We like to provide our children with a wide range of drawing materials. Recently we've been exploring beginner graphite pencils. Graphite pencils can be soft and smooth providing the child with a lovely drawing experience. Until recently I didn't know there were so many beginner graphite pencils to choose from. I selected four to try with my preschooler. After observing my child draw with all four pencils I found the qualities to look in beginner graphite pencils include: soft - easy to leave a mark, provides good feedback, smooth strong - leads won't break short - the shorter the pencil... Read more →

Q: We recently moved. We spent weeks travelling and staying in hotels. During this time we co-slept with our toddler. Now we are getting settled into our new home and understandably he doesn't want to sleep in his own bed. It is a new bed for him, a new bedroom and new surroundings. He is sleeping very well when he co-sleeps. We are happy to continue to co-sleep but would prefer for him to begin sleeping in his own bed again. How can we best support our toddler to sleep in his own bed in his room? A: Remember that... Read more →

Are you currently home schooling your children due schools being closed or due to self isolation? My two older boys have been home from school since last week. However this was Otis' (pictured, Yr 4) first week using a more formal learning platform with his teacher. It has been difficult to adjust to suddenly having the children at home and navigating the world of online schooling on top of meeting the child's every day social and emotional needs. I reached out to Montessori teacher, Meg Hicks for some advice on surviving this difficult time. ................................. It’s understandable that families are... Read more →

This is the second article in a new series 'Ask A Montessori Teacher'! In this series we put a question to one of my favourite Montessori Teachers, Meg Hicks. Meg has experience and training in birth to 12 years, she also home-schools her two sons. So please feel free to ask a question you would like Meg to answer in upcoming weeks. Today's question is all about Pocket Money! Q: Do you give your children pocket money? We don’t but our children get almost everything they want. Sometimes we save a big gift for their birthday. How to I teach... Read more →

Welcome to a new series I've titled 'Ask A Montessori Teacher'. I often have questions that I would like to ask someone who is Montessori trained. Sometimes I feel like I need reassurance, sometimes I need new ideas and suggestions or just someone else's point of view. Do you ever feel like that? The person I go to for Montessori parenting questions is Meghan Hicks. She is a parent to two boys who she has raised in a Montessori way since birth. Meghan has run toddler groups, homeschooling groups, she now works with individuals and families and lectures internationally. She... Read more →