how we montessori

Why I love Montessori schools

If ever I am in doubt about the quality of education my child receives I just need to visit the school. I'm impressed every-time.

Yesterday I attended a child parent session and loved every minute. Why I love our Montessori school:

• As soon as Caspar enters his class he transforms into a more serene, mature and confident child.

• Every material he could want is available to him. I love looking around his class, into every tray. It doesn't matter if he uses a material once or once a day, I appreciate that he has the opportunity to experience, touch, explore so much.  

• Large windows, flowers, natural materials - Montessori classrooms are among the most beautiful I've ever seen. 

• Patient and caring staff. You know I love teachers and I think we have some of the best. They're not only trained teachers they are trained Montessori teachers. I love that they can answer every Montessori question I have. 

• Sense of community. Have a look at Otis pictured above at a school event. So much fun and it's nice to feel that sense of community. 

• Being surrounded by like-minded people. Books, blogs and emails offer so much but being surrounded in person by other Montessori parents is wonderful. 

• A love of learning is paramount. It's heart warming to see Caspar so excited about learning, he used the moveable alphabet to spell out some words, it didn't matter that they were terribly incorrect, what matters is that he is excited and enthused by the material.

• Cleanliness and order. I love that everything has it's place and it's the responsibility of the children to maintain the cleanliness and order of their class. So many children can be working each at a different table or on the floor, each doing their own activity and there is still order and calmness.  

• I love the freedom of movement. If a child is thirsty they can get a drink. It they need to visit the bathroom they can do so. No one is forced to sit still or has to ask to move around. 

I could go on. I know that not everyone has access to a high quality Montessori school. This is why I support Montessori for All. If you are looking for a school in Austin definitely click over and read all about Magnolia Montessori For All. You can also support Montessori for All by liking them on their Facebook page.

"We believe that the quality of our educational opportunities should not be determined by our families’ incomes and that all children deserve the chance to reach their enormous potential." - Montessori for All

We have spent many hours working on the book Kids in the Kitchen: Simple Recipes that Build Confidence and Independence the Montessori Way. All of the funds raised from the sale of the book will go towards Montessori for All. We are going to miss our release date of June 4 but I will keep you updated. We are finalising a few fine details and the book will be released very, very soon. I might be a bit biased but the book it looking very, very good and I know you will love it!

Watering

One of my favourite blogs is Say Yes to Hoboken. When Liz wrote about the Upcycled Watering Jug I loved the idea for the younger set. 

I used the same method but with a smaller bottle. 

Caspar gave a demonstration...

and Otis was away.

I wasn't sure if Otis was going to be able to do it. I only half filled the bottle so it wasn't too heavy. 

Totally cool for water play too. 

Otis and I have the gardening bug. This planter is a great height for Otis. We're making a sensory garden of sorts. We've used established plants so they can tolerate the exuberance of a one-year old. He loves running his hands over the plants and picking the leaves. Can you believe we're only a day away from winter! 

Caspar's first reader

  

Yesterday Caspar received his very first school reader. He was so silly happy. I had to capture him reading on camera and share. I'm sure this is a moment in every mother's life when they feel just a little bit proud. 

It did strike me as odd that his very first reader from school contained talking animals who wear clothes. His school obviously isn't concerned. You may laugh watching how I struggle with two children. As soon as Caspar finished the story Otis tackled him. Caspar is so patient and calm and Otis is so forthright and fun. 

Care of self and doing 'with' not 'to'

Otis's care of self area. Finally a mirror on the wall. Children love looking at themselves!

A hairbrush and a handkerchief. No tissues here. Otis would either eat it or pull it into a million pieces. I've moved his cube chairs. Now there is one here for dressing and the other is near his toileting area. You could use a stool however at this age when undressing Otis will move around and use the arms of the chair for support. Next to the chair is his wardrobe in which he has access to his clothes basket (which contains only a couple of items of clothing) and his laundry basket. 

Otis is an active participant in his personal care. We now change nappies and training pants standing. Otis can take his pants off himself and while I hold the clothing he moves his limbs to get dressed. It's not only for independence it's out of respect. When I look at this little guy I don't only see my son I see a child of the world, I don't only see a child I see a person that I have immense respect for.

