14th European Nienhuis Montessori Retreat 2026

montessori since 1929

13 - 15 NOVEMBER 2026

14th European Nienhuis Montessori Retreat Nurturing Creative Development

Nurturing Creative Development

Creative expression, defined as the use of imagination or original ideas—particularly in artistic work—is fundamentally linked to the way the child perceives and interacts with the world. In this sense, the focus is not on crafting or producing products, but on cultivating the conditions in which imagination and expression can emerge freely and authentically.

“To understand the child as a creative power, to realize that he is psychologically different from us, to perceive that his need is different from ours is a step forward for all human aspirations and prepares a loftier level for social life.” Maria Montessori - Citizen of the World, p. 67

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On all orders placed before, during or in the week after the Retreat we offer all participants a discount of 20% and free shipping on all shipments within the EU.

20% discount and free shipping

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Program

The program November 13 - 15

Friday - November 13

17:30 Welcome

Chris

Madlena & Marilyne

18:00 Creativity needs to be based on reality

19:30 Dinner & Drinks

21:30 End

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Saturday - November 14

08:30 Entrance

Nurturing Creative Development Through Meaningful Constraints: Lessons from Montessori Sports

09:00

Patrick

10:30 Break

To open the way to the possibilities for personal expression | self-expression through art, music and language (part 1)

Patricia & Jenny

11:00

12:30 Lunch

15:00 Workshops

18:00 Dinner & Drinks

21:30 End

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Program

Sunday - November 15

08:30 Entrance

To open the way to the possibilities for personal expression | self-expression through art, music and language (part 2)

Patricia & Jenny

09:00

10:30 Break

11:00 Cultivating creativity and creating in collaboration

Carla

12:30 End

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Learning is in the details

montessori since 1929

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Nienhuis Montessori

For almost 100 years Nienhuis has been dedicated to creating exceptional Montessori materials that nurture a child’s natural curiosity and independence. Designed with precision and crafted from high-quality materials, our products reflect the Montessori philosophy — fostering hands-on discovery, concentration, and a lifelong love of learning. Nienhuis supports educators and children worldwide, empowering the next generation to explore, learn, and grow with confidence and joy. Trusted by Montessori professionals for decades, we honor our legacy while innovating for the future — because every child deserves an environment that inspires them to reach their full potential.

View our online catalog

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Madlena Ulrich Madlena Ulrich spent her childhood in Germany and attended a Montessori Elementary school there. She moved to Norway as an adolescent and later obtained a Bachelor’s degree as a preschool teacher and later obtained her preschool teacher degree in pedagogy at the university College of Vestfold, Norway. She took her original AMI 3-6 training at Mount St. Mary’s Montessori College in Dublin, Ireland. Since 1995 she has worked in the classroom and has been involved in the development of Montessori in Norway by giving lectures and serving as Vice President on the board for the national association NMF. In 2008 she started on her Training of Trainers, spending two years with Molly O’Shaughnessy in Minnesota and a Summer course with Ulla Wikefeldt in Sweden. She is currently part of the AMI faculty in China and trains and lectures in Norway as well as in many other countries.

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Speakers

Lecture Creativity needs to be based on reality

In order to create what COULD be, you need to first know what IS. Once the children have mastered basic skills and grasped the basics of a concept, they start to explore what else the material has to offer. This exploration can lead to creative new ways of combining and using the materials. They don’t need pictures and templates to “inspire” their creativity, but an atmosphere that fosters curiosity and creation. We will explore how we can establish such an atmosphere without losing sight of the important impressions and accuracy that the material offers.

Marilyne Maugin After finishing her ‘Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies’ in medieval literature at the university of Lyon Lumières, Marilyne moved to London, where she finished her doctorate, and was giving college at the university on French civilization and medieval literature. When she returned to France in 2001, she finished her AMI 3-6 diploma. For 10 years she worked as a Montessori teacher in several schools in and around Paris. In 2015 she finished her AMI 6-12 diploma course, and in 2017 Marilyne started the AMI Training of Trainers program (3 – 6). She is now working at the Institut Supérieure Maria Montessori in Paris, where she training new teachers, consulting Montessori kindergartens and is still doing research together with the ISMM-trainers.

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Patrick worked at the AFC Ajax Youth Academy from 2012-2016 as a data analyst and is an UEFA licensed youth coach with more than 12 years of coaching experience with children in the ages from 3 till 16. Patrick is a creative and optimistic individual that is passionate about education and entrepreneurship, able to connect and reach out to different generations. He loves the process from creation to improvement and refinement. With products as well as with people. Furthermore, he strongly believes that human connection is the core of everything we do and why we are here on earth. In 2018 he founded Montessori Sports and moved to Beijing, China, from where he set up various Montessori Sports programmes in theAsia-Pacific region. He is specialized in creating environments with room for constant changes and improvements, based on the individual needs of children. Patrick holds a honors bachelor degree (Bsc) in Sports, Management and Business at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. He has almost completed the AMI 3-6 Diploma Course.

Patrick Oudejans

Lecture Nurturing Creative Development Through Meaningful Constraints: Lessons from Montessori Sports How carefully designed boundaries, rules, and environments help children develop creativity, problem-solving, and independent thinking through movement and sport.

