There was a Montessori School near where we lived in the 1990s. Kids were very happy there. The teachers, at times consciously, at times intuitively, made learning materials available, and the kids were permitted to discover on their own timing fundamentals of reading and math and geography through these puzzles and games that served as building blocks.. The kids learned so much, as though without effort but with pleasure and enthusiasm.

The approach did not confine itself to academics, but embraced the whole of life. The kids wiped down their tables after an exercise, they had access to kid-sized brooms and mops, and they made snacks of celery, peanut butter, and raisins. These were known as 'ants on a log'. They had a vegetable garden, and took pleasure in the lady bugs they used to balance out the numbers of aphids.

Each child brought his or her own face towel to school. They had their names embroidered or tagged on it, and their own peg on which to hang it. The towels were used instead of paper to dry their hands. The teachers generously laundered them each week, along with the school cloths used for cleanups. As a parent, I enjoyed helping the kids pick a towel to bring, and helping them label it. I thought the consciousness of the school regarding paper (for another example, they often used discarded office paper for kids to draw on and write their stories), as well as self-reliance and responsibility, was admirable.

Maria Montessori developed the program a century ago. I read one of her books - the school was originally designed to reach children with special needs. She came up with numerous ways to learn using multi-sensory activities. Thus a child with hearing problems might use visual stimuli, and tactile materials such as blocks and puzzles to learn. These methods proved to be excellent for educating not only those with special needs, but any kids, and maybe grown-ups too.