the gift of play dough

Homemade play dough has become our 

go-to gift for friends.

It's inexpensive and easy to make.

The recipient will have a ball 

while strengthening his or her fine motor skills.

(Sorry - once a Montessori teacher, always a Montessori teacher!)

Ultimately, it can be composted or thrown away, the container recycled.

Plus, nothing beats giving a gift that 

you made with your very own hands, right?!!

(Just ask Elise - she was nearly bursting with pride 

watching her friend unwrap the snowman on the left 

- she made the one on the right for herself, of course!)

To make the snowman play dough,

we followed the Imagination Tree's 4 Minute Play Dough Recipe,

and kneaded in some silver glitter and a splash of peppermint extract at the end.

In addition to the sparkly dough, we put together a few snowman supplies:

buttons,

googly eyes,

twig arms,

felt scarves,

and carrot noses (cut golf tees and toothpicks).

Of course, we had to put the snowman play dough in snowman jars

- thank you Eltern vom Mars!

In the photo at the top of the post, the jars are wearing knitted hats,

but if you're not a knitter - or you just don't want to spend your precious time knitting hats for jars -

try cutting off the toe of a single sock and gluing a pom pom to the top.

(The sock hat pictured above came off an extremely cute, child-made sock snowman 

we purchased at a craft fair this weekend.)

Happy gifting!

muffin tin tuesday

In honor of Halloween (which is only next week - eeeek!!!), Elise and I filled a muffin tin with orange-colored foods for our afternoon snack.  It'd been awhile since we'd had a special-themed snack in a muffin tin, and Elise LOVED it.  Food is such a fun and meaningful way to explore colors, textures, and shapes - I need to remember to do this more often with her!

from the top left:  

chipotle tortilla wedges, sweet mini pepper, goldfish crackers, orange juice
shredded golden beet, rotini pasta, sesame stick crackers, mandarin oranges
cheddar cheese cubes, garden carrots, dried apricots, sun gold tomatoes

Did I mention Elise LOVED this snack?!  She really did.  While she's usually an eat-and-run kind of girl, this snack captured her attention for awhile.  Maybe all those little muffin tin compartments appealed to her sense of order?  ;)

Do you ever make special-themed muffin tin snacks for your little ones?  I'd love to hear your suggestions!

the wavy chopper

Last week, I introduced Elise to the wavy chopper, and it has totally transformed her experience in the kitchen. Now, in addition to scrubbing, scooping, and stirring - she can CHOP!

Here are a few tips I've come up with for using a wavy chopper with a toddler:

1.  The metal part of the wavy chopper is as sharp as a knife - only touch the handle.  

2.  Keep both hands on the handle when chopping.  This keeps little fingers safe, and provides some preparation for using an actual knife.

3.  Since both hands are on the handle, it's more comfortable to chop vertically, rather than horizontally.

^^^4.  When setting up a chopping activity, include a cutting board, a dish for the peel or any other scraps, a dish for the slices of fruit or veggies, and a dish for holding the wavy chopper when not in use.  

5.  Isolate movement: after each piece is chopped, set the wavy chopper down, and transfer the slice of fruit/veggie to the dish.  

^^^6.  Finish chopping before eating.  In the Montessori classroom, the children would also clean up before eating. We're still working on this one - Elise loves to sample!  Ha, ha - I do, too!  ;)

7.  Always supervise your child when using the wavy chopper!!!  It is a real tool, and it is sharp enough to cut fruits and vegetables.  While I rarely interrupt Elise when she's working, I don't think twice about reminding her to keep both hands on the handle of the wavy chopper.

A list of beginning foods to try chopping with the wavy chopper:

• banana
• cucumber
• wedges of peeled melon
• zucchini
• hard-boiled egg
• cheese  

OK, this is sort of off-topic, but are you feeling a little curious about what Elise is wearing in the above chopping photos?!  Well, if you are, here she is in all her unique awesomeness...

^^^I love her so much!!!!!!!!^^^

Hope you're all having a great week!

favorite springtime reads

A few books that are currently giving us spring fever:

• Snowy Flowy Blowy by Nancy Tafuri
• Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
• Mama, Is It Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure
• And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano
• A Book of Seasons by Alice and Martin Provensen

What have you been reading lately?  I'm getting the list for our next trip to the library, and would love a little inspiration!  :)

a simple spring experiment

Here's a little something to satisfy those first tingles of spring fever.... I'm sure you know what I'm talking about! Even though there's still snow on the ground and we have to pull on hats before going outside, there's a tiny, warm voice whispering in the wind "GROW!"

Elise and I responded to Mother Nature's call by force-starting some cuttings from trees and shrubs around our neighborhood.  It was basically as easy as cutting a few branches, sticking them in a vase of water, and bringing them inside our warm house - the plants did the rest of the work themselves!  In just a few short days, buds began to open.  Now, two weeks later, the buds have turned into leaves and flowers, and even more thrilling, there are roots!  

An older child would probably enjoy recording the transformation of the branches.  21-month-old Elise and I have enjoyed just discovering -  we've delighted in the tiny green leaves and ever-lengthening roots. Elise's vocabulary now includes buds, leaves, flowers, and roots.  Whenever she spots the tiniest spec of green outside, she exclaims "GROW!"

Here's to Spring! 

good things come in small packages...

Last week, an intriguing little package arrived at our door...

Elise, Mama, Papa, Rosie - who could it be for?

We opened it up as quickly as we could!

And, oh my, were the contents ever so good!

Did it contain a magic pill that made our family shrink?!

