Montessori Education or Modern Learning: Which To Choose?
When our oldest daughter, Aria, was nearing school age, my wife and I started what felt like an impossible search.
We weren’t looking for prestige. We weren’t after ivy-covered buildings or the right bumper sticker. We were looking for something honest. Something rooted. A place that saw children the way we saw ours…capable, curious, full of purpose.
We needed a school that honored childhood. One that was child-led, not test-driven. That didn’t hand out processed snacks, but served real food. Organic only, just like at home. A place that welcomed our Christian values, without being heavy-handed or dogmatic.
We wanted hands-on learning. Entrepreneurship. Trade skills. Kids working with their hands. Getting dirt under their nails. We imagined animals in the pasture, kids in the garden, a wooded creek just past the fence line. Environmental stewardship built into the day, not added on like an elective.
We wanted the freedom of a Montessori school. The warmth of Waldorf. The creativity of Reggio Emilia. The innovation of STEAM education. All wrapped in one.
We thought: surely someone had built this already.
We searched for a Montessori Loveland Ohio option that fit all our values, but nothing came close. After a few months of visiting alternative schools across Loveland, Milford, and Cincinnati, it became clear… no one had built what we were looking for.
What Is Montessori Education?
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably looked into Montessori education. It’s been around for over a century, built on the idea that children are natural learners. That if you give them the right environment—structured, calm, respectful—they’ll flourish.
Montessori classrooms are full of independence. Children choose their work. They learn to focus. They move at their own pace.
It’s self directed education, and it works. We’ve seen the results in friends’ kids. Confident. Thoughtful. Independent thinkers.
But for our family, it wasn’t quite complete.
Montessori vs. Other Learning Models
We explored a few schools that leaned heavily into the Montessori model. But many felt too rigid. Others were too limited in scope.
We looked at Waldorf vs. Montessori. Waldorf education brings a beautiful sense of story, rhythm, and creativity into a child’s life. But many Waldorf schools intentionally avoid technology. Even basic tools like computers. For us, it’s not either/or. We want kids to know how to build a fence and a spreadsheet.
We looked at Reggio Emilia vs. Montessori. Reggio encourages open-ended, project-based exploration. It’s imaginative, expressive, and collaborative. We liked that. But again, we couldn’t find a school near Loveland that embraced both approaches in a way that felt grounded.
We visited alternative schools, but they often leaned too far one way. Some didn’t match our values. Some didn’t challenge kids to grow. Some didn’t serve real food. And one school had a two-year waitlist before we could even apply.
It made us realize that while alternative schools offer more freedom than traditional ones, many still miss the mark when it comes to real-world learning, purpose, and connection to the land.
And when we compared Montessori vs. traditional schools, the contrast was clear. Traditional education often moves kids along in lockstep, regardless of their interest or readiness. Montessori values growth over grades. But again, we wanted more than one method could give.
At one point, my wife said, “I feel like we’re looking for a unicorn.”
She wasn’t wrong.
What We Wanted (and Couldn’t Find)
We wanted:
- A Montessori-style environment with freedom and structure in balance.
- A school that supported Christian values—not in doctrine, but in how we love, respect, and serve others.
- STEAM learning where kids could design, build, and experiment.
- Farm-based, hands-on experiences: gardening, animal care, tool work.
- Trade skills alongside traditional academics.
- A strong sense of environmental responsibility.
- A setting with real outdoor play—hiking trails, trees, streams, fields.
- And yes, personalized learning that honored each child's pace and path.
We wanted our kids to think deeply, work with their hands, and still be ready for the world they’re growing up in.
And we didn’t want to compromise on food, nature, values, or purpose to make it happen.
What We’re Building at Mission Farmstead’s Farm School
When we couldn’t find it, we decided to build it.
Mission Farmstead’s Farm School for Homeschool Kids blends what we loved from all of those models—Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, and more—and anchors it in something deeper: real-world skills, deep character formation, and a farm-based rhythm of life.
We’re not an exact match to any one system. We’re not trying to be.
We’re here to create something that fits the kind of learning we believe in and the kind of childhood we want to protect.
At Mission Farmstead's Farm School:
- Children will learn in multi-age groups, like Montessori
- They'll explore through project-based learning, like Reggio
- They'll develop through beauty, rhythm, and storytelling, like Waldorf
- They'll build things, solve problems, care for animals, and grow their own food
- They'll hike. Reflect. Ask questions. Make mistakes. And try again
- They'll engage with STEAM, entrepreneurship, and trade skills in a natural setting
It’s education for the whole child. Head, heart, and hands.
So…Montessori or Modern Learning?
Here’s what I’ve come to believe:
It doesn’t have to be either/or.
There’s wisdom in Montessori. Wonder in Waldorf. Innovation in STEAM. And purpose in farming, building, reflecting, and creating.
The best education isn’t locked into one model. It’s responsive. It’s rooted. It’s real.
And for us, that’s what Mission Farmstead’s Farm School is meant to be.
If you’re searching like we were, or if you’re wondering where your child can learn and grow without being boxed in, come walk the farm with us. Click here to learn more.