Clare from the Pikler collection recently touched my heart by introducing me to the work of Dr Emmi Pikler. There are many similarities between the philosophy of Montessori and Pikler. I love reading about and observing infant development. When it comes to care of self I love this from Parentingworx; 

Building a Cooperative relationship with a baby requires that you work together on things. We tend to radically underestimate a baby’s willingness and capability in this area. Pikler saw babies as active participants rather than passive recipients in their care.

All of this requires us to talk to our babies a lot more about what we would like to work with them on – and being patient, giving them time to respond.

For Example: Chloe was nannying 12 months old Angus. His Mum said to Chloe – “He has a runny nose today Chloe – and he hates having it wiped – just do your best”. Chloe noticed that Angus’s Mum would (gently) hold the back of his head with her left hand whilst she wiped with her right hand. Understandably – Angus struggled to escape this ‘lockdown’.  When Chloe noticed that his nose was running, she held out a tissue in her open hand. She showed it to Angus and quietly said “Angus . . . . Your nose is runny . . . . we’ll have to wipe it together”. And she waited. Angus looked at the tissue – then looked at Chloe. She still waited. He looked at the tissues again . . . . and then placed his little face down into them so that they could wipe his nose together. To be in the presence of a baby who is given the chance to work cooperatively is a beautiful thing!

Beautiful thing indeed! Here is a discussion regarding Pikler and Montessori from a lovely blog A Pikler Experience.

 

Extracurricular Activities

Do you ever worry that your child is doing too many or too few extracurricular activities?

Just to put it out there Caspar does Gymnastics on Saturday and Soccer on Sunday. He goes to school everyday of the week, this means he doesn't have a full rest day. 

Initially I thought these extra activities would be good for building relationships. However I've found the classes are so full he doesn't get a chance to connect with the other children or his coaches. What has happened is that he connects with his Dad who takes him. Unless his Dad is working these are Father and son activities. 

The Montessori approach is that these extracurricular activities are unnecessary, especially at this age. I remember Montessori had no emphasis on organised sport. Neither his gymnastics or soccer are competitive. They are great activities for fitness and coordination but these could easily be obtained through other means. 

Montessori for Everyone had an interesting interview When Children and Culture Collide: An Interview with P. Donohue Shortridge. I am really supportive of what Ms Donohue Shortridge had to say. She mentioned:

"Children age 3-6? Again, this age child should pretty much be moving from home to Montessori school and back home again."

You can read more from P. Donohue Shortridge here. I take from this she feels extracurricular activities are unnecessary too. 

What's my view? I feel extracurricular activities can provide a really positive experience for the child but we need to keep in mind what the real benefits are. Swimming lessons are a good example. Here in Australia swimming lessons are considered essential and may reduce drownings. Although something like soccer can be picked up at a later age. If the child genuinely enjoys it and their schedule isn't overloaded, why not. As for essential, is your child missing out if they are not attending any extracurricular activities - probably not!

Planks

As I mentioned in the Fascinated by Froebel post I have been looking at building blocks for Caspar. Planks quickly went on my wish list. These are an Australian design and I believe there are some very similar products in the US. 

On the surface they look like over priced (they're not cheap) off cuts. If you have the tools and skills it's entirely possible to make them yourself. What sets these aside from other blocks is each plank is identical in size and weight.

When Caspar opened the box he wasn't excited. He looked at the brochure and picked out a design he wanted to make. Being a Lego boy he was expecting step-by-step instructions. When he discovered he had to make the design himself he lost interest and didn't come back to the planks for a couple of days.

But then he got creative. He started to use his imagination. It confirmed to me that we need more materials like this, entirely open ended. 

There are only 100 planks in this box which isn't enough. I am undecided on purchasing more planks or trying some other blocks. 

I had preconceived ideas about blocks and even these planks, thinking they were for younger children. Looking at these images I think we have many years of play left. Looking at these images of older children actually makes me feel excited for what our future holds. 

 

Cute puppet storage

Almost all of our puppets were given as gifts - hence the variety. Caspar has been putting on a puppet show almost every day. We use our playstand as a puppet theatre. Caspar came up with this cute way of storing his puppets. It makes for a nice display!

