When I found out that Lovevery made Toddler Play Kits I almost flipped out. Like a crazy person, I went through all their play kits to see what amazing products they had to offer. When our first Toddler Play Kit arrived: The Realist (for 19, 20, 21 months) I was so impressed. The products are not only perfect for this age group they are of fantastic quality. Our Toddler Play Kit, The Realist is c/o Lovevery. Lovevery is absolutely my favourite and preferred Montessori subscription service for babies and toddlers. Each and every product is designed and made by Lovevery.... Read more →

My children's Forest School experiences have had a profound effect on me. It's difficult not to appreciate how the children thrive in such a minimal, natural environment. No shelves lined with materials, nature is the prepared environment. Learning with sticks, bugs, worms, rain and, mud! Wet and dirty. Windswept and sunkissed. While inside our home is Montessori outside it's starting to look a little different. We have found inspiration for our outdoor environment in Forest Schools. What Forest School ideas have we applied to our home environment? Art and Crafts. There are an endless amount of crafts we can do... Read more →

There are a lot of toddler puzzles around but it can be difficult to find puzzles with realistic images. The child at this age is trying to make sense of the world so we want to provide materials that reflect the world that we live in. We want our puzzles to reflect reality. I love photographic images but I also enjoy realistic style illustration. Two piece puzzles can assist with the child's developing visual discrimination, dexterity, coordination and, concentration. Self-correcting puzzles are fantastic in a Montessori environment (home or school) as they have an inbuilt control of error. I have... Read more →

Today was a public holiday so I've just written a short post sharing some of the materials Otto has on his bedroom shelves. I like to have a few materials in his room for him to use before and after bedtime. The wonderful part of having a floor bed is that when he wakes he can turn on his own music, read a book or play with some toys. Also when he is getting sleepy he can play with his toys and slowly make his way to bed. We don't rotate the materials or books in Otto's bedroom as often... Read more →

Have you tried any baster or pipette activities with your toddler? Many toddlers enjoy water play so this is a lovely way to allow them to experiment with water while developing coordination, strength and a few fine and gross motor skills. These types of activities provide an opportunity for the refinement of movement, repetition and concentration. Pictured above and below, Otto finds the baster easiest to use. He enjoying squirting the water in and out of the baster and making bubbles. At 19 months Otto is really experimenting, he isn't doing a lot of transferring work. You can see there... Read more →

Chatting to teachers and friends it became clear that everyone has their own type of scissors they prefer for toddlers. I looked around online and found the same thing. Even with Montessori toddler teachers, there wasn't a consensus on the best type of scissors for the first cutting tray. So today I'm sharing a few articles from others showing their first cutting trays and sharing the scissors we've used. Some parents and teachers prefer the spring back and open scissors many prefer the little nail scissors with the round tip. My first two children used the Staedtler Children's Scissors but... Read more →

I've had so much fun introducing Otto to matching activities I wanted to share them with you. At around 18 months Otto started object to object matching. Now a month or so later he is using object to card matching. This is a fun way to build vocabulary, concentration as well as visual discrimination and cognitive development. Here are a few of my tips for starting object to card matching at home. If you have a printer it is easy to make your own cards at home. For most cards, I have used product images found online. I have printed... Read more →

One of the most important skills for a toddler to develop is concentration. I believe it is easier for some children than for others. But we have to nurture the toddler and provide the right conditions to support their developing concentration. Otto is definitely my wildest, craziest, noisiest toddler. When he is running amok with his brothers it is difficult to believe that he is also capable of intense focus and concentration. This is the dichotomy of the toddler. We can support the child's need for concentration by allowing for and supporting repetition. I see Otto pouring a milk drink... Read more →

Today I want to share a few new trays, baskets and things we've introduced at or around 19 months. I will continue to list activities by age although at around this stage age become less relevant. As I've seen with my three children they all become interested in activiites at different ages. I always try to put together at least a couple of new trays or baskets at every rotation, using my child's interests, skill level and often materials I can find from around the home. Shell Nature Basket - we introduced this one earlier but haven't had it out... Read more →