TREE PLANTING IN THE BOTANIC GARDENS SYDNEY We honour Maria Montessori and the work she began 100 years ago. Work that we now continue in her name and also as part of our commitment to educating our children for a peaceful world. Maria Montessori realised the immensity of what she had begun when she reflects on the opening of the first Casa dei Bambini: “Our first school for small children between the ages of 3 and 6 was opened on Jan 6th 1907. For some undefinable reason I felt that a great work was about to begin and prosper. It was the feast of the epiphany and the theme of the Mass and the office of the day seemed to be a kind of prophecy: "The earth was completely covered in darkness when the star appeared in the east whose splendour was to be a guide for the people."…I began my work like a farmer who has set aside good seed and is offered a fertile field in which to sow it. But it turned out otherwise. I had hardly scratched the clods when I found gold instead of grain, the clods hid a precious treasure. I was like Aladdin with the lamp in his hands, not knowing that it was a key to hidden treasures.” Children who have spent time in Montessori classrooms have a distinction that others can recognize, even if they don’t realize and relate it to Montessori itself. They have a distinct confidence and understanding of the world. Parents of children in our schools show a commitment that is inspiring in itself, in their efforts to reflect the Montessori philosophy in their homes and in their efforts to provide the environment in which their children are developing. For those of us who work in the classrooms with these children, we have the opportunity of watching each day the wonders of the child, in their thoughts and actions as they interact with the environment and with each other.. Montessori people throughout the world are now being called to take up a further challenge. To move beyond the classroom and to look to the whole environment the child lives in. There are now Montessori people in orphanages, in hospitals, in family homes, in political groups, in environment groups – all aiming to develop the environment of the child so that he or she may come to know a peace within themselves and throughout the world. Our hope is in our children. That they may find ways to settle conflict peacefully and co-operatively and that they work towards the ongoing development of that peace for the next generation and ones to follow. This tree is a symbol of our growth as individuals and as a community. Throughout the world we are bound to the Montessori family in the work we do. More particularly it creates the global realisation that each individual’s part is important and that no action is too small in creating a peaceful environment for the future of life on this planet. Come by frequently to watch the Montessori tree grow, spread its branches and provide shade and enjoyment to all who wish to sit beneath it. It now marks a connection with these gardens as well as providing a place where we can meet each other and share further picnics together knowing that in these gardens the tree will be lovingly cared for in a beautiful environment designed and prepared for its growth and development. The Montessori Tree can be found in Lawn 17 opposite the herb garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.