 

Large prints for his room

Otis wasn't even born when I first noticed these lovely large prints. Too scary for a newborn I thought. 

Newborn no longer. I almost have a toddler on my hands. He already loves to sit and watch the small creatures that surround him. Now he can see them in detail. These prints are truly wonderful, you can see the veins on the wings of the dragonfly and the hairs on the legs of the ant. 

I ordered the prints from Michael Olaf however a greater range can be seen here.  It took some courage to install. They are large and certainly make an impact. I love having a nature theme running through our home. The only thing missing from his room is a plant but for that we'll have to wait a little bit longer. 

 

Help me to do it myself - pouring a drink

I thought twice about posting this. I was worried you might think I'm crazy. I know there were more than a few raised eyebrows when I wrote about Otis preparing his own snack. But you know this is a Montessori blog, don't be surprised by Montessori posts. When I've gone though my Montessori texts I've seen children much younger pour themselves a drink. No shock in seeing Otis do it. This goes to the heart of Montessori "help me to do it myself". Often Montessori goes against societal norms. 

I didn't introduce this to Caspar until he was around eighteen months old. Caspar couldn't do it. He just couldn't get the water in his glass. One day I was watching Edison's Day. I think in the video Edison is around eighteen months old and I noticed the size of his jug, it was tiny. I went home gave Caspar a smaller jug, actually this exact one Otis is using and wow straight away Caspar could do it. It was a revelation - size does matter!! I would have given Otis a smaller jug if I could find one. I couldn't even find a suitable milk creamer which are often a good size for beginners. 

This was the first time I have shown this to Otis. It was pure joy. He did it over and over and over. Pure joy! He drank a lot of water and got very wet in the process. 

A couple of things to note;

• Otis has been using a glass for over six months. He can pick up, move, hold, put down and drink from a glass comfortably. This isn't a good time to introduce a glass for the first time. If you are already using plastic cups there is no harm in trying this with a plastic jug. Otis didn't even think about throwing the jug, he treated it with care as he does the glass.

• I had a small sponge on the table for Otis to help clean up spills. Although he tried I mostly used a tea towel to clean up, there was a lot of water spilt. 

• I had a larger jug on the table for me to refill his jug. I only put a small amount of water in his jug each time. This saves me getting up for fresh water every time. Guaranteed if you try this at home your child will want more than one drink.

• I allowed every spill. I didn't make a fuss and simply cleaned up. Otis poured himself many drinks, the last time he picked up his glass he deliberately poured it over himself. This indicated to me the activity was over, his concentration was broken. I love water play and it has it's place which is not at the table. 
  

He has perfected the one handed drink. 

I know there will be a few people who try this at home. The photograph below is for you. It's one of Otis's first attempts. Yes, he missed the glass entirely. Don't feel discouraged, it only took him a couple of tries before he got it.  

Happy pouring!

Grow your own Mushrooms!

My attitude to preparing activities for Caspar has changed. While I still explore and try to expand upon his interests I also try to engage him in new and interesting concepts. Like growing sprouts or making our own butter. Because he spends so much time in school I try to present learning opportunities that are not available to him there. Like growing mushrooms. 

How much fun. I didn't know you could get kits to do this. It takes a while though, all things going well we'll have mushroom mold in a week and harvesting mushrooms within a month. 

Otis is the lucky second child who comes along for the ride. Caspar is misting the mushrooms above and those are Otis's little hands below. He's peak in a pointing phase. 

Fascinated by Froebel

I am looking for some new blocks for Caspar. Something architectural. I haven't made any decisions but Froebel's blocks and his other gifts have caught my attention. I'm fascinated.  

It has been said that Maria Montessori was inspired by Froebel and it's easy to see his influence in her work. Straight away the Roman Arch and Constructive Triangles appear Froebelian.

Froebel was the founder of the kindergarten. He designed a series of tools called gifts to stimulate symbolic learning. These gifts have been called the original educational toys. Froebel created these gifts to allow children to experience the order and beauty of the physical world.  

