inspiration from blogland

I want to share two blogs that I've come across recently that have given me a TON of inspiration.  As a Montessori mama, I'm always on the look out for ways to help my 14-month-old daughter become independent and successful in our home environment.  I'm sure I'm late to the party, and you've all been reading these blogs for ages!  If not, please click on the links below to read about two creative, Montessori-inspired approaches to parenting!

Here are two ideas that I just can't wait to try with Elise...

(Sixtine et Victoire)

This cheese and bread food preparation activity from Sixtine et Victoire takes me back to my teaching days.  The children in my classroom all had one thing in common: they all liked to eat, and they all LOVED eating food that they had prepared themselves.  I can't wait for Elise to experience this! The other day, I watched her use her finger to smear the yolk from an over-easy egg onto a slice of toast, so I think she may be ready to do a simple spreading activity like this one.

(Eltern vom Mars)

There are only a few things in life that Elise dislikes so far... being strapped into her car seat and having her hands and face wiped off after meals.  This bathroom set-up from Eltern vom Mars (Parents from Mars) seems like it would be a much more pleasant and respectful way for Elise to care for herself.  Really, what toddler wouldn't love using a bathroom space designed just for them? 

Thank you to all the mamas, papas, and teachers out there who take the time to share their creativity and wisdom -  you definitely keep this mama feeling fresh and inspired! 

a pink tower extension

Our computer is on the fritz right now... I'm unable to upload photos, so I'm going to have to be patient and wait until next week to show you all the fun things Elise and I have been doing!  In the meantime, here are some photos of a Pink Tower extension I just found from my teaching days. 

Oh, Pink Tower, how I miss you.  You're certainly not just any old stack of blocks!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Pink Tower, it's a set of 10 wooden cubes, ranging in size from 1 to 10 centimeters.  It was one of the first lessons presented to every three-year-old student in my classroom, but it was NOT just for the little ones. 

One of my favorite things about the Montessori sensorial materials is that the opportunity for exploration is limitless.  The Pink Tower can be used for matching activities, language lessons (little/big, big/bigger/biggest, ect), and in combination with the Broad Stair (This one was definitely a favorite.)  The Pink Tower can continue to challenge older children by introducing them to concepts like weight, area, and volume.

Here are some photos of a bright and busy six-year-old finding the area of one side of each of the cubes of the Pink Tower.   

First, she traced the outlines of one side of each cube on a piece of 1cm graph paper.

 

Next, she colored and cut out the squares.  This child was able to skip count by square centimeters to determine the area.  A child could also do this by counting each square centimeter.     

Here's her finished work!   

 

I'll be popping back in later this week with some more fun little things.  Hope you all have a great week!
 

 

a bag of red treasures

Have I mentioned lately how much we love treasure baskets?

Now that Elise is a little older, treasure baskets have taken on a new purpose.  In addition to providing sensory experiences, they are also a great way to introduce vocabulary.

Today, Elise explored a bag of red treasures...

I introduced this activity to Elise by showing her the bag of objects and saying,

Elise, this is the red bag.

Everything in this bag is the color red. 

As we took each object out of the bag, I named it:

This is a red feather!
These are red shoes!

This is a red block!

 

After looking through all the treasures in the bag, we went on a search around the house for other red items. 

Although Elise only says a couple of words, her understanding of language never ceases to amaze me!

e's first purse

Does this scene look familiar?

 

I can't even count how many times I've left the room for a millisecond, and come back to this:  the entire contents of my purse strewn around the living room, and Elise sitting contently in the middle of the chaos.  It's sweet and all, but after searching for my debit card for the billionth time, I decided it was high time Elise had her own purse! 

clockwise from the top: purse, keys, bracelet, wallet, "pen"

Instead of buying Elise a first purse toy (These actually exist!), I decided to be resourceful and use items I already had here at home.  Real things captivate Elise more that toys do right now anyway.   I chose a purse and wallet that wouldn't be too easy or too hard to open - Elise isn't quite ready for zippers or snaps yet.  

 I filled the wallet with outdated cards - pulling these out is a great fine motor exercise for little fingers! 

The verdict?  Elise loved exploring her new purse, but she wondered why it didn't have any lip gloss or hand cream!  Soon enough, Elise - please don't grow up too fast!

cornstarch & water: an ooey gooey toddler experiment

Back when I was teaching, I totally embraced messy projects.  As a mom, not so much.  I think it's because all the naturally occurring messes are terrifying enough!  Or, maybe it's because my little daughter fearlessly eats anything and everything.  Either way, I've decided to throw caution to the wind, and try some ooey gooey projects with Elise while the weather's still nice.  Wish me luck!  ;)

Our first messy project:  cornstarch and water...

 

First, we filled a tub with cornstarch.  

The cornstarch itself was an interesting sensory experience.
It's SO slippery!

Next, we added some water.
If you try this at home, the ratio is 2 parts cornstarch to 1 part water.

(We weren't that precise - we just added enough water to make a thick paste.)

Then, things got a little interesting.
It wasn't quite a liquid, but it wasn't quite a solid...
It was OOBLECK!

Just in case you were wondering...

YES! Cornstarch and water make a delicious combo.
(According to Elise, that is!)