. Do you have a quiet place? . . Breathe, breathe deep. Touch. Feel. . . Fresh air and natural textures. . . We've recently found a new quiet place. The boys can run, sing and shout without breaking anything or disturbing anyone. . Our quiet place has water. And sand. And rocks, moss, stones, sticks and grass. Wet, dry, spiky, slippery, furry, soft and smooth. Whirly, windy, splashing, cold. . . Fresh. Refreshing. Beautiful. Surreal. Read more →

Sometime I lack ideas of what to rotate on Otis's art shelves - so I decided to make a list. I find there are lots of advantages of rotating art activities like this. We usually only have three trays out at a time. Although there are often pencils or crayons available in the study. Having all the items that Otis needs within the tray makes it easier for him to use and pack up. With the exception of water for washing his paint brush (which he needs to ask me for) and his smock and place-mat which he can access... Read more →

A small child can feel rather big when they have an apron on and a bucket in their hand. Or a broom, shovel or watering can. It's not about inflating their ego but rather giving them purposeful work. Real. Satisfying. Work. You know when your child feels it because you feel it too. The chores of practical life correspond exactly to what children are looking for at this age: an activity that requires their muscular energy, and that can lead to visible results that are useful to themselves and the persons who live with them. These present a unique opportunity... Read more →

Floriade, our month long celebration of Spring has started and we couldn't be happier. Each year we visit Floriade frequently, entry is free during the day and there is so much for the children to do and see. Floriade - we love you! . . . My photograph on Instagram was taken from the top of this Ferris Wheel. I was trying really hard to stay calm, I'm not good with heights! . . So many ideas for the home garden! We stayed clear of the celebrities but we would like to go back to meet Costa. He is such... Read more →

Going into business, it may be a crazy thing to do but I have decided to do it anyway. I never thought I would be a small business owner. I never thought I would leave the workforce for long. When I was pregnant with Caspar I toured all the child care centres in our area. There were twelve. They all fell short of my expectations. I didn't and couldn't sign up to any of them. A month after Caspar was born I resigned from my job and essentially my career. I don't know if I will ever go back to... Read more →

I recently shared a link on Facebook to the new blog Montessori Moms. If you haven't read it yet it contains lots of information about infant Montessori. It's written by a group of new mothers who are also Assistant to Infancy trained, led by Carrie from Beginning Montessori. Another Carrie has recently written about the her experiences Baby at Home: The first six months at Zest & Zeal. This post contains lots of good ideas for the home environment and materials for this age. While it's been over a month (eek two months!) I must offer a public congratulations to... Read more →

If anyone had asked me about the right time to introduce grating or juicing I would have said to wait to at least until the child is three. I've heard a Montessori guide comment that juicing in a toddler class is almost 'tokenistic', that most children cannot (don't have the hand strength) to do it. From what I have seen this is true, it's usually the children closest to three that can productively juice. . Grating and juicing are two activities I thought Otis would not be able to do and as I felt he wasn't ready and would only... Read more →

Would you like another room tour? This is Amelie's room and it's beautiful! The photographs really say it all but here is a short description by Amelie's Mum. Welcome to Amelie’s first bedroom. We were greatly inspired by Sew Liberated, One Claire Day and of course How we Montessori. There is a lot of handmade love in this room, I made her curtains and quilt and her Dad made her window seat and bed surround. Not to mention it was a family effort involving the Granddads to paint the room and install the mirror and shelves. I am amazed given... Read more →

We love cooking. It's absolutely one thing you can say about our family. Caspar and Otis are always asking to bake and they always want to bake a cake. Today they both wanted to make chocolate cake but Otis also wanted to make a banana cake. To make sure everyone got the cake they wanted I decided it was Choose Your Own Ingredients day! Otis started with bananas and ended up with banana, chocolate (raw cacao) and oat muffins. Caspar went a little crazy with his ingredients and made a chocolate (raw cacao), coconut and orange cake with ground pepitas,... Read more →