The gifts include solids, surface, lines, points and a framework for solids. The gifts are used differently to Montessori materials. They require the teacher to guide the child. As an example blocks are not the be knocked down or rebuilt but changed piece by piece and every piece of the gift must be used. So interesting. I have enjoyed reading this collection of articles by Richard Thiessen produced by AIMS Education Foundation.  

There are many similarities between Froebel and Montessori. Froebel wrote about children trying to make sense of the world by exploration and the importance of the prepared environment. Because of the hands on nature of the Montessori classroom I think Montessori children would take to these gifts really well. 

The Froebelian approach is about more than these gifts. Gardening, songs, movement, games and crafts called occupations are also prominent. I love the video on Froebel Gifts. They go on to say that the core of the philosophy is focused play which could be achieved without the gifts, that this could be achieved with materials from nature walks or everyday materials. Beautiful don't you think?

 

Pets for children - how about Hermit Crabs?

Pets add a feeling of warmth to a home. For a minimalist like me that's important. Pets allow us to observe nature up close. We can learn anatomy, behaviour patterns, eating habits, oh so much. 

I love these little critters. They have personality and are very active. They like digging, climbing, tumbling and eating. 

To start I wasn't sure. They require upkeep. Their water and food needs to be replenished frequently. Their water needs to be dechlorinated and they need a salt bath. You have to monitor their temperature. It's too much for Caspar so his responsibility is checking on their welfare, "do they look happy?" and an occassional mist.  

Normally it's not that crowded, today we tried offering some banana and grapes. It's hard to tell if they ate any but they climbed all over it. 

It's important to us that they are accessible. First we had them on a small coffee table. But that was too easy for Otis to reach, he started banging on the glass. This table is perfect, it's so stable and Otis can see the crabs but he cannot reach them. It's nice that Caspar can still access the aquarium and it makes a nice place for him to sit and observe. 

I'm still a novice. Seeking the advice of crab keepers near us and reading up, there is some great information on forums and even blogs on crabs. If you have any tips on keeping Hermit Crabs I'd be happy to hear. Our crabs currently don't have a hut but the branch does provide protection.

Grrr. I just read Hermit Crabs don't like misting. Who to believe?

A sneak peek at our new pet!

Using a work mat at home and an open and close activity

Do your children use a work mat at home? I wonder at what age it is introduced? 

In the past Otis has worked at his table or straight on the floor. This is the first time he has used a work mat. I felt like a real teacher rolling it out slowly and deliberately.

As you can see Otis wanted to sit on it. I only have two rules. 1. The work stays on the mat. 2. The mat is rolled up and put away when we are finished. 

When I met with Kate last week I realised that we would soon be posting on similar activities. Otis and Sarah are so close in age we will always have much in common. 

I remember presenting an open and close activity to Caspar when he was around eighteen months. The beauty of this activity is you can easily change the skill level. Otis's basket contains tins, jars and other containers from the kitchen and bathroom. I don't mind the busyness of the labels, I think it makes this a good practical life activity. He's not just opening a container, he is opening a spice jar!

As it turns out Otis is only interested in mastering the Cream to Tartar container. He's focused for sure. 

Montessori bloggers are not a voice of authority.

How do you feel about blogs? Do you feel inspired? Do you feel defeated? Is the world of blogging becoming larger or just my immersion into it?

Some blogs are amazing and are like an escape to another world, another reality. I think that proves we are all different. With different blogs. With different perspectives, even on Montessori. 

Caspar makes lunch

Since Caspar has started extended days at school he has started making his own lunch. I really love this however there are some difficulties. Mainly time. It takes him around twenty minutes. While we try to keep our mornings nice and easy it's hard to spare the twenty minutes. You know you can't rush a four year old. There is no telling him to hurry up.

I think it's a good idea for a child to prepare their own lunch no matter their age. I'm sure there are children much younger doing this. Even if your child is older I don't think they are ever too old to start. Thinking back to my childhood I don't remember ever making my own lunch. I know Caspar's childhood memories will be very different. Here are a few of my tips for making it happen. 

• Wake up early, get started early, do whatever you need to ensure they have enough time. A young child simply cannot 'quickly' make their own lunch. Respect the process, if you rush your child or take over it can hurt their ego and self confidence. 

