Shining Mountains Montessori School provides safe, nurturing, peaceful, and exploratory environments for children’s developmental needs and successes. Montessori, place-based, and outdoor approaches to learning connect our micro-community school setting with the wonders of their home, the Arkansas River Valley.

Shining Mountains Montessori School is named in honor of long-time Buena Vista residents and Montessorians Sonnie McFarland and the late Dr. Jim McFarland. Their first offering, Shining Mountains Montessori Children’s Center, was a thriving school created in Pueblo, Colorado, in the 1970s.

Multiple books, including Honoring the Light of the Child and Montessori Parenting, and Shining Through A Teacher’s Handbook of Transformation, have guided classrooms and families worldwide.

Sonnie and Jim live the fundamental truth of pedagogy: see each (inner) child and guide them in their curiosities and innate desire to contribute. Their tireless efforts toward love, light, and peace shine through SMMS’s vision for acceptance, equity, equality, and celebration.

“All people, when manifesting the greater self within, are Shining Mountains, glowing with eternal promise.” - Dr. Jim McFarland

Montessori is more of what we need…in our homes, workplaces, communities, and for our children. Developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in 1907, this proven model of peaceful, individualized learning brings forth children who genuinely see themselves and others. Specialized and universal materials stimulate a child's senses, making learning more ingrained in the child’s mind.

Montessori education is a progression of learning beginning with Practical Life and Sensorial activities. These internalize order, concentration, coordination, and independence, fusing new concepts in Language, Math, Sciences, and Culture. Each learning environment is tranquil, engaging, and celebrates all learning styles and abilities.

Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us because of their innocence and the greater possibilities of their future. MM

Everyone belongs here. We are one…we are!

Shining Mountains strives to offer an exciting, peaceful, and authentic Montessori Children’s House experience. Our diverse age- and ability grouping of 2.5 - 6-year-olds becomes a family.

Older and younger children intrinsically gift one another empathy, patience, joy, tolerance, and leadership skills. Multi-age grouping reinforces knowledge of Montessori materials, social graces, and kindness. Ultimately, deep respect forms between all children and their environment. Play, learning, peace, and respect exist in equal measure!

We are all walking each other home. Ram Dass

Children solidify their personalities in their first six years of life.

The Montessori Children’s House curriculum follows the absorbent mind and sensitive periods of 2.5 - 6-year-olds. Do read on! Our beautiful materials include Practical Life to enhance motor skills through daily functions; Sensorial to allow a child to explore her senses and gain pre-math skills; Language, which teaches vocabulary, writing, and reading; Math, which helps a child understand mathematical functions in concrete form; and Culture, which includes learning about plants, animals, human anatomy, the Earth, outer space, and world cultures.

We laugh, cry, sing, dance, roll in the grass, run, jump, balance, help, work, create, mess up, try again…and then say, “I did it myself.” Living the dream, we’d say. Everyday.

We shall walk together on this path of life. All things are part of the universe and are connected to form one whole unity. MM

Our Children’s House learners explore elements of Buena Vista’s physical landscape, reflect on the lives of native tribes and early settlers, and recognize native plants, trees, animals, and insects. Connection to the Earth, near and far, teaches us to respect ourselves, others, and our physical space, no matter the location. SMMS regularly invites residents, parents and caregivers, artists and musicians to inspire us through their purposeful work. Children listen deeply, revel, and create alongside new friends and storytellers.

The Land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the earth. MM

Play is fun and sporadic, and we need more of it! Learners in our vibrant Children’s House equate peaceful, purposeful work with play. An impeccably prepared environment, engaging materials, and trained educators bring forth happy, kind, generous, concentrated, and independent learners.

Play is the work of the child! MM