Etsy, Mader, Herman Miller, Etsy, Etsy, Etsy, Etsy, Mader, Mader, Etsy, Bauhaus, Etsy. I never would have thought to put spinning tops on toddler (Montessori) shelves if I hadn't received a little wooden handcrafted top (below) from a friend. When Otis was younger I presented spinning tops in a tray, this is a good option for a child learning to use the tops as the tops are contained in the tray and the child doesn't need to spend all their time picking them up off the floor. You can see how I presented them in a tray in this post... Read more →
Otis is a typical three year old. There are times often months when he is happy to brush his teeth and then suddenly he starts refusing. He will put on his shoes independently for weeks then he starts asking for help. Montessori has taught me a few ways to promote care of self activities so I thought I would take some time to share. Knowledge and Skill. The child needs to have knowledge of and the skills required to complete the task. In most cases the child will need the steps of the task broken down. The child depending on... Read more →
This week we made two new additions to the bathroom. A box of tissues and a bin. Although Otis has been here before a lesson on blowing and wiping his nose and a discussion on the importance of hygiene was required. Otis isn't currently coughing or sneezing however are these are good grace and courtesy lessons. The children have access to tissues in the cupboard but when a cold strikes it's best we put them in a more visible location. Without a bin prominently displayed my children tend to 'pile' the tissues on the counter, so a bin near the... Read more →
A couple of months ago I ordered some materials from Indigo Inspirations. I wanted to give my children (aged three and seven) lots of inspiration for crafting and making. I wanted natural materials that were really beautiful. I picked up the Wooden Knitting Fork with Hand Painted Rainbow Wool, Hand Painted Wool Fleece for Wet or Dry Felting, Wool Fleece Felting Kit (it comes with felting instructions) and some Hand Dyed Wool Felt. But I could have ordered so much more. We quickly tried wet felting which you can see here. I originally thought of Caspar (seven) when I selected... Read more →
What do your children do while you cook dinner? Often it's the time that Otis doesn't want to be working or playing independently. It's nice to have him by my side and I can always find something for him to do. It usually involves carrots - peeling, cutting. We can always add carrot sticks to a meal. Sometimes he likes to play in the sink but there is always some mashing, grating, peeling, slicing to do. I think this might have been Otis' first time peeling a potato and it took a fair bit of concentration. Around the internet I... Read more →
1. Montessori Letter Work, 2. The Red Letter Alphabet Book, 3. Les lettres à toucher de Balthazar (Letters to Touch) French, 4. My First BOB Books: Alphabet, 5. Around the World from a to z, 6. Eating the Alphabet, 7. My First ABC Board Book, 8. Museum ABC (of this in small board book), 9. I Spy: An Alphabet in Art. Otis was thrilled last week to again be doing letter/sound work at school. He loves playing I Spy and I realised there are still so many letters that he doesn't know. It also made me realise that all of... Read more →
Wow! What a busy week it was. The boys started back at school which meant our days were really full. As Otis spends the mornings at school (he finishes at 12) we have one-on-one time until it's time to pick Caspar up (he finishes at 3). It's been so nice to have quiet, concentrated time with Otis. Our afternoons have been spent doing lots of practical life and fun, relaxing work. Above on Tuesday Otis learnt to use the egg beater - which is genius, so easy for him to use once he got the action and coordination right. Our... Read more →