How are you feeling? We have been feeling a little sombre, a little quiet. Today Otto and Otis decorated our Easter tree. It was nice and fun and lighthearted. We haven't been doing a lot of Easter activities so decorating the tree felt special. It's the first year that Otto (2yrs) has been able to participate. We are having a very low key weekend. In case you need some weekend reading, here are a few articles and things that I've been enjoying.

• A Montessori Toddler's Room at Fishies in a Row. This is cute and practical!
• How to create an at-home Montessori for your children by Simone Davies (Montessori Toddler) at the Evening Standard. "‘It’s time to get rid of the chaos at home and create some clutter-free and engaging spaces for our family,’ Davies says. ‘It doesn’t need to take much time or money, and even if you have small spaces, you can set things up to help your children feel calm, grow to be more independent, play by themselves, and learn along the way."
• Things that are totally Montessori at Baan Dek Montessori. "It’s easy to think Montessori is a place, or a philosophy, or a set of materials. Montessori is a way of interacting with children, with the world around us. Particularly when we’re out of school, it’s important to remember all the things that really are “Montessori.” We don’t have to do anything different, really. We don’t have to buy or prepare. We just get to engage. We made a list of activities that really are Montessori. These are things we all do in everyday life, but we’ve broken it down by age of what children might be capable of, or interested in doing."
• 10 Easy Pieces: Kids’ Stools for the Bath at Remodelista. Lots of good options. We use the Ikea Molger step stool in the bathroom (I think it's discontinued), my 8yr old uses the bright yellow Ekobo step stool in the kitchen.
• This new floor bed available for pre-order at Manine Montessori. "With a Montessori Floor Bed your child can be safe, but free to explore the environment. The openings in the bed frame allow the child to crawl in and out of bed freely, while the higher sides prevent it from rolling out of bed when sleeping."
• Montessori doesn't make us perfect parents! - And also children don't become "perfect" children! at Eltern non Mars via Google Translate. "Choosing the Montessori path, hoping that it will turn the children into children who are always neat and unwilling to debate, is likely to be a bitter disappointment. Taking the Montessori path does not mean facing fewer challenges or facing fewer crises."

Back to the Easter tree. We have a mix of finished store bought eggs and wooden eggs that my children painted last year. The eggs come with string so it's easy to hang them.

Although it's not elaborate, and it's mostly handmade, the Easter tree brings just a touch of celebration and joy to our home.

And a touch of colour! 

I hope that you have a warm and safe long weekend. xx