I was going to write about Caspar being a reluctant reader (and writer) but I think I'll leave that for another day. My last post received some comments about pencil grip and I think it's a topic and a discussion that needs it's own post. Ever since Caspar began holding a pencil I've been concerned about his grip. He used to hold a pencil, crayon or marker by wrapping his entire hand around it and moving his whole arm to make a mark. I wrote about my concerns in this post when he was three. As I discovered triangular crayons... Read more →

We decided the kids needed a specific space to study, to work. Not such a place to play or be noisy. More of a personal space, where friends don't play. This was Otis's bedroom before he moved into Caspar's room, it's beautiful and sunny. Caspar calls it the 'study room'. Most of all I wanted the space to be enticing. Otis has most of his materials in here. Caspar doesn't so much have materials rather resources for his research. This room has a built-in wardrobe where Caspar stores most of his written materials and resource library. Otis also has a... Read more →

Today I was planning to give you a tour of our study. Unfortunately Caspar was home from school, he injured his foot at soccer on the weekend. He's having x-rays tomorrow. So while taking photographs of the study I became a little distracted. . . Hand-prints! . . Otis is using some eco clay and some new tools that he received for his birthday. His favourite thing to do with clay is to add buttons. . . Caspar made some cute clay-button creatures. . . Tomorrow will probably be spent at the doctors but I will try to snap some... Read more →

As with most parents, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I would not call myself a good cook but I'm finally getting the courage to experiment. I've made banana bread everyday this week and everyday I've included something different, something extra to keep it interesting. I also try to keep my baking nut free, just in case there is any left over for Caspar's lunchbox. This is the basic recipe I used today. Dry mix: 1 cup white spelt flour, 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour, half a cup rapadura sugar, 1 teaspoon natural/pure baking soda, approx 1... Read more →

It's puzzle mania around here. Otis is definitely in a sensitive period for puzzles - if such a thing exists. These puzzles are a combination of support and challenge. The above vehicle puzzle is easy for him but it's fun, so he repeats it. He's also practising his language as he names each vehicle. We have a couple of sequencing puzzles out. The one above has three shapes each in four different sizes. He doesn't always finish this - so it's challenging him. He is also using this one which is quite complex, you can see him using it here.... Read more →

There are a lot of Montessori DVDs on the market. It's difficult to know how valuable they are to parents. There are many DVDs that I would like to see but they are expensive and difficult to obtain in Australia. A couple of months ago I chose seven DVDs that were of particular interest to me (Otis is 2 years and Caspar is 5 years old) and only now have I found the opportunity to watch them all. Most of these DVDs are very good. Most of them are more valuable then reading a book. Being able to observe children... Read more →

I would like to introduce you to Kit. She is six months old and lives with her Mum Belle and Dad Tim in Sydney. Quite remarkably Kit and her family live in a small flat with zero storage which explains why her Dad's bike is mounted in her room. Belle was first exposed to Montessori through her Stepmother's involvement at her brother's Montessori school. Although Kit's room can only be described as tiny it's not lacking in any way. I know you'll love and appreciate the details as much as I do! Above you can see Tim's bike securely mounted... Read more →

When I prepared this activity I prepared it for two so I could work along side him. I've simply used wool with a piece of pasta tied at one end and an embroidery needle threaded and taped at the other. The most important part of this for Otis is that the needle is longer than the pasta. This makes it easy for him to thread. This is simple to prepare, we had everything already. It's also easy to demonstrate. Although we haven't yet, you know these make great necklaces. Otis didn't fill up his wool, he stopped and put the... Read more →

Over the weekend we took a last minute, unplanned road trip. It was such fun. Often we fly when we travel and this was our first road trip with all four of us. My thoughts varied from 'this is the best day ever' to 'what were we thinking'. , What worked? Taking our own food for day one. I packed a box of fruit, snacks and sandwiches which kept us going for the entire day. Staying organised. A basket of books and toys in between Caspar and Otis' car seats, a bag for rubbish and a box of snacks in... Read more →

I'm joining with Corporate Accountability International this Mother's Day to say that I'm a mum and I'm not loving it. Further details at Moms Are Not Lovin' It! Read more →

We've had family visiting and it's been pretty noisy and a little crazy around here. Parachute play with a few balloons just added to all the excitement. Unfortunately my kids don't stay still for photographs so it's really just one big colourful blur. . . . Read more →

I've mentioned previously that I enjoyed Teaching Numeracy, Language, and Literacy with Blocks. I think the reason might be because I don't have a lot of experience with blocks. So slowly our block area is developing. We have a variety of blocks, architectural prints, hard hats, lots of matchbox cars, Siku and Bruder vehicles, and sometimes clipboards, paper, pens, tool box and tool belt. There are still a couple of things I wanted to introduce. For the longest time I wanted some of these. The children haven't had an opportunity to play with them yet but now our block area... Read more →

Photographs by Katie Kolenberg for Little ONE Baby. There is a little bit of Montessori in the latest edition of Little ONE Baby magazine due to hit the shelves later this week in Australia. It was a privilege to have Katie photograph our home and a privilege to be featured in Australia's premier baby magazine. Wow! Isn't it fantastic for a Montessori home to get such exposure and in Australia!! So proud. In this edition you will also find fellow Canberran Claire and her daughter Saskia's very beautiful bedroom. Read more →

Today was a crazy, happy, busy day. Although we were fortunate to have a settled morning. Otis chose to work with some two piece jigsaw puzzles. He did all the puzzles twice and put them back in the basket and back on the shelves. Time wise I'm sure this didn't last five minutes. But it was a good five minutes. Edited to add our Geometric Shape Puzzle is from Michael Olaf but it is also available on Amazon. I previously mentioned this puzzle here. Read more →

Ok, I know, it's not ground breaking. But it's fun for them when they can eventually do it themselves! Opening the letterbox. . This post got me thinking. It's the bigger picture that is important. Building the child's confidence, ego, self esteem. For them to believe in themselves. He's not just opening the letterbox independently, he's building his self trust, he's building confidence. I'm sure this leads to greater success in other areas. Read more →