Otis (7 years) and I often look for recipes to make together. We discovered these cute cinnamon rolls but wanted to make them from scratch and we wanted to make them in a more child-friendly mini size. So we adapted a recipe. They were so fun to make and they taste delicious. They were so good I want to share with you! Most cinnamon rolls recipes use yeast, these are easier for children to make (and are foolproof) using self-raising flour. Ingredients for the Dough: 2 Cups Self-Raising Flour 2 Tablespoons Sugar 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 100g Melted Butter 2... Read more →
I'm sharing some Montessori and related links and things that I am finding joyful this week: The Prepared Montessori Environment at Home: 4 to 8 Months (including lots of photographs) at Creciendo con Montessori (English here). This infant space at Sylvie D'Esclaibes's Blog, this is a notice for Montessori training near Lille in France, but I am posting to admire how lovely this area is. On Facilitating Interests at The Montessori Cosmos, this article is particularly relevant for children in the second plane of development and the example used here is of a seven-year-old. The Science of Wool at Montessori... Read more →
Is it possible to take a Montessori approach to Halloween? I've received many questions over the years about Montessori and Christmas. Christmas is a religious and/or cultural event. Many families celebrate Christmas in a non-religious way because it is a tradition they would like to continue with. I see Halloween as a cultural event too. I believe Montessori would respect all religious and cultural events that are relevant to each family. Celebrations and traditions can play a very important role in a child's life. While in Australia we celebrated Halloween in a very minimal way, here in the UK it... Read more →
a. Snap Circuits / b.Dough Circuits / c. littleBits / d. Montessori Electric Circuit Kit (UK) Children are born scientists, always curious about out how things work. In nature, the child will absorb knowledge as they interact with their environment, unconsciously observing, watching light reflect on water, a rock roll down a hill, a leaf float gently to the ground, a campfire smoldering. There are many ways we as parents (and teachers) can provide real, hands-on science activities so that children can explore how the world works, to provide a safe space for children to experiment and make new discoveries.... Read more →
Sensory water play for babies - it really couldn't get any easier. Many babies will enjoy just a bowl or basin of water, or perhaps a paddle pool to splash around in! Our weather has really warmed up in the last couple of days so I've been looking for ways to extend our outdoor play, we are aiming for three hours a day outside. So I've introduced some water play. In most cases, we've used a large bowl of water and some tools but we could easily do these in the bath or at the kitchen sink. Here are a... Read more →
Have your children ever made pickles at school? Mine haven't but it would be a fantastic classroom/practical life activity. It requires lots of chopping and a little bit of peeling and measuring. Making pickles with children is super easy, I'll show you how we do it! 1. First, we select the vegetables we want to pickle! We have chosen vegetables our family likes to eat, we have carrots, cucumber, beans, cabbage and, cauliflower. Beets and onion would work well too. 2. We wash and chop our vegetables. Otis (7 years) loves to use the crinkle cutter and he does most... Read more →
Next week my children are on mid-term break. They have two weeks of school holidays and I can't wait. Otis is currently exploring electrical circuits and Caspar is planning to create some history timelines. Hopefully, there will be lots of nature walks and baking in the mix! Here are a few links and things I've been enjoying this week. As I wrote about school camp earlier in the week, I loved this insight Lower Elementary Overnight... at Villa di Maria Montessori School. This is thought-provoking because it happens in the Montessori world too. Making Exceptions to the Rule at Whole... Read more →
Today I want to share with you a subscription service that is a game changer! There are a lot of Montessori subscription services available. Until now there hasn't been one I would recommend. I am actually really disappointed that I've only now found Lovevery as they are for children from birth to 12 months. But if you are a new parent or are expecting, I'm excited that you may like and use this. I get a lot of emails from parents who don't know what to do with their new babies - this is for you! In the months after... Read more →
"Independence when they're ready for it, not just when they're big enough."- Little Products I love this quote because as parents we know that size matters, we want our children to be independent and capable around the home but our homes are made for adults! We have adult size furniture, adult size counters and, cupboards, taps and, toilets. We can do a lot to change this, we design and order child-size furniture, we have stools so they can reach counters. We can also use extenders so that children can reach taps and light switches. Until now, there hasn't been a... Read more →
We almost have a toddler in the house so it's time for us to start thinking about ways we can support his movement and his independence. I've been here before with my two older children but this house is different and this child is different! So I've been making a list of household tools that would be useful to support Otto's independence but also a few things that could assist Otis (7 yrs) too. These are a few things that we want, need or feel would be useful. Light Switch Extender - for the child's bedroom and bathroom. At night... Read more →
How old were your children when they went on their first school camp? Caspar and Otis were seven before they stayed overnight at school camp. For both of them, it was their first night away from home. Their class had a camp when they were six but neither of them wanted to go and at this age, I wasn't going to push them. Independence inside or outside of the home cannot be forced, rushed or pushed. It can only come when the child is ready. Otis' first camp was only one night (Caspar's was two). Otis stayed in a tent... Read more →
I'm a fan of RMTL so today I thought I would share our week... in objects. Clear cosmetic containers on the nature table - we love our window blocks (similar here) but MontiMinis recently shared an easy and affordable alternative! They use clear cosmetic containers, the containers have a lid so if you want little ones to handle it you could secure it with clear tape. It's a great way of protecting, sorting and displaying small or fragile items and still allow young children to handle them. They would also look lovely on the light table! Apple and acorn puzzles.... Read more →
I'm sure I was an adult before I realised how yoghurt was made! Last week Caspar's (Year 6) class made science experiments using yeast, changing the environment and noting the differences in growth. We've made a lot of bread together so he had a basic understanding of yeast. But what about bacteria, would he be able to grow bacteria and what are it's optimal growing conditions? We've made yoghurt before at home using a starter packet, not realising that a little fresh yoghurt (with live bacteria/active cultures) is all you need. We've also made it in one pot and using... Read more →
"Shoes" Now that we almost have a toddler in the house I am reminded about the importance of our actions and how distracting our words can often be! I've heard it over and over again but it's time for a refresh. "Show, don't tell!". "Do not tell them how to do it. Show them how to do it and do not say a word. If you tell them they will watch your lips move. If you show them, they will want to do it themselves." - Maria Montessori. What is the issue with using words to describe what we are... Read more →
How do Montessori families approach sex ed? I would say that we use correct terms, we are honest, factual and accurate. We give correct, clear and age-appropriate answers. From birth we use the correct terms for anatomy, we teach consent and we are respectful of our and our children's bodies, this includes using respectful language. Why is sex ed important? Sex ed is more than about sex, it's about humanity, respect, physical and mental health, and relationships. It is important to start young and be open to questions from our children. It's also not something that we can leave up... Read more →