Our torso anatomy model is many years old but it hasn't lost any of its appeal. I find anatomy models irresistible. Anatomy models can help satisfy the child's natural curiosity and desire to know more about how our bodies work, what it looks like inside and what our internal organs look like. They are perfect for inquisitive children! Anatomy models provide for hands on learning. Most can be assembled and disassembled, allowing the child to learn through repetition. Due to the abstract nature of the models (the child needs to use their imagination as the models show the internal anatomy)... Read more →

It goes without saying that the home environment is very different to the school or Montessori infant/toddler environment. Things can get messy, children can get distracted and often parents are tending to more than one child at once without any backup. You don't need to be a Montessori teacher to give your child a lesson or demonstration. In the home, the child will need many lessons (or demonstrations) and you (the parent or caregiver) are the best person to provide them! If you mess up or if it just doesn't work out, give yourself a break, you can always come... Read more →

I am now at the end of my pregnancy and the baby could (should!) come any day now. I am more than prepared and ready. My hospital bags are packed and by the door. We haven't installed our baby car seat, but it's the only thing left to do. I can't wait to be on the other side, with our little baby in our arms! To help us prepare Milk & Co (Michael Klim's company) sent us some of their favorite baby products to try! We loved them so much most have become staples in our bathroom. I thought you... Read more →

We know there is a lot of information online and in books about Montessori. But what is available specifically for new parents setting up a Montessori home? Here are some of my recommendations. Book: In a Montessori Home: A parent's guide to preparing the home for children birth to three. This is a booklet (it's brief) and can be hard to get outside of the US. If your children go to a Montessori school, ask for it in the parent library. If you operate a school or are involved in a Montessori community this is a good one to have... Read more →

I love buying materials from Etsy. Especially when preparing for a new baby I like to buy local and handmade. This week I've ordered and received playmats, rattles and infant clothing from Etsy, all which have been fantastic quality. Here are a few materials for a Montessori home that I'm loving! I've recently ordered some (commercially available) baby clothing and I can't believe how much blue I've (subconsciously) bought, so I'm making an effort to balance this out with some gender neutral and handmade clothing from Etsy. I love this gender neutral dinosaur tee. Timber Alphabet Puzzle. Natural playdough stamps.... Read more →

I want to do everything I can to encourage Otis to write. However, I know it will come - when he is ready. So I'm not being pushy, but occasionally providing gentle prompts. Encouraging him when I can to write recipes (his favourite), shoppings lists, cards, and letters. I remember a tip I read in Montessori Read and Write that I also used with Caspar (much earlier in his learning) and that was to use multi media. Montessori Read and Write has lots of suggestions using materials from around the home. The Write Start is also an excellent resource for... Read more →

I always parent from the heart. I follow my instincts and I've never had any regrets about my parenting. I have looked to Montessori for guidance and ideas and it's always made sense to me. I've not always agreed with other Montessori parents and I occassionaly find a book (and many e-books) that I disagree with. But at the core of it, I am naturally drawn to parenting the Montessori way. With my last son Otis (pictured above, asleep in the Ergo), we almost exclusively used a baby carrier over the pram. For our next child, we intend to do... Read more →

I've written a little about pregnancy and birth but before our baby arrives it's worthwhile for me to get down my thoughts on parenting a newborn, what do Montessori parents do differently? It's important to note that all Montessori families do things in different ways. I've met parents who have Assistant to Infancy training who use a cot and pacifiers. So my intent is to share what has worked for our family and explain the reasons behind some of these Montessori recommendations. No (or little) swaddling - Personally, I have never understood swaddling. I understand the concept of the startle... Read more →

Today was almost magical. It was so warm (around 30 degrees celcius) and a public holiday, yes on a Wednesday! And we made one of our favourite foods - donuts! We actually made mini donuts, these are much smaller than they look. But they are a lot of fun to make and to decorate! We are using and loving the Babycakes Mini Donut Maker. You can see Otis using the donut maker above! We used the recipe below but there are also recipes in the instruction booklet. Mini Donuts Ingredients: 1 ½ cups self-raising flour ½ cup caster sugar (Otis... Read more →

Are your children collectors? My children have collected different things over the years. As toddlers, my children loved collecting rocks and sticks. I put a basket by the front door so they had a place to put them all. One of the things I have learnt as a parent is that we need to allow children to become who they are. They might have weird interests or not fit into our aesthetics but that's them. We need to support our children, to follow the child and this includes what ever they need to collect. Caspar has a collection of old... Read more →

Many classrooms are being reorganized, cleaned and set up fresh for children returning from the summer break. Here are a few classrooms that I am loving, ready for the new school year! Above a toddler class at Guidepost Montessori, USA. Preprimary class at La Montessori Nurtury, Iowa, USA. So much light, a classroom at the Montessori School Bali, Indonesia. Miss Rhonda's Classroom, USA. Mountaineer Montessori School, West Virginia, USA. You can see more of their classroom pictures here. Cosmic Montessori School, Jakarta, Indonesia. 3-6 years classroom. Laniakea Montessori in Gainesville, Florida, USA, Geography or Culture Area, 3-6 Classroom. Good luck... Read more →

Mirror / Topponcino / Whale Mobile I am incredibly thankful that I am nearing the end of this pregnancy. Not including a couple of weeks in November/December last year, I have been pregnant for over 12 months. This is my fourth pregnancy and it has been harder emotionally and physically. However, I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel and we only have a couple of weeks to go! We are so close! I'm feeling nervous and still a little underprepared (I only ordered our infant car seat on Wednesday!). Today I want to share with... Read more →

Do you know what these strange cube things are? What are they used for? What exactly do they teach? If you've never been into a Montessori classroom it's possible you've never seen these before. If you have been into a Montessori (3-6yrs) classroom you may have seen them, your child may have even shown you how to use them? I was introduced to the Binomial and Trinomial Cubes at a Parent's Maths night at our Montessori School in Canberra, many years ago. If you can make it, these nights are really worth it, at least once in your parenting journey.... Read more →

Here are a few articles and things I've been enjoying this week: I absolutely love this Montessori inspired bathroom at Wunschkind - Herzkind - Nervkind. I love all the hooks and accessories. This is the best! A story of how one Montessori teacher, Gavin McCormak, has made a difference to a community in Kathmandu - Sydney Montessori Teacher Uses Community Links to Build School in Nepal. This toddler space. For a child from 14 to 20 months. Family and Co is a lovely Montessori blog to follow. New Montessori parent child classes open up in Sydney. These Wooden Single Shape... Read more →

Did you know that next week (12-20 August 2017) is National Science Week? Do you have any activities planned? To celebrate we have partnered with Parent Direct to share one of our favourite STEM toys, which is an early coding activity. Coding is something Caspar started learning in his Cycle Three Class (9-12 years) and he has also attended a few coding workshops. But what about for younger children, what can we do to prepare younger children for coding? The Code and Go Robot Mouse is the perfect pre-coding, early coding toy! Our Code and Go Robot Mouse (as pictured)... Read more →