Five Montessori quotes about love and the child. They are powerful and inspiring. Surprisingly Montessori wrote and spoke about love a lot. You will need to read each quote slowly to appreciate it. Love is more than the electricity which lightens our darkness, more than the etheric waves that transmit our voices across space, more than any of the energies that man has discovered and learned to use. Of all things love is the most potent. All that men can do with their discoveries depends on the conscience of him who uses them. But this energy of love is given... Read more →

Thank you to At Home with Montessori for the free Inside Outside Fruit Cards. Read more →

He has long resisted playing I spy. Here is another idea totally inspired by Lori's post Isolating a Single Letter Sound at Montessori MOMents. We went on a treasure hunt. Montessori writes that the written language can be used to improve speech and that speech is perfected between the ages of two to five. It's not too late for Caspar yet. We have been using the sandpaper letters but for now focusing on c and Caspar. Caspar misses the c off his name. I know! This makes him frustrated as people have trouble understanding him when he tells them his... Read more →

Too young for a treasure basket? I don't think so. A treasure basket provides the perfect opportunity to introduce some new items, new smells, new textures, new weights and new ways of holding things. Including items made from natural materials provides a gentle way of stimulating a baby's senses. His first treasure basket contains: a small hand dyed silk an organic woollen ball (it has a small bell inside) an infant's hairbrush I love to watch his expression not only when he sees but feels something for the first time. Read more →

He can pick up the ball cylinder and give it a shake. He can bring his hands together, touch the bell then hold it with one hand. He can pick up, hold the bell cylinder then pass it from hand to hand. He can take his bell rattle and give it a shake (and be so pleased with his own efforts). It's amazing how fast they develop at this age. I'm having trouble keeping up! Read more →