Small Business Spotlight

"I’m Amanda Grano, an AMS trained Montessori primary guide turned maker and small business owner. I live in Bloomington, Indiana with my husband, toddler, and our dog and cat."

"I came to Montessori after college where I was an assistant in a primary classroom. I fell in love with the philosophy and method of education and the following summer took my AMS training for 3-6 year olds. I’m now a mama to a toddler and use Montessori at home as well as in adult and child playgroups I host in my home. Montessori has simply become our way of life and immersed with all that I do!"

"I now have a variety of little businesses but the first was Courtesy and Grace, handmade clothware for children. I make a variety of handmade items in the shop from little doilies for flower arranging, aprons, oven mitts (heat safe!), bags, rope bowls, and much more. You can find all my items at www.courtesyandgrace.com in my etsy shop, as well as in Instagram @courtesyandgrace (although you’ll find me more active on my Montessori playgroup page @GranoMontessori. I love making custom orders, and am happy to hear from you if you want something specific made for your home or classroom!"

"After I left the classroom, I started Courtesy and Grace in order to continue to share my love for Montessori and make all the materials I wish I’d had time to make when I was a guide. I love making items and then seeing them in use in your homes and classrooms!"

"With starting a small business, figure out your why. Figure out what your goals are and work towards them. Maybe it’s simply sharing a beautiful product, or maybe it’s more needing to make a profit. Figure it out and don’t sell yourself short. Your time and work is valuable!"

"Courtesy and Grace has taken a little backseat as I’ve started my Montessori playgroups and now that I have a very active toddler. However, I still love making items and will continue to do so as long as it still brings me joy!"

"Reach out! I love hearing from other Montessorians! I hope you’ll follow along on Instagram (either @courtesyandgrace or @granomontessori) and chat with me!"

I am so incredibly excited to be able to feature my friend Amanda, @courtesyandgrace and @granomontessori, on here! As someone who has purchased products she has made, I can fully attest to just how perfect they are for young children. We personally LOVE our child size oven mitts to allow my daughter to be able to fully participate in the kitchen and the size of her small rope baskets are just the BEST for small pieces. We also love her tiny crochet objects as they are perfect pieces for manipulates in our homeschool space (counting, color matching, sorting, etc.). I cannot wait for you all to try out some of Amanda's products.

Below, I have added photographs of some of the resources Amanda has created! 

Thank you so much Amanda for sharing with us and we can't wait to hear more from you soon!