• Have the child prepare familiar foods foods in a familiar way. This is not a good time to introduce new skills. If your child hasn't peeled a carrot before try demonstrating this when you have more time.

• Discuss with your child the night before or before food shopping what they might like for lunch. 

• Ensure there is lots of variety. Caspar likes to eat the same foods everyday but if I don't offer him options he'll never take them.

• Only present your child with healthy options. We keep treats to snack or in between meals. I don't believe a treat a good idea at a meal time. Our school is also very strict no sweets, cake or biscuits allowed in the lunch box.

• Empower your child and make it part of their everyday routine. For Caspar it's not even an option it's just something he does. 

My number one tip is to give your child a lunch bag to contain their lunch box, fruit and drink. I didn't do this and on Caspar's first day he dropped his lunch box with it's contents spilling everywhere. It also may seem obvious but ensure your child can open and use their lunch box and drink containers. If your child struggles to make their own lunch I suggest have them help you and then over time slowly empower them, shift the balance so they take the lead and you become the helper. 

Making their own lunch may seem like a small thing to us but I assure you it's a big thing to them.  

 

A sensory experience for Otis

Nice cool rice. It feels good. 

When the rice falls onto the clam shell it sounds like rain. Later in the evening we took the clam shell and rice inside.

The long grass provides a sensory experience too. 

We don't have leaves like this in our garden. These are left over from one of Caspar's projects. 

Crunchy autumn leaves. 

Otis wears Amber

Honestly when I first read about teething necklaces I thought the child must chew them. I hesitated thinking what a choking hazard! You know the child isn't supposed to chew the necklace at all, they simply need to wear it against their skin. 

Caspar wore his infrequently and it didn't appear to help at all. However Otis is happy to wear his all the time. He doesn't notice it and you cannot even see it, it's usually hidden beneath his clothes.

The theory is Amber has healing properties and can help relieve the pain of teething. The Amber needs to be warmed against the skin. There is no possible harm in wearing the necklace (it has a release on the clasp so it will break if it gets caught) and nothing else has helped. Gels, paracetamol, teethers still no relief. I like to think the Amber is helping in the most natural, soothing way. 

How we attach this picture to the wall.

Following a few comments here is in photographs how we attached this picture to the wall.

We have a couple of pictures like this. We found them at a second hand stall. This one is my favourite, I love that Otis can see the farm animals. 

We use Command Picture Hanging Strips. They are temporary so you can remove the strips from the wall and your picture without any damage. This is perfect for a toddler's room where you might want to move the pictures frequently.

One strip goes on the picture and one on the wall. The reason this works well for this picture is because the strip is placed on the picture backing, not on the wooden frame as seen here. 

When you match up the two strips and click them into place...

this fame sits flat against the wall. Otis has so far been unable to remove it from the wall. Although he tries he cannot get his fingers behind the picture to pull it off. If he was successful I would add a few more strips. I have used the strips on other pictures and they are stonger than they look. 

I'm happy for him to touch and explore the picture. There is no glass cover to be concerned about. I wonder about it's origin. Anyone recognise the style?

Toilet Learning Pants

Along with shoes we also ordered these toilet learning pants from Michael Olaf.

Otis has been wearing training pants for a while like the red ones in this post although as you can see they are bulky and absorb much like a nappy, neither Otis or I could even tell he was wet. I was looking for pants that were;

• Absorbent enough there is no puddle but the child still feels wet

• Easy to see the child is wet 

• Slimline, not at all bulky

• Easy to get on and off, even for a very young child

• Made from natural fibers

• Comfortable

These pants are perfect for us. They are made from organic cotton and so far no puddles. Not even a wet bed. Although I don't intentionally have him sleep in them. I usually change him before bed, sometimes I don't get a chance. 

Otis only wears them when we are at home. When he is in training pants I am able to see when he is wet and have worked out a bit of a pattern. Otis is also very aware of when he needs to use the toilet (potty) but sometimes we don't make it in time. The pants also help with self confidence. No problem if the pants get wet, we'll go put on a dry pair. 

I continually refer back to the toileting section at Aid to Life. The information is simple and doable.