at Walden Green Montessori. Natalie has her Masters Degree in Elementary Education along with additional degrees in Early Childhood Education, Language Arts, Political Science, and Literature. Having attended the Center for Guided Montessori Studies, she earned a Montessori Teaching Certificate through the International Montessori Council. She has assisted in Montessori teacher trainings through CGMS under the tutelage of Kitty Bravo. Natalie is a moderator for Montessori at Home, the largest online Montessori community in the world. She recently started creating her own content online as the Gentle Montessorian in order to share her knowledge with her local community and beyond. She is developing a gentle educating book club for parents in her community that will begin this summer. Natalie is a mother of two children, Elizabeth (age 6) and Giles (age 3). She believes that the Montessori approach is a lifelong journey and a wholistic way of living.