Montessorium – which Silicon Prairie News profiled earlier today – is known for spreading the Montessori education approach through its suite of iPhone and iPad apps, but Hugh Weber, a parent of a student at the Baan Dek Montessori School, said that was just one way to do so. After dropping his daughter off at the Baan Dek, he and the school's co-founder, Bobby George, would sit down to brainstorm ideas.

"One of the things we kept going back to was how difficult it was to bring the idea (of Montessori education) to people who didn't have a background," Weber said. So, they teamed up with Koch Hazard Architects, also of Sioux Falls, to create a visual representation of Montessori principles. That representation became Montessori Blueprints, a Kickstarter project George and Weber launched in May.

The group envisioned a triptych of images, from a rough sketch to an architectural blueprint to the way a child would execute it. One poster, featuring pink blocks, is finished with two more in the works.

Koch Hazard is used to dealing with much larger projects, but took the opportunity to design children's objects with enthusiasm. "It was a more creative process," said Brent Schuettpelz, project designer. "I was able to play with a dozen different ideas."

Weber said he hopes to see the blueprints hanging in law offices, businesses and schools to spread the message of Montessori.

The Kickstarter project ends in less than 24 hours, and as of 6 p.m. today, it had surpassed its goal by $400 with incentives still remaining.

Weber said that although he did not learn from Montessori as a child, the changes he has seen in his daughter have inspired him to adopt the principles.

"I want to bring that to my work," he said, "I want to bring this to other creative projects."

Credits: Video courtesy Hugh Weber on Kickstarter