on the shelves - 13 months

rings on a post

Elise started out stacking one or two rings, 

and now she's able to do all six!
(stacking rings - Plan Toys)

capping/uncapping "markers"

Elise is fascinated with taking the caps off markers

 and then putting them back on.

I got the idea for this simple activity from Montessori ici. 

opening and closing round containers

A little vintage variation of the ever popular 

opening and closing lesson.

pulling scarves out of a box

A diaper wipes container filled with nylon scarves

- you know, the little old lady kind!

Whenever we listen to music, Elise runs over

and pulls out a scarf or two to dance with.  :)

 

cube in a box

I couldn't bring myself to actually buy imbucare boxes,

so I've been improvising.  This one is made from a painted cracker box!

a basket of farm animals

My little Montana girl has been loving farm animals lately.
Most of these figurines are made by Schleich.
They're just right for naming and making animal sounds!

busy hands - toddler edition

harvesting food from the garden

(Elise loves pulling, picking, and tasting!)

wading in the creek

(This girl is going to have some tough feet!)

 pulling the tape out of a 

tiny tape measure

and pressing the button

to suck it back up

(Elise repeats this activity over and over again.)

scooping up yogurt with a spoon

(Elise has also started practicing using a fork.)

finger painting with edible paint

(I made it by mixing equal parts flour and water

- and a couple squirts of food coloring.)

digging fingers and toes 

into some sand by the river

(Get this girl a sandbox already!  Actually, we're in the process
of building the ultimate sandbox,
but sometimes playing in nature's sandbox is truly the best! )

raspberry pickin'

Picking your own raspberries

at Rocky Creek Farm

is so much fun!

  What???  

You mean raspberries 

don't just come from the grocery store 

in a little plastic box?!

 No, silly!  They grow on raspberry bushes!

Oh, and they taste the best if you eat them off your fingers

right after you pick them... YUM!

 We can't wait to do it again!

opening and closing round containers

Check out Elise's first opening and closing lessons here and here!

the containers closed

the containers open

Want to see this activity in action?  Here, let Elise show you how it's done!  :)

step one:  

Remove the lid to discover what's inside...

Ooo... hand-painted, southwestern coasters!

(Thanks Community Closet!)

step two:

Dump the coasters out of the box - fun!

 step three:

Carefully put the coasters back into the box...

 

step four:

Put the lid back on the box.

Done - easy peasy!

I didn't get a photo, but Elise actually put the box of coasters back on the shelf!  Typically, she takes something out, plays with it, and then leaves it on the floor...  Hopefully this means her sense of order is kicking in, and she's going to start keeping this house shipshape! 

on the shelves - 12 months

 

a bag of personal care items

This activity is part treasure basket, part vocabulary lesson.  

After Elise takes out an object and explores it, I tell her what it is called.  

She doesn't repeat me yet, but I know she's soaking it up like a sponge! 

rings on a post

Elise has been enjoying this stacking activity for awhile now.  

To keep it interesting and add a little challenge, 

I replaced the wooden rings with silver bracelets.

hinged boxes

Elise continues to love opening and closing boxes. 

Every so often, I put out new boxes or change the objects inside.

birthday card basket

This basket holds the cards Elise received for her first birthday.

She enjoys looking through them - they're kind of like little books!

peg and cup

Elise spends a lot of time exploring how the peg fits into the cup.

This activity is slightly more challenging than the egg and cup - 

both came in a set from Pinkhouse Handworks.  

a tube of balls

Do you recognize these felt balls?  They're from the gobbi mobile I made Elise last summer! 

(The tube is a Pringles can wrapped in fabric - I got this idea from Montessori Beginnings.)

Elise enjoys taking out all the balls, and then putting them back in the tube - again and again!

 Although it's a bit beyond her skill level, she works at putting the lid back on the tube, too.