Clementine Early Childhood Community

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Libertyville, IL
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.

03/16/2026

This past week was a great one for photos!

As I was sorting through them, I realized they’d make a pretty terrific week-in-the-life.

03/13/2026

A mom once said of our classroom that it somehow makes a room full of toddlers feel peaceful, and mostly that’s true, but sometimes–everyone is crying at once.

If this was every class, I’d want to know why, and I’d want to work on making a shift.

But with kids, the reality is that things go wrong, moods shift, too-long-since-a-snack or a bad nap can take a toll, and sometimes things just feel off, and sometimes spectacularly.

Here’s the most important news: When everyone is crying at once, it’s not because you’ve failed.

What matters is what comes next from the adults. Pause for a second. Keep moving forward with your plan. Be willing to adjust your expectations. Tap out if you can or take a breath if you can’t. Connect and show love.

When we do this, we somehow shift from everyone crying at once all the way through to songs on the line (not literally everyone, not all at once, but you get the idea)--to the very last moment of class as the most poignant and memorable, when a child says something so beautiful that now, the adults are the ones tearing up.

Something went right.

03/12/2026

Spring registration is open to everyone!

I’d love to have you join us for an April and May full of all the flower and bug lessons, park walks and Montessori chats, and so much friendship and fun.

Check out the link in our bio for the schedule and to register, or message me with your questions!

03/09/2026

You don’t need to shop for a full set of kid kitchen supplies to bring your child into the world of practical life!

Practical life is the idea that as much as we can, giving children the chance to do real work with real things builds independence, concentration, confidence, and a spirit of contribution that will carry into their futures.

This dear girl had never tried an egg slicer before, and her delight was, well, delightful.

(And so was the independence that followed as she dutifully separated the whites and yolks all on her own.)

What do you already have in your kitchen drawers that you can–safely and with support–introduce to your child? (How about a whisk, a potato masher, or a sifter?)

Bringing kids into our real lives is always the right answer.

03/07/2026

I love Open Classroom Saturday!

It’s a chance for each child to share the classroom with the whole family–another parent, a grandparent, sibling(s), or other special person–showing routines with pride, trying favorite lessons together, teaching our end-of-class songs.

Today, the siblings were past Clems and so it was extra fun for me to see them shine in this space that they have mostly outgrown, but still holds a glimmer of memory.

We’ll do it again in May!

03/03/2026

Did a kid paint this, or did an adult? Was it a from-scratch creation, or were the eyes there and adding the mouth just felt irresistible? I’ll probably never know and that’s OK, but the reason I share it is:

While this was happening, I was doing something else, something useful, and at the same time, THIS something useful was happening.

As they’re learning about Clementine, parents sometimes ask questions related to the structure of our classes, and I get the impulse–Montessori is kind of counter to a lot of the ways we might understand school to be.

The best word I can use to describe the classroom environment is organic–we are truly following the child as much as we can, which means allowing her to work independently, with an adult, with a group, with the teacher, sometimes all of those in one class.

It’s like a happy hive with a happy hum–and sometimes it gets louder than I love, and others so quiet that you’d never believe that the room was full of kids.

Important stuff is going on all the time–the work of childhood!

02/28/2026

It’s hard to put into words what this Friday multi-age class meant today, but I’m going to try.

We accomplished so much, and not in a cleaned-the-garage kind of way, but more like each kid accomplished something he or she really needed to:

The bravery, the eagerness, the connections, the big thinking, the perseverance, the something-clicked—all of it just amazing to watch.

Moms took photos when I asked and also when I was too busy to ask. When a child’s mom asked if another needed a break from holding mom 1’s child—nope, we’re good, and they were.

On a personal level, I was sick for most of this week and today was actually my first day in the classroom. And the feeling of walking in and being just really happy to be doing what I love to do—that was just the best.

02/17/2026

Here’s a story about a toppled plant.

You might wonder why we have plants at all in a room full of toddlers and you wouldn’t be the first, and yes, things can get soily.

But we’ll have them forever because:

🌿 Watering them is beautiful practical life that supports concentration, independence, order, and empathy.

🌿 Spilled soil is a chance to sweep.

🌿 Filling the classroom with real things builds real trust and confidence.

But number one?

When the pot toppled off the table, everyone looked over and either checked in to see how they could help or peacefully returned to work. No shame or judgment. Just care and community.

I want to welcome families to a space where there’s space for that.

{If you’re local to Libertyville or the northern suburbs and toddler classes where this is the vibe sound like something you’d love, then you belong at Clementine!}

02/12/2026

Our whole preschooler group was here today for the first time this session, and it sure felt great!

We had a busy afternoon full of:

🧡 streamers on the bridge, puzzles on repeat, and spray bottle art

🧡 all the fine-motor trays

🧡 painting Valentines

🧡 spreading tortillas for (pink! heart-shaped!) rollups

We named our favorite red foods at the table and everyone jumped during songs at the end.

Busy in the very best way.

I love preschoolers!

02/05/2026

This is the final week to add into our winter Friday multi-age class!

(If you’ve ever wished for more of a bite-sized way to see what Clementine is all about, this is your chance!)

🍊 Friday, 9:20-10:40
🍊 ages ~4m+
🍊 7 weeks, through 3/20
🍊 …plus our winter special events!

Message me with all your questions, or visit our website to register. We’d love to have you join our community!

02/04/2026

When I spotlight a class, I typically share an individual photo of each kid, but for this Tuesday Toddler 2 group, I’m not even going to try.

From…

> paper punch and playdoh parties, to
> the hummus-blender circle, to
> setting up the snack table, to
> a rhythm sticks club on the line…

…this group of eight mighty girls is so cohesive there are very few moments when anyone is working alone.

This is toddler friendship, and I’m here for it.

01/30/2026

You can probably guess that the second pitcher doesn’t go in the basket.

I happened to see a toddler put it here, and if you didn’t know better you’d say this isn’t “very Montessori”—but actually my heart swelled with delight and I left it in place, because it is, because:

> Order means understanding that things have a place, not that everything has to be immediately and rigidly in place all the time

> My job as the adult is to figure out when to step in and guide and when to pull back.

> The earnestness of a child always outweighs the adult’s urge for perfection.

This is following the child.

Address

526 N Milwaukee
Libertyville, IL
60048

Website

http://clementinecommunity.com/

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