How long does the weaning table last? Two years. It's worth the investment. Otis started using his weaning table (above) at five months. Today (below) at 31 months we cleaned the table, wiped down the chair and passed it on to another family. For another child to experience a chair and table of their own. Read more →

Shorts and shirts are standard in our house. Dresses would (I imagine) be a little more difficult. Here is one of the earliest photographs I have of Otis in his care of self - dressing area when he was 13-17 months. The cube chair and sitting has really helped with this process which can begin once they can sit. I'm not going to pretend that you need help with this. I'm sure everyone knows how to dress their own child. I've actually been told numerous times that helping a child to dress while being behind them is helpful, that way... Read more →

At our (Montessori) parent toddler group I've been privileged to witness children much younger than Otis cut, slice, spread and grate. Capable, young (I think the youngest is 18 months) children. With parents willing to take inspiration and guidance from our teacher. Otis has never hurt himself grating or peeling. But it doesn't happen in any haphazard way. Clearly demonstrated. Closely supervised. Often working side by side. We've tried a lot of peelers over the years and I've always found the horizontal peelers work best for children. Otis first started grating and peeling carrots (for Caspar's school lunch) however I... Read more →

Getting dressed is a big deal at this age. It's actually faster for us to allow Otis to dress himself than to face his resistance to our help. In the morning Otis takes off his pajamas, picks out his own clothes and gets dressed. He starts by picking out his shirt and puts it on. His shirts are all hanging on his low hanger. His shorts, pants and pajamas are in the large white basket. His socks and underwear are in the metal buckets next to the basket. He selects fresh underwear and puts them on. He selects some shorts.... Read more →

Any book with Montessori in the title is going to catch my attention. More so if it's a children's book. More so if it's a new release. Of course I had to read this one and I'm so glad I did! Jack Goes to Montessori School was written by a Montessori Mom (Allyson Collins) and illustrated by a Montessori teacher (Lindsey R. Smith) - both in Texas, to help other parents and students learn what makes the Montessori experience special. As someone who already understands Montessori and with children at Montessori, this book conjures up feelings of being part of... Read more →

Sometimes the smallest thing will strike an interest within a child. What can we do as parents? Always be prepared. Keep an open mind. Have lots (and I mean lots) of ideas and extension ideas in the back of our mind. Know our city and the resources within our community. We usually have a map or two around the house, sometimes a cultural basket and always lots of interesting books. Geography gets mentioned in all sorts of contexts. However recently we found out how valuable (and honestly quite amazing) maps can be at teaching history. History hasn't been a large... Read more →

Caspar has been in and out of Speech Therapy over the past three years. When he was a toddler we recognised his language wasn't as developed as other children. We had him tested privately and the results were ambiguous. When he turned three our school asked for him to be tested again so we had him tested in the public system. We've been told the public system has much more experience with children. It was determined he had some issues with articulation and begun therapy. It's difficult when experts determine your child has an issue when you don't really think... Read more →