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Speakers

Carla Foster is originally from California, but has lived the last 14 years in Norway. She graduated from UC Berkeley, California with bachelor’s degrees in Social Anthropology and Scandinavian Studies and a masters in Old Icelandic Literature and Norwegian Literature. She has her AMI 3 - 6 diploma from the MMTO in London in 1984 and her AMI 6-12 diploma from Milwaukee in 1990 and has been working with elementary children since 1990. She had her own class in Norway for 12 years before joining the AMI Training of Trainers program. Since then she has assisted on the AMI 6-12 summer course in London with Ann Dunne and the AMI 6-12 course in Chennai with Jean Miller. She is now training and lecturing in Norway and several other countries. Any spare time is spent doing various forms of dance. Carla Foster

Lecture Cultivating creativity and creating in collaboration In the 6-12, we need to provide many opportunities for creative work after presentations, whether it is making up one’s own math problems or designing a book. But in addition, we need to help the children understand the creative process: What it has meant to our species, how it can take many forms, how it takes time, and walks hand in hand with the development of skill. We also need to aid the children in developing the ability to create things together: to brainstorm, compromise, and let the road reveal itself as you walk.

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Jenny Marie Höglund Jenny Marie holds AMI diplomas for the ages 3-6 and 6-12. She has mainly worked with the 6-12 and 12-18 (adolescents). She also holds a M.Ed. and she is an established AMI Elementary trainer. Jenny Marie was one of the founders of the Montessori School “Lära för Livet” in Varberg, Sweden in 1995, teaching children from 1 till 16 years of age. She founded and runs the first and so far the only Swedish Montessori Farm School. Jenny Marie has taught elementary and adolescent students for over twenty-three years. She has been serving as head of school since 2006. She has also lectured at the International Centre for Montessori Studies Foundation-Bergamo (CISM), in Italy since 2006.

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Speakers

Patricia Wallner has been working in Montessori since 1970. She took her AMI 3-6 diploma in Washington D.C. and the 0-3 diploma in Houston, Texas with Dr. Silvana Montanaro. For 17 years she worked in a bilingual Infant Community in Amsterdam, The Netherlands where she lives. In 1995 she began the Training of Trainers program supported by the AMI and during her training ear ned a Master’s degree in Education. She has trained students and lectured in Europe, Asia and the U.S.A. Her goal is to promote Montessori, especially for the 0-3 age group in Europe. Patricia Wallner

Lecture To open the way to the possibilities for personal expression | self-expression through art, music and language The 0-3 age group will lay the foundation for creative development and later the adolescents will use them to develop and express their personality and get a sense of who they are.

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Workshops November 14 15:00

Madlena and Marilyne

An exploration of the 7 elements of art In this workshop we‘ll do a deep dive into art for the 3 to 6 year olds. Are you also curious what you can do with a ruler and a set of color pencils?

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Workshops

Paulien Barendrecht

P.E. teacher at the First Dutch Montessori School in The Hague, where she was also a student. Raised within Montessori education, she brings its values into her teaching. She is also a former professional handball player with experience as a youth coach.

Montessori Sports | Patrick Oudejans en Paulien Barendrecht

Designing for Creativity: A Constraints-Led Approach to Movement and Sport In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how creativity emerges when children engage with carefully designed constraints rather than open-ended freedom alone. Drawing from Montessori philosophy and contemporary sports science, participants will experience and design movement activities that encourage problem-solving, decision-making, collaboration, and innovation. Participants will: • Experience creativity-enhancing games firsthand. • Learn how constraints shape learning and exploration. • Design their own Montessori-inspired movement activities. • Discover how to balance freedom and structure to maximize creative development.

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Practical information on the Nienhuis Montessori Retreat

Language The main language which will be used during this weekend will be English. We would like you to organize your own translator if you need any. Costs The costs for this Montessori Retreat will be €100 per person. Except for breakfast all meals and drinks are included (2 x dinner & 1 x lunch). The maximum number of participants is 150. We have set a limit on the number of persons per school to 8. We hope you understand that we would like to let as many schools possible benefit from this beautiful weekend. If you wish to come with more persons, please send an email to m.demink@heutink.com. We will contact you if we have free places left. Special Offer Special Offer during this weekend Nienhuis Montessori offers you a 20% discount on all orders and free shipping on all shipments within the EU. Please feel free to benefit from this generous offer! Please send in your orders in advance by email to m.demink@heutink.com, so that we can already make the necessary preparations. Address Our address is Anders Celsiusstraat 15, 7442 PB Nijverdal, The Netherlands . Nijverdal is located in the eastern part of the Netherlands near the German border. There are different ways to reach us:

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Information

By (rental) car As we are all used to GSP navigation devices nowadays, just enter our new address and we are sure that you will find our new headquarters. It is located about one hour north of our previous headquarters in Zelhem. By plane/train from Amsterdam You can easily plan your journey from Amsterdam to Nijverdal by using www.9292.nl. This is the national public transport website which is used in the Netherlands. Make sure that you arrange your own transport from your accommodation to Heutink / Nienhuis and back. Accommodation In order to find a place to stay you can use the familiar websites to find hotels like www.booking.com or www.trivago.com. Another possibility is to stay at an affordable rate at a bed & breakfast nearby our company. You can use www.bedandbreakfast.nl to find a b&b nearby our company. Registration You can register by using the following link: nienhuisretreat2026.paperform.co/ After your registration we will contact you for more detailed information about the participants so that we will be able to prepare your badge for the event.

The last date to register for this Montessori Retreat is 23 October 2026.

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Nienhuis Anders Celsiusstraat 15, 7442 PB Nijverdal, The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0) 88 20 35 700 info@heutink.com | www.nienhuis.com