Feeding the Powerful and Hungry Mind
April 30, 2015

Christian Noble web Dear MSLF Families,

“The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them.”  — Albert Einstein

MSLF Elementary students see problems all around them and find solutions.  Imagine the level of commitment and thinking they will bring to the world-problems they will face as adults.

Over the past school year, MSLF’s Elementary students:

  • Have raised money for UNICEF, organized a book drive, donated class funds and labored to repair the story ring wall, volunteered to help in Toddler classes, persistently communicated to avoid fighting, raised money for rainforest preservation.
  • Managed classroom budgets based on necessities, savings, and discretionary spending, differentiated between needs and wants and set priorities of needs.
  • Committed themselves to lesson and practice work schedules, drew maps, created posters, wrote reports, built models, drafted timelines, studied civics, practiced math facts and vocabulary words, learned pre-algebra and geometry by hand, learned the parts of speech through action and symbolizing, learned engineering by building a computer, developed focus, memory and high standards by writing in cursive using cartridge and dip pens, published newsletters, used microscopes to study cells, identified evolutionary sequences, performed complex dissections, and much, much more.

Elementary education is the great Montessori secret!  Elementary children grow fast, focus on problem- solving, use compassion to face loss, want to work in groups and learn how to lead.  These qualities point to the Elementary child’s strongest trait:  A powerful and hungry mind.

Excellent Elementary education is vital, for a child’s brain will never again be as receptive and powerful as it is during the years from 6 to 12.  Elementary age brains need to be stimulated and guided by inspiring and knowledgeable educators who feed learning via the vast Montessori Elementary curriculum of “cosmic education.”  MSLF Elementary students connect to the world in complex and challenging ways.  They grow up to join the ranks of the innovators and problem-solvers who make their childhood visions come true.

Join an Elementary class for an observation.  You’ll see that these students have things to learn and places to go, and they’ll reach their goals by hand, on foot, by telephone and Skype, through planning, hard work and practice, by committee and meeting, by appointment, by car and public transit, and on the wings of their soaring imaginations!  Travel with these adventurers as they investigate the myriad realities of the cosmos they call home.

Best Wishes, and see you down in Elementary!
Ann Jordahl
Executive Director

By Teresa Pavelich June 2, 2025
At MSLF, overnight trips become an important part of Montessori learning beginning in Lower Elementary. Each trip is carefully planned to meet the developmental needs of students in the second and third plane of development , with each overnight trip getting progressively longer to ease children into these independent journeys away from their families. These aren't just trips - they're carefully crafted opportunities for students to discover who they are, what they're capable of, and how they can contribute to their community and the wider world. Beginning in their first year of Lower Elementary, students take their first MSLF overnight trip to Nature’s Classroom in Wisconsin. For many Lower Elementary students, this trip represents their first nights away from home. During their trip they explore the outdoors, work together in groups, use their practical life skills during community meals, and grow! It’s this first overnight trip for MSLF students where parents and staff remark how students come back almost transformed after being able to develop their independence in a supportive environment. Our Upper Elementary classroom has embarked on overnight trips to both Camp Timber-lee in Wisconsin and The Country Experience at Amstutz Family Farm in Elizabeth, IL. Both locations provide students with increasing opportunities to apply their practical life skills, like checking the weather to ensure they have weather-appropriate gear for their trip. Every task empowers them to develop self-reliance and problem-solving skills. These trips are also opportunities for the students to get to know one another and build strong relationships with their peers and with the adults in their classroom. Adolescent Program students at MSLF have opportunities to visit both Springfield, IL and Washington, DC . These overnight trips tie directly into their studies – connecting curriculum learned in the classroom to experiences in the wider community. They often take their learning on the road, for example by watching a legislative session in action in Springfield to see which bills are passed during their trip or presenting their research papers at monuments in Washington, DC. And for these students, the skills they built on their trips in Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary are put to work, as they pack their own bags, learn more about public transportation, and plan their daily itineraries to make the most out of their visit. Experiences like these at MSLF support the child’s independence, laying the groundwork for transitions in later life: the start of high school, going away to college, a first job, and beyond. As they conquer challenges outside their comfort zone, their confidence soars, laying the foundation for the autonomy and independence they will continue to utilize throughout their Montessori experience and beyond. It’s good for parents, too, to see how truly capable our children are!
By Teresa Pavelich March 7, 2025
Forbes Article highlights mental health benefits of Montessori education