'The more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think the same is true of human beings.'
--Henry David Thoreau
Melrose Montessori
Nature School
Accepting applications for 2024-2025 school year!
“Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and when the grass of the meadows is wet with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning.”” - Maria Montessori
Imagine a place where learning is joyful, an environment where creativity is cherished and creation inevitable. A space where the lines of indoors and outdoors are blurred and the mood of the day is dictated by the sun herself. Nest Montessori is a school where childhood is protected from the rush of the rat race in the outer world. A place that is purposefully simple and where time is purposefully slow.
We are open Monday thru Friday 8:15-11:45. We welcome 2-day, 3-day, 4 day, and 5 day students and home-school students. We have two classrooms: Nest (2-3 year olds) and the Burrow (3-9)
Contact us if you would like more information or to schedule a tour.
Our Teachers
“The instructions of the teacher consist then merely in a hint, a touch—enough to give a start to the child. The rest develops of itself.” —Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook
Erica Ferrell -Co-teacher, Co-Founder, is a Montessori trained teacher of 25 years in both public and private schools. She is certified through AMS for ages 3-6 and 6-9. She is also Certified thru the SC Board of education to teach Spanish. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature from the College of Charleston and an MAT in Early Childhood from Trinity University. After 7 years of teaching at Brockman Elementary she decided to start this little school where children can enjoy the simplicity of joyful learning. She is currently completing her Waldorf training at Centro de Desarrollo Antroposófico in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She lives with her husband Brandon, 18-year-old daughter Juliet, 13-year-old daughter Beatrice, 2-year-old son Arlo, dogs, cats, and chickens.
Adriana Richardson – Co-Teacher, Co-Founder has a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication and has an extensive background in regional sales, training and communication. She is a dedicated mother of a former Brockman Bear. She has worked with children over the years volunteering at La Escuelita and Brockman Elementary. She is fluent in Spanish and loves traveling to Mexico when she can. She enjoys being creative and making up silly songs. Ms. Adriana loves drawing and creates special keepsakes for the children each day at playtime. She lives with her daughter Estella, her husband Chris, who is in healthcare, and her fur babies, Eva and Wall-E.