sing me a story

What's better that reading a book?!  Singing a book - of course!  Each time we visit the library to check out books, I try to find at least one that is based on a song.  Much to the amusement of Hubs - whose singing is typically limited to the shower - these end up being the books that Elise asks to read over and over and over again!

Here's a little list of some of our favorite singable books.  Please feel free to add yours in the comments!

• Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes by Annie Kubler
• Mary Wore Her Red Dress and Henry Wore His Green Sneakers by Merle Peek
• Baby Beluga by Raffi
• There Was a Tree by Rachel Isadora
• Down by the Station by A. Twinn
• If You're Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera
• Over in the Meadow by John Langstaff 

3/17 UPDATE!!!  I can't believe I left out Fiddle-I-Fee by Will Hillenbrand - one of our very favorites! 

***This post was inspired by Sixtine et Victoire's March reading list.  Be sure to check it out!***

a beautiful mess

Recently, I've noticed  a few comments being made around the Montessori online community that bloggers only share "before"-type photos of pristine lessons and shelves.  So, if you are an itty bitty love reader who has been craving a little glimpse into our clutter and chaos, this post is for you!  Elise's friend Ezra came by to play this morning, and before I started tidying up, I took a few photos to document the aftermath their rollicking good time!

I also made a couple observations about our Montessori-inspired home:

1. Yes, it can get really messy around here when everything is taken out of its basket or tray.  That said, now that Elise is 20 months old, she usually only takes one or two things out at a time, and with a little encouragement, she's getting pretty good at putting it all back.  Our house really only looks like this when friends come over and explore.  Also, messes = fun, right?!
2. Although a Montessori home has the potential to get messy (What home doesn't, really?), they are easy to clean up because everything has its place.  Honestly, our house was back to normal within five minutes! 

three Montessori language games for toddlers

Here are a few simple language games to play 

before introducing the alphabet...

Matching objects supports the development

of visual discrimination.

One of the principles of Montessori education is to move from 

concrete to abstract.

A three-dimensional object is more concrete than a picture,

so Elise is matching objects to other objects right now.

Eventually, she will match objects to pictures,

and finally, pictures to other pictures.

Playing sound games like "I spy"

is a great way to model beginning sound isolation

and build phonemic awareness.

/h/hat, /b/boot, and /f/feather

I spy with my little eye a...

/b/boot

Can you find the /b/boot?

At twenty months old, I refrain from asking Elise

"Which one starts with /b/?" or "What sound does boot begin with?"  

Instead, I try to find as many ways as I can to model 

separating the beginning sounds from words,

with the understanding that Elise will eventually catch on.  

As simple as this may be, Elise adores this game!

Learning the names of a classified group of objects

enriches vocabulary.

I often use a three period lesson to present the names of items to Elise

that she encounters in her daily life or interest her.

These are tableware.

This is a glass.

(first period)

Please hand me the glass.  Thank you!

(second period)

What is this? (pointing to the glass)

(third period)

Since Elise is under two and just beginning to say words,

 I rarely ask her third period questions

- unless I'm absolutely sure she knows the answer.

As you may remember, Elise is already an expert table setter(!),

but it's still useful for her to hear

exact terminology and correct pronunciation.

(Other examples of classified vocabulary we've explored include

pets, farm animals, personal care items, and parts of the face.)

toddler threading: cardboard tube "beads"

A few reasons threading is so great for toddlers:

• strengthens fine motor control
• encourages concentration
• develops hand-eye coordination
• supports a sense of order and sequence
• provides direct preparation for sewing
• provides indirect preparation for math and language

While Elise seemed ready to give threading a try, I didn't feel ready to spend $30 on toddler beads! Deb from Sixtine et Victoire shared some lovely threading and beading activities awhile back, and I remembered that one of them was simply made out of cut up paper towel and toilet paper tubes.  Free AND easy to make?  Woo hoo!  Plus, the large size of the cardboard tube "beads" would make them easier to thread and pose less of a choking risk if E decided to do any oral exploring.  

To class up our cardboard tubes a bit, Elise and I glued on some leftover wrapping paper before I cut them into "beads." If you're interested, please scroll down for a little photo tutorial. I know, it's probably a no-brainer, but sometimes detailed explanations come in handy - especially if your toddler is teething, or something, and you're sleep-deprived like me.  :)

  

^^Elise wore her threaded cardboard tube "beads" as a necklace all morning!^^

Of course, you don't have to make a necklace - half the fun of threading is in the un-threading!  ;)

on the shelves - 19 months

Elise turns 20 months old tomorrow, so I thought I'd better get her favorite 19-month-old activities posted!

1. colander and pipe cleaners

I'd been seeing this fine motor activity on pinterest for awhile now, and thought Elise might enjoy giving it a try. Pushing the pipe cleaners into the holes on the colander has been a great challenge for her little fingers. I'm not sure which she thinks is more fun: pushing the pipe cleaners in or pulling them back out!

2. colored rings on dowels

Hubs and I made this little stacking and sorting activity for Elise.  She has been enjoying ring stacking activities for awhile, and these smaller rings and dowels require her to use more refined hand movements.  I've also shown Elise how to sort the rings by color, but she is more interested in creating her own combinations at this point.  ;)

3. fragile objects

Elise is beginning to have a good understanding of what it means to have "gentle hands."  I put a few precious, breakable items in a special box for her to practice with.  It's very sweet to watch her carefully take each item out of the box and explore it.  The little dog is her favorite, of course!

4. horizontal ring stacker

Another homemade activity - we sure went for it!  I'm glad we made this one because stacking rings horizontally requires completely different hand and wrist movements than stacking rings vertically.  It's really been a great challenge for Elise - you can almost see the gears turning in her brain...

5.  play dough

Play dough is quite possibly Elise's favorite activity.  Right now, she's really into rolling "snakes" between her hands - she even makes a hissssing sounds as she rolls!  We've been loving the 4 minute play dough recipe from the Imagination Tree.  The little rolling pin was a gift from our friends over at Sixtine et Victoire - it is just the right size for Elise's hands and she adores it!

6. The Mitten story props

Of course!!!  I'm SO glad Elise has been enjoying these hand-knit story props.  I love finding ways to support her interest in books, and I think using props is a great way to add another dimension and encourage creative play.  I think we'll get a lot of use out of these little animals!  :)