The Montessori birthday party is the quintessential green birthday party. Not only does it avoid the frenetic party atmosphere often associated with children's birthday parties, it instills in a child the value of her place in the universe. Your child is introduced to the wider understanding of the passing of each year as she listens to the story of her life. With the use of a candle, a small globe, a piece of yarn and items assembled in a memory box, your child is celebrated, from her birth to the present.
This approach to party giving is obviously not suitable for first and probably not even second birthdays. It requires that a child walk slowly in a circle around a birthday candle carrying a small globe - a two year old would no doubt prefer to run and throw the globe. By the time a child is three, she can focus on the task at hand and will enjoy hearing the story of her birth and her first years.
Involve your child in the selection of her birthday candle. It should be a large soy candle that will be reserved for this use alone, year after year. She can also help select the yarn, ribbon or cord that forms the circle around the candle. You might even have some on hand that can be used instead of buying new. Ribbon is a good alternative because there will not be the waste you will have buying yarn, unless you knit or have other uses for it. Calculate enough yarn or ribbon to create a circle with a diameter of at least 6 feet. Make it as large as you can while allowing enough space for your child to walk freely around the circle with family and friends near by. To start, you have placed the candle (the sun) in the middle of this circle, family and friends have gathered, you have a small globe (the earth) to hold and a collection of meaningful photographs or souvenirs (A memory box works well for this...if you don't already have one for your child, this is a good time to start!) The ceremony begins.
A parent or relative lights the candle and says,"This light stands for the Sun; the same Sun we see up in the sky. The sun is a great big ball of fire that keeps on burning and doesn't go out." The person speaking takes the globe and walks slowly around the circle laid out on the floor, saying,"This globe stands for the Earth, the planet we live on. The Earth goes around the Sun. It takes a long time fro the Earth to go around the Sun. Every time the Earth goes around the Sun, a whole year has gone by. It takes a year for the Earth to go around the Sun one time."
The birthday child is given the globe to carry around the circle, just as the parent did. The parent or other relatives begin to tell her story. (I will use my granddaughter Kali as an example) "Today is Kali's birthday and we are going to celebrate it in a special way. Kali is going to carry the globe and walk slowly around the candle 5 times because she is 5 years old"
"Kali is just beginning her journey with the Earth around the Sun. She hasn't been born yet. Her Mommy and Daddy, her sister Kendra, her Grammie and Grampie, Nana and Papa are all waiting for her to be born. On May 1st, 2003, Kali is born. Kali, would you please take one step forward?" (Kali moves forward one step)
"Now Kali has been born. She is tiny, only this big (hold up hands to indicate a tiny baby) all pink and wrapped up in a blanket. Mommy and Daddy are so proud. Here is a picture of Kali as a newborn baby.
"Kali, would you walk all the way around the circle? Stop when you get back to this same spot." when Kali arrives, say"Kali is 1 year old and celebrating her 1st birthday." Show any photographs of events that were meaningful in her first year of life.
Continue the story with Kali walking around the circle for each year of her life, showing photographs as each year passes until you reach her current birthday. "Now Kali is 5 years old and today is her birthday. The Earth has gone around the Sun five times. Five years have gone by since Kali was born."
You can end the ceremony by singing "Happy Birthday" and let the child blow out the birthday candle. You can continue to share stories about the child's life and remember past events that are recalled in viewing the contents of the memory box. It's a sweet time not only for the child but also for family as they remember events of the years past.
The Montessori approach can be part of any birthday party or be a separate, special party just for the family. Sometimes birthday parties are not held on the actual birthdate and this is a way to celebrate on the exact day your child was born. It also reaffirms the special place your child holds in her family and in the world.
Information on the a Montessori Birthday Party is based on the book How to Raise an Amazing Child by Tim Seldin, President of the Montessori Foundation.
