Yesterday morning I gave Otis tongs for the first time. I gave him a brief demonstration and then let him play. It was fun watching him work it out. I didn't give him a bowl or do any transferring, simply tongs and some food. Within about five minutes he was able to use the tongs to pick up his strawberries. Not long after I strapped Otis into the Ergo. I overextended my knee and suffered a dislocation. Ouch.

Have you ever fallen with your child in a baby carrier? Otis was fine but it was really scary. It was also a big wake up call for me. Later the physio pointed out the my lack of physical strength contributed to the fall. I realised that it's time I looked after myself just a little bit more and started some regular exercise. So while now I'm almost completely immobile very shortly it will time to build strength. Oh, I don't even know where to start!

Back to things Montessori, I still have some mobiles to show you. I'll have at least one more post over the weekend featuring babies and their mobiles. There are some wonderful mobiles too. 

I have decided it's time to introduce some sponsors to this site. I don't know why I waited so long. I tend to over-think these things. Welcome to Montessori Shop and Montessori Child. If you are interested in being a sponsor please email me Kylie, at [email protected]. Also a huge congratulations to Amy and Steve from Montessori Child who have just welcomed their second son and brother to Van Oak into the world! Welcome little one. 

Charlotte who wrote Let's talk about Screen Time Part One and Part Two is working on a book about Montessori in the city. She is looking for contributors who can share their experience about Montessori in urban areas, the challenges you may face and how you overcome them. I straight away think about the challenges of living in small spaces and taking nature walks within a city. If you would like to contribute please email me ([email protected]) and I will forward your email directly to Charlotte.

I am a little wary of giving an exact release date for our Kids in the Kitchen cookbook. I think we seriously underestimated the time it takes to finish a project like this. I guarantee it will be worth the wait and the book will be realised within a couple of weeks. When the book is ready I will be hosting a Kids in the Kitchen week. I have some great giveaways and fun kitchen activities planned. I will also be answering my FAQ's for the kitchen (so please leave any questions you have but never asked).

I would also love to feature some Montessori kitchens. If you have a Montessori inspired kitchen, perhaps some low shelves for your child's utensils, a food preparation/snack area for your child, please feel free to email me your photographs. Be it mobiles for infants or spaces like the kitchens it's wonderful to share and get ideas from each other. I'll also be sharing our kitchen and how it now looks with the inclusion of Otis. 

Just in case you are interested, I found this Classroom Observation Guide from Montessori Madmen. When I first observed a Montessori classroom this information was provided to me immediately before the observation. It would have been great to read it beforehand. If you are thinking about observing a Montessori classroom this is a really good article to read first. 

I'll be back tomorrow with a very simple hand made material for Otis.