Clementine Early Childhood Community

Clementine Early Childhood Community Clementine is a classroom in downtown Libertyville offering Montessori parent-child classes to children ages 0-3+.

Clementine is a space in downtown Libertyville offering Montessori parent-child classes for children ages 0-3. Parent (or other caregiver--grandparent, nanny) and child attend together. The children work & play in a prepared Montessori environment, and the adults observe, chat with each other, learn and talk about various parenting topics, and join their kids with the materials.

This crawler group is truly a delight!Everyone’s questions (and answers!) are so thoughtful, and while do I love it when...
04/30/2026

This crawler group is truly a delight!

Everyone’s questions (and answers!) are so thoughtful, and while do I love it when we have a few minutes just to chat once we’ve finished our discussion, we sometimes barely get there.

Today, crawler concentration rolled into “how many toys is the right number of toys?” while the two oldest navigated all kinds of interactions in the back corner and we enjoyed watching it all unfold.

We talked for so long that I never even turned the music on before I realized it was time to ring the bell for the line, and then I (also) realized: we had talked for so long that we never got to our once-a-year crawler art activity, could everyone stay for a few extra minutes? Yes.

Oh, and first classroom steps were taken, my favorite.

I finished setting up the classroom for our crawlers yesterday and, as often, I took a photo…why? I almost never do this...
04/17/2026

I finished setting up the classroom for our crawlers yesterday and, as often, I took a photo…why? I almost never do this for our other age groups. There’s just something about all the open space that feels like a giant contrast to how it’s arranged for our bigger (and littler) kids, and it somehow translates into a feeling of…potential?

After class, I realized that I never put up yesterday’s paintings ➡️ which might feel a little risky, but as is so often true with kids:

> they surprise us: nobody even paid them a moment’s attention

> even if they had…no big deal – if it’s not dangerous, it’s really just an opportunity

…which translates very nicely to a long conversation we had about houseplants and babies, which actually reverse-segued perfectly into our topic for this week, respect.

All together, these are the ingredients for our infant-crawler-toddler-preschooler community:

+ big themes of development and parenting
+ bringing them to life in our classroom
+ how to live them out at home

= an activity for your child that combines fun, community, and heart.

04/16/2026

Is he a tomato (hooray! class-grown snacks!) or a Tree of Heaven (sounds great but apparently a total garden pest)?

Time will tell, but you know that everyone is welcome here.

I promise we did something besides shredding paper in today’s Tuesday Toddler 1 class!This group is a wonderful mix betw...
04/15/2026

I promise we did something besides shredding paper in today’s Tuesday Toddler 1 class!

This group is a wonderful mix between brand-new, returning-after-a-while, and here-forever families. We have a set of second cousins, a second brother, and three who started at Clementine as infants.

This class is just such a lovely microcosm of all it means to be a toddler: focus and exploration, easier and harder moments, little shifts over time that add up to big changes.

And what unites them all? A love for snacks.

***

If you’re local to Libertyville or the northern suburbs and you think your toddler would love a 90 minute class full of friendship and fun every week (and you think you might too!), we’d love to have you join us. Message to learn more!

Our spring session is underway, and we'd love to have you and your child as a part of it!Whether you have:> a new baby a...
04/13/2026

Our spring session is underway, and we'd love to have you and your child as a part of it!

Whether you have:

> a new baby and are looking for a group of other moms to navigate this season alongside

> an older baby and want to know more about the how and why of this stage of development

> a toddler who's ready for a first classroom experience and fun with new friends

> a fall-start preschooler who might like a chance to learn what school is like before being away from close adults for the first time
..there's a place for you at Clementine! We have a few spots open across the schedule, and new families can add into a spring class for just another two weeks.

Message me or visit our website to learn more and register. We'd love to have you join us!

This Tuesday Toddler 2 class is all about togetherness.Seven of eight girls have carried on from winter, and our new guy...
04/07/2026

This Tuesday Toddler 2 class is all about togetherness.

Seven of eight girls have carried on from winter, and our new guy already fits right into the mix.

One mom leads a playdoh conversation with her daughter and a friend, while friend’s grandma helps a different granddaughter climb the triangle, thumbs-upping other grandma across the room.

One child is working on pouring, another is there with the mop.

Three girls negotiate turns with the pull-behind bunny–so peacefully. Pats are exchanged.

Someone cries, and others check on her. A wonderful au pair jumps in to help sunny the skies.

At snack, looking the other direction, I truly think a mom is having a chat with her own daughter, as familiar as they are–only to turn around and realize she’s talking favorite foods with another child while hers happily eats cantaloupe and crackers.

When we sing, everyone is just…cohesive.

Brightest smile and a high five from a little girl who was never so sure about me, until today.

This is a different kind of class than anything else I know of.It’s not a playgroup (but the babies play!), and it’s not...
04/03/2026

This is a different kind of class than anything else I know of.

It’s not a playgroup (but the babies play!), and it’s not a support group (but you’ll definitely feel supported!).

Here’s what it is:

While the babies explore beautiful infant materials (or nap!), the adults discuss a new topic every week—with plenty of action moments to bring it all to life.

This is what really sets this class apart: our conversations will introduce you to a parenting approach that you might not have considered before.

You’ll finish the session, I hope, with excitement about this earliest stage of your baby’s life and all that you’ve learned about how to support it.

We also have plenty of time to talk about other new-mom topics and to just chat and get to know each other, and the group really feels connected by the end…people usually stay in touch!

Honestly, this is exactly what I needed when my kids were first born, and I absolutely love sharing this experience with new parents at Clementine.

Class meets for eight Fridays, 4/10-5/29, from 11:10a-noon.

If you’re a local mom of a new baby–we have families from Libertyville, Gurnee, Lake Forest, Lake, Bluff, Vernon Hills, Mundelein, and more!—we’d love to have you join us!

04/03/2026

When I remembered it was Thursday and peeked over at the pot, I felt like nothing much had changed since last week.

But big things had actually been happening—I just had to pay close attention to catch them.

Kind of like with toddlers.

Address

526 N Milwaukee
Libertyville, IL
60048

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