No, although the resemblance IS quite uncanny, don't you think?!

custom felt family by Jen's Felted Jems

(visit her on etsy and on facebook)

*UPDATE* 4/16  No, friends - this is NOT a pregnancy announcement!  Although, in hindsight, I realize that it kinda looks like one!  Ha!  The baby is just because Elise is so baby-crazy!  Maybe someday....  ;)

a little tour: e's practical life shelf

^^e's practical life shelf^^

A few lessons I've put together to support the development of Elise's coordination and control of movement...

 ^^posting toothpicks^^

 ^^fragile objects^^

 ^^transferring eggs (whole hand)^^

 ^^transferring pom poms (melon baller)^^

^^play dough^^

^^threading^^

Lately, I've been debating whether or not to continue preparing these types of lessons for Elise...  Is it as meaningful to spoon pom poms between two bowls on a tray as it is to scoop spices into a pot of soup?  Yes?  No?  While I don't think these lessons should replace authentic practical life exercises - cooking, cleaning, caring for oneself, etc - I do think they can be offered as a valuable supplement. 

Like authentic practical life exercises, these lessons:

• develop strength, coordination, and muscle control
• encourage concentration, carefulness, and precision
• provide indirect preparation for writing, reading, and mathematics
• foster independence 

Ultimately, the biggest benefit I see in preparing practical life lessons for Elise, in addition to including her in authentic practical life work, is that it offers her freedom of choice - she can decide when, where, and for how long she wants to work.  Honestly, at 21 months of age, she has limited freedom in choosing authentic practical life work - she often has to wait for me or work at my pace to reach my adult goals.  I know this will all change as Elise gets older, and I'll probably reevaluate the purpose of her practical life shelf several more times...  but for now, it stays.  

What do YOU think?  Do you prepare practical life lessons in addition to including your child in authentic practical life work?  Why or why not?  

a simple taste test

Last night, while we anxiously waited for our dinner to cook, 

Elise and I had a little impromptu taste test.  

It was so much fun, we did it twice,

and Elise was ready to do it again first thing this morning.  ;)

I offered Elise three identical little glasses 

of sugar water, lemon water, and salt water.  

(I also filled a bottle with plain water to cleanse her palette between tastes.)  

After Elise took a sip from a glass, 

I would name the taste.  

That was sweet.  That was sour.  That was salty.  

Sweet was a big hit, with salty coming in a close second.  

Sour left little to be desired...

which was surprising, considering Elise usually sucks down lemon wedges.  

Coffee seemed like an ideal bitter taste, 

but I decided it would be bonkers to let my toddler drink coffee after 6 pm!

I can't stop thinking of more "edible tests" for us try:

texture, color, temperature...

We may be doing this for awhile!

on the shelves - 20 months

A handful of E's favorite activities this month:

1. color basket one
A homemade version of the traditional Montessori material, Color Box I.  I made our color tablets by simply gluing paint samples onto rectangles of cardboard.  Elise is able to successfully match all three primary colors, and she really enjoys checking her work by "telling the whole story:" red, red; yellow, yellow; blue, blue!

2. caring for a plant
Up until this month, our only house plant had been a small, happily-neglected cactus.  When I saw these little daffodil plants at the grocery store, spring fever got the better of me, and I decided to bring one home!  Although it's looking a little past it's prime, Elise continues to enjoy smelling the blossoms and keeping it well-watered. ;)

3. beginning sorting 
While I drooled over a million and one awesome sorting activities on pinterest, I decided to keep this introductory activity simple.  I put two different types of objects in a basket - cotton balls and wooden eggs, and showed Elise how to sort them into a divided baking dish.  She caught on right away, and has has been getting a lot of satisfaction out of the activity - it must appeal to her sense of order!

4.  matching animals to their babies
Elise has gone completely baby crazy, so this is quite possibly her favorite activity of all time.  I tried to include both male and female animals - if you've ever examined a Schleich figurine, you'll know what I'm talking about.  Anyway, I'm glad I did because while Elise is very much a mama's girl right now, she is really drawn to the male animals, especially the dog - she calls him "Papa" and the puppy "Elise."

5. smelling jars
This is another homemade version of a traditional Montessori material, the Smelling Cylinders.  I'll add another set of jars soon, so Elise can match the scents.  For now, she is busy figuring out how to open the lids, and happily sniffing away at the essential oils I dabbed onto a few cotton balls.  While this activity may seem simple, I think it's really increased Elise's awareness of aromas in the environment.

6. hot and cold cards
Elise continues to be fascinated by hot and cold.  I made these cards out of photos I took of hot and cold things around our house - a steaming tea kettle, an ice cube, etc.  (Thanks to Elsa for the idea!)  Eventually, this will be another sorting activity, but for now we've just been talking about the cards and matching them to the environment.

busy hands

A quick glimpse at all the fun things Elise has been up to the past few weeks:

smelling bottles

 stacking rings 

 shoveling snow

 pushing pipe cleaners

 

reading books

 sliding in the park

matching objects

washing dishes

 

washing a dog

washing herself!

"uh oh! the baby's out of bed!" - a finger play with Anne & Elise

I'm a little mortified about posting a video of myself - do I really sound/look like that?!! - but I thought this would be a fun way to share one of our favorite finger plays with all of you!  It's a slightly modified version of The Baby Chant from Chants, Finger Plays, & Stories by Bev Bos.  Enjoy!  Hope your computer doesn't break!  ;)

here's the baby (hold up pointer finger)
put the baby in the bed (lay pointer finger across palm of opposite hand)
cover the baby up (wrap fingers around pointer finger)
kiss the baby good night (kiss pointer finger)
uh oh! the baby's out of bed! (open hand and hold pointer finger up)

You can continue by saying, We must have forgotten something!   Encourage your child to come up with reasons why the baby keeps getting out of bed... maybe she needs a drink?  or a diaper change?  As those of you with a little one - especially, one who sleeps on a floor bed! - know, the options are pretty much limitless!

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!***

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!  ;)