Today I want to introduce you to Emma from Montessori Enterprises (www.montessorienterprises.com.uk). Montessori Enterprises stock a wide range of Montessori language materials. You can order individual items including objects, picture cards, word strips, phrase strips and sentence strips or complete sets. Including the Pink, Blue and Green Series. This makes it super easy for teachers, homeschoolers or even parents at home to find what they are looking for. Let's find out a little more from Emma! Can you tell us a little about yourself and your Montessori journey? Hello, I'm very pleased to meet you! My name is Emma and... Read more →

My children do a lot of cooking and baking at home. They are not mini master chefs but learning to make really basic foods, developing an essential life skill in a fun and enjoyable way. Learning to read a recipe is a really important part of this. Otis (6ys) is a beginner reader and needs help with new recipes. Here are a few ways we've been helping, slowly building his confidence and giving him the skills he needs to successfully approach a recipe. Recipe Selection: Selecting an appropriate recipe is really important. We love, love, love, children's cookbooks but also... Read more →

These are not traditional Montessori materials but are all suitable for a Montessori home! These materials have lots of colour and texture for the child to explore! Pikler Climbing Set - This is a large climbing set however individual pieces are also available. Perfect for the infant who needs to climb, possibly before they are even walking! I've seen these in so many Montessori homes, they are on my wish list! Sensory Grasping Beads - So similar to the Montessori grasping beads but with the texture of crochet and lots of colour! Large Playmat - This store has the sweetest... Read more →

Threading pasta or wooden beads are standard preschooler activities. But what other threading activities are there? Here are a few we've used over the years, from twelve months to four years. We know that threading is good for concentration, coordination and developing fine motor skills. Activities that strengthen the muscles in the fingers and the hand and have the child use the little pincer grip (when the child uses the index finger and the thumb to pick up and manipulate small objects), help to prepare the hand for writing. All of the ages listed are very general and are to... Read more →

A shared Montessori inspired room, image Apartment Therapy. Here are some fun and interesting links I've been reading and loving!! Montessori in a Small House. A Real Environment from Pequefelicidad. I have and can recommend all of these, for new and experienced Montessori parents! Montessori Books I'm Reading at The Pinay Homeschooler. Taking Montessori to Syrian Refugees. I am loving this new store on Etsy Montessori Methods. Montessori Classroom Routines You Can Adopt at Home at Montessori Methods. This is so valuable! Love this one 'Invite Your Child To "Contribute to the Family" Rather Than Do Chores'. This Montessori inspired... Read more →

How important is diversity to you? I am constantly reassessing our home environment to ensure it meets our children's needs. I am often concerned about bias - unconscious, perceived or outright that exists within our community and want to ensure they don't find a way into our home. We know that children have an absorbent mind, they absorb every last detail of their surroundings. The child's environment has a fundamental role in forming the child's awareness and understanding of the world around them. A play environment rich in diversity promotes greater acceptance of different beliefs, languages, family types, appearances, cultures,... Read more →

A few months ago I was approached to try the My Little Sous-Chef cookbook! It was written and developed by three Italian mothers living in the UK. My Little Sous-Chef is a tandem cookbook for children and parents to use together and was inspired by the Montessori Method. I absolutely love children's cookbooks and this one is no exception! The idea is that there are two cookbooks, one for the child to use and one for the adult to use. The adult book has the quantities and more detail. The children's book has charming illustrated directions. We use a digital... Read more →

Over a year ago I came across Artventure, online art classes for children. Otis (then 4-5 yrs) loved it straight away. While we do a lot of open ended free art at home it's fantastic for the children to be able to independently choose a lesson and learn some really important art skills. The lessons are aimed at primary school aged children however many are well suited to preschoolers too! Each lesson is presented via a short 8-12 minute video. We simply put one of the laptops on the art table and let the boys go for it. The videos... Read more →

Do your children enjoy helping with the washing? Why not give them a few small items and their own little washing station? Today I'm sharing some ideas on creating Montessori style washing (laundry) areas. Above a cloth washing table at The Learning Ark - Elementary Montessori. Train table turned wash table at How we Montessori. A gorgeous Montessori home wash table at House of Montessori! Clothes washing activity at Montessori From the Heart. Montessori classroom wash table from Pinterest via Trillium Montessori. Cloth washing table at Montessori Design by Nuccia. Wash stand at Ma petite maternelle. I also love this... Read more →

Today I gave Otis a lesson on ironing. It was a lot of fun and something completely new to him (perhaps a novelty!). We started with a small child-sized (travel) iron. I put it on medium heat. Low heat wasn't hot enough to remove the wrinkles. We also used a lovely fabric spray and a small table-top ironing board. It is really important that Otis is standing on the ground, he needs to be stable and balanced so that he can concentrate on his work (many ironing boards will go down to the child's level). I taught Caspar to iron... Read more →

I find myself procrastinating rather than working on finishing our Montessori nursery. It's more difficult this time as we know we will be moving once the baby is three to four months old. So I'm not only looking for fresh ideas and inspiration but I'm also trying to find some motivation. Here are a few Montessori infant spaces that I've been enjoying! A lot of people don't fix the mirror to the wall, if the baby isn't moving I guess there is no need. This room has a few simple materials and lots of space for the child to work... Read more →

I believe it's good for children to feel bored. Children should have lots of free, unstructured time. They need space (mental and physical) to breathe, to relax, to daydream and to be themselves - free from judgment. However, there are times when I want to do something with my children, particularly Otis and I don't have any ideas. Caspar has been on camp so Otis and I have been spending a lot of time together. We have made a list of all the things we could do that require very few materials or materials commonly found in our home! These... Read more →

I am frequently asked where we found our wooden infant shelves. Our shelves were handmade many years ago and the store no longer stocks them. I have seen similar shelves on Etsy but couldn't find any currently available. Above I have shown some that are similar in dimensions or that would fill the role suitably. I prefer natural timber and always look for local and sustainably sourced timber where possible. But I know price is important too. For an infant's environment I look for single shelves, these are really simple and don't over-complicate the space, will hold the materials the... Read more →

Yesterday I wrote about some of my favorite illustrators and prints, today I am sharing some tips on how to hang that artwork in a young child's environment. Here are some of my tips and what has worked for us. Hang artwork within the child's line of sight. For an infant's room I would put some artwork that is easily removable (possibly black and white/high contrast) at their level (lying down or for tummy time) but also some artwork that they will be able to look up and see when they are sitting or even standing. I would not put... Read more →

I've been looking for some fresh and inexpensive prints for our Montessori nursery. I love having low hanging prints for the young child to be able to look at and focus on. Artwork by siblings, cards or postcards, photographs, images from calendars or even old books are all inexpensive ideas. One of my favourite framed prints (which is currently in the nursery) is a small painted farm scene I found at a garage sale. Small prints can be used around the child's work areas including in the care of self or dressing area, above work/low shelves, near the weaning or... Read more →