| Maria Montessori | Frontispiece |
| The schoolroom in the convent of the Franciscan nuns in the Via Giusti | page 8 |
| The meal hour | “ 22 |
| The morning clean-up | “ 26 |
| Waiter carrying soup | “ 26 |
| Exercises in practical life | “ 56 |
| Building “the Tower” | “ 56 |
| Buttoning-frames to develop co-ordinated movements of the fingers and prepare the children for exercises of practical life | “ 68 |
| Solid geometrical insets | “ 70 |
| The broad stair | “ 74 |
| The long stair | “ 74 |
| Insets which the child learns to place both by sight and touch | “ 78 |
| Tracing sandpaper letters | “ 86 |
| Tracing geometrical design | “ 86 |
| Training the “stereognostic sense”—combining motor and tactual images | “ 100 |
| Color boxes comprising spools of eight colors and eight shades of each color | “ 116 |
| Materials for teaching rough and smooth | “ 138 |
| Counting boxes | “ 162 |
| Insets around which the child draws, and then fills in the outline with colored crayons | “ 188 |
| Word building with cut-out alphabet | “ 224 |
About This Book
The author recounts her observations of Montessori schools and of the method's founder, translating technical descriptions into practical guidance for parents; she explains classroom techniques and materials, addresses common questions and skepticism about child freedom and early learning, and offers concrete suggestions for applying lessons at home; she also reflects on larger philosophical and ethical implications of trusting children's natural tendencies and of educational aims; chapters separate practical technic from meditative essays so readers can consult what they need, and the author invites adaptation and feedback for different domestic circumstances.