I love stocking stuffers. Small gifts that fit into Christmas stockings or simply small gifts that are suitable for giving to friends (or children of friends). I love giving gifts that children will actually use. I love giving small art and craft materials, toys and tools for the garden or kitchen, that are scientific or teach the child about animals or the environment. Here is a selection of Montessori orientated stocking stuffers for toddlers to preschoolers! My four year old (Otis) would go crazy for number 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 and 17 in particular. We have many of these... Read more →

Flickr Mighty Marce, How we Montessori, How we Montessori, Apartment Therapy, Penny Carnival, Three Oaks, Trillium Montessori (of Jacaranda Tree Montessori), How we Montessori, Our Montessori Life, Nduoma (Junnifa has done a wonderful job of hanging low art and rotating interesting pictures). I love a good Montessori nursery or play space. Montessori spaces usually feature child size furniture, shelves with trays with beautiful activities or work. So the child feels comfortable in their space and is able to reach all the materials they need. The space is designed for them. However it immediately strikes me as out of place when... Read more →

Composting is one of those things - just like healthy eating, physical activity and recycling, it is one of those things where we need to set a really good example. Where a lesson just isn't good enough. These are things we need to live and children need to experience through everyday life. It is about doing, making it a habit and a part of the way we live. We had a break from composting when we moved but in our new home we are using the same system as before. We love the Bokashi system as it is so easy,... Read more →

Although this post is about Montessori parenting I believe many of these struggles are relevant to all parenting and possibly the feelings of inadequacy that many people face. Perhaps you can relate? 1. My first struggle was to think that all I had to do was buy Montessori toys. When Caspar was a toddler I purchased a heap of Montessori toys and I was disappointed when he wasn't instantly engaged. I now appreciate how important it is to observe the child and select toys specific to their interests and developmental stage, to present and demonstrate new toys and materials and... Read more →

Do you follow any Montessori schools on Instagram? I love to see what other schools are doing and I also find a lot of ideas for the home. Here are six Montessori schools to follow. Baan Dek Montessori. Westside Montessori School (you must see their Chameleon Scarlett). Mountaineer Montessori School. Mission Montessori. Monarch Montessori School. Brunswick Montessori Children's House (my Australian pick). I also enjoy following Rhonda's classroom. Please feel free to leave a link to your school or share what schools you love to follow! Read more →

It's been quite a tough week so I wanted to end the week with a light hearted post. I love the book Animalium and I really wanted to share with you another two books in the Welcome to the Museum series. I honestly love Animalium so much, it is oversized, it is stunning and while I adore the concept and design it was the illustrations which spoke to me the most. So I sought out the illustrator and found Story of Life: Evolution. And while I was looking I found Historium which is also in the same series. What a... Read more →

My youngest child is now four years old so three is still very clear in my mind. The three year old loves practical life, being involved and is often very enthusiastic. Here are a few activities we did when my son was three years old. Cooking with heat (making pancakes). Use a mystery bag (the child identifies what is in the bag through touch only). Arrange their tools and materials so they are accessible (using low shelving). Learn to write their name. Flower arranging. More complex cutting (cutting out shapes). Sweeping purposefully and successfully. Folding cloths accurately and neatly. Colour... Read more →

If you are looking for gift ideas for a child consider giving them a cook book! Cooking with kids and encouraging them to participate in the kitchen is wonderful. However a cook book can foster a whole new level of independence. Children from quite a young age can take the lead in cooking and use a pictorial cook book. Once a child can read - wow, the opportunities really open up. Caspar (8 yrs) can read almost anything, he could read an adult's cook book however a kid's cook book is a great thing, he can follow the instructions and... Read more →

We know the significance of the hand. Many Montessori activities promote the use of the pincer grasp, to strengthen the hand and fingers and to develop coordination. The pincer grasp prepares the hand for writing and it supports many other activities such as using scissors, doing up buttons, care of self including feeding and other fine motor skills which are really important throughout life. 'Those children who have been able to work with their hands make headway in their development, and reach a strength of character which is conspicuous.' - Maria Montessori. The Absorbent Mind. Promoting the pincer grasp is... Read more →

Over the weekend the world experienced tragic events that have touched us all. My thoughts are with those who have been impacted directly. On Saturday we went to a children's drop in art centre. We are slowly exploring this city. The art centre was the most fabulous place (with the most fabulous art teachers!). I loved to observe how the teachers interact with the children. They really guide the children through their art processes without ever taking over, being overbearing or interrupting. Caspar made his own chess board with pieces made from plasticine. I never would have thought of this... Read more →

How has your week been? Our week days feel so full that I am always relieved when the weekend comes. Yesterday I spotted a children's drop in art centre that we might check out over the weekend. It looks fantastic and I can't wait to show the boys, I'm thinking it would make a perfect Saturday morning activity! I have written a variation of this post before and every time I re-read it I want to publish it again. I feel it really stresses that Montessori means so much to us as it really is a philosophy, a parenting as... Read more →

Did you know there is such a thing as infant Montessori? There really are things you can do with your newborn! This post features lots of the activities we did with my son from birth to around six months. If you want to know more about Montessori at this age I recommend Understanding the Human Being, Montessori from the Start and The Joyful Child. Use contrasting images for developing eye sight and concentration. Prepare the environment with carefully considered materials on low shelves. Consider a 'movement area' next to a wall mirror for the child to observe themselves. Children at... Read more →

You know I love all things organic and you are familiar with my children wearing gorgeous bright clothing. We adore Scandinavian design and our go to store is Baby Goes Retro. Today we've teamed up with Baby Goes Retro for a giveaway and a discount code, open internationally, details will be at the end of the post! This is not a fashion blog but I'm such a loyal customer at Baby Goes Retro I hope you will find this post a good fit (and not too much out of character). I love that so much of the clothing at Baby... Read more →

Have you seen this game before? It's not a Montessori material however it was present in Caspar's previous Montessori Classroom (Cycle Two, 6-9 years). Caspar's new class doesn't have it and as I knew how much he loved it I was delighted to provide it at home (all of his favourite materials are math related!). Our Fractions Formula game is c/o Child.com.au. It provides a visual, hands on, fun way to learn about fractions. Otis (4yrs) also loves playing this game. He can read and identify all of the fractions. He is absorbing knowledge through play! The instructions are really... Read more →

We recently stayed overnight at Grandma's house. It was a wonderful opportunity for the boys to spend some time with their Grandparents. So what can you do when you don't have any Montessori materials? Oh so much! Otis wasn't able to stand on Grandma's chairs (no learning tower here) so he sat on a high stool to reach the kitchen bench. He used one of Grandma's everyday serrated knives to make an entire salad. Grandma was so afraid he would cut himself that she couldn't watch. But (as I explained) there was no risk, he can competently use a knife... Read more →