Montessorian Entrepreneurship / Doni Doni Montessori
- By Elfi
- Jul 10, 2017
- 4 min read

Almost five years ago, a few months after I gave birth to my first daughter, I decided to register her at gymnastics classes for babies and parents in Luxembourg. The place is called "the Little Gym'' and I am sure those of you that live in Luxembourg know about it.
Apart from seeing my daughter being happy and developing physical endurance, I was also happy to see that the owner and director of the Little Gym are two women ( Stephanie and Sylvie) , 2 entrepreneurs and mothers who are not afraid to take risks in order to improve childrens' lives.
What also amazes me is that Stephanie and Sylvie are not so popular on facebook ( at least in the parental groups I am following on facebook) but the businesses they are running they are amongst the most popular in Luxembourg.
And of course when I finally met them in person, I also realized that they have beautiful souls, they are well spoken, polite, calm and always smiling.
That is why when Sylvie mentioned to me first time about her new project called "DONI DONI MONTESSORI" I was immediately interested in going and have a look.
What intrigued me mostly was also to see the Montessori method being applied with babies and toddlers and to understand why this method is so well trusted and how much different is from other methods or simply ways to talk to children.
Me as a person, I always prefer to take the positive aspects of different methods and schools and apply them as much as possible, therefore going to a place where Montessori applies was a big eye opener for me.
Doni Doni Montessori is basically a space in Bertrange, Luxembourg dedicated to babies, parents and children where different activities are offered. Children do cooking, math, reading, sensorial activities, gardening.
My first little shock when I entered Doni Doni was the difference between a traditional creche or playground it terms of colors, materials and sounds. In a traditional creche you will see a lot of plastic toys, cars, dolls, balls, stuffed animals, noisy toys, musical instruments (well the toys ones not the real ones) etc.
At Doni Doni, the material is mostly made of wood and it's basically Montessori material. Each child chooses the activity he/she would like to do by picking a little tray or set from the wooden shelves. Once finished the child brings back the material and places it in the shelves where he took it from.
Children do not yell or scream ( i really don't know how it's done at so young ages but it's done) speak to each other with low voice and show great interest and concentration on their activities.
The most interesting part was the math: A four year old boy can already make simple additions and can understand the meaning of tens and fractions, a girl of 8 years already comfortable doing all calculations without a calculator. What is important with the method is the following:
- Children are not corrected immediately, they are given the possibility to correct the mistakes themselves. This not only helps them to develop trust in themselves but also to not hate the subject because someone else is correcting them. Big difference from the traditional educational system
- Children visualize. At small ages visualization is key. At Doni Doni Montessori with the way activities are conducted, the child visualizes, performs and corrects on his own.
- Montessori teacher is there to guide not to impose. Always speaking in low voice and with respect to the child.
And a little side story:
- A 2.5 year old girl peeling an apple using the tool/peeler. It was a magical moment for me: Such tiny little fingers peeling the apple like an adult. A little boy wants to have some of the apple. He asks Sylvie whether he can take some from the little girl: I loved the way Sylvie replied: "You need to ask her because she peeled it.". He asks but first the little girl denies to give him. He complaints to Sylvie. Sylvie says ''well, she's the one who peeled it, she will decide whether to give you or not". I agree with her. Respect is towards everybody and we should not push children do something that they don't want, especially when they made all the effort. However, of course the little girl finally offered apple to the boy so everybody left happy.
At Doni Doni, children plant vegetables and flowers themselves, feed the hens, and can cook outdoors with real kitchen equipment but in small size so that little hands can handle them.
I was also amazed by the work and the effort Stephanie and Sylvie have put into Doni Doni, for me they deserve the title: '' Montessorian Entrepreneurs" , for them it's not about profit, for them is about offering to children a place where they can try without the fear to fail and that's a unique educational approach that deserves to be noticed.
And last but not least: Doni Doni Montessori has this magical garden with flowers, animals, trees that helps you to connect with your inner self and breathe stress free.
I left with just two wishes: To have more and more Montessorian concepts introduced to traditional schools and to come back to Doni Doni with my daughters for gardening, cooking and math.
If you would like to know more about this unique place in Luxembourg, please visit: http://donidoni.lu.
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