Today I want to share with you some wonderful personalised Montessori inspired materials for the home, and perhaps some for the classroom from Benedykt and Sylvester. Personalised materials with the child's name on them are fantastic for letter and name recognition, and for making the child feel extra special! Some of my favourite products include: Personalised Solid Acacia Wood Children's Place Mat - we have this and love it, it's durable and easy to wipe clean. Personalised Set of 6 Wooden Children’s Paint Brushes - perfect stocking stuffers or as gifts to friends and family. (I've just ordered these for... Read more →

What are you up to this weekend? We are hoping to visit a castle or two, there are so many castles and ruins around our area. If you are looking for some reading here are a few Montessori related links are articles that I've been enjoying this week. Jeff Bezos says he will use his riches to open Montessori preschools at Chalkbeat! Have you seen the Toggler?? The Toggler allows young children to use-out-of reach light switches. It's easy to install, completely removable and can be re-used on other switches. Designed in Canberra. Pre-Orders are open here. Use the promo... Read more →

Have you seen the new go find it too cards? They have just been released and are a follow up to the popular go find it scavenger hunt game. It is an instant natural treasure hunt that invites children to use all of their senses. Players are encouraged to develop a curiosity of the natural world through hands-on sensory exploration. What's more, the uniquely designed cards help develop word recognition and language development through play. The cards are really delightful, they invite the children to use all of their senses in a way we might not have thought of. They... Read more →

You know we love beautiful art supplies. We also love art supplies that support our children's development. Both of my children have at times struggled with their pencil grip. Did you know that Crayon Rocks help children develop the correct tripod grip? Unlike other tools, Crayon Rocks are not complicated, all you need to do is give the child the crayon and the crayon does the rest! We recently received some Crayon Rocks to try (c/o Crayon Rocks) and Otis has barely stopped using them. He has never been a huge fan of crayons but these are really different. The... Read more →

Have you seen or used Magic Nuudles before? I hadn't heard of them until recently. There were a few reasons I really wanted the boys to give them a try. They are bright, colourful and interesting but also they are made from cornstarch and are fully biodegradable! Wow! They are also so different to all of the other arts and craft materials we have tried before. I couldn't wait to see how the boys would use them! Our pack came with 400 Magic Nuudles. They are perfect for children from 3 years and up. The pack comes with an awesome... Read more →

There is something really fascinating about the medieval times. I think most children go through a period of being interested in history and castles and knights. Play is a great way to learn about or extend knowledge of history. And when we are learning about history we gain a better understanding of our world and possibly our place in it. Both of my children love playing with knights and were thrilled to read and play with Build! A Knight's Castle: Paper Toy Archaeology, which has been provided to us for purposes of review. It is part book, the front section... Read more →

If you are looking for gift ideas for a child consider giving them a cook book! Cooking with kids and encouraging them to participate in the kitchen is wonderful. However a cook book can foster a whole new level of independence. Children from quite a young age can take the lead in cooking and use a pictorial cook book. Once a child can read - wow, the opportunities really open up. Caspar (8 yrs) can read almost anything, he could read an adult's cook book however a kid's cook book is a great thing, he can follow the instructions and... Read more →

You know I love all things organic and you are familiar with my children wearing gorgeous bright clothing. We adore Scandinavian design and our go to store is Baby Goes Retro. Today we've teamed up with Baby Goes Retro for a giveaway and a discount code, open internationally, details will be at the end of the post! This is not a fashion blog but I'm such a loyal customer at Baby Goes Retro I hope you will find this post a good fit (and not too much out of character). I love that so much of the clothing at Baby... Read more →

Are you looking for new CDs or music to enjoy with your children? Today I wanted to share with you some of our favourite CDs for children and I also have five sets of headphones for a giveaway (we have also been provided with one set of the iFrogz Little Rockers Headphones for the purposes of review). We spend heaps of time in the car and it's nice to have some fun music to put on. We often just chat or play games but if someone isn't well of if we are all tired music can be uplifting and fun.... Read more →

I don't take up offers for give-aways or promotions very often and not unless it's product we use or need. In this case - this is a product we very much needed. Otis has started full days at school which means he needs to take snack, lunch, a water bottle and sunscreen plus as usual a hat and suitable clothing (coat/jumper). He has so many different lunch boxes he loves to mix it up and take a different combination almost every day. I have been using permanent marker to write names on some items however sunscreen bottles and Otis' latest... Read more →

Have you read Nature Anatomy? You may remember I listed in it our post What we are reading April 2015. The great news is that Storey Publishing has contacted us for a review and a giveaway! In her new visual guidebook, Nature Anatomy, noted illustrator Julia Rothman invites readers to share in her delight at the small wonders of the natural world. With more than 700 original full-color drawings, this book is chock full of irresistible images accompanied by intriguing facts. From the shapes and names of mysterious mosses to the anatomy of a mushroom, the phases of the moon,... Read more →

I know that a lot of parents of young children think about emotional intelligence. How do we give children the ability to be aware of, control and express their emotions, how do we prepare them for reading other people's emotions, to discrimination between emotions, empathise with others and potentially diffuse conflict? Both of my children have had emotions puzzles in their classrooms and there are books on the topic. But what if there was a resource that covers a wide range of emotions that was also modern and fun to use? I know a many parents would love to learn... Read more →

A couple of months ago I ordered some materials from Indigo Inspirations. I wanted to give my children (aged three and seven) lots of inspiration for crafting and making. I wanted natural materials that were really beautiful. I picked up the Wooden Knitting Fork with Hand Painted Rainbow Wool, Hand Painted Wool Fleece for Wet or Dry Felting, Wool Fleece Felting Kit (it comes with felting instructions) and some Hand Dyed Wool Felt. But I could have ordered so much more. We quickly tried wet felting which you can see here. I originally thought of Caspar (seven) when I selected... Read more →

. If you have been following you will know that I have been watching a few Montessori in the home DVDs. There is and has always been one stand out. Edison's Day. Edison is 20 months old and the DVD follows him for one day. It is perfect. It is as Montessori as possible. Both of Edison's parents are Montessori trained, keep this in mind for perspective. There are so many great ideas featured, mostly aimed at independence but also at nurturing the child's spirit. Being in a visual (and audio) format everything presented is so practical, you can see... Read more →

Do you remember Marie-Claire? She's a mom to twins, a go-getter and now a business owner! She was also a Montessori child! I know I'm biased but I believe parenthood can bring out the very best in people. I love it when someone can overcome the busyness of parenthood and design a product not only for their own children but for all of our children. Even more admirable when the product is innovative, smart, biodegradable and non-toxic! Marie-Claire's first project was a beautiful set of Children's Alphabet Wallet Cards designed by Australian artist Marc Martin. You can see how Owen... Read more →