the velcro board

I saw this over on Chasing Cheerios, and knew we had to give it a try.  Remember how much we love velcro?  Anyway, our velcro board has been a big hit with Elise for the past month.  I can't decide which she enjoys more, pulling the objects off the board, or sticking them in her mouth afterwards!  Either way, Elise is strengthening her control and coordination of movement AND stimulating her senses.

To make this activity, I attached strips of sticky back velcro to a board (It's actually a wooden plaque).  Then, I stuck smaller pieces of sticky back velcro to the bottoms of some wooden objects.  I found all my supplies at  Michaels, and spent about $10.  I always stay with Elise while she's using the velcro board because some of the objects are small.  Also, Elise really likes to chew on the little pieces of velcro, so I check them frequently to make sure they're still firmly stuck in place.

Oh gosh, I was just looking at this last photo, and there's Rosie!  Do you see her?  What a creeper...  I think she bombs 90% of the photos I take of Elise.  This baby sure is lucky to get herded by a cow dog all day!  :)

on the shelves - 9 months

 the circle treasure basket

A variety of lids to look at, chew on, and hit together.  Lids scavenged from around the house. 

 the ball drop

This is our version of the object permanence box.  The ball is dropped into one of the three holes on the top, and then rolls out the hole on the side.  Box and ball purchased here, and then slightly modified.  :)

egg and cup

This activity is great for exploring the concept that things fit together.  Plus, the egg is perfect for chewing on!  Egg and cup from Pinkhouse Handworks.

the photo album

Elise always enjoys looking at photos of herself and other people she knows.  I switch the photos out occasionally to keep it fresh.  I like the concept of a baby photo album, but I don't like the way the plastic sleeves stick to the photos in this one.  Still curious?  Check it out here.

 the blue bag

A blue bag full of blue objects to explore.  Can you guess which one Elise likes the best?

busy hands: baby edition

pulling mama-made magnets

off the fridge

exploring the tails

in Fishy Tails

a family walk 

along the Yellowstone River

investigating 

a selection of spheres

admiring the details

on a souvenir gift from Mexico 

(Our friend who gave up this little dish apologized because there was a piece of velcro on the back.  I laughed and showed her all the photos hanging with velcro on our walls.  We hung the dish up right away, and Elise loved pulling it off.  I haven't kept it up, though, because I'm a little worried about E chewing off the beads... Instead, I'm saving it for special times when we can look at it together!) 

picking up and dropping the agate

from the nature treasure basket

pulling up to a stand

against a chair

Happy Friday, friends!

treasures from nature

OK, so we are huge fans of treasure baskets around here.  Commercial baby toys are fun for a quick minute or two, but a basket full of real things?  Things the big people use?  Now, that's worth some serious baby investigation.

This week, Elise has been exploring a treasure basket with objects from nature.  Our outside world has been under snow for the majority of Elise's life (crazy, right?), so it's been exciting for her to discover that under all that fluffy white stuff, some seriously interesting things were hiding.  A few of our natural finds have come home with us to become Elise's newest treasure basket.

Clockwise from the top left:  agate, driftwood, fossil, coral (not from Montana, but a gift from a friend's recent trip to Mexico), pine branch cutting, and pine cone.

A thoughtfully put together treasure basket can stimulate all of Elise's senses and hold her interest for up to a half an hour, or more!  Elise has been enjoying treasure baskets since she was between 4 and 5 months old (she's 9 months now), and I  really appreciate the way they've given her an opportunity to experience the fascinating objects of her environment in a safe way.  OH, and did I mention?  Putting together a basket full of curiosities from your house and yard is FREE!  Now that's a treasure, right?     

Some treasure basket inspiration: 

• How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin
• Counting Coconuts
• How We Montessori
• Montessori ici
• Sew Liberated

a book, a craft, a task

A handful of happy activities to fill that precious free time I sometimes find here and there...

Book  I've been trying to read a little every day.  Right now I'm on an Ivan Doig kick - Prairie Nocturne is the fifth one of his books that I've read since February!  That's commitment. 

Craft  I started knitting a baby hedgehog last month from the pattern Smith by Ysolda Teague.  I've already knit the mama and the papa, so Elise's little hedgie family is nearly complete!

Task  I was going to work in the garden today because the weather has been so nice and springy, but we woke up to SNOW this morning!  Until tomorrow, dandelions?

What projects are you working on during your precious moments of free time?