OUR PHILOSOPHY

Crossway Montessori Forest School provides a child-led, hands-on, nature-based education in the great outdoors guided by Maria Montessori’s philosophy.

We’re inspired by Norwegian forest schools and the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), and believe that children’s natural interest in learning is fueled even more by learning in and about nature. 

Children learn, work and play in multi-age groups and are immersed and active in nature all day, inspiring a lifelong love of exploration, adventure and innovation. As they garden, plant seeds, take care of animals, and identify plants and wildlife - they learn from one another, build community and become stewards of the environment. We balance freedom and responsibility and provide opportunities for children to recognize the needs of others, build confidence and develop life-long skills of persistence, critical thinking, and independence.

We believe that teaching Montessori Forest education is the healthiest and most effective way to promote cognitive, physical and social-emotional development in children. The human brain develops the most from infancy to age five. During these early years, children are laying the foundation of how they will develop throughout life. This is why early childhood education is so important. A study led by Angeline Lillard, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia, found that Montessori children fared better on measures of academic achievement, social understanding, and mastery orientation, and they also reported being relatively more positive about scholastic tasks. A brief by Ming Kuo, Associate Professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, found that experience with nature promotes children’s academic learning and seems to promote children’s development as persons and as environmental stewards.